The Musical Diplomacy of Metternich

That festivities are woven into the historical image of the Austrian diplomat, foreign minister, and state chancellor Clemens von Metternich (1773–1859) is in part the byproduct of his investment in music. As an amateur performer, passionate connoisseur, attentive patron, and frequent host, Metternich cultivated an international soundworld that presented opportunities for cooperative performances. Ensemble music and collective listening provided experiences of international concert that gained significance in the context of multilateral congresses and meetings. Musical exchanges, sustained through the activity of women and professional musicians, contributed to fostering diplomatic relations and international presence. In the context of the Restoration’s competing soundworlds, Metternich deployed a patronage of Rossini’s work and Italian opera music, with increasing intensity but mixed effect. This history speaks to the function of music in the presentation of self in international encounters and the resources to be found in the plurality of roles diplomats perform.

Ալ. Սպենդիարյանի «Ալմաստ» օպերայի լիբրետոն և Հովհ. Թումանյանի «Թմկաբերդի առումը» պոեմը

Alexander Spendiarian was touched by the poem The Taking of Tmkaberd, which examines the problem of the eternal struggle between good and evil.The idea of the immortality of the best human deed, and the condemnation of betrayal, coming from time immemorial and also existing in the sacred Christian books, touched both Tumanian and Spendiarian. Although Tumanian was unable to write the libretto for the opera Almast due to extreme business, he inspired the composer orally. The author of the libretto Sofia Parnok, while writing it, was familiar with the historical image of Nadir Shah and with the Russian translations of the works by Hovhannes Tumanyan. The opera Almast includes excerpts that Parnok borrowed from the poem Anush. Tigran Hakhumian, the Armenian translator of the opera libretto, while translating it from the Russian text, remained close to the language and style of Tumanian. The personage of the woman betraying the hero of the opera “Almast"” and of the poem “The Taking of Tmkaberd” is a wandering plot; it is also present in the folklore and literature of other peoples. Both Tumanian and Spendiarian were inspired by the fact that the traitor was punished by the unforgettable stigma of his black deed for centuries.

Trace the Untraceable: Online Image Search Tools for Researching Late Antique Art

In the context of digital humanities and access to cultural heritage online, this paper explores the discoverability of Late Antique material in some searchable museum collections and in some major archaeological and art historical image and object databases. It follows an exploratory approach by using simple keyword searches, such as ‘late antique’ or ‘byzantine’, and comparing the results with chronological searches when a date or period filter is available. Although Late Antique material often comprises a smaller number of objects compared to more popular periods like the Roman and the Renaissance, these are difficult to research due to inconsistent labelling practices and the frequent lack of a customizable date range filter. The ongoing debates on proper periodization and nomenclature also need to be taken into consideration.

Mash-up, Smash-up: Mixing Genres and Mediums to Rewrite History in Do Not Say We Have Nothing

In Madeleine Thien’s novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing, a historical photograph of three protestors at Tiananmen Square is directly inserted into the fictional text. The goal of my research is to start a scholarly conversation on this work by exploring the relationship between the historical image and the fictional text to establish Thien’s novel as postmodern. Drawing on postmodernist theories, this paper applies the works of prominent thinkers in the field to ask how the collision of genres and mediums (history and fiction; image and text), in Do Not Say We Have Nothing renders the novel postmodern. The first aim of this paper is to demonstrate the reciprocal relationship between text and image. The relationship is reciprocal because while the photograph certifies and undermines the story, the story also certifies and undermines the photograph. After establishing the multiple functions of the relationship between text and image, this paper explores how the collision of genres elicits multiple interpretations of the novel and the historical events it details. To understand how multiple interpretations of history destabilize historical metanarratives, this paper will finally investigate how the novel gives a voice to those omitted from history. By acknowledging Thien’s novel as postmodern, this paper analyzes the important role of fiction in representing those whose experiences are effaced by historical metanarratives. My postmodernist interpretation of Do Not Say We Have Nothing will provide new ways of reading and interpreting the novel and situating it within the canon of Canadian Literature.

Foreign Productions of Puccini’s Opera “Turandot” of Recent Decades: Chinese Images Return to Their Homeland

