This article discusses fascinating vocal compositions by Soviet composer of Armenian descent Mikael Tariverdiev (1931–1996): vocal cycles based on poems by Tsvetaeva and Akhmadulina written in 1957, 1971 and 1986. The main purpose of the article is identifying the unique techniques of the composer’s treatment of the original text. The poetic and musical language of their compositions has not yet been the subject of dedicated research. But performers are increasingly keen on this repertoire, incorporating it more often into their concert programs. The study applied lexical and syntactic methods of parsing the artistic text, as well as comparative analysis and musical-analytical approach. These compositions revealed Tariverdiev’s established methods of working with poetic originals that helped him to carefully interpret brilliant poems and, supplementing them with new semantic nuances, make them the source of his “musical poetry”.

The article is devoted to the piano music of the American composer of the 20th century H. Cowell. The problem of the extended interpretation of the instrument, which involves the invasion of internal space, transforming the functionality, is considered on the material of piano works. The piano becomes not only a keyboard, but also a string instrument. The author pays special attention to the consideration of technical difficulties faced by the performer and offers certain ways to solve them. The conclusion of the study is a new understanding of Cowell’s role in the formation of the phenomenon of the extended piano, which is associated not only with playing the strings, but also with an extensive study of sounds of various natures depending on the methods of their extraction. Having developed a special system of graphic symbols, the composer supplemented it with instructions. This made it possible to determine the exact location of the performer at the piano so that this or that effect was unambiguous in terms of interpretation. In addition to the practical application of the expansion of performance techniques for playing the instrument, Cowell made a significant theoretical and practical contribution to the new history of the piano. The widest range of techniques opened up to the composer makes this traditional instrument flexible in relation to composer innovations, which were developed in the works of the American composer of the second half of the 20th century George Crumb.

The paper addresses the concept of performing school, from the first mention of the term to its development and consolidation in Russian musicology. One cannot call this topic well-developed since, like many other musical concepts used in everyday life, the definition of “performing school” is taken as a matter of course. However, theoretical justification and historical perspective issues regarding the term have not previously been the subject of separate scientific interest. There is no special study considering the performing school as a particular musical phenomenon. It is the first time this attempt has been made, which determines the scientific novelty and relevance of the work. The observations and conclusions provided in the article are based on the analysis of scientific and educational literature through identifying regularities in construing various interpretations of this concept, their systematization and generalization with reference to different performing schools: piano, stringed plucked, vocal, string, composer and wind schools. The research methodology is based on comprehensive analytical study. A cultural and historical method as well as a structural method are applied.

The creative activity of Irkutsk musician R. A. Ivanov is analyzed in this article. This man was a outstanding teacher, music critic and studied under N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. The article is the first attempt to conduct a thorough analysis of this person’s professional activities in various vectors. Ivanov fully proved himself as an ascetic of the widest dissemination of musical knowledge in Irkutsk. The author of the article analyzes the documents of the state archives of Irkutsk and Kirov, periodicals of the beginning of the last century, various printed publications of subsequent years. The collected material allows us to say with confidence that Ivanov was one of the key figures in the musical life of Irkutsk in 1900–1915. At certain points, he had an undeniable impact on the development of this life. The person of this man can still be an example for musicians in many ways.

Hulusi is a traditional Chinese wind instrument that plays an important role in the musical culture of China. This instrument, with its unique sound and appearance, embodies a rich cultural and historical tradition. In recent years, interest in hulusi has increased significantly both in China and abroad. However, the current state of the instrument requires a deeper analysis and systematization in order to develop effective measures for its preservation and development.
The relevance of this study is due to the need to preserve and popularize hulusi in the context of globalization and the rapid development of technology. The novelty of the work lies in a comprehensive examination of the history of Hulusi, an analysis of its current state and the proposal of measures for the development and promotion of the instrument.
The research methodology is based on a historical and analytical approach, including the study of literary sources, archival materials and modern publications, as well as an empirical analysis of the current state of hulusi and its place in modern music.

The article is devoted to some issues of the conductor's profession. The purpose of the study, its relevance and novelty are to identify the form and content of the conductor’s manual technique. The authors reveal the main aspects of the form and content of the conductor's gestures. First of all these are parts of the conductor's apparatus and its placement on an imaginary plane; conductor's diagrams and drawings depending on the counting fractions of the beat; performing touches in the expressive, visual and ensemble aspects of performance. A retrospective look at the formation and development of conducting art, showing important factors influencing the nature of gestures, contribute to a better understanding of this profession. Historically established means of non-verbal communication, transformed in the context of musical and administrative tasks, make it possible to see the expressive nature of the gesture that encourages action. Technical skill and plastic imagery of gestures contribute to the dual expression of form and content of the conductor's manual technique.

The article examines the peculiarities of the formation of cultural and historical consciousness of Russian youth in the modern period of social uncertainty in the world. The authors of the article consider various processes in youth culture, actualized by imperfect knowledge of historical reality, lack of experience in cultural and historical thinking, as well as the replacement of this experience with the reconstruction of history in accordance with the cultural trends of youth and the displacement of ideas about the historical past. The relevance in such conditions is clarified, on the one hand, the trends of individualistic cultural and historical thinking, on the other – involvement in the historical and moral values of the nation. It is argued that the sociological cross-section of the cultural and historical consciousness of youth gives a fairly accurate idea of the trends in the historical paradigm of Russian youth culture, and the formation of the ability of young people to cultural and historical thinking and empathy is one of the conditions for effective resistance to external manipulation and further self-determination of the Russian people as a nation.

The paper investigates the boundaries of pantomime and rayok theater in Zamyatin's work on the example of his play “The Flea” based on the story “Levsha” by Nikolay Leskov. This is an avant-garde experience of the writer, combining the features of satirical utopia and rayok, but the utopia is transferred from the social to the verbal realm. The speech of the protagonist is utopian, it is impossible, replaced by pantomime at all times. Boris Kustodiev's decorative program intended the destruction of the previous organization of the theatrical space for the purposes of narrative intrigue. The paper applies an unusual method: in addition to close reading and reconstruction of historical contexts, the paper includes an original essay by one of the authors of the paper, published for the first time, with commentary by another author, as a study of the legacy of life-building symbolism in Zamyatin's critical avant-garde. The essay lyrically explores the writer's identity as a participant in the pantomime of history, and certain images of the age assume a symbolic intensity that suffices for interpreting his art accomplishments in the drama. Original deductions are derived about the transformation of fairy tale stylization into a kind of novel in real life, in which the theaters of the early Soviet time in the person of their organizers and collectives take part.

The presented work considers artistic creativity in the context of its understanding as an essential characteristic of a person and his being in general. The article attempts to find out how the creative attitude to reality is rooted in the very nature and essence of man. It is suggested that art is one of the forms of knowledge, and the process of artistic creativity is cognitive activity. On the example of the work of Siberian painters K. S. Voinov, M. S. Ombysh-Kuznetsov and G. P. Kichigin, the relationship between man and the world is revealed through the prism of art. It is proved that artistic creativity is their way of knowing reality. As a result of working with the source base and the works of Siberian masters submitted for analysis, it is concluded that art, along with science, sets guidelines for processes taking place at various levels of human existence. It is substantiated that at all stages of the development of science, art contributed to the introduction of the knowledge gained into real life, and science, in turn, used art as a means of figurative knowledge of the surrounding reality.