Jean Sibelius's Violin Concerto

Reviewed by: Symphony No. 3 in C major = Symphonie Nr. 3 C-dur, op. 52, and: En Saga, op. 9, and: Symphonie Nr. 1 e-moll = Symphony No. 1 in E minor, op. 39 Edward Jurkowski Jean Sibelius . Symphony No. 3 in C major = Symphonie Nr. 3 C-dur, op. 52. Edited by = Herausgegeben von Timo Virtanen. (Jean Sibelius Complete Works = Sämtliche Werke: Published by The National Library of Finland and The Sibelius Society of Finland = Herausgegeben von der Finnischen Nationalbibliothek und der Sibelius-Gesellschaft Finnland, Ser. I, Bd. 4.) Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 2009. [Pref. in Eng. & Ger., p. vii-viii; introd., p. ix-xx; facsims., p. xxi-xxiv, 140-54; score, p. 3-149; crit. commentary in Eng., p. 155-84. ISMN M-004-80282-3, ISMN-13 979-0-004-80282-3; pub. no. SON 611. €107.10.] Jean Sibelius . En Saga, op. 9. Edited by = Herausgegeben von Tuija Wicklund. (Jean Sibelius Complete Works = Sämtliche Werke: Published by The National Library of Finland and The Sibelius Society of Finland = Herausgegeben von der Finnischen Nationalbibliothek und der Sibelius-Gesellschaft Finnland, Ser. I, Bd. 10.) Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 2009. [Pref. in Eng. & Ger., p. vii-viii; introd., p. ix-xxiv; score, p. 3-233; facsims., p. 235-46; crit. commentary in Eng., p. 247-75. ISMN M-004-80281-6, ISMN-13 979-0-004-80281-6; pub. no. SON 613. €131.75.] Jean Sibelius . Symphonie Nr. 1 e-moll = Symphony No. 1 in E minor, op. 39. Herausgegeben von = Edited by Timo Virtanen. Urtext der Gesamtausgabe Jean Sibelius Werke = Urtext from the Complete Edition Jean Sibelius Works. (Breitkopf & Härtel Partitur-Bibliothek.) (Breitkopf Urtext.)Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 2010. [Pref. in Eng. & Ger., p. iii-v; sources and remarks to the metronome markings, p. vi-vii; score, p. 1-163. ISMN M-004-21215-8, ISMN-13 979-0-004-21215-8; pub. no. PB 5358. €98.] Throughout the twentieth century Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) has been the best known symbol of Finland and arguably the most performed composer from any of the Nordic countries. It was, therefore, a significant moment in Finnish culture when the Jean Sibelius Werke (hereinafter, JSW) began in 1996. The Sibelius discography is long and vast; and over the past twenty years the Swedish record company BIS has been releasing the complete works of the composer, including all his juvenilia, unpublished compositions, and alternate versions of pieces (such as the Fifth Symphony and the Violin Concerto). Such a healthy state of affairs might lead one to believe that the music is readily accessible. Yet nothing could be further from the truth: a not insignificant percentage of Sibelius's oeuvre has been either out of print or virtually unattainable. Further, performances were plagued by an enormous number of inconsistencies and errors between the score and orchestral parts. In short, given [End Page 439] Sibelius's stature, both within Finland and on the international concert stage, the appearance of such a scholarly edition was long overdue. Given the towering status Sibelius had throughout twentieth-century Finnish musical life, it is perhaps surprising that the first critical and scholarly assessment of the composer took place as late as 1965—the first of Erik Tawaststjerna's three-volume Jean Sibelius (Helsinki: Otava, 1965-88; English trans. by Robert Layton, Berkeley: University of California Press; London: Faber, 1976-97). The essential challenge was that a significant portion of the unpublished materials was held by the Sibelius family, who granted limited access to scholars. Two incidents during the 1980s significantly advanced Sibelius scholarship and set the stage for the commencement of the JSW in the 1990s. The first took place when the Sibelius heirs donated all the composer's extant manuscripts to Helsinki University. One condition of the donation was that the literally thousands of folios, which included completed scores and sketches, be inventoried. The outcome was The Jean Sibelius Musical Manuscripts at Helsinki University Library: A Complete Catalogue (Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1991), authored by the Finnish musicologist Kari Kilpeläinen. The second important advance was a 154-page register of The Works of Jean Sibelius (Helsinki: Sibelius-Seura/Sibelius-Samfundet, 1987), by the...

Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor is today one of the most performed and recorded concertos composed for the instrument, and the work and its history have been much discussed in biographies and other Sibelius literature. In the recent years, the publications of the early version of the Concerto—an audio recording in 1991 and a critical edition in 2014—have led to about a special interest in the work. Typically, the views on different aspects of the composer Sibelius and his works presented by biographers and other writers have been echoed almost unchanged up to the present day. This also concerns the Violin Concerto, and against this background, Tina K. Ramnarine’s book, Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, published in the Oxford Keynotes Series, can be welcomed as an exciting exception. Ramnarine examines the Violin Concerto from a broad cultural and historical perspective, including today’s fashionable discussion about sociopolitical and transnational issues. As surprising as many of the views and conclusions in the book might be, they also are original and thought-provoking. The source material used for the book is wide and diverse, but justification for the focuses and emphases in the chapters and the use (or lack of use) of sources for some of the arguments raises questions. As a result of approaching the work ‘in a unique way’, as Kevin C. Karnes formulates as one of the tasks of the Oxford Keynotes in his Series Editor’s Introduction, the trains of thought in the book sometimes lead to areas that eventually may appear rather distant from the topic.

The purpose of this investigation is to analyse the Violin Concerto, Op. 47 by Jean Sibelius within the context of the composer’s symphony legacy as a whole. Among lots of historical connotations, it was the late romantic symphony conception of Anton Bruckner and J. S. Bach’s polyphony that were pointed out as factors that most infl uenced the conception and structure of Sibelius’s work. The violin concertos by J. Sibelius and D. Shostakovich were put together to trace the prospects for the development of the genre from the beginning to the middle of the 20th century.

The Concerto for Violin and Orchestra is a three-movement composition for solo violin accompanied by a medium-sized symphonic ensemble. This piece is composed in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree Master of Music with a concentration in Composition from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The Concerto was composed during the 2012-2013 academic year. This paper provides a narrative analysis of the Concerto in terms of the parameters of its musical content and their relationships. Furthermore, references are made to related aspects of influential compositions of the last century. Compositions by Samuel Barber, Bela Bartok, Alban Berg, Paul Hindemith, Dmitry Kabalevsky, Sergey Prokofiev, Jean Sibelius, and Igor Stravinsky are included in this study. Chapter topics include genre, form, melody, harmony, rhythm, and orchestration.

This chapter presents an overview of Sibelius’s early musical training, especially as a violinist. It highlights the life-long persistence of Sibelius’s violin training in his musical imagination. It introduces key questions that are pursued throughout the book: What is the labor of virtuosity? How are performing traditions formed over time? What are the cross-genre musical influences in Sibelius’s violin concerto? The discussion in this chapter unfolds in relation to philosophical discourses on beauty and statehood, as well as on the idea of the virtuoso’s political potential, which builds on nineteenth-century views on the redemptive potential of civic action and on military-heroic symbolism in performance.

