The article presents an excursion into the history of contacts between musical cultures of Russia and France in the twentieth century. The purpose of the article is to create a panorama of the creative searches of the French school of composition in the second half of the twentieth century. The material of published texts interviews of leading French composers, Russian-language reference publications and research works of musicology about the leaders and little-known creative musicians in our country is attracted. The classification of generations of composers-students of O. Messiaen is proposed. Among the figures are named – P. Boulez, F. Bayle, B. Jolas, J. Barracquet, J. Ami, spectral composers led by J. Griese, the names of the generation of the 50s (P. Dusapin, J. Manuri). A brief description of their main genre preferences, stylistic and technical aspirations is given. A number of composers of the “independent” group are singled out, among them A. Dutilleux, M. Ohana, J.-K. Elua. The opinions of composers of different aesthetic and artistic positions on the problems of the development of the national school in the modern situation are compared.

The article examines the process of formation of the string trio as a type of ensemble and as a genre of chamber and instrumental music. Based on the analysis of the available musicological studies and systematization, the path from the time of the appearance of the first instrumental ensembles, their typification into a trio composition, through the formation, development, flowering and transformation of the genre of baroque trio sonatas, orchestral trios of composers of the Mannheim school to outstanding examples of classical era trios (both string and piano) is traced. There is a decline in interest in the possibilities of the genre in the romantic era and its revival in the works of composers of the XX century. The article considers the specifics of the monotembre string ensemble, the expressive possibilities of the string trio genre, the peculiarities of the formation of the cycle and the variety of its interpretations, the conditions of existence of the genre both in the classical era and in subsequent ones as a specific form of “experimental” ensemble music.

The article is devoted to one of the topical topics of musicology related to the study of the musical culture of the Muslim East, in particular, the Azerbaijani mugam. The focus of the work is the history of mugam in the creative laboratory of Azerbaijani composers. It is noted that in Azerbaijani culture a mugam musical trend has formed in Azerbaijani composer music, which has a unique specificity. In connection with temperament issues, the composer school of Azerbaijan, within the framework of the “mugam musical trend”, put forward three historical branches of development. The beginning was laid by W. Hajibeili and is associated with the birth of the genre of mugam opera, where the composer implemented the idea of a musical synthesis of mugam theory with the traditions of Western European music. The source of the study of the synthesis problem was the search for common sound elements between the national 17-sound system of the unevenly tempered structure of latkes of the tar instrument (which still serves as a national sound alphabet) with a 12-typoluton temperament of Western European music. The containers perform both music that sounds in a 12-tone octave temperament, and in an unevenly tempered 17-sound mugam octave system. Based on this property of sound in two tempered systems, for the first time in the framework of this article, the latest branch in the theory of music is revealed, which consists in showing and comparing the modal and tonal modes of Azerbaijani music.

The article is part of the circle of scientific local history studies related to the study of universals and the specifics of the musical culture of the regions of Russia. The purpose of this work is to comprehend the creative path of the bright musical and public figure M.I. Benyumov (violinist, teacher, conductor, scientist, organizer) as one of the significant “locomotives” of the processes of development of academic traditions in the cultural life of Krasnoyarsk in the last quarter of the XX – beginning of the XXI century. Some attention is paid to the consideration of various types of musical professional activities of M.I. Benyumov. The appearance and formation of the main “brainchild” of the maestro – the Krasnoyarsk chamber orchestra as a point of intersection of all its different directions of creativity is analyzed. Based on some principles of socioculturological and anthropological approaches, the article for the first time attempts to macroanalyze structural and procedural changes in the musical life of Krasnoyarsk in the last quarter of the XX – beginning of the XXI centuries through an anthropological prism (as microanalysis) – attention to the creative path of a specific person (in our case, M.I. Benyumov). Acting as a fulcrum of the anthropological turn, on the local history material demonstrates the dialectical relationship of the two leading processes of morphogenesis of the system of academic musical traditions – self-organization and institutionalization.

The interpretation of keyboard music by J.S. Bach is subject to changes, submits to stylistics of various historical periods and preferences of different generations of piano players. The problems are based on the existing provisions that romanticism, modernism and modern performances demonstrate different approaches to the interpretation of Bach compositions despite statements about the continuity of traditions and following the composer’s idea. The relevance of the topic is due to the convergence of previously multidirectional vectors observed today: the academic piano performance and the historical informed performance. The purpose of the article is to analyze the results of this rapprochement where example is the album “Goldberg-variations” by Lang Lang (2020). The task of the authors was to study the events preceding the appearance of the album – a long-term preparation, consultations with leading modern performers of both academic and HIP directions, as well as an analysis of the details of the Lang Lang playing. The features of the interpretation overcoming the conservatism that exists in the piano performance J.S. Bach’s music were revealed. The hypothesis is expressed that Lang Lang as a pianist with such a big name setting the tone in modern performing art, he forms a new steady trend for the piano performance music by Bach. The conclusions of the article support the assumptions of B. Haynes in his study “The End of Ancient Music” (2007) that the HIP in the performing arts will not revive the lost practice, but is able to update modern views on the interpretation of early music.

