Solomon Volkov

Solomon Volkov
Name	Solomon Volkov
Native name	Соломон Волков
Birth date	1944
Birth place	Leningrad
Occupation	Musicologist, journalist, editor
Notable works	Testimony (as editor)

Solomon Volkov is a Russian-born musicologist, journalist, and editor known for his role in publishing memoirs attributed to Dmitri Shostakovich and for contributions to Soviet and post-Soviet cultural discourse. He gained prominence through editorial work, music criticism, and curatorial activities that intersected with composers, performers, institutions, and political authorities across Soviet Union, Russia, United States, Europe, and international cultural organizations. His career involved interaction with prominent figures, ensembles, and venues in classical music, journalism, and dissident cultural networks.

Early life and education

Born in Leningrad during World War II, Volkov grew up amid the postwar cultural rebuilding that involved institutions such as the Leningrad Conservatory, Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, and municipal libraries. His formative years coincided with conversations around composers like Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and critics associated with journals such as Sovetskaya Kultura, Pravda, Izvestia, and the broadcasting of All-Union Radio. He studied musicology and humanities influenced by teachers from the Moscow Conservatory, Saint Petersburg State Conservatory, Russian Academy of Arts, and encounters with performers from the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra and the Moscow Conservatory String Quartet. His early education connected him to archives at the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, libraries like the Russian National Library, and museums including the Pushkin Museum.

Career in musicology and journalism

Volkov's professional life bridged musicology, criticism, and editing for publications and broadcasts tied to institutions such as Sovetskaya Kultura, Moscow Times, New York Times, The New Yorker, BBC, and Deutsche Welle. He wrote about composers including Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Shostakovich's contemporaries such as Aram Khachaturian, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Yevgeny Mravinsky, and engaged with soloists like Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, David Oistrakh, and conductors like Yuri Temirkanov. His journalistic work intersected with cultural institutions such as the Union of Soviet Composers, Moscow Conservatory, Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, and international festivals like the Edinburgh Festival, Salzburg Festival, and Tanglewood Festival. He participated in dialogues involving publishers such as Boosey & Hawkes, Oxford University Press, Faber and Faber, and archival releases by labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Melodiya, and BMG.

The Threepenny Opera and editorial work

Volkov edited and wrote on theatrical and operatic works, including commentary that touched on productions of The Threepenny Opera associated with directors and companies like Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill, Brechtian theatre, Maly Drama Theatre, Moscow Art Theatre, and international stages such as Royal Opera House, Metropolitan Opera, and La Scala. His editorial tasks linked him to dramatists, librettists, and dramaturgs from institutions including Shchukin School, GITIS, and publishers across Moscow, London, and New York. Through these roles he collaborated with translators, conductors, and critics connected to journals like Opera News, The Musical Times, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and organizations like International Rostrum of Composers and International Society for Music Education.

The Scandal of Shostakovich: "Testimony"

Volkov is best known for editing and publishing "Testimony," presented as the memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich, which provoked debate among scholars, performers, and institutions such as Princeton University, Cambridge University, Harvard University, Columbia University, Moscow Conservatory, and the Union of Soviet Composers. The book involved disputes with musicologists, biographers, and critics including Isaac Glikman, Elmira Nazirova, Andrey Shilov, John Evans, and commentators in journals like The Musical Quarterly, Tempo, The New York Review of Books, and newspapers including The New York Times and The Guardian. The authenticity controversy engaged archives at the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, testimonies connected to Yakov Zak, Galina Ulanova, Nikolai Myaskovsky, and legal and ethical discussions involving publishers such as Victor Gollancz, Faber and Faber, and HarperCollins. The debate touched on broader Cold War cultural politics involving Andrei Sakharov, Solzhenitsyn, Yeltsin-era disclosures, Western scholars of Soviet music, and documentary projects broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and PBS.

Later activities and cultural influence

In later decades Volkov engaged in curatorial projects, lecture cycles, and editorial initiatives linking him to institutions such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, and festivals including Aldeburgh Festival and Verbier Festival. He contributed to retrospective recordings and program notes for labels like Melodiya, Deutsche Grammophon, and Sony Classical, and participated in scholarly symposia at International Musicological Society and conferences at universities including Yale University, Oxford University, and Stanford University. His influence extended into broadcasting, documentary film projects, and cultural diplomacy involving embassies and cultural centers such as the Russian Cultural Centre and exchanges with curators from Museum of Modern Art, Hermitage Museum, and State Russian Museum.

Personal life and recognition

Volkov's personal life intersected with musicians, critics, and cultural figures from communities in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, New York City, and other cultural capitals; he maintained relationships with performers like Gidon Kremer, Natalia Gutman, and scholars associated with Royal Academy of Music and Juilliard School. He received attention, invitations, and honors from cultural organizations including festival committees, publishers, and academic departments, and his work remains cited in studies by historians at institutions such as University of Chicago, Columbia University, King's College London, and University of Cambridge.

Category:Russian musicologists Category:Russian journalists Category:People from Saint Petersburg