Ru
EnN. Meshcheryakova
The vocal-stage paradigm of the Silver Age in S. Volkonsky’s memoirs “Laurels”
S. Volkonsky, a prominent Russian theater figure and one of the founders of Russian theater studies, was an active participant and chronicler of the large-scale process of shaping a new vocal and scenic paradigm that unfolded throughout the Silver Age and was genetically linked to the reformist artistic aspirations of M. Mussorgsky and other major Russian composers of the second half of the 19th century. In addition to his theoretical works and critical publications, S. Volkonsky’s ideas were reflected in his memoirs, “Laurels”, which are reviewed in this article. The author notes the conceptual similarities between the individual approaches to the formation and development of the Russian school of professional theater art exemplified by S. Volkonsky, F. Chaliapin, and K. Stanislavsky. All of them contrasted the “unconsciousness” of singers’ creative self-expression and the primacy of “beautiful singing” in opera with its intellectual component, motivated by the figurative and semantic content of the verbal text and coupled with the necessity of its expressive stage delivery. The researcher notes that S. Volkonsky’s corresponding ideas were reflected in the organizational and practical sphere – referring to his brief period as director of the Imperial Theatres (1899–1901), marked by the affirmation of the fundamental tenet of the new operatic school: the maximum adequacy of the expressive means employed to the implied artistic aim. This also determined the targeted renewal of the opera repertoire (a full-scale introduction to R. Wagner’s legacy, the works by the “Five” composers), the priority role of the artistic and aesthetic education of the mass musical and theatrical audience, etc. In conclusion, the article emphasizes that the inevitable change in vocal and scenic paradigms, considered in the context of the modern renewal of Russian opera and singing culture, can be considered a very relevant factor, designed to promote the productive development of the national musical theater.
Key words
S. Volkonsky, book of memoirs “Laurels”, Russian musical theatre on the boundary of the 19th–20th centuries, vocal-stage paradigm, opera reform.
For citation
Meshcheryakova N. The vocal-stage paradigm of the Silver Age in S. Volkonsky’s memoirs “Laurels”. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2025. No. 4. Pp. 6–12.
