Music for the ballet “The Twelve” by Boris Tishchenko in the context of the revival of Russian symphonic style of the 1960s

Abstract

The subject of this research is the symphonic works of the prominent Russian composer of the late XX century Boris Ivanovich Tishchenko (1939–2010). The article analyzes the composer's first major ballet based on the poem “The Twelve” by A. Blok, which was requested in 1963 by the outstanding Soviet choreographer L. Yakobson for production design in the Kirovsky Theater in Leningrad. The author examines such aspects of the topic as Tishchenko's innovative role in the revival of Russian symphonic style in the second half the XX century, interrelation between music and poetry in the orchestral compositions of B. Tishchenko, as well as strong influence of the literary concepts upon the development of his symphonic style. Special attention is given to the topic of B. Tishchenko's succession of the great Russian symphonic tradition. The main conclusion lies in the thought that B. Tishchenko's ballet “The Twelve” is the first truly contemporary ballet performance in the Soviet musical theater. The author’s special contribution to this research consists in comprehensive examination of the works of the prominent Russian composer that have not receive due attention of the musicologists. The novelty lies in demonstration of the important role of Boris Tishchenko in the overall process of the revival of the Russian symphonic music of the 1960s on the example of the ballet of his early period. Developing his original artistic concepts, Tishchenko symphonized the ballet performance, paving the way for many Soviet composers in this direction.