#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 5

For the third year running, the Classics a Day team chose to honor May Day. For the month of May, Soviet musicians are the theme. Last year I posted music by Soviet prize-winners. 

This time, I'm simply walking my way through the alphabet (Latin, not Cyrillic). The music I discovered proved anything but ordinary. Here are my posts for the ffifth and final week of #SovietaDay.

5/27/19 Galina Ustvolskaya (1919-2006) - Piano Concerto

Despite support from her teacher, Shostakovich, her modernist music was seldom performed during the Soviet Era.

5/28/19 Sergei Vasilenko (1872-1956) - In Spring Suite for flute and small orchestra

Vasilenko was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for his services to music, both as a composer and teacher.

5/29/30 Yuri Yukechev (1947 - ) - Two pieces for viola d'amore

Yukechev survived the Soviet Era and writes in an expansive, experimental fashion that would never have been allowed in the USSR.

5/30/19 Valery Zhelobinsky (1913-1946) - Three Pieces for Piano, Op. 27, No. 2 Song

The short-lived pianist and composer left an impressive body of work, including four operas, three piano concerts, and six symphonies. The bulk of his music is for solo piano.

5/31/19 Iosif Andriasov (1933-200) - String Quartet Op. 1

This 1954 student work was dedicated to Andriasov's sister and remains one of his most popular composition.

#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 4

For the third year running, the Classics a Day team chose to honor May Day. For the month of May, Soviet musicians are the theme. Last year I posted music by Soviet prize-winners. 

This time, I'm simply walking my way through the alphabet (Latin, not Cyrillic). The music I discovered proved anything but ordinary. Here are my posts for the fourth week of #SovietaDay.

5/20/19 German Okunev (1931-1973) - Ballet "The Overcoat"

Okunev was working on The Overcoat when he died from injuries after an auto accident. V. Sapozhnikov completed and orchestrated the score from his sketches.

5/21/19 Aleksandra Pakhmutova (1929-) - Trumpet Concerto Dokshizer

Pakhmutova began as a classical composer but soon transitioned into popular music. She's one of Russia's best-known songwriters and named a Hero of Socialist Labour.

5/22/19 Nikolai Rakov (1908-1990) - Symphony No. 3 for String Orchestra "Little Symphony"

This 1962 work is one of four symphonies Rakov completed. While his music seems in line with Soviet doctrine, there's always an element of irony just below the surface.

5/23/19 Vadim Salmanov (1912-1978) - String Quartet No. 1

Salmanov held several music-related political positions. His catalog includes six string quartets, four symphonies, and two violin concertos.

5/24/19 Semyon Tchernetsky (1881-1950) - The Red Army's Entry to Budapest

Major General Tchernetsky may well be the Soviet Sousa. He founded the modern Russian military bands and most of his compositions are, of course, marches.

#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 3

For the third year running, the Classics a Day team chose to honor May Day. For the month of May, Soviet musicians are the theme. Last year I posted music by Soviet prize-winners. 

This time, I'm simply walking my way through the alphabet (Latin, not Cyrillic). The music I discovered proved anything but ordinary. Here are my posts for the third week of #SovietaDay.

5/13/19 Janis Ivanovs (1906-1983) - Symphony No. 4 "Atlantida"

Latvian composer Ivanovs was working on his 21st symphony at the time of his death. His fourth symphony, "Atlantis," was premiered in 1943.

5/14/19 Imants Kalninš (1941-) - Symphony No. 5

Classically trained Kalninš led a rock band in the 1960s and wrote Russia's first rock opera. He returned to classical music in the 1970s and continues to write in classical and popular genres.

5/15/19 Anatoly Lepin (1907-1984) - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 3, Op. 67

Lepin wrote -- among many other works - the State Anthem of the Latvian SSR. It was replaced when Latvia became independent in 1990.

5/16/19 Ester Mägi (1922 -) - Fantaisie bucolique

Mägi is often inspired by the folk music of her native Estonia. The Fantasie bucolique was completed in 1983 when her country was still part of the USSR.

5/17/19 Niyazi (1912-1984) - Rast, symphonic mugam

Niyazi based his work "Rast" on a traditional musical form of his native Azerbaijan. It remains his most popular work.

