Lemmel7-8-Verdict-Of
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SESSION EIGHT THE JUDGMENT OF HISTORY BOWDOIN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART Just a reminder about the current exhibit at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art: “Constructing Revolution: Soviet Propaganda Posters from Between the Wars.” It’s on now, until February 11, 2018. This show also has a very informa- tive web site, which I have included in the Performance Links for today’s ses- sion. REVIEW In the first session of this course we explored what Russia was like in 1917, at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution, and surveyed of the state of Russian music in 1917. In the second session we looked at the policy of Socialist Realism, conceived by Vladimir Lenin and developed and enforced by Joseph Stalin. From the govern- ment’s point of view this was a successful policy; it resulted in a body of rela- tively accessible music. We saw how composers that conformed to its guide- lines were rewarded, and those who did not were punished. You may remember that the subtitle of this course is, “A Study in Censorship and Creativity.” In the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sessions we examined the music of four prominent Soviet Russian composers, to learn how they dealt with Soviet censorship while attempting to fulfill their own creative goals. Last week, in session seven, we surveyed what happened to Soviet music after the death of Stalin in 1953, when the enforcement of Socialist Realism was somewhat relaxed way. As an example we focused on the People’s Republic of Poland, where Socialist Realism had been abandoned after 1956. We saw how quickly Soviet Polish composers were influenced by the new musical style of the West, and how fervently they embraced their traditional religious and folk traditions. If the music of second-generation Soviet Russian composers, such as Rodion Shchedrin and Alfred Schnittke, we saw how quickly elements of Western music became part of their music as well. SOVIET RUSSIAN MUSIC TODAY This year, 2017, marks the one hundredth anniversary of the Bolshevik Revo- lution. To celebrate this important event there is a flood of new books on the subject. I call your attention to the New York Times Book Review of October 22, which is devoted entirely to the reviews of several such books. Perhaps the passing of one hundred years will allow us to view Soviet music with some historical perspective: What lasting effects did the policies of Social- ist Realism have on Russian music? How is music by Soviet composers viewed today, in 2017, by scholars, musicians, and by us, the concert-going public? To address these questions today, we will focus for one final time on music by the four Soviet composers best known in the West. To sharpen the focus, we will not compare apples and oranges, but will consider the fate of four well- known pieces of the same genre, four piano concertos, written between 1921 and 1957. As you might expect, these pieces have certain things in common: All have the traditional three movements of concertos: fast-slow-fast All are written in a style that contrasts the sound of a solo piano and the traditional, blended sound of the symphony orchestra All demand pianists with great technical skill All are among their composers best-known and most successful works. PROKOFIEV: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3, 1921 Despite his early fame, for many years Prokofiev's reputation in the West suf- fered as a result of Cold War antipathies. In the West his music has never won the kind of esteem granted to the music of Igor Stravinsky or Arnold Schoen- berg. Nor has it achieved the widespread admiration enjoyed by the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. But in terms of sheer popularity Prokofiev is probably the most popular compo- ser of the 20th century. His orchestral music is played more frequently in the United States than that of any other composer of the last hundred years, save that of Richard Strauss. His operas, ballets, chamber works, and piano music are regularly played in major concert halls worldwide. Prokofiev’s third piano concerto dates from the year 1921, when he was a mo- dern composer with a growing reputation. Thus it did not fall under the influ- ence of Socialist Realism. Today it remains one of the most popular and often- played of all piano concertos. It radiates a crisp vitality that is at times witty, at times sharply dissonant, at times sweet and tender. Our performance is by the great Argentinean pianist, Martha Argerich, with the London Symphony Orchestra. KABALEVSKY: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2, 1935 Though heavily influenced by Prokofiev, Kabalevsky’s second piano concerto maintains his own distinctive style: sharp, bouncy rhythms and singable melo- dies but with enough dissonance to be classified as “modern.” Like the Proko- fiev concerto, this one demands a pianist with a formidable technique; it’s not a piece for children or amateurs; In 2017, this concerto is rarely performed outside Russia. Our performance is by the Russian-American pianist Vladimir Feltsman, with the composer con- ducting, on the occasion of Kabalevsky’s 70th birthday. Vladimir Feltsman is a second-generation Russian, born in Moscow in 1952. When he applied for an exit visa in 1979, Soviet authorities banned him from teaching, performing or recording. Eight years later, in 1987, he was permitted to leave the Soviet Union and settled permanently in the United States. KHAHATURIAN: PIANO CONCERTO IN D-FLAT MAJOR, 1936 Khachaturian was big, bold personality who wrote big, bold pieces filled with the melodies and rhythms of Armenian folk music. His piano concerto caused a sensation when it appeared in the mid-1930’s and made his name popular in the West. Audiences and critics alike described it as “thrilling, challenging, war-like, and riveting.” Many notable pianists played it throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Especially in England and the United States, In 2017 it is still played often outside Russia. Our performance is by the excel- lent French pianist, Jean-Yves Thibodet and the Orchestre de Paris. SHOSTAKOVICH: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2, 1957 Shostakovich wrote this piece in 1957, during the Khrushchev “thaw,” as a 19th birthday present for his son, Maxim, then a student at the Moscow Conservato- ry of Music. A witty and charming piece, it is one of Shostakovich’s most up- beat and popular works, no doubt a product of the Khrushchev “thaw.” In 2017, it is often listed as one of the ten greatest piano concertos of all time, and it remains in the repertoire of many concert pianists worldwide. Our per- formance is by the sensational young Russian pianist, Denis Matsuev, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Valerie Gergiev. NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES PIECE BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO LOS ANGELES Kabalevsky No. 2, 8 0 8 0 0 Khachaturian, 43 15 26 1 1 Shostakovich No. 2, 64 0 38 16 10 Prokofiev No. 3, 149 0 99 19 31 IN CLOSING The study of Soviet Russian music includes all the qualities of grand opera: a plot full of surprise and intrigue, lots of good music, sympathetic heroes and terrible villains, all against the backdrop of political and social events that really did change the world. It has been a treat for me to research and teach this course. My goal has been to integrate music, society and politics in a way that one seldom sees them when looked at individually. Thanks to everyone for your participation, your questions, and the gift of your being here! .