Revolution and its Expression in Symphonic Music: N. Myaskovsky and D. Shostakovich

The revolutionary theme throughout the history was reflected and comprehended in various spheres of art and thought. This theme is widely represented in philosophy as well as in literature, painting, and music. The October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, which is a landmark event on a world scale, determined not only a surge of in-depth philosophical research. Moreover, it resulted in the radical restructuring of Russian cultural life. The revolution brought to life new forms of aesthetic reflection of reality. Significant cultural transformations affected the musical sphere noticeably. On the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia we appeal to the attempts of Russian musicians to interpret this event, to offer their own ideological reconstructions of the events that they witnessed. The article is devoted to the reflection of the revolutionary theme in symphonic music of the 1920s. Symphonic music in Russia in 1920s experienced a new stage of its development. Russian composers focus on different aspects of social life, including the events of the October Revolution. The revolutionary theme is addressed by famous Russian symphonist composers. Their symphonies bear an imprint of the musical style of the 1920s. However, their programmers and artistic images contain multiple interpretations of complicated and ambiguous revolutionary time. The focus of our article is the ideological content and reconstruction of the events of the October Revolution of 1917 in the Sixth Symphony by N. Myaskovsky and the Second Symphony by D. Shostakovich.