#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 2

For the third year running, the Classics a Day team chose to honor May Day. For the month of May, Soviet musicians are the theme. Last year I posted music by Soviet prize-winners. 

This time, I'm simply walking my way through the alphabet (Latin, not Cyrillic). The music I discovered proved anything but ordinary. Here are my posts for the first week of #SovietaDay.

5/6/19 Issay Dobrowen - Piano sonata No. 2 Op. 10

Dobrowen studied with Taneyev in Moscow and worked with Nikolai Medtner. He left the USSR in 1922 and emigrated to Norway.

5/7/19 Heino Eller (1887-1970) - Symphony No 1 In modo mixolydio

Estonian composer Eller founded the Tartu Schoool of Composition. Its students include Edward Tubin and Arvo Part.

5/8/19 Samuil Feinberg (1890-1962) - Piano Sonata No. 8

Feinberg was a pianist. Most of his compositions were for the instrument, including 12 sonatas and 3 concertos.

5/9/19 German Galynin (1922-1966)- Piano Concerto No. 1

Galynin studied with Shostakovich. It may be why Galynin's piano concerto was cited for formalism by Khrennikov in 1948.

5/10/19 Soltan Hajibeyov (1919-1974)- Symphony No. 2

Hajibeyov is regarded as one of the founders of the classical music tradition in Azerbaijan. In addition to 2 symphonies, he's noted for his theater works.

#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 1

For the third year running, the Classics a Day team chose to honor May Day. For the month of May, Soviet musicians are the theme. Last year I posted music by Soviet prize-winners. 

This time, I'm simply walking my way through the alphabet (Latin, not Cyrillic). The music I discovered proved anything but ordinary. Here are my posts for the first week of #SovietaDay.

5/1/19 Vasif Adigozalov (1935-2006) - Piano Concerto No. 4

Azerbaijan composer Adigozalov often incorporated folk music into his compositions. He wrote in many genres, including film, operetta, and popular songs.

5/2/19 Arno Babajanian (1921-1983)- Elegie in Memory of Khachaturian

Armenian composer Babajanian owes his start to Khachaturian. Kachaturian recommended the 5-year-old begin training, and 2 years later he began his musical studies.

5/3/19 Pavel Chesnokov (1877-1944)- To Thee I sing, Op. 27 No. 2

Chesnokov was a choir director and wrote over 500 choral works. Most of them were sacred, which prevented them from being performed during the Soviet Era.

#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 5

For May 2018, some of us contributing to #ClassicsaDay decided to mark May Day. Reason enough to post works by Soviet composers. I decided to go a little farther with my #SovietaDay posts and concentrate on Soviet prize winners.

Here are the posts I shared for week 5. 

Jovdat Hajiyev (1917-2002): For Peace, symphonic poem

Hajiyev was a student of Shostakovich and has the distinction of being the first Azerbaijani to write a symphony. Primarily known for his large orchestral works, his symphonic poem "For Peace" garnered his second Stalin Prize in 1952.

Dmitri Kabalevsky (1900-1987): Violin Concerto in C major, Op. 48

Kabalevsky wrote three concertos dedicated to Soviet Youth. This concerto was the first of that series. It was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1949.

Gavriil Nikolayevich Popov (1904-1972): Symphony No. 2, Op. 39 "Motherland"

In 1936 Popov's First Symphony was banned before it could be performed. Popov wrote his second symphony to embody "the people’s soul" and to get back into the good graces of the authorities. It succeeded on both counts. It won the Stalin Prize in 1946.

Nikolai Myaskovsky (1880-1950) - String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, Op. 86

Myaskovsky was one of the composers who was called out by the 1947 Zhdanov Decree for writing anti-Soviet formalist music. He refused to be a part of the proceedings, or issue any statement of repentance. Mysaskovsky died of cancer in 1950. He was rehabilitated posthumously. His final string quartet and symphony were awarded Stalin Prizes in 1951.

#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 4

For May 2018, some of us contributing to #ClassicsaDay decided to mark May Day. Reason enough to post works by Soviet composers. I decided to go a little farther with my #SovietaDay posts and concentrate on Soviet prize winners.

Here are the posts I shared for week 4.

