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Musorgsky and His Circle: A Russian Musical Adventure
Musorgsky and His Circle A Russian Musical Adventure Author:Stephen Walsh A fascinating collective biography of Musorgsky and the composers he associated with, creators of some of the best-known and most admired music of the 19th century. — The emergence of Russian music in the 19th century comprises one of the most fascinating and colorful stories in all musical history. Arising from the unlikely conjunction of a grou... more »p of composers of extraordinary originality but almost no technical training, it led to the creation of works ranging from Musorgsky's magnificent opera Boris Godunov to Borodin's (alas unfinished) Prince Igor and such orchestral staples as Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. How this happened where it did--in the St. Petersburg of the 1860s--and the nature and genius of the men responsible is the subject of this brilliant study.
As both an experienced biographer able to deal with original Russian sources and a musicologist competent to bring wonderfully fresh insights to the music of the five composers--the moguchaya kuchka or "mighty heap," as they were called--Stephen Walsh is exceptionally placed to illuminate a dramatic but little-known episode of cultural history. Written with deep understanding and panache, Musorgsky and His Circle is as engaging as it is important.« less