SYNCOPATED GOGOL. ON THE PHONOGRAPH RECORDINGS OF THE GENERAL INSPECTOR DIRECTED BY V. MEYERHOLD

The article provides commentary and background information on the audio record-ing of Nikolai Gogol's The Inspector General directed by Vsevolod Meyerhold (1926). This performance was appreciated by contemporaries as one of the most sig-nificant works by the director and a striking achievement of 1920s Soviet theatre. The wax cylinder captured a dialogue between Khlestakov (Erast Garin) and Anna An-dreevna (Zinaida Reich, the only voice recording of the actress) from Act III, Scene 6, where Khlestakov is boasting about the life he leads in St Petersburg. It provides us with rare examples of Meyerhold's approach to Gogol characters' speech, which was influenced by the experiments of modern music like jazz, and conformed with the general principles of Meyerhold's biomechanics. The article contributes to knowledge about approaches to documenting twentieth-century theatre and Meyerhold perfor-mances in particular. It focuses on the research projects of the Institute for Artistic Speech Research (Leningrad), which initiated the sound recordings of this and other Meyerhold productions in 1927.(c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The article discusses the audio recording of Vsevolod Meyerhold's direction of Nikolai Gogol's The Inspector General in 1926, providing commentary and background information. This performance was highly appreciated during the 1920s Soviet theatre and considered a significant achievement by the director. The wax cylinder recording captures a dialogue between Khlestakov and Anna Andreevna from Act III, Scene 6, revealing Meyerhold's unique approach to Gogol characters' speech influenced by modern music experiments like jazz and his biomechanics principles. The article contributes to our understanding of documenting twentieth-century theatre, particularly Meyerhold productions, focusing on the Institute for Artistic Speech Research's research projects.