This article discusses the idea of the con­cept of the organ “concert-pray” in its basic characteristics and its possible manifestation in the concert activities of the organist. Examples are given of “prayerful” concert cycles by great composers, as well as a tested example of a small concert in Alsace, organized by the author of the paper. The arguments in favor of using the concept in musical performance practice are given. The characteristics to which one should aspire in constructing a prayerful mood both in the construction of the program and in its performance in the hall, which can be both a spiritual and a secular building, are considered. The conclusion is made that the “concert-pray” as a cultural phenomenon can take its place in the contemporary organ repertoire.

This article is the first part of the research representing reading attempt of Mussorgsky's piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition" as an Orthodox mystery, dedicated to the contemplation and direct experience of the fundamental categories of Life and Death. According to the Christian worldview, captured in this work, death is a consequence of original damage and must be finally defeated at the time of the universal Resurrection. The hypothesis presented to the reader's judgment is a development of the concept of the pianist-philosopher M. V. Yudina and a number of other musicians-thinkers. In the considered piano cycle a number of the properties which are bringing together it with archaic mysteries actions is revealed. Among them it is possible to call: hierarchy, phasing, presence of the conductor-mistagoga, symbolical movements in time and world space, a mythological element, theatrical potential, and, above all, – the idea of the Victory over death and Transformations of the world. The fact that music of "Pictures" is capable to exist organically in the context of synthetic action with mysterious implication proves the most interesting experience of her scenic adaptation which is carried out by V. V. Kandinsky. The possibility of reading of a piano cycle of Mussorgsky in a mysteriological key confirms the special importance of irrational and mystical comprehension of life for the composer.

Be the focus of attention of article – the children's opera in musical heritage of the Ts. A. Kyui who presented axiomatic samples of a new genre in the first decades of the 20th century. In spite of the fact that musical and scenic works by the composer for children return to the amateur and professional stages of theaters of Russia and abroad today, using recognition of public, they didn't receive due lighting in domestic musicology yet. On the basis of studying various sources by authors an attempt to systematize separate information and to reconstruct the history of creation and the scenic fate of musical and scenic opuses of Ts. A. Kyui for young audience is made. In work the reasons of the appeal to a genre of the children's opera are analyzed, many chronological facts are specified, the context of emergence of opuses is recreated. Materials of a research expand ideas of the major niche in works of the composer connected with a childhood subject help to comprehend a contribution of Kyui to development of a genre of the children's opera in Russia.

The article is devoted to the identification of the role of dream poetics in the little-known and unex­plored opera by A. Kastalsky, written on the plot of the story by I. Turgenev. Following the narrative logic of the original source, in which the writer actively uses various oneiric forms (dreams, visions, hallucinations) to depict the border-line consciousness of the hero, the composer retains their significance in the opera composition. However, within the framework of the laws of the drama of the lyric-psychological opera, this line undergoes a significant transformation. As a result of the expansion of the lyrical and everyday spheres in Klara Milich, shifting the plot and semantic accents in comparison with Turgenev's story, the enlargement of the images of the central characters, oneiric forms are concentrated in the culmination and denouement of the work, where they contribute to achieving a high dramatic intensity. A significant factor in the development of the oneiric line in the opera also becomes a rich allusive layer, in which the most significant place is occupied by figurative, semantic and textual references to the tragedy of “Romeo and Juliet” by W. Shakespeare.

The article dwells upon the study of fables and dramatic works by I. A. Krylov interpreted in "Granddad Laughs", the opera by Russian composer A. V. Tchaikovsky. The authors outline the characteristic genre features of the fable and give a detailed analysis of the composer's work on the libretto of the opera. Particular attention is paid to the background story of "Granddad Laughs". In conclusion, the study determines the influence of Bertolt Brecht and Vsevolod Meyerhold’s theatrical aesthetics on the compositional features of the work by the Russian composer.

The article focuses on the famous modern minimalist composer Michael Nyman’s chamber opera “Man and Boy: Dada” (2004) to a libretto by Michael Hastings, which by now has not yet become the object of study in Russian musicology. The article reveals the history of the creation of the opera and plot-shaped features, the specifics of the material with which the composer works. The author emphasizes its diverse genre and stylistic character (genres of children’s folklore, Latin American music, pop-culture songs, expressionist music). Conclusions are drawn about the general principle of Nyman’s work: the composer uses the collage method, “gluing” different materials together. This method is inspired by the lifestyle and work of Kurt Schwitters – main character of the opera.

