Stormy Applause: Making Music in a Worker's State

by Rostislav Dubinsky

In this accessibly written, anecdotal memoir of the politics of music in the post-war Soviet Union, Rostislav Dubinsky, who was for more than twenty years first violinist and artistic director of the world-famous Borodin Quartet, recounts the telling details of life as a musician and a Jew within a totalitarian regime.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Memoir

292 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1989

Reviews

[Lorelei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. It’s all sorts of color added to stuff I already knew. Just wow

[Luciano Marsalli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This made for a quick and relatively enlightening read: light in its literary form but rather heavy in its content. Written by the 1st violinist of the Borodin Quartet, the work provides an eyewitness account of the musical community under the Soviet regime, emphasizing the artistic constraint and prevalent anti-Semitism of the time. It gives an illuminating view into the mind of a chamber musician, and it holds several interesting anecdotes about other famous, Russian musicians (one such about Shostakovich is rather well known).
While I enjoyed the book for its musical and psychological insight, it is no literary masterpiece, and its historicity seems a little dubious. The work is presented mostly in dialogue, which is somewhat problematic given that the book itself spans decades. There are also some tropes throughout the work which seem to typify the writer and his colleagues beyond plausible realism. While it is written by an eyewitness, there is an appropriately Russian saying: "He lies like an eyewitness," and, while I do not accuse Mr. Dubinsky of intentionally changing his recollections, I would pose that the work is best appreciated for its themes rather than its details.

[RyleeAnn Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read! Not really what I was expecting, but I loved the personal stories and reflections.