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Anna-Maria Kellen Lecture

Listening through the Iron Curtain: Musical Exchange between Russia, Ukraine, and West Germany during the Cold War

Despite ideological rifts, music exchange between West Germany and the USSR flourished along unofficial and semi-official networks during the Cold War. In this lecture, musicologist Peter Schmelz examines various circuits, comprised primarily of non-state actors, through which Soviet music first reached audiences in West Germany—specifically Ukrainian and Russian music by such composers as Valentin Silvestrov, Alfred Schnittke, and Edison Denisov. Calling upon oral, cultural, and material histories, Schmelz presents a broader perspective on the transfer of Soviet music through the Iron Curtain, offering a study of “diplomacy from below,” an intimate history of the Cold War.

Photo: Maciej Korsan

26 Oct 17
History
26.10.2017
19:30 - 21:00
American Academy in Berlin
Am Sandwerder 17-19
14109 Berlin-Wannsee
Speaker: Peter Schmelz

This event took place on October 26, 2017.

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