From Prokoviev to Shostakovich and beyond, Dutch journalist and Russian correspondent Michel Krielaars examines the fates of ten Soviet-era musicians to paint an engrossing and disturbing portait of musical life under Stalin's regime.
When Stalin came to power, making music in Russia became dangerous. Composers now had to create work that served the socialist state, and all artistic production was scrutinized for potential subversion.
In The Sound of Utopia, Michel Krielaars vividly depicts Soviet musicians and composers struggling to create art in a climate of risk, suspicion and fear. Some successfully toed the ideological line, diluting their work in the process; others ended up facing the Gulag or even death. While some, like Sergei Prokofiev, achieved lasting fame, others were consigned to oblivion, their work still hard to find.
As Krielaars traces the twists and turns of these artists' fortunes, he paints a fascinating and disturbing portrait of the absurdity of Soviet musical life - and of the people who crafted sublime melodies under the darkest circumstances.
Publisher: Pushkin Press
ISBN: 9781805330028
Number of pages: 336
Dimensions: 234 x 153 mm
Highly readable... Transport[s] us into the heart of the Soviet machine through a rich mix of anecdotal and historical material... An illuminating account of how the Soviet system waged its war on musicians - FT
Ten cradle-to-grave pen-portraits of Stalin's musicians, told with bantering brio... Krielaars has done an admirable job rescuing his lesser-known subjects from obscurity - The Times
The stories Krielaars tells, in chattily accessible prose, are fascinating - Telegraph
A story of loss and terror, but also resilience and the consolation of music - Herald
Krielaars testifies to a deep knowledge of Russia. Told with the voice of a great master - Pieter Waterdrinker, author of 'The Long Song of Tchaikovsky Street'
Michel Krielaars unravels a staggering piece of history - De Morgen
Ten interesting portraits, not only of celebrities like Sergei Prokofiev, but also lesser-known figures who seldom receive attention in the Western world - NRC
There was no room for heroism under Stalin, Michel Krielaars convincingly shows - de Volkskrant
It's beautiful how Krielaars manages to keep something sparkling through Stalin's cold winter. Something like song - Trouw
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