The relevance of the article. The Concertos for violin and cello with symphony orchestra by J. Brahms (a moll, op. 102) and V. Kyreikо (a moll, op. 65) are considered in terms of embodying the artistic pursuit of composers of different eras and national schools. Genre-stylistic features are outlined, their individual and common features are revealed, which testify to the preservation and development of the tradition of the concert genre, the reinterpretation of the Brahms concert model in a new cultural context. It is emphasized that works belong to the type of symphonized concert, in which the means of symphonic transformation of thematic material, a rich polyphonic texture, complex forms of interaction between soloists and orchestra prevail. It is noted that the methods of symphonizing the musical fabric take place in accordance with the creative attitude of each composer, whose common stylistic space fits into the paradigm of romanticism — neoromanticism. Special attention paid to the V. Kyreiko’s concerto for violine and cello with orchestra, as the first in Ukraine double concert for string instruments, which is considered from point of imitation and development of the genre of instrumental concert. Emphasized the uniqueness of the author’s concept, which is revealed in the combination of deep musical content and clear form, understanding of the expressive possibilities of the violin and cello, and the disclosure of the natural beauty of the sound of the instruments. The main objective of the article is to compare the genre-stylistic features of the double concertos for violin and cello with the orchestra by J. Brahms and V. Kyreiko and to reveal the possibilities of their modern performance interpretation. The methodology of the research methodology includes the following methods: historical, which made it possible to determine the historical framework and attribute the work of composers to a certain era and style; genre-style analysis, which made it possible to reveal the stylistic features of musical expressiveness in the specified works of the composers; comparative analysis, thanks to which it became possible to compare intonation genre-style complexes in the work of composers; performance analysis, with the help of which the artistic and performance specifics of the double concerto for violin and cello with orchestra are highlighted in the aspect of updating the genre tradition of the 19th - second half of the 20th centuries. Results and conclusions. A comparative analysis of two original in design and methods of musical implementation of concertos for violin and cello and symphony orchestra by J. Brahms and V. Kуreiko allowed us to outline the wide genre and style space of existence of these bright artistic phenomena, which extends from the romanticism of the 19th century to the neo-romanticism of the 20th century, demonstrates the durability genre tradition, reveals the common features and individual differences of these works. Despite the different national and cultural context, both works embody the symphonic scale of the development of musical thought, they are marked by the breadth and ambiguity of lyrical and dramatic images. The thematic layer of the concerts is distinguished by its imaginative breadth: an epic story, elegiac romantic-song episodes, a multifaceted lyricaldramatic sphere, genre-dance finales with different emotional moods. The principle of thematic development is built on the basis of complementarity, contrasting juxtapositions of theme-images, avoidance of sharp clashes, associatively reminiscent of romantic poetic dramatic concepts. The double concertos for violin and cello by J. Brahms and V. Kуreiko demonstrate perfect skill in the presentation of each of the soloists, the construction of ensemble dialogues, and the interaction of the soloists with the orchestra. As a general trend, we state that both concerts continue the tradition of symphonizing the genre. Reviews of concerts performed by leading Ukrainian musicians of different generations (O. Horokhov — V. Chervov, B. Pivnenko — K. Polyanska) provide examples of standard performance versions, the performers' deep understanding of the composer's concepts, their inclusion in the general cultural and historical process. Undoubtedly, they are guidelines for further revealing the artistic potential of concerts.

Forum II: Proceedings from Third International Conference. Edited by Matti Huttunen, Kari Kilpelainen, and Veijo Murlomaki Helsinki: Academy, Department of Composition and Music Theory, 2003. [459 p. ISBN 952-9658-95-1.] Music examples, analytical charts, index. In a volume of conference proceedings, variety of topics and approaches is as diverse as writers themselves. This collection of forty-two essays from Third International Conference on topics related to life, work, and cultural environment of (1865-1957) is no exception. Some contributions are extremely technical and theoretical, such as Timothy L. Jackson's Brucknerian Models: Sonata Form and Linked Internal Auxiliary Cadences and Joseph C. Kraus's 'From Fragments into Themes' Revisited; Sibelius's Thematic Process, while others offer more general overviews of repertory, such as Folke Grasbeck's Jean Sibelius's Youth Production for Piano, 1885-1891 and Rebekah Ann Brown's Sibelius Unstrung: His Works for Violin and Piano Contrasted to More Popular Pieces by Contemporary Violinist-Composers. Taken as a whole, collection offers a variety of perspectives on music of Sibelius. Major scholats are represented in volume along with less familiar names. wide range of backgrounds and experiences with Sibelius's music among authors make collection uneven while simultaneously giving it a vibrancy that echoes a live meeting. Some of essays appear to be transcripts of what author's read at conference while others have been greatly expanded and revised. conference took place on 7-10 December 2000 at Academy in Helsinki and at Jarvenpaa Hall in Jarvenpaa. (The previous two conferences took place in 1990 and 1995.) Participants came from eleven countries, clearly demonstrating strong interest in Sibelius's music outside Finland. articles in proceedings are divided into lour categories: (1) Source and Manuscript Studies, (2) Historical Studies, (3) Analytical Approaches, and (4) Political and Cultural Perspectives. Three essays are in German while rest are in English. categories appear in table of contents and are mentioned in preface, but do not appear within main part of book. Source and Manuscript Studies include investigations of Sibelius's diary, letters, sketches, and manuscripts. Also contained in this section is an extended discussion of Complete Edition (JSW), of which five volumes had appeared by 2000. JSW's Editorial Board, chaired by Glenda Dawn Goss, articulated challenges of assembling what is the largest and most ambitious project of its kind ever undertaken in Finland (p. 27). completed project, to be published by Breitkopf & Hartel under auspices of Helsinki University Library and Society of Finland, is estimated to contain forty-five volumes with a total of approximately ten thousand pages. second section, Historical Studies, contains contributions on specific works, namely Fourth Symphony (including an essay by Robert Layton on recordings) and Skograet, as well as comparisons of Sibelius's works with those of his contemporaries and successors. Barbara Hong draws parallels between Sibelius's Violin Concerto and Selim Palmgren's First Piano Concerto; Edward Jurkowski between symphonies of Sibelius, Eiriar Englund, and Joonas Kokkonen; Maris Mannik-Kirme between and Estonian choral music; and Timothy L. Jackson between Anton Bruckner and Sibelius. These essays all place and his work into broader musical contexts, negating isolationist treatment often afforded composers who are national icons. A variety of methodologies fill third section, Analytical Approaches. Schenkerian reductions appear in several chapters: Joseph C. Kraus, 'From Fragments into Themes' Revisited: Sibelius's Thematic Process; Les Black, The Story of C-B: Linear and Contrapuntal Projections in Third Symphony of Sibelius; and Lauri Suurpaa, Loss of Love in Two Songs. …

