The Caucasian Connection: National Identity in the Ballets of Aram Khachaturian

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-438
Author(s):  
Harlow Robinson
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Sergei Prokofiev ◽  
Romeo And Juliet ◽  
Film Scores ◽  
Hollywood Film ◽  
Dmitri Shostakovich ◽  
Special Place ◽  
History Of ◽  
Bolshoi Ballet ◽  
Soviet Music

The ballets of Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) occupy a special place in the history of Soviet ballet and of Soviet music. Considered along with Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev as one of the leaders of Soviet music, Khachaturian devoted many years to the creation of ballet, although in the end he produced only three ballet scores: Schast'e [Happiness], completed in 1939; Gayane, completed in 1942; and Spartak [Spartacus], completed in 1954. Of these three, Gayane and Spartacus (both repeatedly revised) were notably successful, both immediately acclaimed as important new achievements in the development of an identifiably Soviet ballet style. Taken on tour abroad by the Bolshoi Ballet in a revised version, Spartacus also became one of the most internationally successful ballets written by a Soviet composer, although it never came close to equaling the international recognition eventually achieved by Prokofiev's Soviet ballets Romeo and Juliet or Cinderella. Gayane was not widely staged outside the USSR, but some of the music from the ballet, arranged into three orchestral suites by the composer, became very popular internationally—particularly the “Sabre Dance,” which became the single most recognized piece of Khachaturian, recycled repeatedly in Hollywood film scores.

From Film Score to Art Music and Back

2020 ◽  
pp. 173-192
Author(s):  
Julia Khait
Keyword(s):  
Musical Theater ◽  
Film Music ◽  
Art Music ◽  
Compositional Techniques ◽  
Sergei Prokofiev ◽  
Film Scores ◽  
Film Score ◽  
Stylistic Evolution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ivan The Terrible

Sergei Prokofiev was one of a few composers who worked equally successfully in the fields of film music and art music. His scores for Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible are as significant for the history of film music as are his operas and ballets for musical theater. He approached film projects with the same creative rigor as his stage and symphonic works. And so we must think of his film scores not as a separate enterprise but, rather, as one of the various theatrical and dramatic genres at which he tried his hand. While the operatic features of his music for Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible have become widely recognized, Prokofiev’s other film scores can also be placed in a broader context of the composer’s output. The cross-connections between genres can be traced at different levels, from common themes and literary ideas and similar stylistic evolution, to shared compositional techniques and borrowings of musical material from one work to another.

scholarly journals Visualization of the Daily Life of Prisoner Ukrainian Officers in the Camp of Cassino (Italy) Through the Eyes of Illustrators of the Camp Editions, 1919 – first half of 1920

2019 ◽  
pp. 116-139
Author(s):  
Ihor Sribnyak
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Active Citizenship ◽  
National Consciousness ◽  
Special Place ◽  
Amateur Theater ◽  
History Of ◽  
National Life

The article examines the daily life of the Ukrainian officers (elders) imprisoned in the Camp of Cassino (Italy) in 1919 – the first half of 1920. It deals with illustrated materials published by the camp editions. The community of Prisoner Ukrainian officers has a special place in the history of Ukrainian captivity in Italy. It is determined by the level of national consciousness of its members, and those significant achievements in the field of culture and education that were made due to their morality and active citizenship. Living in the conditions of camp and being almost completely isolated from the national life of Ukraine, the Prisoner Ukrainian elders managed to organize the work of schools and educational courses. They organized a choir, orchestra and amateur theater. They celebrated national Ukrainian holidays as well. Most of the Prisoner Ukrainian elders were ready to give their assistance to the UNR in its fight against the Bolshevik Russia by joining the national army. The camp press vividly reflected the national self-consciousness of the Prisoner Ukrainian elders. It contributed to the unity of camp prisoners and helped them to overcome strength to overcome the difficulties of everyday life. The production of the camp editions, such as «The Prisoner» magazine and its satirical-humorous appendix «Lazaroni», faced a lot of problems. The editions were produced manually in the amount of one (or several) copies of each issue. Nevertheless the camp editions met the prisoners’ demand for information effectively. They also performed an extremely important functions of mobilizing and educating the prisoners.The author emphasizes that the camp press was highly important not just for the prisoners, but for the whole Ukrainian community in Cassino. It contributed significantly to preserving the Ukrainian national identity and supported the idea of Ukraine’s independence.

