In a somewhat belated tribute to the most important historic event of not only the 20th century, but of all history in terms of social change, here are the two cds featuring music by early Soviet music composers that were suppressed after the turn to socialist realism in the late 1920s-early to mid 1930s and the purges.
Despite Soviet Union's (and Stalin's personally) immense role in destroying Nazism and liberating a great part of Europe from the shackles of Western imperialism, not to mention the spread of socialism in other continents as well, it ought to be said that the turn to socialist realism, as a tool of serving political expediencies of preparing for WWII, thus needing a more popular form of art that would exult socialist construction and the imminent military effort - that had been correctly foreseen by the Soviet leadership - it was both politically and theoretically unfounded, as was the generalization of the Popular Front tactic that was imposed on the entire list of Comintern parties. The purges, the killings, the terror, and the increasing gigantism of the state and its repressive apparatuses were the logical outcome of such wrong theoretical views, which were, however, up to a certain extent forced upon the Stalinist leadership, as it inherited all the problems laid on the socialist building by the civil war, imperialist invasion and the tactical retreats of NEP and negative military treaties.
The first of the two cds features German pianist Steffen Schleiermacher playing piano sonatas and nocturnes by Sergei Protopopov (whose track starts like a black metal arpeggio!), Alexander Mossolov, Arthur Lourié and Nikolai Roslavetz. It is piano music based on modernism and futurism, with atonalities and very dark moods.
1994 cd on hat[now]ART.
The second cd features more music by Alexander Mossolov (very very bleak), Arthur Lourié, Nikolai Roslavetz, and the unbelievably beautiful tracks of Leonid Polovinkin. 1999 cd on hat[now]ART.
Soviet Avant-Garde 1 download
Soviet Avant-Garde 2 download
