The relevance of the article is determined by the modern scientific context, an innovative approach to the analysis of drama. The author shows that the concept of the game is the semantic center of the artistic process of the opera “Falstaff” by G. Verdi. Previously, this work was not considered from this point of view. The presence of game principles is revealed. Huizinga: systems of role-playing games, game phantasmagoria, interaction of layers of external, internal and symbolic action, carnivality, techniques of parody and grotesque, as well as “theater in the theater”. The dramaturgy of the opera corresponds to the game model. The features of misteriality are embodied in the final choral fugue of the finale, which is a form of the highest order and generalizes thematic and dramatic processes, while the action moves from the stage space into the space of natural space, phantasmagoria and sleep.

This publication is a continuation of an article published in the previous issue of the magazine, which is an attempt to read M.P. Mussorgsky's piano suite "Pictures from the Exhibition" as an Orthodox mystery. The provisions stated earlier are detailed in the proposed study on the example of specific pieces of the piano cycle. Each play is seen as a stage in comprehending the mystery of Life and Death in the context of Christian worldview. In the work of M.P. Mussorgsky, the author reveals a number of properties that bring him closer to archaic mysteries-actions. Among them: hierarchical, phased, the presence of a mistagogue conductor, symbolic movements in time and world space, a mythological element, theatrical potential, and most importantly, the idea of Victory over death and the Transfiguration of the World. Decryption of the hidden semantics of the parts of the suite through associative images leads to the idea of the possibility of its three-level interpretation. These levels, conjugated hierarchically, organically complement each other, testifying to the amazing ideological and semantic versatility of Mussorgsky's masterpiece, which has no analogues in world musical literature.

The article is devoted to the memory of Jules E. Conus, a remarkable musician, a representative of a dynasty rich in talents that generously bestowed Russian culture. In December 2022 it will be eighty years since the death of Jules Eduardovich. Less than a century has passed, but his name is mostly actualized by the circle of student violinists who study his concerto for e-moll violin in special classes. The existing streak of neglect, threatens the risk of complete oblivion of this brilliant representative of Russian culture, which is unacceptable. To fill an unfair gap in Russian musicology was the main goal of this work. At the center of the study are archival materials, diaries and letters, which allowed to illuminate the multifaceted personality of J. Conus and restore previously unknown facts of his biography. Creative and friendly communication with P.I. Tchaikovsky, S.I. Taneyev, S.V. Rachmaninoff, is presented in the epistolary material that we have discovered and for the first time introduced into the scientific field.

This article is devoted to one of the topical topics in domestic musicology related to the history of performing on wind instruments. The focus of the author's attention is works for solo clarinet, of significant importance in the formation and further development of which instructional works had. The work attempted to systematize disparate information and present an overview of the evolution of artistic and instructional compositions for solo clarinet in the creative practice of performers and composers of the 18th-21st centuries. As the study showed, starting from the 18th century, the process of crystallization of artistic instructional opuses for solo clarinet was more at the intersection of the performing and composing activities of talented musicians, striving to enrich the concert and pedagogical repertoire, and, at the same time, to create compositions that clearly demonstrate the technical skills of the clarinetist performer.

The article is devoted to the problem of Russian music education on the example of the Higher School of Music (Institute) named after V.A. Bosikov of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), representing a unique educational institution. All three levels of education are concentrated and combined in the Higher School of Education – the initial training of gifted children, combined with full secondary general education, with their subsequent secondary and higher special education. The authors reveal the specifics of the institution where the methodology for selecting gifted children was developed, which is carried out by schoolteachers annually throughout the republic, in its cities and uluses up to the most remote areas. A system of constant curation of outstanding artists from the central Russian universities of art, as well as from Japan and China, has been developed and is in operation. Much attention is paid to concert performances of students, which take place not only in Yakutia, but also in different cities of Russia and countries of Europe, Asia, and America. Participation and numerous victories at international, All-Russian competitions testify to the competitiveness of schoolchildren and students at the Higher School of Music. In general, the entire training system in the institution convincingly proves the prospects for its further development.

The focus of the article is on the history of the Children's Art School No. 8 of the city of Krasnoyarsk, which was opened in a rather difficult economic time of the development of the city and the country, in the post-perestroika period. Cultural and historical processes related to the activities of primary educational musical institutions from 1920 to 2011 found a versatile reflection in the study of the Krasnoyarsk scientist E.V. Prygun, however, Children’s Art School No. 8 is mentioned only indirectly in her work, which informs this article of the relevance and scientific novelty. Based on the study of various archival materials, and with the assistance of the first director of the school, Elena N. Belova, the author made an attempt to recreate the holistic picture of the formation and development of the Children; s Art School No. 8 from its foundation in 1995, and until the opening in 2009 of a new specially built building for the school in the Vysotka microdistrict.

