Ru
EnM. Dyadchenko
Symphony and symphonism today: phenomena and concepts
The article is polemical in nature – it raises the question of a certain decrease of interest in the genre of symphony among audience and composers. There is also a loss of attention to the concept of “symphonism”, which once was a sign of a deeply meaningful approach to reflection of the essence of reality in orchestral works. A brief overview of symphonies by Russian composers of the end of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century is given. The author outlines the metamorphosis of the genre in foreign music, noting that it is definitely being supplanted by film music, as well as a new area of musical art – video game music. The situation with concert performance, which is being constrained not only by cinema, but also by television broadcasts and network presentations is analyzed. As an example of transformations of the symphonic genre the article presents and examines its various versions – organ, choral or vocal symphonies, as well as symphonies for various instrumental ensembles. A brief overview of the genre is given in a historical perspective, starting with the Sinfonien by J. S. Bach. It describes the situation with the concept of “symphonism” in Russian and foreign academic literature of the recent past and today, explains the authors’ approach to this definition, which featured the technological laws of the symphonic form, the serious emphasis in Russian musicology was placed on the most significant problems of the socio-historical, psychological and social world – philosophical musical reflection of human existence.
The general idea of the article is to draw the attention of researchers of modern musical culture to the significant transformations in the life of genres, transformations of the familiar system of modern musical culture. A certain emphasis is placed on the necessity to study the historical transformations of theoretical definitions and concepts along with the study of new genre metamorphoses.
Key words
classical music, symphony, symphonism, film music, video game sound design, concert performance.
For citation
Dyadchenko M. Symphony and symphonism today: phenomena and concepts // South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2021. No. 4. Pp. 12–17.