Boris Lyatoshinsky (1895-1968) - Piano Quintet "Ukrainian Quintet" Op. 42

Lyatoshinsky, inspired by Scriabin, continually pushed the boundaries of tonality. His early works were sometimes accused of "formalism." In the 1920s he began incorporating folk elements of his native Ukraine into his work. His Piano Quintet Op. 42, the "Ukrainian Quintet" is the best example of this folk-inspired style. It won the Stalin Prize in 1946.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) - Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60 "Leningrad"

Shostakovich started work on his seventh symphony in 1939. He was working on the second movement when he was trapped in the Siege of Leningrad. During the war, the symphony was considered a symbol of resistance. Though around 80 minutes long, it was frequently performed in the West as a sign of support. Interest in the symphony declined after the war. Symphony No. 7 was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1942.

Alexander Arutiunian (1920-2012) - Cantata about the Motherland

Artuiunian's best-known work is his 1950 Trumpet Concerto in A-flat Major. In the Soviet Union, this Armenian composer was known for his concert works as well as his film scores. His Cantata about the Motherland won the Stalin Prize in 1948.

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) - On Guard for Peace, Op. 124

The cantata "On Guard for Peace" marked Prokofiev's return to political acceptance after the 1948 Zhdanov Decree. Although some of his works remained proscribed, new compositions were deemed safe to perform. The cantata won the Stalin Prize (second class) in 1951.

#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 3

For May 2018, some of us contributing to #ClassicsaDay decided to mark May Day. Reason enough to post works by Soviet composers. I decided to go a little farther with my #SovietaDay posts and concentrate on Soviet prize winners. 

Here are the posts I shared for week 3.

Gara Garayev (1918-1982) Leyli and Majnun, symphonic poem

Garayev was one of Azerbaijan's most prominent composers. He held several key music-related government positions, eventually becoming a member of the Supreme Soviet. His tone poem "Leyli and Majnun" was based on a 12th Century poem by Nizami Ganjavi. It won the Stalin Prize in 1948.

Fikret Amirov (1922-1984) Symphonic Mughams

Amirov was Azerbaijani and used its folk music extensively in his compositions. A mugham is one such tradition. It's an improvised piece based on a highly codified collection of melodies, motifs, and modes. Amirov's symphonic version of this form won the Stalin Prize in 1949.

Reinhold Glière 1875-1956): String Quartet No. 4

Glières was a prominent composer both before and after the Revolution. He avoided politics and survived both the 1936 and 1948 ideological purges that ensnared many other composers. His fourth string quartet won the Stalin Prize in 1948. He was 73 at the time and considered something of a national treasure.

Otar Taktakishvili (1924-1989) Symphony No. 1 in A minor "Youth Symphony"

The Georgian-born Taktakishvili studied with Shostakovich, and they became life-long friends. Taktakishvili composed the Anthem for the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. His catalog includes operas and film scores, as well as concert works. His first symphony won the Stalin Prize in 1949.

Dmitri Kabalevsky (1900-1987): String Quartet No. 2

In the West, Kabelevsky's a one-hit wonder (Comedian's Galop), In the USSR, he was a major figure. He helped establish the Union of Soviet Composers and was at the forefront of children's music education. He wrote over 100 works, including four symphonies, and seven concertos. The second of his two string quartets won the Stalin Prize in 1946.

#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 2

For May 2018, some of us contributing to #ClassicsaDay decided to mark May Day. Reason enough to post works by Soviet composers. I decided to go a little farther with my #SovietaDay posts and concentrate on Soviet prize winners. 

 Here are the posts I shared for week 2.

Arkady Filippenko (1912-1983 - String Quartet No. 2 in D major

Filippenko served in the Red Army during WWII. Afterward, he helped organize the Ukrainian Composers Union. His second string quartet, which represented the struggles of the Soviets during the war, won the Stalin Prize in 1948.

Otar Taktakishvili (1924-1989) - Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor

In the West Taktakishvili is best-known for his Sonata for Flute and Piano. In the East, it's his Anthem of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. His Piano Concerto No. 1 won the Stalin Prize in 1950.

Andriy Shtoharenko (1902-1992) - In Memory of Lesya Ukrainka, symphonic suite

Though barely known or performed in the West, Shtoharenko was an important teacher and composer in the USSR. Lesya Ukrainka was one of the leading writers of the Soviet Union. Like Shtoharenko, she was from Ukraine. "In Memory of Lesya Ukrainka" won the Stalin Prize in 1952.

Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) - The Bronze Horseman, Op. 89a (Ballet Suite)

"The Bronze Horseman" is a 1949 ballet based on a story by Pushkin. The story is set in St. Petersberg, and the final number, "Hymn to the Great City" was adopted as its anthem. The music won a Stalin Prize in 1949.

Vissarion Shebalin (1902-1963) - String Quartet No. 5 "Slavonic" Op. 33

Shebalin studied with Glière and Myaskovsky and was one of the founders of the Union of Soviet Composers. His fifth string quartet, as did much of his work, incorporate nationalist folk elements. It won the Stalin Prize in 1943.

#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 1

For May 2018, some of us contributing to #ClassicsaDay decided to mark May Day. Reason enough to post works by Soviet composers. I decided to go a little farther with my #SovietaDay posts and concentrate on Soviet prize winners. 

Here are the posts I shared for week 1.

Nikolai Myaskovsky (1880-1950) - Symphony No.21 in F sharp minor, Op. 51

Myaskovsky, the "Father of the Russian Symphony" His orchestral output was popular both in and outside the Soviet Union. His 21st Symphony was completed in 1940 and was awarded the Stalin Prize. It was one of five that Myaskovsky won -- the most of any composer.

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) - Piano sonata No. 7

Prokofiev is the middle of the three piano sonatas he wrote during World War II. Sviatoslav Richter premiered the work in 1943. The middle movement is based on Schumann's lieder "Wehmut." "I can sometimes sing as if I were glad, yet secretly tears well and so free my heart." The buried subversion went unnoticed - the sonata was awarded the Stalin Prize (second class).

Samuil Feinberg 1890-1962) Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 36

Feinberg was a pianist first, and a composer second. He's best remembered for his complete recording of Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier." Feinberg wrote mostly for the solo piano, although he also completed three piano concertos. His second concerto won the Stalin Prize in 1946.

Valery Gavrilin (1930-1999) - Perezvony: a choral symphony of-action for soloists, mixed chorus, oboe, percussion and narrator

Gavrilin was part of the "neo-folk" movement. He wrote for film as well as the concert hall. Gavrilin was a singer and many of his compositions feature the human voice. HIs choral symphony Perezvony won the Stalin Prize.

The poster of the video for this work didn't allow embedding from YouTube. Here's the link to the performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi1_tbZZvHQ&feature=youtu.be

May 2017 #ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay annotated list - Part 4

Introduction

One of the ongoing Twitter hashtag groups I participate with is #ClassicsaDay. The idea’s pretty simple: post a link to a classical work, and – in the body of the tweet – provide a little info about it.

For May 2017, some of the participants decided to use the theme #SovietaDay. Part 1 fills in the background behind my selections.

Below is the final group of composers, born after 1931. Many of these composers out-lived the Soviet Era, and enjoy a greater freedom of musical expression. Some became important and influential composers not only in their own country, but internationally.

Soviet composers born after 1931

Rodion Shchedrin (1932 - ) 
Shchedrin is the winner of the Lenin Prize, and the USSR State Prize. Shchedrin has a strong sense of humor and irony that often comes through in his music. Even before travel restrictions were lifted in the USSR, Shchedrin's music was often performed in the West, thanks to champions like Mstislav Rostropovich and Leonard Bernstein.

Sergei Mikhailovich Slonimsky (1932 - ) 
Slonimsky (nephew of Nicoals Slonimsky) began writing in a somewhat conservative style. As political restrictions loosened, he became more adventurous, and is known for his experiments with new notation, 12-tone technique, and other politically dangerous musical ideas.

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Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) 
Schnittke was a student of Shostakovich. His polystylistic approach to music very quickly put him at odds with the Union of Soviet Composers. His 1969 Symphony No. 1 was banned by the Union. With the loosening of political oversight, Schnittke's music reached wider audiences, and he's acknowledged as one of the masters of late 20th Century music.

Giya Kancheli (1935-) 
Kancheli is a Georgian composer who found great success in the West after Glasnost. His music is often deeply spiritual, with long, sustained chord punctuated by violent outbursts. Rodion Shchedrin called Kancheli "an ascetic with the temperament of a maximalist -- a restrained Vesuvius."

