Chtenia 32: Musical Writing: Volume 32 (Chtenia: Readings from Russia)

“Writing about music," Elvis Costello famously said, "is like dancing about architecture.” Any author who chooses to write about music faces an immense task. The most abstract of all arts, music forces the writer to put into words and descriptions – much more concrete things by comparison – its ephemeral nature. Writing about music is indeed a form of translation: it comes with its sacrifices, but it also opens up new perspectives that would otherwise remain undiscovered. This issue of Chtenia looks at music as it appears in Russian literature, from classic poems to modern short stories. It is rich and colorful collection.