The Sound of Utopia
by: Michel Krielaars (Author), Jonathan Reeder (Translator)
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Publication Date: 2025-01-16
Language: English
Print Length: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1805330020
ISBN-13: 9781805330028
Book Description
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.
Editorial Reviews
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.