Benjamin Britten and Russia / Cameron Pyke.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pyke, Cameron.

Series:

Aldeburgh studies in music ; v. 11.

Aldeburgh Studies in Music ; volume 11

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Britten, Benjamin, 1913-1976--Criticism and interpretation.

Britten, Benjamin.

Britten, Benjamin, 1913-1976--Travel--Soviet Union.

Britten, Benjamin, 1913-1976.

Travel.

Criticism and interpretation.

Soviet Union.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

xvi, 367 pages : music ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Woodbridge : The Boydell Press, [2016]

Summary:

This book explores Benjamin Britten's creative relationship with Russia throughout his life by examining his engagement with Russian composers, musicians and writers in the context of twentieth-century politics. The remarkable relationship between Britten and Shostakovich is a central theme, but it also evaluates other key influences, particularly Britten's passion for Tchaikovsky, his more elusive fascination with Prokofiev, and his ambiguous attitude towards Stravinsky; and it places Britten's enduring friendships with Rostropovich, Vishnevskaya and Richter in the context of his musical output. The book also analyses Britten's responses to various Russian composers and musicians - why, for example, did he dislike Musorgsky? - and considers personal and political perceptions of Britten in the Soviet Union. Finally, it assesses the wider question of Russian influence on Britten's works and in turn whether Britten's music had any influence on the younger generation of Russian composers, such as Alfred Schnittke.0.

Contents:

1 Earliest and Lifelong Russophilia 1

2 Britten and Shostakovich, 1934-63 47

3 Britten and Prokofiev 84

4 Britten and Stravinsky 119

5 Hospitality and Politics 142

6 Pushkin and Performance 188

7 Britten and Shostakovich Again: Dialogues of War and Death, 1963-76 230.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [332]-351) and index.

ISBN:

9781783271139

1783271132

OCLC:

945088246