Ru
EnV. Laptev, O. Lapteva
Sonata-Caprice “Herodiade” by G. Zaitsev for the domra prima: in search of new expressive resources of the instrument
The article examines composer Grigori Zaitsev’s original approach to interpreting the timbral identity of the domra in relation to the programmatic content of his Sonata-Caprice “Herodiade” (2009). T The work reflects a characteristic tendency of contemporary Russian musical culture toward expanding the expressive, semantic, stylistic, and genre boundaries of music for folk instruments, thereby overcoming the perception of these instruments as exclusively associated with folklore. The research is conducted in three stages. The first stage identifies the nature of the programmatic concept employed by the composer and examines the specific features of his interpretation of biblical characters and events within the broader artistic tradition of their representation. The analysis demonstrates that Zaitsev is concerned less with the external sequence of events than with the psychological conflict experienced by Herodias and developing under the pressure of these circumstances. The second stage reveals the work’s genre specificity, determined by the interaction of sonata and fantasia principles, as well as by compositional and dramaturgical parameters that are largely shaped by the programmatic concept. The third stage concentrates on expanding the instrument’s timbral and coloristic possibilities and the composer’s search for innovative techniques and performance solutions, many of which are unconventional for the traditional domra repertoire. These techniques make it possible to reveal the instrument’s expressive potential more fully and to convey the Sonata’s complex artistic content. Particular attention is also paid to questions of performance interpretation, as the realization of these techniques depends not only on the composer’s instructions but also on the performer’s imagination and skill.
The study concludes that in Grigory Zaitsev’s Sonata-Caprice “Herodias” the timbre of the domra becomes the principal carrier of meaning and one of the most important dramaturgical elements, realizing a complex philosophical and psychological programme through an integrated system of innovative performance techniques. The composer’s approach is shown to represent an important stage in the evolution of domra art, transcending the traditional role of the instrument and revealing its potential for the embodiment of intellectually sophisticated concepts in contemporary music.
Key words
music for folk instruments, Grigory Zaitsev, Sonata-Caprice “Herodiade”, program music, composition, performance interpretation.
For citation
Laptev V., Lapteva O. Sonata-Caprice “Herodiade” by G. Zaitsev for the domra prima: in search of new expressive resources of the instrument. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2026. No. 2. Pp. 61–71.
