The Sound of Utopia : Musicians in the Time of Stalin

Publisher: Steerforth Press
Publish date: 31 March 2026
Pages: 336
Binding: Paperback
Language: English

Subjects: Biographies & Memoirs, Arts & Literature, Composers & Musicians, Leaders & Notable People, Military, Political, Humor & Entertainment, History, Russia

“Revelatory and poignant” stories of suppression and freedom, told through the artists trying to make music in the dangerous time of Stalin's purges (The Guardian).

“Krielaars testifies to a deep knowledge of Russia. Told with the voice of a great master” — Pieter Waterdrinker, author of The Long Song of Tchaikovsky Street

“Highly readable. . . Transport[s] us through a rich mix of anecdotal and historical material” — Financial Times

When Stalin came to power, making music became a dangerous endeavour. Russian composers now had to create work that served the socialist state, and all artistic production was scrutinized for potential subversion and traces of the now-maligned "formalism."

The Sound of Utopia offers a vivid portrait of Soviet musicians and composers struggling to create art in this climate of terror. Some successfully toed the ideological line, following the whims of the powerful and diluting their work in the process; others ended up facing the Gulag or even death. With pace and verve, Michel Krielaars tells stories of intrigue, betrayal and stunning reversals of fortune, from the gay popular singer arrested at the height of his popularity to the blacklisted composer who wrote his greatest music on scrap paper in a forced labour camp.

Featuring fresh perspectives on famous figures such as Sviatoslav Richter and Sergei Prokofiev alongside suppressed and forgotten artists such as Vsevolod Zaderatsy, The Sound of Utopia offers a portrait of the full range of Soviet musical life. Dramatic and immersive, this is a rich exploration of the absurdity and the richness of Soviet musical life—and a tribute to those who crafted sublime melodies under the darkest circumstances.