This study aims at examining why Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been adapted and appropriated in different historical and cultural contexts. The study begins by introducing the reasons behind adapting this play and how the play’s thematic variety and its deep tackling of controversial philosophical, social, political and human issues, that interest everyone from different cultures and times, are the reasons that made it transcultural. The study then tries to trace the journey of adapting Hamlet through history starting from the seventeenth century up to postmodern era. After that, it dwells on examples from different cultural contexts such as Europe, Asia and Africa, Canada and many other places to prove the play’s universality. The study also includes many examples of cinematic, poetic and cartoony adaptations of the play to indicate the ability of the play to adjust itself to different artistic and cultural mediums. Keywords: adaptations, appropriations, transculturalism DOI : 10.7176/JLLL/56-04 Publication date :May 31 st 2019

This study examines the transformation of self-image and hetero-image in literature and its intermedia adaptations, analyzing the impact that historical context, ideological objectives, and approach to reading have on the imagining of the “Other.” Drawing on the theoretical contributions of Jean-Marie Carré, Hugo Dyserinck, and Joep Leerssen, as well as methods of comparative and intermedia analysis, the study investigates how these imaginings change over time and space, particularly in the context of Ismail Kadare’s works and their adaptations for stage and screen. The hypothesis of this paper is that the conception of the “Other” in three dimensions – as a construct of the author, the characters, and the reader/adapter – is a non-linear process, shaped by historical realities, ideological discourse, and interpretive approach (be it author-centered, text-centered, or reader-centered). The research question guiding this analysis is: How do conceptions of the “Other” differ at the levels of the author, characters, and reader/adapter, depending on historical and cultural contexts, and how is this dynamic reflected in the construction of identity and alterity in literary discourse and its adapted variants? In conclusion, the study concludes that the image of the “Other” is not an immutable construct, but a transformable category that changes depending on historical contexts, ideological objectives and the reading approach that is given to the original text during the process of interpretation or adaptation. The analysis of stage and film adaptations of literary works supports this hypothesis, showing that the figure of the “Other” is reconfigured not simply because of the medium, but in accordance with the goals and vision of the adaptor. Imagology, in this sense, serves as a valuable theoretical framework to investigate the permanent changes in the perception of the “Other” in different cultural and discursive contexts.

