skip to content

School of Arts and Humanities

 
Stalin's Playlist: Russian music and nationalism

Professor Marina Frolova-Walker of the Faculty of Music discusses Stalin, Russian music and nationalism.

How did Stalin use Russian music to promote Soviet politics and nationalism?

Russian-born Professor Marina Frolova-Walker discussed her long-standing research interest in the historiography of Russian music and the nationalistoc myths perpetuated in it, in her colloquium address at the Faculty of Music in October.

Now, her talk has been made available online, so if you missed out, you can watch the whole thing via YouTube.

Marina was born and educated in Moscow, and was a student during the times of Gorbachev, perestroika and the demise of the Soviet Union.

In 1994, Marina wrote her PhD thesis on Schumann’s symphonies and their influence on Russian music, and in the same year moved to the United Kingdom. Before coming to Cambridge in 2000, she taught at the University of Ulster, Goldsmiths College London and the University of Southampton.

Marina's research interest in the historiography of Russian music and the nationalist/exoticist myths perpetuated in it, resulted in the publication of Russian Music and Nationalism from Glinka to Stalin. She currently works in 20th-century cultural history, particularly in the area of Soviet music and musical life.