Five Operas and a Symphony: Word and Music in Russian Culture (Russian Literature and Thought Series)

In this eagerly anticipated book, Boris Gasparov gazes through the lens of music to find an unusual perspective on Russian cultural and literary history. He discusses six major works of Russian music from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, showing the interplay of musical texts with their literary and historical sources within the ideological and cultural contexts of their times. Each musical work becomes a tableau representing a moment in Russian history, and together the works form a coherent story of ideological and aesthetic trends as they evolved in Russia from the time of Pushkin to the rise of totalitarianism in the 1930s.Gasparov discusses Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla ( 1842), Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov ( 1871) and Khovanshchina ( 1881), Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin ( 1878) and The Queen of Spades ( 1890), and Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony (1934). Offering new interpretations to enhance our understanding and appreciation of these important works, Gasparov also demonstrates how Russian music and cultural history illuminate one another.

In this eagerly anticipated book, Boris Gasparov gazes through the lens of music to find an unusual perspective on Russian cultural and literary history. He discusses six major works of Russian music from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, showing the interplay of musical texts with their literary and historical sources within the ideological and cultural contexts of their times. Each musical work becomes a tableau representing a moment in Russian history, and together the works form a coherent story of ideological and aesthetic trends as they evolved in Russia from the time of Pushkin to the rise of totalitarianism in the 1930s.
Gasparov discusses Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmilla (1842), Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov (1871) and Khovanshchina (1881), Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (1878) and The Queen of Spades (1890), and Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony (1934). Offering new interpretations to enhance our understanding and appreciation of these important works, Gasparov also demonstrates how Russian music and cultural history illuminate one another.

Contents......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Introduction: In the Shadow of Literature......Page 14 1. Sound and Discourse: On Russian National Musical Style......Page 24 2. Farewell to the Enchanted Garden: Pushkin, Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmila, and Nicholas’s Russia......Page 46 3. Eugene Onegin in the Age of Realism......Page 81 4. Khovanshchina: A Musical Drama, Russian-Style (Wagner and Musorgsky)......Page 118 5. Lost in a Symbolist City: Multiple Chronotopes in Chaikovsky’sThe Queen of Spades......Page 155 6. A Testimony: Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony and the End of Romantic Narrative......Page 184 7. ‘‘Popolo di Pekino’’: Musorgsky’s Muscovy in Early Twentieth-Century Europe......Page 208 Epilogue. ‘‘Prima la musica, dopo le parole’’: Musical Genealogy of a National Anthem......Page 232 Notes......Page 242 Index......Page 278 "In this book, Boris Gasparov gazes through the lens of music to find an unusual perspective on Russian cultural and literary history. He discusses six major works of Russian music from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, showing the interplay of musical texts with their literary and historical sources within the ideological and cultural contexts of their times. Each musical work becomes a tableau representing a moment in Russian history, and together the works form a coherent story of ideological and aesthetic trends as they evolved in Russia from the time of Pushkin to the rise of totalitarianism in the 1930s."--Jacket Sound and discourse : on Russian national musical style Farewell to the enchanted garden : Pushkin, Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmila, and Nicholas's Russia Eugene Onegin in the age of realism Khovanshchina : a musical drama, Russian-style (Wagner and Musorgsky) Lost in a symbolist city : multiple chronotypes in Chaikovsky's The queen of spades A testimony : Shostakovich's Fourth symphony and the end of Romantic narrative "Popolo di Pekino" : Musorgsky's Muscovy in early twentieth-century Europe "Prima la musica, poi le parole" : musical genealogy of a national anthem. Gasparov discusses six major works in Russian music of the 19th and 20th centuries, showing the interplay of musical texts with their literary and historical sources and within the ideological and cultural contexts of their times