On Russian Music - Softcover

Taruskin, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520268067 ISBN 13: 9780520268067

Publisher: University of California Press, 2010

Synopsis

Over the past four decades, Richard Taruskin's publications have redefined the field of Russian-music study. This volume gathers thirty-six essays on composers ranging from Bortnyansky in the eighteenth century to Tarnopolsky in the twenty-first, as well as all of the famous names in between. Some of these pieces, like the ones on Chaikovsky's alleged suicide and on the interpretation of Shostakovich's legacy, have won fame in their own right as decisive contributions to some of the most significant debates in contemporary musicology. An extensive introduction lays out the main issues and a justification of Taruskin's approach, seen both in the light of his intellectual development and in that of the changing intellectual environment, which has been particularly marked by the end of the cold war in Europe.

About this title

Review:

"Very entertaining."--Michael Kimmelman"New York Review Of Books" (08/13/2009)

"[Taruskin's] command of this subject is surely unparalleled. . . . This is an authoritative, consistently challenging, deeply engaging volume of essays - very strongly recommended."-- (05/23/2009)

"[Taruskin's essays] demonstrate his . . . rare gift for conveying complex information in a concise, accessible manner. . . . An essential compendium."-- (07/02/2010)

"Whether [Taruskin is] validating Susan McClary's sexist charges at Beethoven or implicitly acknowledging his debt to Donald Francis Tovey, reading his essays will make you a better, smarter person."--Huffington Post (11/11/2010)

About the Author:

Richard Taruskin's many books also include The Oxford History of Western Music, and Defining Russia Musically.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0520268067
• ISBN 13: 9780520268067
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416