Performing Russia: Folk Revival and Russian Identity by Laura J. OlsonReview by: Gerald SeamanThe Slavonic and East European Review, Vol. 85, No. 1 (Jan., 2007), pp. 151-154Published by: the Modern Humanities Research Association and University College London, School ofSlavonic and East European StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4214407 .

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REVIEWS 151

further by critiquing the work of the supporters of Testimony and Volkov, while Simon Morrison's scholarly and overwhelmingly positive review of Laurel Fay's Shostakovich: A Life proves that the best form of attack is defence.

Readers who want to learn more about Shostakovich's music or Soviet musical life, rather than about his purported memoirs have to consult the contributions of Gerard McBurney, David Fanning, Richard Taruskin, Henry (Genrikh) Orlov and Levon Hakobian to parts three and four of A Shostakovich Casebook. They span a period of twenty-five years, and each in different ways explodes the simplistic myths about Shostakovich's music and Soviet musical life created by Testimony and its defenders. All constitute essential reading for students of Shostakovich, but particular mention should be made of Orlov's essay: 'A Link in the Chain: Reflections on Shostakovich and His Times'. It is a nuanced account of Shostakovich's life and work that dates from 1976 and is thus free from the controversy surrounding the publication of Testimony. Orlov is able to distil Shostakovich's significance and character in two sentences when less judicious commentators fail to do so in whole volumes: 'The light emitted by Shostakovich's music shone as a beacon to those trying to survive on the dark ocean of lies and stupidity. He did not aspire to play such a dangerous role, but he could not help doing so simply by being himself (p . I97).

A Shostakovich Casebook is more then than merely the latest salvo to be fired in the 'Shostakovich Wars'. It is the decisive knockout punch, and deserves a place on the bookshelf of those who want to learn more about Shostakovich's music, life and times.

School of Histogy NEIL EDMUNDS University of the West of England, Bristol

Olson, Laura J. Peforrning Russia: Folk Revival and Russian Identity. BASEES/ RoutledgeCurzon Series on Russian and East European Studies, 7. RoutledgeCurzon, London, 2004. viii + 286 pp. Illustrations. Tables. Appendix. Notes. Index. Downloadable CD. [65.00.

FORMING number 7 of the BASEES/RoutledgeCurzon Series on Russian and East European Studies, the aim of Professor Olson's study is to examine how Russian folk music and dance have been performed in Russia for a period of roughly two centuries and the extent to which the performance has been governed by social and political considerations. As the author points out, however, the book 'is not a study of Russian folklore as such, but of folklorism', folklorism being seen as 'the conscious use of folklore in popular, elite or officially sponsored culture' (p. 6).

In the first chapter the author points out that although contemporary audiences accept performances of Russian folk music and dance as being representative of ancient rural traditions, in actual fact the origin of many of these practices is to be found in the nineteenth century. Russian folk songs and dances stemming from the urban tradition, for example, were often included in the stage divertissements performed in Russia at the end of the eighteenth

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I52 SEER, 85, I, 2007

and early nineteenth centuries, songs from which became known in all strata of Russian society. An important part in the popularizing of folk music was played at the end of the nineteenth century by Vasilii Andreev (I86I-I9I8),

the founder of the first orchestra of Russian folk instruments, whose Great-Russian Orchestra, established I886-87, toured throughout Russia and abroad. Important, too, was the figure of Dmitrii Agrenev-Slavianskii (I834- I908), whose Slavic kapella (i868) was of immense popularity, the concerts being presented in a vivid theatrical manner with lavish action, gesture and scenery. While Russian folk music played a major part in the compositions of the 'Mighty Handful', composers such as Rimskii-Korsakov were unaware of the phenomenon of folk polyphony, indeed, it was Iulii Mel'gunov (I846-93) who was the first to publish a work in which he clearly demonstrated that Russian folk song was often sung polyphonically, the parts accompanying the main tune being improvised in accordance with established traditions. Mel'gunov's work was continued by Evgeniia Lineva [not Lineva as printed in the text] (I854-19I9), who was the first to record Russian folk songs using a phono- graph, and who also established her own Russian choir. Of importance, too, was the folk chorus founded in I910 by Mitrofan Piatnitskii (I864-I927).

In chapter two, entitled 'A Unified National Style: Folklore Performance in the Soviet Context', the author describes how Andreev's Great-Russian Folk Orchestra and the folk choruses of Agrenev-Slavianskii and Piatnitskii all served as prototypes for the innumerable folk and dance ensembles that flourished during the Soviet period. However, notwithstanding the fact that research into the collecting, recording and transcribing of authentic folk materials continued during the Soviet period, at the same time the music performed by vocal or instrumental ensemble was arranged academically and in a style far removed from true folk performance. As the author describes in commendable detail, Soviet ideologists realized that folk song could serve as a powerful political tool and incalculable sums were spent in the teaching of folk instruments, the creation of folk orchestras, and the composition and arrange- ment of folk music, all of which were studied and performed by conservato- ries, music schools, vocal ensembles, clubs, Houses of Culture and Amateur Art.

In chapter three, entitled 'The Origins of the Russian Folk Revival Move- ment', the author describes how, during the I960s and early I970S, Russian thinkers such as the writer A. Koposov began to criticize obliquely the banal- ity of 'pseudofolklore' while the distinguished ethnomusicologist Feodossii Rubtsov called for the inclusion of music from local traditions in folk ensembles and the need for greater authenticity. In the early I970S the views expressed by figures such as Rubtsov were carried further by the musicologist Evgenii Gippius (I903-85) who headed the folklore revival movement, one of his main pleas being for the study of local folk music styles. Such a view was in direct contradiction to the generally held ideological principle that the ideal requirement in the presentation of folk music was a 'unified national style'. As Professor Olson points out: 'The significance of studying local styles was enormous, practically revolutionary in the context of Soviet folklore study, and it became one of the foundations of the revival movement' (p. 8o).