The article examines events from Russian and Finnish history, both during the pre-revolutionary period and during the civil war of 1917–1922. It is shown how Finland was transformed into an independent state from an autonomous principality of the Russian Empire. Objective coverage of this problem at present stage is very important and relevant in connection with the controversial discussions that are taking place, including on this issue, in foreign historiography, which negatively reflect the historical past of the Russian state. The purpose of the study is an objective study of the prerequisites for the Finnish statehood formation and the assessment of Russia’s role in solving this issue. Materials and methods. The article is based on the analysis of published documents and scientific literature by domestic and foreign authors. Various methods were used in the research: problem-chronological, comparative-historical, historical-genetic, historical-legal, statistical, descriptive, logical ones. Research results. The study examined the main stages of Finnish history, starting from its annexation to the Russian Empire and ending with gaining independence of the Republic of Finland. The concrete historical material shows how, over more than a hundred years of the joint political history of Russia and Finland, the Finns were able to make their way from an autonomous principality to an independent state. The Russian Empire failed to fully integrate the Finnish territories into its structure, and the Bolsheviks failed to regain control over them during the revolutionary upheavals of 1917–1922. During the revolutionary events and the civil war in Russia, Finland was able to complete the creation of its own independent state, the prerequisites for the construction of which were intensively developing in it throughout the XIX century. Conclusions. Having carefully studied the events and state-political processes in the Grand Duchy of Finland during its stay within the Russian Empire, it is necessary to draw the conclusion about their exceptional importance and value for the future formation of the Finnish national state. The Grand Duchy of Finland had broad autonomy being part of Russia: the Finnish Seim functioned freely, which approved its own Constitution and independently resolved many issues of regional development, its own currency (the Finnish mark) was introduced, favorable conditions were created for the development of the economy, demography, culture and education, and the Finnish language. Thus, it was precisely being part of Russia that contributed to the formation of prerequisites to acquire statehood by the Finnish people, and had a beneficial effect on the formation of their state institutions.

OPERA CHORUS IN THE HISTORICAL REALITY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE KIEV OPERA HOUSE (XVIII – beginning of XX century)

Reviewed by: Sound Play: Video Games and the Musical Imagination by William Cheng Jessica L. Getman Sound Play: Video Games and the Musical Imagination. By William Cheng. (Oxford Music/Media Series.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. [xviii, 240 p. ISBN 9780199969968 (hardcover), $99; ISBN 9780199969975 (paperback), $24.95; (e-book), various.] Music examples, illustrations, endnotes, bibliography, index, online media. William Cheng’s Sound Play interrogates the relationship between video games, their music, and their sounds, examining how “players of games oscillate between being [End Page 162] in and out of control, playing and being played, and acting and being acted upon by the game’s barrage of audiovisual stimuli” (p. 9). This book presents important arguments regarding game sound as a social device, and is, moreover, a pleasant read, personable, and suffused with clever, and often poignant, puns (of which the book’s title is only one). Cheng’s text is extensively researched and intelligently conceived, addressing some of the more current and charged concerns regarding game culture and player agency. Over the course of five case studies, focusing on the video games Fallout 3 (2008), Final Fantasy VI (1994), Silent Hill (1999), The Lord of the Rings Online (2007), and Team Fortress 2 (2007), Cheng addresses violence, nostalgia, horror, authenticity, and gender politics. He extends a growing field defined by such scholars as Karen Collins (Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design [Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2008]), Kiri Miller (Playing Along: Digital Games, YouTube, and Virtual Performance [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012]), and K. J. Donnelly, William Gibbons, and Neil Lerner (Music in Video Games: Studying Play [New York: Routledge, 2014]). Cheng builds on this foundation by casting a wide theoretical net and engaging in ethnography, demonstrating a keen ear for the musical sensitivity and values demonstrated by designers and gamers alike. Sound Play combines a number of methodologies, including analyses of narrative, music, and game structure. Of particular note is Cheng’s commitment to ethnographic research, making use of participant observation, various forms of interview, research in online forums, analysis of gamer videos posted to YouTube, and descriptions of live performances of game music. Theoretically, he draws from multiple fields, including scholarship on video game history and theory, video game music, and technology and culture, as well as genre theory, gender and queer theory, and sound studies (including voice and noise studies). His footnotes include many pointers to research in parallel subjects, including actor-–network theory, music as torture, patternicity, virtuosity, authenticity, posthumanism, gender masquerading and “coming out” online, and speech as act. Most of the research for this book was completed as part of Cheng’s Ph.D. dissertation at Harvard University (2012); the book, in fact, draws extensively from this document. One significant and beneficial addition, however, is Sound Play’s chapter on Final Fantasy VI, which allows Cheng to explore nostalgia, a central topic in research on video game communities. After an introduction that discusses player agency and interrogates the notion of the real–virtual divide, Sound Play charges out of the gate with a particularly contentious issue: violence in video games. Focusing on Fallout 3, which uses a post-apocalyptic society and ruined landscape as the basis of its narrative, chapter 1, “A Tune at the End of the World,” challenges the presumed agency the player is given over the game’s music as well as the ways in which this music, in turn, affects the player’s control over the entire game. Cheng identifies the three radio channels from which players can choose and describes their constitutive styles. Most significantly, Cheng notes that the radio stations’ repetitiveness seems particularly suited to a postapocalyptic world; very few new musical pieces, and certainly no new musical styles, arise from a society decimated by tragedy. Cheng reads this in light of Theodor Adorno’s edict that “to write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric” (p. 26)—in Fallout 3, creativity after extreme violence is unthinkable. Cheng contends that the music produced by these radio stations, when heard alongside the acts of violence perpetrated by the game and its players, creates a sense of contextual dissonance that can...

