Glinka: Life in an Era. An Era in Life

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804-1857) is one of the key figures in music and a true hero of Russian culture. The incredible, even during his lifetime, fame of the composer contributed to the emergence of numerous myths and speculations around him. This biography recreates the real, sometimes contradictory personality of Glinka. For the first time, it shows how his worldview and creativity were influenced by his belonging to the Russian nobility and European high society. The life of the composer is examined in a broad historical context, complemented by stories about travels, medicine, fashion, family law, publishing processes, home music-making, and more. Glinka's life is connected with the reigns of three emperors - Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II - and the national-patriotic component of their policies, in particular with the ideology of "official nationality" within the Russian Empire.

The author of the biography is Ekaterina Lobankova (Klychnikova), a candidate of art studies, a specialist in the history of Russian music - who relies on contemporary research in the history of culture and art, including foreign authors, and offers her own interpretation of historical facts and testimonies of the time.