The Spin Doctor Europadisc's Weekly Column

In the run-up to Christmas, Ukraine's culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko created something of a furore by calling on theatres and other cultural venues to ‘pause’ performances of Tchaikovsky and other ‘Kremlin-favoured’ composers and works in a show of solidarity with the beleaguered Ukrainian people. Tkachenko attempted to choose his words carefully, but to many it smacked of ‘cancel culture’, and commentators were quick to point out that, wherever the blame might lie for the now more than 10-month-old invasion of Ukraine, Tchaikovsky was no more at fault than Mussorgsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev or any other Russian composer of the past few centuries. The notion of a collective, retrospective guilt smacks too much of totalitarianism.

More than a century ago, during the Great War of 1914-18, there was certainly a good deal of anti-German sentiment among the wider public in both Britain and France. But just a generation later, during the horrors of World War II, no-one seriously talked of boycotting the music of Beethoven, whose music (most famously the ‘V for Victory’ rhythm from the Fifth Symphony) was rightly seen as the artistic property of wider humanity. Transferred to the present situation, one could argue that performances of Mussorgsky’s operas Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina, far from glorifying Russian rulers, actually shine a spotlight on the downtrodden common people who are so often at the mercy of authoritarian regimes. Of course, such regimes will always take liberties to put a spin on whichever works take their fancy (as the Nazi regime did with Wagner), but if the best that Putin can come up with is the distinctly sub-par 1812 Overture, frankly, he’s welcome to it.

As for Tchaikovsky’s wider output, from the symphonies to the three great ballets, a degree of sensitivity around programming and productions rather than a blanket boycott seems preferable. Anyone seriously proposing programming the triumphalist Fifth Symphony around the anniversary of the Russian invasion on 24 February is tin-eared and should seriously consider rescheduling; ditto performances of the controversially nicknamed Symphony no.2 (‘The Little Russian’).

More powerful than any boycott, however, has been the spotlight that recent events have shone on the output of Ukrainian composers past and present, with the music of Boris Lyatoshynsky, Valentin Silvestrov, Mykola Lysenko and Myroslav Skoryk in particular finding far wider audiences than could previously have been imagined. Performers programming such works should be applauded for shifting the focus away from the tub-thumping crowd-pleasers of yesteryear towards a more balanced and nuanced musical landscape.

The same is true of the many performers and record companies now exploring the richly varied outputs of black and women composers. In just the past five years, an astonishingly diverse repertoire has begun to be uncovered – not as a result of ‘cancelling’ any established figures (Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mahler et al. are as well-represented as ever), but thanks to a renewed spirit of inquisitiveness and openness. This is the surely best response to any sort of repression, whether nationalist, racist, sexist or economic. But beyond that, as we’ve suggested in the past, such shifts in focus and broadenings of perspective are vital if classical music in all its many forms is to attract new audiences and investment. The alternative is to get stuck in a groove, constantly harking back to ‘golden ages’ that never quite were at the time, but that risks petrifying an essentially dynamic art form.

A New Year’s resolution for all of us might be that, instead of constant talk of boycotts, ‘cancel culture’ and so-called ‘wokery’, we all work harder to broaden our horizons, questioning our own prejudices and indulging them a little less, and instead exploring beyond our own comfort zones to take in music that offers new experiences and perspectives. A starting point for many could be Fiona Maddocks’s ‘Feed your soul: the 31-day classical music diet for January’, encompassing both old favourites (including Tchaikovsky!) and much less familiar fare, both ancient and modern. And as we’re only 11 days into the month and most of the items are commendably short, there’s even time to catch up. It’s guaranteed to serve up at least a few surprises, even for those of very broad tastes…

Fiona Maddocks - Feed your soul: the 31-day classical music diet for January

Recent and forthcoming recommendations:
Silvestrov - Maidan  4858084
Silvestrov - The Messenger  CC72939
Walker - Antifonys, Lilacs, Sinfonias 4 & 5  TCO0005
Coleridge-Taylor - Othello & African Suites, Violin Concerto, etc.  4853322
Coleridge-Taylor - Nonet, Piano Trio, Piano Quintet  CHAN20242
Out of the Shadow  CC72888
Poetesses symphoniques  LDV103