Composer; cultural diplomat; and man about town; Nicolas Nabokov (1903-78) counted among his intimate friends everyone from Igor Stravinsky to George Kennan. While today he is overshadowed by his more famous cousin Vladimir; Nicolas Nabokov was during his lifetime an outstanding and far-sighted player in international cultural exchanges during the Cold War and admired by some of the most distinguished minds of his century for his political acumen and his talents as a composer.This first-ever biography of Nabokov follows the fascinating stages of his life: a privileged childhood before the Revolution; the beginnings of a promising musical career launched under the aegis of Diaghilev; his involvement in anti-Stalinist causes in the first years of the Cold War; his participation in the Congress for Cultural Freedom; his role as cultural advisor to the Mayor of Berlin and director of the Berlin Festival in the early 1960s; his American academic and musical career in the late 1960s and 1970s. Nabokov is unique not only in that he was involved on a high level in international cultural politics; but also in that his life intersected at all times with a vast array of people within - and also well beyond - the confines of classical music.Drawing on a vast array of primary sources; Vincent Girouds biography opens a window into history for readers interested in twentieth-century music; Russian emigration; and the Cold War; particularly in its cultural aspects. Musicians and musicologists interested in Nabokov as a composer; or in twentieth century Russian composers in general; will find in this book information not available anywhere else.
#2549852 in eBooks 2014-10-01 2014-10-01File Name: B00RKTCL3S
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Two StarsBy BobertNot enough technical information for a professional.