Rush: Revolution, Madness, and the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father

There is evidence that a distinct pattern of alcohol consumption is emerging across the world and is a cause for concern because of its relationship with a range of health and social problems. Its visibility, particularly its high involvement of young people, makes this not only an issue for public safety and order in many countries, but also a highly contentious and politicized subject.  This book examines the rapid and heavy drinking behavior by young people, described in a number of countries, positioning it within its appropriate social, historical and cultural contexts. The book argues in favor of a new term, “extreme drinking,” to fully encapsulate the many facets of this behavior, taking into account the underlying motivations for the heavy, excessive and unrestrained drinking patterns of many young people. It also acknowledges the drinking process itself and accommodates greater focus on outcomes that are likely to follow. In many ways, “extreme drinking” is not so far removed from other “extreme” behaviors, such as extreme sports – all offer a challenge, their pursuit is motivated by an expectation of pleasure, and they are, by design, not without risk to those who engage in them, others around them and society as a whole.  Edited by Marjana Martinic and Fiona Measham, Swimming with Crocodiles is the ninth volume in the ICAP Book Series on Alcohol in Society. The authors discuss the factors that motivate extreme drinking, address the developmental, cultural and historical contexts that have surrounded it, and offer a new approach to addressing this behavior through prevention and policy. The centerpiece of the book is a series of focus groups conducted with young people in Brazil, China, Italy, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, which examine their views on extreme drinking, motivations behind it and the cultural similarities and differences that exist, conferring at once risk and protective factors.

The focus of this study is on performance aspects of cycles of Preludes and Fugues by composers from the former Soviet Union. This little-known part of 20th century piano repertoire has been largely neglected by music scholars. In this thesis it is purposely examined from a performer's perspective, with a particular emphasis on study of analytical processes and practical procedures at various stages of performance interpretation. Large-scale polyphonic cycles of preludes and fugues, analogous to the Well-Tempered Clavier by Bach, became phenomenally popular among Soviet composers after the 1950s, with more than 20 substantial cyclic works appearing in the second half of the last century in Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and Uzbekistan. My performance research thesis focuses on the following works: 24 Preludes and Fugues by Dmitri Shostakovich, Rodion Shchedrin, Sergei Slonimsky, Nikolai Kapustin and Dmitri Smirnov; 34 Preludes and Fugues by Valentin Bibik, 12 Preludes and Fugues by Alexander Yakovchuk and 6 Preludes and Fugues by Myroslav Skoryk. These eight cycles by Russian and Ukrainian composers are among the most influential Soviet polyphonic works, most of which are regularly performed in the countries of the ex-Soviet bloc. Although this thesis avoids drawing specific parallels between the historical, political and cultural context and the musical text, one of its main aims is to enhance performers' and listeners' awareness of the contextual complexity of the works under discussion. The main body of my thesis explores the interpretative challenges of the works under discussion, with individual chapters dedicated to such performance and perception aspects as understanding of the overall cyclic structure and programming issues, investigation of the cultural and historical context and its influence on the perception of the Soviet music, approaches to analysing scores, manuscripts and available recordings.