The article reveals the potential of playing the prepared piano in music lessons for children of primary school age. The relevance of the stated topic relates to an attempt to solve the problem of introducing young musicians to the sound of experimental music and, more broadly, the inclusion of modern music in the educational environment, along with generally accepted classical samples. The novelty of the study is due to the tangible lack of methodological developments in modern music, improvisation, despite the appearance of many composer's opuses addressed to the latest post-avant-garde techniques. As will be shown, the use of the possibilities of the prepared piano as playing practical exercises ensures the development of the child's creative skills, diversifies the process of learning to play the instrument. The put forward hypothesis finds practical confirmation during the approbation of the author's collection “We prepare the piano together”.

This article is devoted to the consideration of the features of Chinese landscape painting shan shui (“mountains and water”) in its connection with the philosophical and aesthetic aspects of Tao and the concept of “spatial art” put forward by the modern art critic D. Summers. Through the prism of the dialectical concepts of “real space” and “virtual space” in the work, the image of the mountain is multidimensional, which, along with other images, is a constant, the central element in traditional Chinese shan shui painting. Using various paintings by artists as examples, the article reveals the unique status of the mountain, which has sacred significance for ancient Chinese authors. At the same time, the image of mountain landscapes in the works of painters goes beyond both religious and geographical boundaries, reflecting the idea of spiritual understanding of the transcendent. The image of the mountain becomes a kind of portal leading to the “virtual space” of Tao. The research materials allow us to draw new angles in the study of the spiritual and philosophical aspects of shan shui, one of the main genres of landscape painting in the Middle Kingdom.

This article is devoted to one of the most important topics in art related to the direction of constructivism. The relevance of the work is due to the fact that until now the principles of constructivism have not lost their significance, and the concepts of direction have become a powerful catalyst for the emergence of new styles and trends of art in the 20th century, significantly affecting the change in the artistic and ideological principles of society. The tasks included considering the genesis and chronological stages of direction, studying the essence, style features and ideological concepts of constructivism and its influence on world art; an overview of the spheres of creativity, artistic techniques and ideological features of the movement; analysis of the activities of artists, architects, designers who contributed to the development of constructivism. Based on the systematization of disparate material, the study presents an overview and analytical excursion of the formation and development of constructivism.

The systemic social transformations in the post-Soviet space, including in the Republic of Belarus, draw the attention of art criticism to the objective study of the heritage of art schools of the 20th century. A comprehensive study of the fine art of Belarus in the 20th century made it possible to define this period as one of the most important stages in the formation and development of the visual culture of Belarus. Evolutionary processes in the national art school of painting in the period under study corresponded to social ideals and development trends of domestic and world artistic culture. The purpose of the study is to reveal the main features of the development of the school of painting in Belarus of the specified period. Analyzing the best examples of the works of Belarusian artists, it should be noted that the processes that took place during this period in the social life had a significant impact on the progressive development of the artistic structure of paintings, as they became thematically, stylistically and compositionally more diverse.

This article examines the life and work of the painter, graphic artist and teacher Leon Leonardovich Bure, a phenomenal Uzbek master who worked in the first half of the twentieth century. Despite international fame, the personality and multifaceted activity of L. Bure has not yet received a comprehensive understanding in art science, which determines the relevance and scientific novelty of the work. Based on the selection and study of various archival and research materials, the work systematized the main milestones of the biography of L.L. Bure, examined the facets of his rich heritage, analyzed a number of paintings that reveal the artist's creative method. The introduction into scientific use of many previously unpublished information allows us to expand the idea of the outstanding Samarkand master, to fully comprehend the role and importance of L.L. Bure in the history of painting in Uzbekistan.

The material covers the history of the creation and implementation of the project “Educational and creative cluster of Yenisei Siberia: on the 60th anniversary of the birth of People's Artist of the Russian Federation Dmitry Hvorostovsky”, which was implemented in 2021/22 by students of the Dmitry Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts. The large-scale project was supported by the administration of three regions of the Russian Federation, as well as concert and educational organizations, the Russian and international business community. The result was the production of V.A. Mozart's opera “The marriage of Figaro”, shown in Krasnoyarsk, Minusinsk, Abakan and Kyzyl. The article talks about important factors that made it possible to carry out a bold and ambitious plan on the territory of Yenisei Siberia. Stages of the project progress are noted: from the birth of an idea to stage shows in which musicians of all subjects of the first macro-region of the country took part. The positive results of the project are indicated, which allowed students to increase the educational and performing level, gain stage practice and experience in interacting with professional musicians.