Russian “Otherness” - Barriers and Solutions to Performing Russian Opera and Art Song for English-Speaking Classical Singers

Abstract

Russian classical vocal music is acknowledged as part of the canon, yet Russian song repertoire is rarely performed in English-speaking Conservatories. This mixed-method research identifies the barriers English-speaking classical singers experience in learning Russian vocal music. The study uses semi-structured interviews, additional sources analysis, and autoethnography to identify the causes and propose solutions to this problem.

Based on interviews with professional operatic and lieder singers, classical singing students and voice teachers, we identified three key pillars of barriers. Unexpectedly, the language barrier and unfamiliar Cyrillic alphabet, while being significant obstacles, are not the most critical barriers singers have to overcome in accessing and performing Russian classical song.

The singular most surprising barrier found in this research is the overall lack of familiarity with Russian culture and, for some participants, a perception of this culture as ‘alien’. Second to this is the lack of familiarity with Russian classical vocal music among singers, coaches, and, in particular, voice teachers who play a crucial role in repertoire selection for young singers.

There was previously a lack of comprehensive resources available for singers needing training in Russian lyric diction. This research found a lack of awareness of the existing resources among singers and voice teachers.

The creative work, a lecture-recital on Russian coloratura repertoire supports our findings by including Early Romantic Russian music, styles of performance, music suitable for lighter voices, younger singers, and coloratura voices, gaps in thinking about Russian music are explored and demonstrated through preparation and performance of a Russian song recital.

This research addresses the barriers to engagement with Russian repertoire, and advises Conservatories on ‘normalizing’ Russian repertoire for voice students by creating a supportive environment for them to explore it.