Boris Tischenko (1939-2010) 
Tischenko did post-graduate work in composition under Shostakovich. His style had experimental elements in it, such as twelve-tone rows and aleatoric passages. His music has a marked originality about it, in both conception and orchestration.



Yevhen Stankovych (1942 - ) 
Stankovych studied with Lyatoshynksy in Kiev. He served as the chair of the Ukrainian Composer's Union. H won the USSR's "For Labour Valour" Medal for his Symphony No. 7.

Vyacheslav Artyomov (1940 - )
Artyomov's music is deeply spiritual, and shares some similarities with that of Arvo Part and John Tavener. Artyomov has had many champions, especially in the West. In 1979 he was part of Khrennkiv's Seven - blacklisted by the Union of Composers for unauthorized participation in music festivals in the West.

May 2017 #ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay annotated list - Part 3

Introduction

One of the ongoing Twitter hashtag groups I participate with is #ClassicsaDay. The idea’s pretty simple: post a link to a classical work, and – in the body of the tweet – provide a little info about it.

For May 2017, some of the participants decided to use the theme #SovietaDay. Part 1 fills in the background behind my selections.

 Below is the second group of composers I shared. For the most part, they're the generation born just after the Revolution and grew to maturity during the Second World War.

Soviet composers born 1904-1931

Aleksey Semyonovich Zhivotov (1904-1967) 
Zhivotov was a member of the Leningrad Composer's Union. He's best remembered for his song cycles.



Gavril Popov (1904-1972) 
Popov was considered to be just as talented as his contemporary Dmitri Shostakovich, but not as disciplined. His first symphony was immediately banned after its premiere in 1935. In order to survive, he tried to write as conservatively as possible, and keep himself sedated with alcohol. It worked. He won the Stalin Prize in 1946.

Tikhon Khrennikov (1913-2007) 
Khrennikov was never adventurous as a composer and was well-suited to his role as head of the Union of Soviet Composers. He was politically adept (eventually becoming a deputy of the Supreme Soviet), and claimed Stalin "knew music better than any of us." The fate of many a Soviet composer was determined directly or indirectly by Khrennikov.



Georgy Sviridov (1915-1998) 
Sviridov was best known for his choral works, which drew on the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church. His 1959 Oratorio Pathetique won the Lenin Prize.

Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996) 
Weinberg was a Polish Jew who fled East from the Nazis in 1939, eventually arriving in Moscow. He became a protege of Shostakovich, who protected him as best he could. He survived arrest as a "formalistic and cosmopolitan" composer in 1949. After the Stalin era, his music returned to circulation.



Galina Ustvolskaya (1919-2006) 
A student and colleague of Shostakovich, Ustvolskaya spent most of her career on the fringe. Her style was too modern for official sanction. Only after the fall of the Soviet Union was her music played with any frequency. the Grand Duet for Cello and Piano by

Mikael Tariverdiev (1931-1996) 
Tariverdiev was an important film composer as well as a classical music composer. He scored over 130 films and headed the Composers' Guild of the Soviet Cinematographers' Union. His catalog also includes four operas, two violin concertos, and a sizable number of chamber and vocal works.



Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina (1931- ) 
Gubaidulina had a rocky relationship with the Soviet authorities. She had to hide her interest in spiritual practices that inspired her music. Gubaidulina won a Stalin fellowship to study composition, but later her music was called "irresponsible." She scored some of the most popular films in the USSR but was blacklisted from the Union of Soviet Composers for unauthorized participation in Western music festivals. In the West, her reputation -- and popularity -- steadily grew, and she's now recognized as one of the most important composers of her generation.

Next: Soviet composers born after 1931

May 2017 #ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay annotated list - Part 2

Introduction

One of the ongoing Twitter hashtag groups I participate with is #ClassicsaDay. The idea’s pretty simple: post a link to a classical work, and – in the body of the tweet – provide a little info about it.

For May 2017, some of the participants decided to use the theme #SovietaDay. Part 1 fills in the background behind my selections.

Below is the first group of composers I shared. For the most part, they're the generation leading up to the Revolution.