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REVIEWS 153

Of the students stimulated by Gippius's controversial views, one of the most fervent supporters was the young musician Dmitrii Pokrovskii who formed his own ensemble in 1973, the purpose of which was to learn songs from musicologists, to travel to villages and then perform the songs with the peasants from whom the folk songs had originally been collected. Although in its first years of existence the ensemble was an underground organization, it gradually achieved greater support, both public and official, exercising great influence on the whole question of the significance and performance of folk music. The ensemble eventually performed in many countries abroad, including the United States. Pokrovskii also explored connections between folk and rock, in i989 collaborating with the American new-age musician, Paul Winter, and producing a CD.

In chapter four, entitled 'Revival and Identity after Socialism', the author describes the changes that occurred in the folklore revival movement in Russia during the I98os and I99os, the period being marked by many differing branches of activity. Whereas followers of Pokrovskii preferred to approach folk music at grassroots level, others still favoured a more popular side of folk presentation using glamorous stars, allied with pop music and Soviet variety (estrada). With the coming of glasnost', however, and the decline of State sponsorship, groups turned increasingly to funding from private sponsors such as major corporations, banks and radio stations.

Chapter five bears the title 'Power and Ritual: Russian Nationalism and Representations of the Folk, Orthodoxy, Imperial Russia, and the Cossackry' and is a description of the manner in which, following the break-up of the Soviet Union, the whole country has undergone a period of intense self- questioning and a search for national identity, folk performances often being used for political ends. The remarkable phenomenon of the Cossack revival movement in the I99OS forms the basis for the following chapter- 'Performing Masculinity: Cossack Myth and Reality in Post-Soviet Revival Movements'.

The two final chapters are concerned with the question of the folk revival in the village, showing how villagers have responded to outside attempts to study and revitalize their folk culture, including the relationship between preservation and composition and how Russian tradition can best be represented.

Professor Olson's book is rounded off by a Conclusion, consisting of an interesting and thought-provoking examination of the manner in which Russian groups have made inroads into World Music, utilizing 'experimental fusions of Russian folk music with jazz, alternative rock, classic rock and pop' (p. 224). In I999 the group 'Ivan Kupala' acquired international acclaim for its album 'Kostroma'.

Taken as a whole, Performing Russia: Folk Revival and Russian Identio is a remarkable collection of factual material, thoroughly researched and docu- mented. The result of many visits to Russia and other regions, in the course of which the author conducted interviews with some sixty people from different walks of life in addition to fifteen interviews with village ensembles, the book is accompanied by copious notes, together with musical illustrations downloadable from the internet.

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154 SEER, 85, I, 2007

While the proofreading of the text is good, there are nevertheless one or two errors. In note 4 to chapter one (p. 243) the name 'Famitsyn' should, of course, read 'Famintsyn'. Some confusion, too, seems to have arisen over the numbering of the Notes. While the name of Nicholas Slonimskii is listed in the Index on p. 284 as 25on56 [i.e. page 250, note 56], in actual fact Note 56 appears on page 249. Likewise, the reference to V. Prokunin appears not on p. 246 as stated in the Index but on p. 245, etc. Given the wealth of material listed in the Notes, it is regrettable that there is no separate Bibliography, nor, for that matter, is there any list of recordings included in the downloadable CD. Although the book opens with a description of Russian carol-singers, there is no mention of the fact that this practice is a modern continuation of the art of the volochebniki, carol-singers who, in pre-Revolutionary times, would go from door to door at Christmas time demanding payment for their services. Surprising also is the fact that, in a book devoted to stage performance, no mention is made of the part played by the Riabinin family, especially Ivan Trofimovich Riabinin, whose singing of byliny in St Petersburg and Moscow in I894 was of great significance in the history of Russian ethnomusicology and served as a model for many subsequent performers.

All these, however, are only minor criticisms and in no way depreciate the value of an outstanding publication, valuable in that it not only provides a deep insight into the history of stage performance of folk material in Russia but also in that it adds another chapter in the history of Russian culture in the post-glasnost' period.

Department of Continuing Education GERALD SEAMAN Universi'v of Oxford

Franklin, Simon and Widdis, Emma (eds). JNational Identi4 in Russian Culture: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004. xv + 240 pp. Maps. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. [45.00: $75.00.

So often we come across edited collections which talk around a subject, but offer little in narrative. This collection offers a strong, methodical narrative concerning national identity in Russian culture. The editors have brought together a wide range of contributions that are nevertheless embedded within the study of Russian national identities. To scholars of Russian identity, cul- ture or politics, it comes as no surprise that there are constant contradictions and tensions within Russian identity. With this in mind, the editors see Russian national identity is a process rather than a result. This edited collec- tion offers an introduction to the process of national identity in Russian culture.

The book is divided into four sections: 'time and space', 'contrastive iden- tities', 'essentialist identities' and 'symbols of identity'. Each chapter uses 'texts' or 'case studies' to illustrate their approach and focus. In section one, Simon Franklin and Emma Widdis discuss Russian identity in time and space. Franklin offers an introduction to the competing narratives of Russian iden- tity. By looking at the Rus' chronicles, Franklin identifies three competing

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