The article considers articulation as an important means of expression in composing, performing and pedagogical creativity allowing to reflect the artistic image as fully as possible. The peculiarities of articulation are studied on Prokofiev's compositions "Sarcasm", "Evanescence", Sonatas No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8, revealing its most significant features (polyfunctionality, semantic versatility, differentiation of texture) and emphasizing instrumental specificity. The potential of articulation in terms of phonetic character and its ability to create an integral pronunciation quality are indicated. The terminological analysis of modern research opinions on the structure of the concept itself is carried out. Conclusions are drawn about the complex nature of articulation and its special relations with such means of expression as tempo, metro rhythm, dynamics, pedalization. Articulation is always connected with the conception of the work. In case the signs of articulation are written out by the author in the text, their arbitrary change leads to the loss of the meaning of the composition being performed. In Prokofiev's pieces articulation bears the imprint of his individuality, so attention to the interpretation of articulatory instructions ensures the adequacy of the perception of artistic intent.

The study is devoted to the global scientific opera (GSO) as one of the artistic manifestations of the transdisciplinary field of modern culture – Art&Science. GSO currently has clear technologies for its creation – WASO (Write A Science Opera / Write a Science Opera), demonstrated in a number of methodological developments of teachers and scientists who oversee the creation of children's science operas in educational institutions around the world (Oded Ben-Horin, Andreia volta e Sousa, André Ramos, Alvaro Lopez Teixeira). Based on the main postulates of GSO (interdisciplinarity of a new type, emotional enrichment as an impulse to new scientific and creative breakthroughs, design thinking, teamwork in a group flow), methodologists offer curricula with step-by-step planning of all stages of creating operas about the multiplication table, anatomy, elementary particles, northern lights other scientific problems.

For the first time, the article presents the historiography of the musical and theatrical embodiment of the opera by the composer-folklorist, honored art worker of the RSFSR (1960), scientist, teacher-musicologist, pianist folklorist, public figure "Chanar Khus and Akh Chibek" creativity. In the opera, poetry, dramatic art, vocal and instrumental music, facial expressions, dance, painting, scenery and costumes are fused into a single whole. The first Khakass opera "Chanar Khus and Akh Chibek" is the clearest example of the preservation and transformation of individual recordings in one of the most complex genres of professional music. Musical folklore is a huge treasury of cultural values of the people, therefore the heritage of A. A. Kenelya testifies to the enormous contribution made to the development of the Khakass national culture.

The article examines the creative path of the Chinese artist Pan Suncine, who in the first half of the XX century received a significant amount of artistic knowledge in Paris, comprehended many areas of modernist art, but did not abandon the traditions of national culture. He embodied the synthesis of the pictorial language of the West and the East in his paintings and graphic sheets. The study also comprehends the legacy of the master in the field of design, where the artist is considered one of the Russian founders of this type of visual art. Pan Suncine played a significant role in the formation of art education in China, being not only the founder of some specialties in the field of fine arts, but also a number of educational institutions. This article introduces materials, mainly by European and Chinese scientists, into scientific use, which expand the idea of the scale of the unique personality of Pan Suncine in the context of the epoch, his role in the development of fine art of the XX – early XXI centuries. The study also uses quotes from the artist's memoirs, which make it possible to more accurately reveal the artistic ideas of Pan Suncine.

The article examines the work of contemporary Togliatti artists in the field of batik art – E. Arnold, M. Hosina, V. Pakhomova, A. Shakleina, describes their creative path in batik and presents an artistic analysis of their works of various purposes in terms of themes, stylistics, and the use of artistic means. Religious themes are highlighted in the works of such batik artists as M. Hosina and V. Pakhomova. The prospects for the development of batik art in Togliatti are analyzed through the prism of educational programs implemented by educational institutions of the city, including art schools of the city. The educational and creative activity of students and teachers of the College of Technical and Art Education of Togliatti, implementing the program "Art painting on fabric", is considered. An attempt is made to highlight the uniqueness of the development of batik art in Togliatti.