From June 2–6, the Sibelius Academy hosted the International Congress on Musical Signification in Helsinki, one of the most important international forums dedicated to research on musical meaning. Among several Hungarian researchers attending the event, the Hungarian Dance University (HDU) was represented by Dr Ilona Konkoly Kovács, Professor and Head of the Department of Art Theory.
On June 4, she delivered a presentation entitled “The Narrative of Exoticism in Alexander Glazunov’s Raymonda,” which examined the musical world of the world-famous ballet. In her presentation, she explored how the exotic elements appearing in the work contribute to the portrayal of the story and its characters. The research paid special attention to the ballet’s Hungarian musical connections, highlighting that several motifs in Glazunov’s score evoke Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies and suggesting the possible influence of Leopold Auer, the Veszprém-born violinist who worked in Saint Petersburg.
The presentation argued that the exotic musical elements in Raymonda serve not only an atmospheric function but also carry important meanings and contribute to the creation of the ballet’s distinctive artistic world. The research offered new perspectives on the musical interpretation of the ballet and generated considerable interest among conference participants.
