Stalin's music prize : Soviet culture and politics /

Publication Type:

Book

Source:

New Haven : Yale University Press,, United States, p.xi, 369 pages : (2016)

ISBN:

0300208847

Call Number:

ML76.S725

Keywords:

Awards, History and criticism., History., Music, Soviet Union, Soviet Union., Stalin prizes

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 356-362) and index.Introduction -- How it all worked out -- The first year -- Prokofiev: the unlikely champion -- Shostakovich: hits and misses -- Shostakovich as a committee member -- Myaskovsky and his school -- Checks and balances -- High and low -- Awards for performers -- 1948 and Khrennikov's rule -- The Stalin prize without Stalin -- Conclusion.Marina Frolova-Walker's fascinating history takes a new look at musical life in Stalin's Soviet Union. The author focuses on the musicians and composers who received Stalin Prizes, awarded annually to artists whose work was thought to represent the best in Soviet culture. This revealing study sheds new light on the Communist leader's personal tastes, the lives and careers of those honored, including multiple-recipients Prokofiev and Shostakovich, and the elusive artistic concept of "Socialist Realism," offering the most comprehensive examination to date of the relationship between music and the Soviet state from 1940 through 1954 [Publisher description]