ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on two major strands of exchange activity: the role played by Alan Bush, the English communist composer; and the role played by the British government and 'establishment' organisations such as the British Broadcasting Corporation and major arts institutions. Bush is best known as a composer and pianist, and for his controversial political views which affected both his music and its reception — negatively in Britain, positively in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and USSR. In practical terms this was achieved through the exchange of musical scores, recordings and articles between the Vsesoiuznoe Obshchestvo Kul'turnoi Sviazi (VOKS) music chairman Grigory Shneyerson and Bush, and through lectures and reciprocal visits of musical delegations. Following the outbreak of war between Britain and Germany, both men were called up to perform duties in their respective armed forces, though after brief stint in the Red Army, Shneyerson was sent back to take up his previous positions at VOKS and the Composers' Union.
