JAVS Summer 2025

Featured Article

The Viola Behind the Iron Curtain Pt. I: Revealing A New Corpus Research of Original Soviet Viola Works by Nethanel E. Pollak, DMA

as regional developments, pedagogical traditions, and the institutional structures that shaped the viola’s evolution across the USSR. The series will also highlight notable composers, present statistical insights into the repertoire, and offer practical guidance for performers engaging with these works today. By shedding light on this rich yet often overlooked body of music, the series invites violists to reconsider the artistic and historical significance of Soviet-era compositions within our evolving repertoire. Problems in Current Research Despite the rich and varied output of Soviet-era viola music, comprehensive scholarly attention to the topic remains scarce. 3 Existing catalogues, such as Konrad Ewald’s Musik für Bratsche (2013) and the evolving music4viola.info database, list only a portion of the works uncovered in this research. Most Western sources on Soviet music largely overlook the viola, and when it is mentioned, the focus tends to be narrow—centered on a single composer or performer, or general commentary on the instrument’s timbral qualities. 4 Due to the USSR’s isolation, many relevant materials exist only in Russian, often in memoirs, conservatory publications, or biographies, such as those of Borisovsky, Druzhinin, Bashmet, and Barshai. While valuable for their firsthand perspectives, these sources are often subjective and lack critical distance. Stanislav Poniatovsky’s History of Viola Artistry (2007) remains the most comprehensive Russian source, though it omits key figures and sidesteps political context. In English-language scholarship, Maurice Riley offers only a brief overview of the “Russian Viola School.” 5 More in-depth contributions include the work of Elena Artamonova, Misha Galaganov, Michael Hall, Jean

Introduction One of the important tasks in the field of musical literature research is to preserve and advocate for works that received little exposure at the time they were composed, or became lesser known over the years. My recent doctoral research, completed in May 2025 at the University of Miami, under the supervision of Jodi Levitz, sheds light on a large array of works for viola from the Soviet Era and places them in a larger historical and musical context. 1 It intends to be a guide and hopefully a source of inspiration to the viola community, on how to approach Soviet music, appreciate its unique musical language, and the space that it occupies on the viola shelf. This culminating work serves as the first official database of Soviet viola music and provides readers with historical and analytical insights that will allow a deeper understanding of this repertoire. The majority of the Soviet viola literature is unfamiliar to violists, musicologists, and audiences both in ex-USSR countries and in the West, where it seems only a few viola works are commonly known among performers and audiences. Among these works are the Sonata op. 147 by Shostakovich (1975), the Concerto by Schnittke (1985), or the Prokofiev-Borisovsky Pieces from Romeo and Juliet (1961). This situation sharply contrasts with a list of over 300 works from the Soviet Era, all originally composed for viola. These works span the range of canonic genres including concerti, sonatas, and short pieces of all kinds, each featuring the viola as a solo instrument or accompanied by piano, orchestra, and other instrumental ensembles. 2 This article marks the first installment in a multi-part series adapted from my doctoral dissertation on Soviet-era viola music. Future segments will delve into themes such

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 41, Summer 2025 Online Issue

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