Variations on the Theme Galina Ustvolskaya. Studia Slavica Musicologica, 40 by Simon Bokman , Irina Behrendt , Amelia Glaser , Jan Rhoades (review)

reviews 353 Chapterseven,'WhenWomenHittheRoad', analyses another keyaspect ofconventional road cinema- namelyitstypically masculinecharacter and Mazierskaand Rascaroliarguethatthiscinemahas recently becomea more feminized phenomenon.Given the changesin Europe, theyassert, youngEuropeanwomenalsofindthemselves 'on theroad',bothliterally and metaphorically. In their discussion ofEasternEuropeanfilms, thosefrom the former Czechoslovakia and Poland,they seetravelling womentrying toestablishtheir ownpowerand autonomy on theroad,butpayinga highpricefor doingso. The heroineofJan Sverak'sfilm, TheRide, ultimately losesherlife, whileFarba of Michael Rosa's ThePaintgetslost'on the darkerstreets of democracy, wherecrime,drugsand prostitution dominatetheimpoverished landscape' (p. 173).The authorsalso includeseveralrecentfilmsmade in Western Europeaboutfemalemobility in theiranalysis. In thefinalchapter, 'Travelling to theMarginsofEurope',Mazierskaand RascarolidiscussthewaysEurope'sgeographical centreand peripheries are presented in contemporary road films. In theirdiscussion ofWimWenders' Lisbon Story, PeterLichtefeld's Trains andRoses, and AtomEgoyan'sCalendar, the authorsdraw our attention to an important segmentof populationin theworld,called 'diasporic'by some,who are metaphorically '"half-way" betweentheirold homeand thenew one: detachedfromtheirold country and willing to givein to thecharmofthenewone' (p.224). Perhapsthe onlyflawof the book is the lack of any description of the analysedfilms' aesthetics, despitethefactthataesthetics oftencontribute to a film's'sunny'or more 'self-reflexive' character, forinstance;the authors concentrate solelyon narratives because the narratives largelyprove the point(s) underdiscussion within each chapter.Consequently, thebook reads somewhat repetitively and predictably. Notwithstanding thismild criticism, the authorscover a greatdeal of ground and discuss theselected films within thecontext ofnewand significant social phenomenain Europe; moreimportantly, theydo so in an impressively informative and convincing way,makingthebook an important read forbothfilm and cultural studies specialists. Department ofFilmStudies JaninaFalkowska University ofWestern Ontario Bokman,Simon. Variations ontheTheme GalinaUstvolskaya. TranslatedbyIrina Behrendt witheditorial assistance from AmeliaGlaserandJanRhoades. StudiaSlavicaMusicologica, 40. Ernst Kuhn,Berlin, 2007.172pp.Notes. Bibliography. Index.€39.95(paperback). Reactions tothemusicofGalinaUstvol'skaia (whodied22 December2006) seemas uncompromising as hermusicitself. For some,shewas and remains a visionary figure, a prophetic voice of sternpurity unsulliedby the compromises bothoflifeintheSovietUnionand ofthemodern worldas a whole. For others,however,her worksdo not so much baffleas infuriate. One 354 SEER, 87, 2, APRIL 2OO9 reviewer (EricaJeal in TheGuardian, 16 October2006)punctured theatmosphereof venerationthatoftensurrounds performances of Ustvol'skaia's works, referring to'thenumbing awfulness' ofherThree Compositions andpraisingtheperformers who'managedtokeepstraight faces'.Partoftheproblem seemsto be thedifficulty in maintaining a distinction betweenhermusical legacyand herpersonality. Her forbidding musicaloutputcomesacrossas a direct refraction ofherequallyenigmatic personality; themyth ofUstvol'skaia seemsnecessarily to shapetheperception ofherworks. Writing in thewake ofherdeath,ArnoldWhittall (TheMusicalTimes, vol. 148,no. 1898,Spring 2007) put the question with characteristic frankness: 'Was Ustvolskaya another liberating eccentric, capable,likeSatieor Sclesi,ofpowerful musical thinking from timeto time?[.. .] In manyways,hersmaybe themusicofa victim. Andso,thecrucialquestionremains: is itart?' 'Art'(definitely and defiantly witha capital'A') clearlymatters to Simon Bokman.A published poet,pianoteacherand composer, Bokmanoffers here a highly personalmemoir ofhisformer composition teacheralongwithmany ofhisownthoughts on thecreative process.Indeed,as withanymemoir, this bookisarguably as muchabouttheauthoras aboutitssubject. We readthat Ustvol'skaiaconsideredBokmanone of her beststudents (p.94) and cites hercomment that'yourpoetry is excellent' (p. 101)(translations oftwoofhis poemsare includedon p. 101and pp. 152-53,giving thereadersomeopportunity tojudge).Throughout, Bokmanshareshisviewson artand artists. We learn,forexample,that'Bach was notreligious. He was spiritual' (p. 104),or that'underconditions oftotalcoerciontheconscious isstiff. The innersensor doesnotletitunravel. In an artist, ifheishonest, theinnerdisagreement with thesystem and refusal toobeyitresults inisolation and,as a consequence, in building hisown system in lifeand in art'(p.36). Bokman'sgeneralizations can be misleading as well as oracularand orotund;Bulgakov'sMaster and Margarita was not first published'in the sixties, duringthe Khrushev[sic] "thaw"'(p. 121), butin 1966and 1967,intheearlyyearsoftheBrezhnev era. Neither isita 'coincidence' thatThomasMann'sDoktor Faustus waspublished 'in the same year Ustvolskaya's FirstPiano sonata was written' (p. 114). Andthefanciful derivation of'culture' - 'from "Cult"- service, and "Ure" light :"Serviceto Light'" (p. 115)- is a piece of sub-Belyian pseudolinguistics . However,thereisalso muchhereofinterest. Bokmanobserves that'inlife shecan be brilliantly witty and cheerful' (p. 93),and thefrequent descriptions ofUstvol'skaia's humourand playfulness are an important corrective to the imageofher(orrather hermusic)as dourand unbending. Therealso seems to have been a streak ofintimidation to herteaching; she did notgo in for 'hand-holding' (p.27),but sentstudents offto look at Rembrandts in the Hermitage toperceive theartist's genius. Itishardtowrite aboutUstvol'skaia without bringing up herrelationship withShostakovich; Bokman'smemoir is noexception. Yet,rather thandwellonaspectsoftheir personal lives, Bokman revealsmuchabout attitudes to Shostakovich amonga youngerand more exigent, even impatient, generation in thelate 1960sand 1970s,an era in which he 'was widelyperformed and propagandized,but...

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