В последние годы европейское оперное наследие в Китае постепенно отклонилось от первоначального традиционного направления, став объектом вторичного творчества. Китайские режиссеры и художники решаются воплотить на национальной сцене шедевры европейского искусства, пытаясь, с одной стороны, сохранить верность сложившимся традициям, с другой — адаптировать эти произведения к индивидуальным нормам китайской культуры. Сравнивая осуществленные на рубеже XX–XXI веков версии постановок жемчужины оперного искусства «Турандот» Джакомо Пуччини, мы можем ясно увидеть как европейское «прочтение» китайской культуры в этой опере, так и позитивное влияние интеграции китайской и западной парадигм. В сравнении выявляется лучший вариант исполнения. Китайские постановки, как правило, разделены на две актерские труппы: иностранную (труппа A) и китайскую (труппа B). Принцип уважения оригинального исторического облика оперного сюжета зачастую игнорируется в западных версиях, тогда как в китайских он бережно соблюдается. Визуальный дизайн китайских постановок погружает аудиторию в поток событий, музыкальное выражение потрясает слушателей. С точки зрения эмоционального выражения чувства героев в западных версиях — прямые, открытые и страстные; для Китая же характерны скрытый смысл, завуалированность в сценарии и музыке. Таким образом, западная опера «Турандот» оказывается погруженной в стихию культуры Китая. Along with the progress of the modern era and the efforts of Chinese artists in recent years, European operatic art in China has gradually deviated from the original traditional direction towards the secondary art. Chinese artists decide to present famous works of European art on the national stage, trying, on the one hand, to preserve its traditions, and on the other, to modernize them in accordance with the individual norms of Chinese culture. Comparing the Chinese and Western versions of the pearls of opera—Turandot from the late 1980s to 2000s, we can clearly see both penetration and development of the Chinese culture in this opera and the positive impact of integration of the Chinese and the Western paradigms. Chinese performances are generally divided into two acting troupes: a foreign troup (Troup A) and a Chinese troup (Troup B). In the comparison, the best design is highlighted. The principle of respect for the original historical image of the opera plot is often ignored in Western versions, while in Chinese it is carefully observed. The visual design of the Chinese versions immerses the audience into the sequence of events, the musical expression amazing the audience. In terms of emotional expression, the feelings of the characters in Western versions are direct, open and passionate. China is characterized by a hidden meaning, veiled in the script and music. Thus, the Western opera “Turandot” acquires an inextricable connection with the culture of China, each version having a special historical value in art.

FUSION AND EVALUATION OF 3D DATA AND EXCAVATION DOCUMENTS FOR COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND DIGITAL COPY IN THE CASE OF A MEGALITHIC TOMB

This contribution shows the preliminary results of the multidisciplinary cooperation of archaeological, technical and heritage issues using the example of the megalithic tomb Kleinenkneten II. The tomb was excavated in the 1930s, but big parts of the documentation have unfortunately been destroyed. Furthermore, some ancient interpretations need to be objectively reviewed. More than 500 historical image data visually document the historical excavation situation. In addition, the current situation was recorded in 3D using modern methods. Geodetic products, such as orthophotos, can be derived from modern data and compared with old plans. Also, a point cloud was calculated from historical images, which can be compared with the current situation. The combination of modern and historical data enables new archaeological interpretations. From a museum perspective, strategies for the construction of authentic value of the 3D model is considered, as well as its communication to the public.

ACTUALIZATION OF HISTORICAL MEMORY IN THE DEBATE ON THE PRESERVATION OF THE HISTORICAL IMAGE OF A TOWN

Статья посвящена анализу стратегий аргументаций, которые используют стороны, участвующие в обсуждении практик сохранения исторического и архитектурного облика города. В статье проводится анализ аргументационных и риторических стратегий на примере конфликта, возникшего вокруг разрушения историко-архитектурной среды города Боровска в Калужской области в 2018 году. Исследование основывается на публикациях федеральных и региональных СМИ. Обращается особое внимание на оформление стратегий аргументации сторонами конфликта, которая отражается в городской газете. В анализе выделены типы аргументов участников столкновения (активисты-градозащитники, администрация города, местные жители) и типы отношения к историческому облику города. В статье подчеркивается, что речевые акты участников можно рассматривать как часть исторического и социального дискурса. Это позволяет включить в исследование проблему исторической памяти местного сообщества, которая раскрывает лежащую в основании конфликта необходимость обновления опыта исторического облика города через сохранение его архитектурного комплекса. The article focuses on the argumentation strategies that were implemented during the discussion concerning the practices of preservation of the historical and architectural heritage of the town of Borovsk in Kaluga region. An analysis is provided of the arguments and rhetoric during the clash that followed the destruction of the historical and architectural heritage of Borovsk in 2018. The research is based on the publications of federal and regional media. It specifically pays attention to the formation of the argumentation strategies that were employed by all sides of the conflict in a local newspaper. Arguments that the participants (activists defending the urban heritage, the local administration, and the town’s inhabitants) used during the clash and types of attitudes towards the historical image of Borovsk are all emphasized in the analysis. The article considers the participants’ speech acts as a part of historical and social discourse. This approach will allow to shed light on the problem of the historical memory of the local community and point towards the necessity of the renewal of the historical experience of the town and its architectural heritage.

A. E. Fersman on the Kola Peninsula: expedition work and formation of the historical and ethnographic profile of the region.

A. E. Fersman —the legendary organizer and leader of most of the Khibiny expeditions in the 1920s. In regional history, the name of the academician who was engaged in research on the Kola Peninsula for two decades continues to be associated with the industrial industrialization of the Central part of the Kola Peninsula, the creation and development of a stationary branch of the Academy of Sciences in the Arctic, and the formation of new professional communities. The article deals with some issues of creating a historical image of the region in the so-called "pre-urban" or expedition period of geological and mineralogical study of the Khibiny mountain range. The sources were popular scientific works of academician A. E. Fersman, devoted to the results of the Khibiny discoveries in the 1920s and 1930s, magazine and newspaper publications, memoirs of Khibiny researchers about the expedition work on the Kola Peninsula. The system of representations of participants of geological expeditions about natural and social spaces of Khibiny, ways of interaction of research teams with local population, and also influence of geological discoveries on change of historical and ethnographic profile of the region are considered.