When I think about the way Russians dominated classical music in the 20th century, I focus on the many great composers, not just Prokofiev and Shostakovich and Stravinsky, but all of the lesser-known figures who also were good, such as the folks I wrote about this blog. In a recent book review for the Wall Street Journal, Norman Lebrecht notes another argument:
This may not be the timeliest moment to proclaim Russia’s creative superiority, but the musical facts are incontrovertible. Over the past century, Russia has produced most of the world’s outstanding pianists, from Rachmaninov and Horowitz at the dawn of recording to Daniil Trifonov and Igor Levit right now.
I guess it's not the timeliest moment, either, to revive a blog dedicated to Russian classical music ....
I have a soft spot for Lebrecht because he loves my favorite piano player, Sviatoslav Richter, but the review in question, of the book Playing with Fire: The Story of Maria Yudina, Pianist in Stalin's Russia by Elizabeth Wilson, covers a pianist I was unfamiliar with, Maria Yudina. Look like I have some more reading to do.
Charles Rosen called Stravinsky the greatest composer of the twentieth century after the death of Debussy.
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