Korngold and His World

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
Musical Theater ◽  
Musical Language ◽  
American Film ◽  
Popular Song ◽  
Film Scores ◽  
Hollywood Film ◽  
English Translations ◽  
Erich Wolfgang Korngold ◽  
American Popular Song

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957) was the last compositional prodigy to emerge from the Austro-German tradition of Mozart and Mendelssohn. He was lauded in his youth by everyone from Mahler to Puccini and his auspicious career in the early 1900s spanned chamber music, opera, and musical theater. Today, he is best known for his Hollywood film scores, composed between 1935 and 1947. From his prewar operas in Vienna to his pathbreaking contributions to American film, this book provides a substantial reassessment of Korngold's life and accomplishments. Korngold struggled to reconcile the musical language of his Viennese upbringing with American popular song and cinema, and was forced to adapt to a new life after wartime emigration to Hollywood. The book examines Korngold's operas and film scores, the critical reception of his music, and his place in the milieus of both the Old and New Worlds. It also features numerous historical documents—many previously unpublished and in first-ever English translations—including essays by the composer as well as memoirs by his wife, Luzi Korngold, and his father, the renowned music critic Julius Korngold.

A Russian Island in the Orthodox East: Mount Athos in the 19th – early 20th Centuries

2018 ◽  
pp. 27-36
Author(s):  
Лора Герд ◽  
Lora Gerd
Keyword(s):  
The Balkans ◽  
Special Place ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Rich

Mount Athos holds a special place in the East Christian world. The Russian monastery foun-ded in the 11th century experienced its height in the 19th – early 20th centuries, when it received an official title “Russian” and its brethren numbered up to 1800 people. The deep respect towards the Holy Mount in Russia, the diplomatic support from the Russian Embassy at Constantinople and the rich donations contributed to the prosperity of “Russian Athos”. The systematic indepth study of the sources made it possible to rewrite the history of this unique phenomenon on the Balkans.

Multicultural and Transnational Novels

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Meffan
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
The Other ◽  
Colonial History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Return Home ◽  
Access Rights ◽  
The One

This chapter discusses the history of multicultural and transnational novels in New Zealand. A novel set in New Zealand will have to deal with questions about cultural access rights on the one hand and cultural coverage on the other. The term ‘transnational novel’ gains its relevance from questions about cultural and national identity, questions that have particularly exercised nations formed from colonial history. The chapter considers novels that demonstrate and respond to perceived deficiencies in wider discourses of cultural and national identity by way of comparison between New Zealand and somewhere else. These include Amelia Batistich's Another Mountain, Another Song (1981), Albert Wendt's Sons for the Return Home (1973) and Black Rainbow (1992), James McNeish's Penelope's Island (1990), Stephanie Johnson's The Heart's Wild Surf (2003), and Lloyd Jones's Mister Pip (2006).

Loki then and now: the trickster against civilization

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-96
Author(s):  
Helena Bassil-Morozow
Keyword(s):  
Comic Book ◽  
Anthropological Perspective ◽  
Hollywood Film ◽  
Individuation Process ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACTLoki, one of the most mischievous of the Norse gods, is a classic Trickster figure. This mythological character is difficult to define but is an archetype that Jung himself explored. The Trickster can be understood not only as a part of the Jungian individuation process, but also, from an anthropological perspective, as a metaphor for change, embodying the dynamics between the personal and the systemic. Mythological narratives featuring Loki portray him as a figure that frequently challenges the civilising forces of society, a challenge that can lead to either destruction or renewal for the society in question. More recently, however, the character of Loki has been revived as part of a Hollywood film franchise featuring a number of the comic book giant Marvel’s characters. This highly profitable enterprise, includes contemporary versions of other members of the Norse pantheon including Thor, Odin and Frigg, but Loki, as played by Tom Hiddleston, has proved a particularly popular character with the fans. This paper examines the history of Loki in the Icelandic Edda as well as the Hollywood commodification of the character in order to explore the psychological importance of the Trickster for the contemporary individual.

scholarly journals Will Saudi's 2030 Vision Raise the Students’ Awareness to National Literature? Saudi Literature and Identity

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 95-105
Author(s):  
Mubarak Altwaiji ◽  
Majed Alenezi ◽  
Sajeena Gayathrri ◽  
Ebrahim Mohammed Alwuraafi ◽  
Maryam Naif Alanazi
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
National Literature ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Social Constructs ◽  
Northern Border ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Modern Identity

