John Tavener. Monodrama The Death of Ivan Ilyich: Concerning the Question of Interpreting Leo Tolstoy’s Novelette of the Same Title
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Abstract
The article examines the particular features of the manifestation of the novelette The Death of Ivan Ilyich by the
great Russian classic Leo Tolstoy in the composition of distinctive British composer John Tavener. The motive for
posing this question can be seen in the parallels in the two authors’ biographies, in particular, the musician’s attitude
towards Russian literature and musical culture. The interpretation is studied upon the consistent analysis of the verbal
and musical components of the monodrama. The composer’s detailed work on the libretto’s text redounded in the
purposeful reduction and combination of texts in Russian and English. A notable contribution to the interpretation
of the novelette is brought in by the elaborate integration of the performing ensemble of the composition, the
symbolic timbres of the musical instruments, a laconic leitmotif, expressive intonational characteristic features of
the active “forces” of the monodrama, and the depictive artistic dramaturgy. The conducted analysis showed that
the composer enhanced the emotional degree of the literary source. This brings the monodrama closer to the other
experience of John Tavener’s turning to a Russian classic – the opera A Gentle Creature based on the short-story of
Feodor Dostoyevsky.
Keywords: John Tavener, Leo Tolstoy, monodrama, symbolism, interpretation, intonation, leitmotif.
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