Saint Petersburg Conservatory

December Composer of the Week Borodin Borodin was born on October 31, 1833, in St. Petersburg Russia. Borodin grew up in comfortable circumstances, as his father was a Georgian prince and his Mother a army doctor’s wife. He was a child prodigy who was able to play piano, flute, cello, and compose music. From 1850 to 1856 Borodin studied at Medico-Surgical Academy, specializing in chemistry. From 1859 to 1862 he studied in Western Europe before returning to Russia. In Russia he became a chemistry professor at Medico-Surgical Academy. At this time he composed his first major work, the Symphony No.1 in E-flat Major. In 1869 he began his Symphony No 2 in B Minor, along with his operatic masterpiece Prince Igor. He also found time to write…

propaganda. While dance was famous in Russia under Lenin and Stalin, dance in Germany was not as revered as Russian ballet, especially during the time of Hitler’s rule. Although these two countries may not seem to own the same style of dance, both countries were able to benefit from dance politically. Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany demonstrate how dance was utilized in totalitarian societies, for political reasons and for the public’s enjoyment. In Soviet Russia, beginning in the 1920s, “Soviet…

Animal Farm was written in 1946 by George Orwell. The lead characters are pigs: Old Major, Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer, and horse Boxer. Animal Farm is written in the genres of satire, fiction, black comedy, fable, political fable, and political satire. Analysis: Animal Farm begins when Old Major, a big boar, gathers the animals of Manor Farm for a meeting. He tells them of his hopes and dreams for a future where all animals may live a life free from human oppression. He urges the…

When considering what the main reason that the 1905 Revolution failed was, we must understand that there were many reasons that ultimately contributed to its failure. The armed forces remained loyal to the Tsar, ensuring that the rebels did not get out of hand. The revolutionaries had differing political opinions which meant that it was impossible for them to be united, making them easy targets to be wiped out. The October Manifesto seemed to be the solution that many of the revolutionaries were…

Falling wages, coupled with the rising cost of living amongst poor working standards and unsanitary living arrangements led to Father Georgei Gapon, ‘a renegade priest with police connections,’ presenting a petition outlining the grievances of the people of St. Petersburg. The affected workers and their families would march peacefully to the Winter Palace on the 22nd January 1905, begging for political, economic and social reform. They did not ask for much, only for their human rights to be…

The Tsarist regime in Russia, under Tsar Nicholas II, survived the 1905 Revolution but not that of February 1917. Several important factors such as the economy, the government and the military, contributed the eventual failure of the autocratic monarchy in Russia. These factors influenced the people of Russia differently in 1905 and 1917. Some factors were not prevalent in the earlier rebellion but increased and changed over the period of eleven years. The way the Tsar dealt with each of these…

Ashley Roberts Mr. Johnson World History 22 November 2017 Chekhov: The Major Plays “Chekhov: The Major Plays” is a novel written by Anton Chekhov about four plays that he wrote himself. The plays this novel is about are “The Sea Gull”, “Uncle Vanya”, “The Three Sisters”, and “The Cherry Orchard”. Born in Taganrog, Russia in the 1860’s, Anton Chekhov was a Russian literary figure. He also was known as one of the best playwrights in this time period. He wrote comedies and tragedies in his…

Lastly, within both works, the struggle for a sense of cultural identity is also the struggle for oneself. In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Kundera utilizes the political setting of his work to evaluate the influence of cultural identity on his characters. When Tereza and Tomas return to a Czech spa after the Russian invasion, Tereza notes that its appearance is just as it was six years ago; however, in a show of passive resistance, Czech people remove street signs to disorient their…

I read a book called, “Animal Farm” written by George Orwell. The book is about animals on a farm who are overworked, and not treated as they should be. Then, a rebellion made up of animals with pigs as their leaders, rebel against Mr.Jones (owner of the farm) by driving him off the farm. The animals try to make the perfect life for themselves, but that doesn’t go as planned. Animal farm then, starts to fail. The farm fails because of the pigs not being fair to the other animals, and the animals…

Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history with the Russian Revolution and can also be proven by the actions of Napoleon in, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As John Dalberg said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing. As someone gains more and more power, they increasingly become…