Forming national identity is placed on top of the seven aspects of High-Impact Educational Practices (HIEPs) in Northern Border University. Similarly, the concept of academic awareness to national literature has been one of the main challenges to national literature in the Middle East. Just as the strong presence of national identity in Saudi’s 2030 vision has initiated re-evaluations of how national identity is shaped, Saudi novel has similar concerns that inform social constructs of national identity through overarching themes and comprehensive representations of cultural issues. This study investigates the ways in which two Saudi novelists interrogate the intertwined issues shared by 2030 vision and national novel which address the archetypal Saudi identity: first, that the construction of modern identity requires much cultural openness with the world; second, that construction of Saudi identity needs exclusion of otherness; and third, that national identity depends on the rich history of two historical regions – Najd and Hijaz - that binds identity to a unified territory. The study focuses on how these novels give visibility to issues that are at the core of 2030 vision’s social and cultural aspect such as life style, appearance behaviours, attitudes, accepting differences and willingness to work and volunteer. Drawing on this narrative analysis, the study advocates for the utility of introducing national novel for undergraduate students to help them perceive identity as a position and support their identity enactment.

scholarly journals LEBANESE NATIONAL RECONCILIATION AND THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE MARONITE CHURCH THROUGH THE PURIFICATION OF MEMORY

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-52
Author(s):  
Ziad Fahed
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Active Participant ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sustainable Peace ◽  
History Of ◽  
Post War ◽  
National Reconciliation ◽  
The Church

The post-war period in Lebanon brought to the open all sensitive subjects that have marked the history of Lebanon: how to avoid falling into such a crisis? How not repeating such war? How can the Lebanese society eradicate the reasons that may lead to any other war? The Lebanese crisis had challenged the Church inviting her to move from being a passive witness to an active participant in the peaceful struggle for the liberation of the Lebanese society and help the country to complete its incorrect reading of history. Can the Maronite Patriarchate have a positive role in this regard? Can the Maronite Patriarchate bring about the purifi cation of the memory in a multiconfessional country? In this paper, and after defi ning the meaning of the purifi cation of memory in the Lebanese context, we will consider the important challenges that must precede any serious and defi nitive solution to the crisis in Lebanon and how can the Lebanese Church contribute in the development of a national identity and in the building of a new state free from any kind of domination. The purpose of this paper is not to justify what has happened in the past 34 years, i.e. since the beginning of the Lebanese war, but to contribute in searching for a sustainable peace.

scholarly journals Simono Daukanto BUDĄ Senowęs-Letuwiu Kalnienu ĩr Ƶamajtiu (1845) šaltiniai

2020 ◽  
pp. 217-248
Author(s):  
Roma Bončkutė
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Comparative Linguistics ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Regional Historiography

SOURCES OF SIMONAS DAUKANTAS’S BUDĄ SENOWĘS-LËTUWIÛ KALNIENÛ ĨR ƵÁMAJTIÛ (1845) The article investigates Simonas Daukantas’s (1793–1864) BUDĄ Senowęs-Lëtuwiû Kalnienû ĩr Ƶámajtiû (The Character of the Lithuanian Highlanders and Samogitians of the Old Times, 1845; hereafter Bd) with regards to genre, origin of the title, and the dominant German sources of the work. It claims that Daukantas conceived Bd because he understood that the future of Lithuania is closely related to its past. A single, united version of Lithuanian history, accepted by the whole nation, was necessary for the development of Lithuanian national identity and collective feeling. The history, which up until then had not been published in Lithuanian, could have helped to create the contours of a new society by presenting the paradigmatic events of the past. The collective awareness of the difference between the present and the past (and future) should have given the Lithuanian community an incentive to move forward. Daukantas wrote Bd quickly, between 1842 and May 28, 1844, because he drew on his previous work ISTORYJE ƵEMAYTYSZKA (History of the Lithuanian Lowlands, ~1831–1834; IƵ). Based on the findings of previous researchers of Daukantas’s works, after studying the dominant sources of Bd and examining their nature, this article comes to the conclusion that the work has features of both cultural history and regional historiography. The graphically highlighted form of the word “BUDĄ” used in the work’s title should be considered the author’s code. Daukantas, influenced by the newest culturological research and comparative linguistics of the 18th–19th centuries, propagated that Lithuanians originate from India and, like many others, found evidence of this in the Lithuanian language and culture. He considered the Budini (Greek Βουδίνοι), who are associated with the followers of Buddha, to be Lithuanian ancestors. He found proof of this claim in the language and chose the word “būdas” (character), which evokes aforementioned associations, to express the idea of the work.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document