The article publishes information about the life and work of two outstanding Chinese teachers of academic vocal: Shao Xian and Jin Tielin, whose merits in the creation of the national vocal school are especially great. The main events that contributed to the formation of their individuality, the peculiarities of the vocal repertoire, which combined classical works and national folklore equally, are considered. This led to the development of its own singing system, synthesizing the features of European and Eastern performing schools. The influence of the Russian singing tradition, perceived by Shao Xiang from Vladimir Shushlin, who was the founder of the pedagogical school of academic vocal in China, and then perceived by Jin Tielin, is noted. The names of the most famous singers – pupils of Shao San and Jin Tielin, whose work is known all over the world, are listed. Biographical data are presented in the context of the development of Chinese music education, which was based on the best achievements and world practice, but at the same time, preserved national identity.

The article deals with the acting of the leading Soviet philosopher aesthetician Yury Borev in the film “Yaroslav the Wise” (1981) by G. Kokhan. He plays a Byzantine ambassador representing aesthetic conservatism and monarchism. The particular intonation profile, combining the tone of order and bureaucratic muttering, creates a comic effect. The character himself in the system was simply meant to show the emancipation of Russia from Byzantium. The keys to such acting are to be found in Borev’s work on the comic. Borev argued that comicism includes the automatization of speech and discursive complacency, that the bureaucratic type of thought is the predominant subject of comic representation, that comicism is not incompatible with ekphrasis and the animated picture. The realization of these theoretical positions in the actor’s acting enhanced the drama of the film, turning it from an illustration of historical events with a mere appropriation of the emotions and doubts of alater era by people of the distant past into a quite convincing reconstruction of the power system of ancient Rus. Thanks to Borev’s play the aesthetic self-definition of Russia is shown in the film, which is not reduced to the simple opposition of the people and the nobility.

Тhe article explores the scenario of the development of the art education system of the city of Harbin in the late XIX – early XX centuries. Based on the collected and systematized information, both from Chinese and Russian sources, a holistic, relatively complete picture of the gradual formation of the system of training artists in this city was reconstructed: from studios to higher educational institutions. An undoubted role in these processes was played by Russian artists, in particular Mikhail Alexandrovich Kichigin (1883-1968). He, a native of the Perm province, a graduate of the Stroganov Art and Industrial College and the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, moved to Harbin in 1921, where, together with like-minded people, he organized the work of the art studio “Lotus”, which existed until 1932. The activity of this institution, which taught children of both local residents and visitors of all nationalities, became an example not only for migrants from Russia, but also for Chinese enthusiasts who have done alot for the development of national artistic culture. As an example, the article mentions such institutions as the First Special District Art School of the Eastern Province, Harbin Art College, Provincial College of Fine Arts of the Special District of the Eastern Province and others. The information covered in the study allows us to conclude that in the 1920s and 1930s, Harbin was one of the most dynamically developing megacities in the world, including in the field of artistic culture.

This article is devoted to the study of one of the topical topics in Western and domestic Sinology, related to the history and theory of the portrait genre in traditional Chinese painting. To date, this question has not yet received an exhaustive understanding in special literature, which determined the research vector of the proposed work. The author’s focus is on portraits of ancestors from the Huizhou Ming and Qing dynasties. Portraits of ancestors that originated during the Chunqiu period (春秋时代 Spring and Autumn) officially appeared in the Song dynasty and reached their peak in the Qing dynasty. It is noted that the massive nature of the creation of family portraits in the Middle Kingdom for many centuries is due to the cult of ancestors, which is a unique marker of Chinese civilization associated with religious ideas about life and death, as well as the central concept of “xiao” Confucian religious and philosophical teachings. On the example of portraits of Huizhou’s ancestors from the Ming and Qing dynasties, their functions in the social structure of the Celestial Empire were considered, the features of the composition and appearance of the portraits reflecting the mentality of the Chinese people were analyzed. It is noted that in addition to memorial and ritual functions, Huijou’s family portraits serve to preserve the memory of ancestors by applying texts on top of the image containing information about the biography and virtues of the people depicted.

This article is devoted to topical issues of artistic display of the unique architecture of Northern Palmyra on the canvases of Russian painters who created a many-faced pictorial “Petersburg”. The purpose of the work is to present a general description of the work of modern landscape artists, fruitfully working in the dry pastel technique, who turned to the city as a “plot.” The chosen angle of the study is little represented in the scientific literature, which informs the work of relevance and novelty. The authors carried out a brief art history analysis of a number of paintings by famous masters of painting of a new generation - A. Volkov, S. Usik, A. Zuev, E. Mill, N. Anfalova, from the standpoint of plots, images, stylistics, features of the application of pastel in the creation of composition and the arrangement of emotional and semantic accents. On the example of the works of painters, modern trends in the use of pastel painting techniques in an architectural landscape are indicated.

The article describes the 5th Siberian Festival of Contemporary Music in Krasnoyarsk (November 12 – December 13, 2022). This event showcased contemporary academic music in the Krasnoyarsk concert halls performed for the audience of the 21st century. At first, the article discusses the festival’s concerts and events, which represent the creativity of Syberian composers (especially those from Krasnoyarsk). It highlights concerts with original composers, genres, performers, compositional and performing means and techniques. The focus of the article is on the concerts of MASM (the Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble). Among other works, they contained performances of works of Vladimir Ponomarev, the chairman of the Krasnoyarsk Department of the Composers’ Union of the Russian Federation, as well as young composers Sergey Shestakov and Alexey Shikhovtsov. The authors interviewed them for the article.