ResearchWorks (in person): 'Because I have something that needs to be played'

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The pianist Maria Yudina (1899–1970) has long been a figure of myth and legend, most recently as portrayed in Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin (2017). As one of the most recognized Soviet women musicians of her time, aspects of her life continue to draw attention (Drozhdova, 2016 & 2020; Wilson, 2022). At the height of her concertizing career, her colleagues described her interpretations as “autobiographic” (Kuznetsov, 2008). They were also often labelled “eccentric” (Schmelz, 2009; Wilson, 2022), especially her performance of Schubert’s final Piano Sonata in B-flat, D. 960, which she recorded in 1947. 

By integrating historiography and practice research, this talk explores how Yudina’s lived experiences may inform our understanding of her as a pianist. It posits a historiographic approach to Yudina’s engagement with Schubert as a foundation upon which practice research can introduce a paradigm of “sensory intersubjectivity” (Pink, 2009). This approach allows us to “construct a more socially-objective (or shared) sense of how [Yudina’s] world is experienced” (William et al., 2021). 

The analysis begins with Yudina’s reflections on her interpretations of Schubert’s Sonata, as documented in manuscripts, published transcripts, scores, and private correspondence spanning her main work on the composer during World War II and her later reflections in the 1960s. The speakers recreation of Yudina’s 1947 recording of D. 960 uses the piano as a physical stimulus for intersubjective encounters with Yudina’s Schubert, suggesting ways in which Yudina’s interpretations manifested the confluences between historiographic and performative domains.

This session will feature a response to the presentation from Christopher Suckling.

Guildhall School’s ResearchWorks is a programme of events centred around the School’s research activity, bringing together staff, students and guests of international standing. We run regular events throughout the term intended to share the innovative research findings of the School and its guests with students, staff and the public.

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