Religious Symbolism, Rock Dramaturgy and the Buzz of the Era in the Soundtrack of the Film The Lovers’ Romance
The article is devoted to the soundtrack of the film The Lovers’ Romance (1974) by Andrei Konchalovsky. It studies the genre and stylistic genesis of the songs and compositions written by Alexander Gradsky, reveals the role of music in the plot of the film, and traces the signs of a rock opera in it...
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| Language: | English |
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State Institute for Art Studies
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Художественная культура |
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| Online Access: | https://artculturestudies.sias.ru/upload/iblock/c45/6h1xn5j6v8ze9gx21w1wmi1idiere51n/hk_2025_2_360.pdf |
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| author | Zhurkova Daria A. |
| author_facet | Zhurkova Daria A. |
| author_sort | Zhurkova Daria A. |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The article is devoted to the soundtrack of the film The Lovers’ Romance (1974) by Andrei Konchalovsky. It studies the genre and stylistic genesis of the songs and compositions written by Alexander Gradsky, reveals the role of music in the plot of the film, and traces the signs of a rock opera in its musical and dramaturgical solution. Based on the extensive discussion of the film in the mid-1970s, the author examines the reasons for the difficult acceptance of its musical and dramaturgical features by both ordinary viewers and the professional community. It is hypothesised that most viewers, having succumbed to the supposed socialist realism of the plot, were unable to decode the true content of many of the songs in which religious, dissident and escapist motifs appear. The real subject of the film is the drama of disappointment of an ‘ordinary’ Soviet man in the ideals of collective existence, which is also manifested in the soundtrack. In particular, in the contrast between Gradsky’s explosive, dramatic, modern music and the Soviet retro-pop of the 1930s and 1960s which nobody listens to despite it being on TV and radio. In many ways, The Lovers’ Romance anticipated and foreshadowed the leitmotifs of perestroika films about rock musicians, but its sophisticated play with socialist realism did not let it enter the pantheon of the Soviet ‘rock cinema’. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a22d50fad10f45909b7fc308486eb6eb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2226-0072 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | State Institute for Art Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Художественная культура |
| spelling | doaj-art-a22d50fad10f45909b7fc308486eb6eb2025-08-20T03:30:56ZengState Institute for Art StudiesХудожественная культура2226-00722025-06-01236039310.51678/2226-0072-2025-2-360-393Religious Symbolism, Rock Dramaturgy and the Buzz of the Era in the Soundtrack of the Film The Lovers’ RomanceZhurkova Daria A.0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0752-9786State Institute for Art StudiesThe article is devoted to the soundtrack of the film The Lovers’ Romance (1974) by Andrei Konchalovsky. It studies the genre and stylistic genesis of the songs and compositions written by Alexander Gradsky, reveals the role of music in the plot of the film, and traces the signs of a rock opera in its musical and dramaturgical solution. Based on the extensive discussion of the film in the mid-1970s, the author examines the reasons for the difficult acceptance of its musical and dramaturgical features by both ordinary viewers and the professional community. It is hypothesised that most viewers, having succumbed to the supposed socialist realism of the plot, were unable to decode the true content of many of the songs in which religious, dissident and escapist motifs appear. The real subject of the film is the drama of disappointment of an ‘ordinary’ Soviet man in the ideals of collective existence, which is also manifested in the soundtrack. In particular, in the contrast between Gradsky’s explosive, dramatic, modern music and the Soviet retro-pop of the 1930s and 1960s which nobody listens to despite it being on TV and radio. In many ways, The Lovers’ Romance anticipated and foreshadowed the leitmotifs of perestroika films about rock musicians, but its sophisticated play with socialist realism did not let it enter the pantheon of the Soviet ‘rock cinema’. https://artculturestudies.sias.ru/upload/iblock/c45/6h1xn5j6v8ze9gx21w1wmi1idiere51n/hk_2025_2_360.pdffilm musicrock operasoviet cinemathe lovers’ romanceandrei konchalovskyalexander gradsky |
| spellingShingle | Zhurkova Daria A. Religious Symbolism, Rock Dramaturgy and the Buzz of the Era in the Soundtrack of the Film The Lovers’ Romance Художественная культура film music rock opera soviet cinema the lovers’ romance andrei konchalovsky alexander gradsky |
| title | Religious Symbolism, Rock Dramaturgy and the Buzz of the Era in the Soundtrack of the Film The Lovers’ Romance |
| title_full | Religious Symbolism, Rock Dramaturgy and the Buzz of the Era in the Soundtrack of the Film The Lovers’ Romance |
| title_fullStr | Religious Symbolism, Rock Dramaturgy and the Buzz of the Era in the Soundtrack of the Film The Lovers’ Romance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Religious Symbolism, Rock Dramaturgy and the Buzz of the Era in the Soundtrack of the Film The Lovers’ Romance |
| title_short | Religious Symbolism, Rock Dramaturgy and the Buzz of the Era in the Soundtrack of the Film The Lovers’ Romance |
| title_sort | religious symbolism rock dramaturgy and the buzz of the era in the soundtrack of the film the lovers romance |
| topic | film music rock opera soviet cinema the lovers’ romance andrei konchalovsky alexander gradsky |
| url | https://artculturestudies.sias.ru/upload/iblock/c45/6h1xn5j6v8ze9gx21w1wmi1idiere51n/hk_2025_2_360.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zhurkovadariaa religioussymbolismrockdramaturgyandthebuzzoftheerainthesoundtrackofthefilmtheloversromance |