The Masterpieces of Russian Opera, from Boris Godunov to Lady Macbeth

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Forthcoming Arts Society Chiswick lecture by Dr Rosamund Bartlett

The Masterpieces of Russian Opera, from Boris Godunov to Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is a talk by Dr Rosamund Bartlett taking place on Thursday 14 June. It is part of a series organised by the Arts Society Chiswick.

This lecture provides an introduction to the rich repertoire of Russian opera, including Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and an overview of the masterpieces from the 19th and 20th centuries. As well as discussing why Russian opera is different and the particular contours of its history, we will explore the subjects from history and literature that Russian composers chose to bring to life on the stage. This lecture is illustrated with historic and contemporary recordings, period photographs and brief clips from recent productions.

Rosamund Bartlett is a writer, scholar and translator with expertise in Russian and European art, literature and music. She completed her doctorate at Oxford, and has held a number of senior university appointments, most recently at the European University Institute in Florence.

She is the author and editor of several books, including Wagner and Russia and Shostakovich in Context, as well as biographies of Chekhov and Tolstoy. She has also been commissioned to write articles for a wide range of publications, both scholarly and popular, such as The Daily Telegraph, the international art magazine Apollo, and the programmes of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She has in addition received recognition as a translator, having published two volumes of Chekhov’s stories and the first uncensored edition of his letters. Her new translation of Anna Karenina for Oxford World’s Classics was published to acclaim in 2014.

She has lectured at public institutions around the world, ranging from the National Theatre in London to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, collaborated with the organisations such as the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Salzburg Festival, and contributed to Proms events and radio broadcasts on the BBC. She led the campaign to save Chekhov’s house in Yalta, and was awarded the Chekhov 150th Anniversary Medal by the Russian government in recognition of her educational and charitable work.

Lectures start at 8pm in the Malinova Room at The Polish Centre (POSK), 238-246 King Street, Hammersmith, W6 0RF. Bar opens at 7pm.

Non-members welcome - £10.00 on door

June 8, 2018