STALIN'S MUSIC PRIZE

This fascinating history of musical life in Stalin's Soviet Union focuses on the musicians and composers who received Stalin Prizes, awarded to artists whose work was thought to represent the best in Soviet Culture. Highly desirable, the awards not only brought la rge sums of money to individual winners, but also an implicit stamp of approval from Stalin himself. The annual award cycle led to s uccessive, mutating hierarchies of artists and artworks, and served as a finely tuned instrument of praise and censure. It also reve aled muc...[Read more]