Communist suppression distorted music history in Eastern Europe. Now, Professor Patrick Zuk is being recognised for setting the record straight.
Professor of Russian Cultural Studies Patrick Zuk has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Romanian National University of Music, Bucharest (NUMB).
In a ceremony at the university, Professor Zuk was recognised for his research on music and cultural life in communist-era Eastern Europe.
During his visit, he also delivered a lecture entitled ‘In (continued) Search of Wagner: Criticism and the Limits of Legitimate Interpretation.’
Communist-era Eastern Europe was not a friendly place for some musicians.
There, religious music, music produced with aristocratic patronage, and much music displaying western influences were suppressed. Some composers were erased from the historical record entirely.
Professor Zuk is out to correct this. His research explores how music history was distorted during the Communist period. Then, using the archival material that survives, he seeks to set the record straight.
His most recent book tells the story of one Russian composer who faced obstacles during this period.
‘Nikolay Myaskovsky: A Composer and His Times’ (2022) is a biography of the personal and professional life of the Russian composer Nikolay Myaskovsky. In it, Zuk explores what it was like for Myaskovsky to work under a totalitarian regime.
Many of Myaskovsky’s compositions couldn’t be performed during his lifetime. The book, which won a 2022 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award, brings his music into the limelight.
Professor Zuk hopes that his work can be a model for other music scholars.
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