Upcoming Course
Berkeley, University of California, OLLI
Russians in Hollywood: Emigres, Politics, Movies
APRIL 3 – May 22, 2023
2:30PM – 4PM (Livestreamed-only course)
This course combines three fascinating and interconnected stories. One follows the waves of Russian emigres who came to Hollywood after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and made major contributions to the film industry as actors, directors, composers and designers. Another examines the significant impact of the vicissitudes of the crucial American-Soviet geo-political relationship on Hollywood production. Finally, we will consider some of the many Hollywood movies that represent Russians and Russia, from comedies like Ninotchka and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming to epics like Doctor Zhivago and Anastasia to Cold War thrillers like From Russia with Love and The Hunt for Red October. Lectures and discussions will focus on dominant themes in a basically chronological context.
Past Appearances
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Pre-Concert Talk, Harlow Robinson
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 202212:15PM-12:45PM
Harlow Robinson will introduce the music that will be performed that day by the Boston Symphony Orchestra at its concert at 1:30PM:
- Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No.2
- Jean Sibelius, Symphony No.7
- Ellen Reid, When the World As You’ve Known It Doesn’t Exist
METROPOLITAN OPERA GUILD LECTURE SERIES (New York, NY)
Russian Opera Study Day, Harlow Robinson
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 202210:30AM-12PM and 1-2:30PM
Boris Godunov and Eugene Onegin, both performing this season at the Metropolitan Opera, exemplify some of the greatest Russian operas of the 19th Century. Although Mussagorsky and Tchaikovsky were born only a year apart, their works in two separate spheres embody a deep divide in Russian schools of composition: a reliance on traditional Russian compositional styles, as opposed to westernization. In this Study Day, Guild lecturer Harlow Robinson will explore these two different schools of Russian classical music, and why both of these continue to be celebrated by opera audiences today.
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