Russia of the 20th century in the prism of musical art: the 1920s – Nikolai Myaskovsky

This publication is a continuation of a contextual overview of 20th-century Russian musical art. Here, the author examines the compositional legacy of Nikolai Myaskovsky, particularly his work from the 1910s and 1920s, for which the composer should be recognized as a leading figure not only in Russian, but also in global symphonism. The article highlights Myaskovsky’s adherence to the traditions of Russian musical classics, as well as his openness to new artistic trends and their refraction within his own music. The overarching theme of Myaskovsky’s work was the searching and drama of the Russian intelligentsia, its representatives’ quest for a place during a period of widespread upheaval, cataclysms, and turmoil at the turn of the 20th century. The contradictions of the emerging century, the resulting oppositions of personal aspirations, the inner world of the individual and the surrounding world, and the displacement of the individual-intellectual by the popular-mass, were reflected in the emerging transition of art from classicism to modernism. The essay pays particular attention to Symphony No. 5 and, to a significant extent, Symphony No. 6, where the composer was able to convey the dramatic shift in eras and the fundamental transformation of the way of life with particular expressiveness and authenticity.