Problematic findings. Exchanges between Milan and the USSR during the detente

Abstract

Research on the Italy-Russia musical relations got a foothold in late 20^th century and is still growing. In the early 1960s, the detente with Soviet Union created problems, but also unforeseen opportunities, for Italian musicologists seeking documents scattered behind the Iron Curtain. Our starting point was a gift sent from Leningrad to the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory Library, Milan, back in those years. This research then expanded in sundry directions, as the 1960 Italy-USSR cultural agreement triggered new forms of collaboration between the two countries and their music libraries. The historical La Scala-Bolshoy production exchange also became possible, a topic briefly treated here and relevant to this research, as accessibility of musical sources obviously influences the reception of a repertoire. Among the many names recurring in the text, Catterino Cavos, Mihail Ivanovič Glinka and Giuseppe Verdi can be cited.

(traduzione inglese di Marcello Piras)