University Talk And Concert Celebrating Russian Music

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The latest talk at The University Of Central Lancashire, organized a part of the Lancashire Arts events for Winter-Spring 2019, was a talk and accompanying concert on Russian classical music. The talk by the highly distinguished Professor Galima Lukina, translated by Olga Tabachnikova, covered Russian music from early Znammeny Chants (a variation on the Gregorian Chant) to music of the Modernity period (today). The lecture was illustrated with several recorded extracts. Much of the emphasis was on the spiritual inspiration of the music shared, seen as iconic art making the invisible visible in the hearts and souls of the listeners. Following the talk, we got an hour long concert by The Gold Trio, Viktoria Zora (violin), Clena Artamanova (Viola) and Rebecca Turner Cello), They played Vissarian Shebalin’s 1924 composition Trio Opus Four, and the second movement (Adagio) of Alfred Schnittke’s String Trio from 1985. Shebalin’s work was lighter and more experimental, with lots of changes in pace and tempo. I imagine it would work well as the score to a silent movie. The musicians noted that the work is little known, even in Russia where the composer suffers unfair obscurity. He deserves rediscovery. Schnittke’s work was more melancholic, almost a lament and yearning for fading dreams. As each instrument dominated, the sounds from the others vanished back as if in a mist. The performances were perfect, and after a brief closing talk by another highly distinguished visiting academic, Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines MBE, now living in Preston, and a Czechoslovakian survivor of the Holocaust, evacuated as her homeland fell to the Nazi regime as part of the little-known Kindertransport rescue programme (of which I'll write more soon). Lady Grenfell-Baines spoke powerfully of meeting some Russian survivors of the Auschwitz Camp who managed to keep hold of fragments of Russian music score-sheets which reminded them of art, love, hope and beauty until they were liberated. All of the speakers and performers were deservedly presented with flowers as a reward for their work. As a further surprise a lovely buffet, including delicious Russian salad foods, was presented for the performers and audience alike. Youtube – Schnittke’s 1978 composition, Clown And Kinder A huge thank you to everyone involved in the talk and concert. Arthur Chappell