The Sound of Utopia

Name: The Sound of Utopia
Price: 29.99 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9781805330042

Musicians in the Time of Stalin

Michel Krielaars, Jonathan Reeder (Translator)

$29.99

Paperback

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Pushkin Press
15 January 2026

20th century & contemporary classical music; Biography: arts & entertainment; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000

When Stalin came to power, making music became a dangerous endeavour. Russian composers now had to create work that served the socialist state, and all artistic production was scrutinized for potential subversion.

The Sound of Utopia offers a vivid portrait of Soviet musicians and composers struggling to create art in this climate of terror. Some successfully toed the ideological line, diluting their work in the process; others ended up facing the Gulag or even death. With pace and verve, Michel Krielaars tells stories of intrigue, betrayal and stunning reversals of fortune, from the gay popular singer arrested at the height of his popularity to the blacklisted composer who wrote music on scrap paper in a forced labour camp.

Dramatic and immersive, this is a rich exploration of the absurdity and the richness of Soviet musical life - and a tribute to those who crafted sublime melodies under the darkest circumstances.

By: Michel Krielaars
Translated by: Jonathan Reeder (Translator)
Imprint: Pushkin Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9781805330042
ISBN 10: 1805330047
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 15 January 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Michel Krielaars is a writer and a journalist specialising in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, who currently writes for the Dutch daily newspaper NRC. He studied history and Russian at the University of Amsterdam and was a correspondent in Russia between 2007 and 2012. Krielaars has written novels, short-story collections and several books about Russia, including Through Chekov's Glasses and Travels through Russia, which won the Bob den Uyl Prize. He lives in Amsterdam.