The Post-Soviet Musical Landscape

Abstract

This article provides an overview of some of the sweeping changes in musical life that have been taking place since the collapse of Communism. It begins with two case studies showing the restructuring of state institutions imposed 'from above' by Mikhail Shvydkoi, Minister of Culture from 2000 to 2004 and the instigator of an unprecedented programme of reform. The discussion of recent changes at the State Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow Conservatoire is followed by an examination of changes that have taken place spontaneously at ground level in Russian musical life as a result of economic and political developments. These include the emergence of professional music criticism and the development of professional relationships between musical organizations and the press, and the noticeable reluctance on the part of Russia's new music critics to show the automatic deference to virtuoso musicians of the older generation that the latter were used to in their homeland during Soviet times. The article also analyses how audience behaviour at concerts has changed, noting the appearance of not only new venues and new ensembles, but a new culture of concert-going, as the old-world intelligentsia has been increasingly replaced by the affluent new business elite, the only constituency able to afford ticket prices in the new commercial age. It concludes with a summary of developments during Vladimir Putin's tenure as Russian president.