Soviet composers born 1859-1919

Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (1859-1935)
Ippoloitov-Ivanov was an established composer when the Revolution occurred. In other countries, composers writing in the late Romantic style were falling out fashion. In Russia, Ippoloitov-Ivanov's conservative style kept him out of the political controversies surrounding music.


Julius Eduardovich Conus (1869-1942) 
Conus (or Konius) was violinist and composer who toured extensively before the Revolution. He was working in eastern Poland when the Soviets invaded. He then went to Moscow, where he taught and continued to compose. His conservative romantic style seemed to hold him in good stead.

Reinhold Moritzevich Glière (1874-1956) 
Glière's students include Prokofiev, Koussevitzky, Myaskovsky, Khachaturian, and others. Glière managed to remain above party politics and had a long, distinguished career. His Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra won the Stalin Prize in 1946.



Nikolai Roslavets (1881-1944) 
Roslavets has been described as "Scriabin on acid." An unabashed modernist with cosmopolitan tastes, his music was banned in 1930, and not performed until well after his death.

Arthur Lourié (1892-1966) 
After the Revolutions Lourié served as head of the music division of the Commissariat of Enlightenment. But his contemporary style was increasingly at odds with the Soviet ideal, and in 1921 he escaped to the West, eventually settling in the US. He was a colleague of Stravinsky, whose music he actively promoted.



Lev Knipper (1898-1974) 
Knipper studied with Reinhold Glière and initially was quite experimental. He soon transitioned to a more Soviet-approved style. He also served as an agent for the OGPU (Soviet secret police).

Alexander Mosolov (1900-1973)
Mosolov was enamored of the futurist movement of the 1920s. His experimental style eventually led to exile in the Gulag in 1937. After release, he wrote in a politically approved style, but those works haven't retained the attention of his earliest compositions.

May 2017 #ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay annotated list - Part 1

Introduction

One of the ongoing Twitter hashtag groups I participate with is #ClassicsaDay. The idea’s pretty simple: post a link to a classical work, and – in the body of the tweet – provide a little info about it.

For May 2017, some of the participants decided to include a theme. There were two obvious choices: Mexican composers in honor of Cinco de Mayo, or Soviet composers in honor of May Day. We chose the latter. Hense, #SovietaDay

This is an annotated list of the composers I presented as part of that hashtag. I deliberately avoided the obvious choices, such as Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich. The Soviet Union was home to many other talented composers. And some of them have compelling stories.

The Soviet Ideal

Classical music in the Soviet era is a fascinating area of study. Lenin said, "Every artist, everyone who considers himself an artist, has the right to create freely according to his ideal, independently of everything. However, we are Communists and we must not stand with folded hands and let chaos develop as it pleases. We must systemically guide this process and form its result."

An image of the Lenin
Prize, the USSR's
most prestigious cultural
award.

And what course would that systematic guidance take? He later said,
"[who cares] what art gives to hundreds, or even thousands, out of a total population numbering millions. Art belongs to the people."

Stalin would solidify the idea that Soviet music must be something the common worker could understand and take pride in. And how exactly to achieve that? For the party leaders, it was pretty much "they knew it when they heard it." And they also knew dissent when they heard it, too -- even if it wasn't the composer's intent.

There's no Soviet bloc

You might think that a heavy-handed state-administered arts program would result in a repertoire of bland and self-serving patriotic piffle. But that's hardly the case. Soviet Era music varies widely in style and quality (although a little conservative with from and forces).

The era had composers who were wildly creative. Some channeled that creativity along approved guidelines, resulting in works of far better quality than they needed to be. Often there's a hint of subversiveness in this music, that gives them life today.

The Stalin Prize. You could
win it one year, and be
under arrest the next.

Not every composer could successfully walk the line. Some were officially sanctioned for their formalism and anti-socialist music. Their works were banned from publication and performance. Sometimes the composer disappeared as well. Their music outlasted the USSR, though, and some of these composers are enjoying a revival, albeit posthumously.

Some who were solid members of the Party and were models of creating the Soviet ideal of  "art for the masses." It's the music of this group that's fallen into neglect, mostly because it served a function, but offers little of substance. It's also under-represented on my list.

This month's theme yielded a collection of repertoire standards, works deserving rediscovery, and music that is, sadly, of its time. In other words, the same mix of the classical music from just about every other country.

Next week: Soviet composers born between 1859-1913