Comments on On An Overgrown Path: Composers struggle under Shostakovich regime

And yet more on what Lebrecht described as 'the Re...

2006-11-30T22:50:00.000Z

And yet more on what Lebrecht described as 'the Reithian ideal of informing, entertaining and elevating the nation from
The Rambler.

I apologise for dumbing-down the tone of debate, b...

2006-11-30T22:31:00.000Z

I apologise for dumbing-down the tone of debate, but after reading,
“As Grade has presided over a wholesale lowering of programme standards at the BBC, and is going to troubled ITV, where the programme standards are already the subject of universal derision, it is difficult to know what to think.” - and seeing this - I can't help wondering when the last person at Radio 3 will be asked to turn out the lights.

"...Shostakovich's wider reputation through strate...

2006-11-29T16:24:00.000Z

"...Shostakovich's wider reputation through strategically placed premieres and recordings in the 1960's..."

Daniel, perhaps you or someone else should also look into, and compare, this to the premieres and recordings of works by Penderecki and Lutoslawki in the 1980's (all of Lutoslawki's three late Symphonies were commissioned by different major American orchestras).

Furthermore, Rostropovich had a huge role in the introduction of large amounts of Eastern European new music in "the West" in the late 1970s, 80s, and early to mid 90s; and I don't believe that 'Western commerce' informed all of his programming decisions.

*

(When I heard violist John Graham, and his colleague, give the American premiere of Shostakovich's very late Viola Sonata, at Miller Theater, Columbia U., in Jan or Feb 1977, I don't recall specific commercial backing, or an immediately available, follow-up LP. And Daniel, I will assume that you have viewed Sokurov and Aranovitch's film, Sonata for Viola, on Shostakovich. That poetic film was censored upon its initial release in Leningrad in 1980 or 81.)

I recall that Boris Schwarz in his "Music and Musi...

2006-11-29T15:59:00.000Z

I recall that Boris Schwarz in his "Music and Musical Life in Soviet Russia, 1917-70" (London, 1972) talks about the cold war official cultural exchanges between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that involved Shostakovich, Copland, Harris, Sessions, and several others. (Pliable or others can talk about the U.K. or British Commonwealth - Soviet exchanges.)

I recall from Schwarz's book that in the 1950s and 60s, composers from the non-Moscow Soviet composers' unions, such as those in Leningrad [Petersburg] and Kiev [Kyiv] -- and composers such as Part, Ustvolskaya, Silvestrov, Hrabovsky, Kancheli, and others -- certainly felt slighted by these official cultural exchanges. Some of these now prominent (though still underexposed in the 'West' and I assume much of the post-Soviet states, as well) composers were working in menial jobs at the time of the official, non-commercial exchanges; and their names could only be whispered out of hearing of the establishment composers and their backers.

Daniel, very interesting thread that opens up.Melo...

2006-11-29T15:33:00.000Z

Daniel, very interesting thread that opens up.

Melodiya - the Russian state record label

Gosconcert - the Russian state concert agency that controlled movement of Soviet artists outside Russia, and Western artists visiting the USSR.

You are right Daniel, both had a heavy influence on the development (or otherwise) of Russian artists.

I had some peripheral involvement with both via EMI.

I hope this thread is developed by other contributors.

Garth,I was thinking specifically of the establish...

2006-11-29T15:08:00.000Z

Garth,

I was thinking specifically of the establishment of Shostakovich's wider reputation through strategically placed premieres and recordings in the 1960's. It is my understanding -- and I may well be wrong about this -- that a number of these recordings and performances were subsidized by the Soviet Union, for example through guaranteed sales of records.

..."Western commerce" ...Daniel, I believe that it...

2006-11-29T13:36:00.000Z

..."Western commerce" ...

Daniel, I believe that it was more than Western commerce that was involved in the reception in the United States [and 'Europe'?] of Shostakovich's wartime symphonies -- especially his Leningrad symphony, which I imprecisely recall had a long circuitous route on microfilm from Leningrad and Leningrad's evacuation zone of Alma-Aty to Philadelphia for its first American (or Western?) performance. I believe that more than 'Western' publishers were involved.

I actually thought of Shostakovich and his Leningrad symphony last Sunday when we (for the first time) visited Washington, D.C.'s new Soviet-style World War Two Memorial, on the National Mall.
Among the great Atlantic battles engraved on the Atlantic Eagle-garbed pylon was the Allied 'Battle of Murmansk', in the far north of Europe.

I have to run, but perhaps someone can begin to do this far better justice (and also solve the latest political assasination in London).

The presentation and reception of Shostakovich and...

2006-11-29T01:04:00.000Z

The presentation and reception of Shostakovich and his work in the West has always been carefully managed, a rare example of close cooperation between the Soviet cultural apparatus and Western commerce. This is a topic that certainly deserves further study.

One wonders in this particular case if Shostakovich's publishers have now promoted that body of work at the expense of other, living composers in their catalog. This would make, of course, perfect business sense, as those scores are capital with a limited shelflife, and maximizing income opportunity from those scores now is better for the current account than risking an investment in newer scores that may never return that investment.

Today's Michael Grade development puts Norman Lebr...

2006-11-28T17:37:00.000Z

Today's Michael Grade development puts Norman Lebrecht's grasp of BBC politics into perspective.

Just last week Lebrecht blustered;

The view from the top floor of Broadcasting House is that Radio 3 represents the Reithian ideal of informing, entertaining and elevating the nation. It is the flagship of any political bid to secure a new Charter and license fee. Michael Grade would sooner lose the National Lottery than dumb down Radio 3.

Well Norman, Grade didn't dumb down the flagship - he jumped ship altogether.