Contemporary Russian composers

[schweitzeralan]

I've been long infatuated with early to mid 20th century Russian composers.  Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Roslavets, Krein, Prokofiev, Khachaturian (Armenian yet affiliated with the Russian aesthetic), Feinberg, Shostakovitch, Alexandrov, Miaskovsky, plus many others (up to 1960; please pardon spelling in  some cases) have long been favorites.  The Russian contributions have been, to say the least, obviously an extraordinary achievement (in contrast to the political spectrum). My question  is: have there been any significant Russian composers comparable to those writing 70 to 80 years ago? I've done some minimal internet searches and have come up with some names but found little in terms of style. I do admire such major figures like Shostakovitch or Prokofiev but have to acknowledge owledge my preference for the "colorists" and the somewhat sensuous.  I kind of doubt anything like the late 19th century or early 20th are composing like before.  I just wondered if any poster has any opinion on what's going on today in contemporary Russia in terms of serious (please, non-pop) works.

[greg]

Sounds like you gotta listen to some Schnittke! 

[Josquin des Prez]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xht5tUg3K8

[some guy]

Avet Terterian

Vladimir Tarnopolski

Eduard Artemiev

Anatoly Kisselev

Boris Tishchenko

That's all I could find in a quick scan of my collection. I know there are more. But I too would like to know more about the scene in Russia. Especially the younger composers, Tarnopolski's age and younger.

(I took "contemporary" to mean at the very least "living." What did the OP mean?)

[hautbois]

SCHEDRIN!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodion_Schedrin

Listen to the 1st concerto for orchestra, amazing music!

Alexandr Raskatov and Alfred Schnittke are of course indispensable.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Second the recs for Schnittke and Gubaidulina. And if you like off-the-beaten-path, check out Ustvolskaya.

Strangely, though I've been living in Moscow for 5 years now, I haven't really discovered any new composers here, not in depth anyway. I have one disc of Nikolai Kapustin - very interesting keyboard composer who writes jazz-influenced classical music - he's probably worth further exploration.

There's also Vladimir Martynov, just a name to me but from what I've read, quite interesting. Recordings are thin on the ground, however.

You might also be interested in Valentin Silvestrov, who's Ukrainian but quite similar to Schnittke and Gubaidulina in style.

[The new erato]

Anybody know something about Lokshin (1920-1987). I'm waiting for reviews on this new release.

[UB]

I would suggest 37 year old Lera Auerbach. She loves the violin and so most of her music is for it in some combination. Her music is very tonal but with some sharp edges so for me she manages to say some new things in interesting ways.

Someguy - any suggestions for Vladimir Tarnopolski besides his Foucaults Pendulum and Kassandra?

[springrite]

Anybody know something about Lokshin (1920-1987). I'm waiting for reviews on this new release.

I have 2 CDs of his music, but have not listened to them in years. But I remember liking the music.

[schweitzeralan]

Sounds like you gotta listen to some Schnittke! 

Thanks for the reply.Is he a Modernist? ? I hope libraries hold some of the works I can try before ordering. I feel I've exhausted all the classical works I would like in  terms of developmet, style, harmony,"sensuositry" drama, etc., etc. I'm pleased at the list of possibilities  so far on  the thread.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Thanks for the reply.Is he a Modernist? ?

He's all over the place. His earlier works are often "poly-stylistic," i.e. they combine styles from different periods of music history. The later works tend to be very spare and harsh, sort of like late Shostakovich but less tonal and more fragmentary. I suppose his "default" style is a sort of late-Romantic tinged Modernism.

Some good places to start:

Piano Quintet and its orchestration, In Memoriam
String Quartets 2 & 3
Cello Cto. #1
Viola Cto.
Symphony #8

[Josquin des Prez]

Second the recs for Schnittke and Gubaidulina.

I second Schnittke as well, but not Gubaidulina.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I second Schnittke as well, but not Gubaidulina.

I rank her somewhat below Schnittke. But I do think Offertorium is a superb piece.

[schweitzeralan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xht5tUg3K8

Thanks for the download. Glad to get replies from those interested and knowledgeable.  The Kapustin" Intermezzo" is interesting.  A mite jazzy.  I believe that many post-Modernists incorporate popular elements,  so it appears.

[schweitzeralan]

Avet Terterian

Vladimir Tarnopolski

Eduard Artemiev

Anatoly Kisselev

Boris Tishchenko

That's all I could find in a quick scan of my collection. I know there are more. But I too would like to know more about the scene in Russia. Especially the younger composers, Tarnopolski's age and younger.

(I took "contemporary" to mean at the very least "living." What did the OP mean?)

Thanks for the list; I'll check them out. Contemporary means simply"'now,"the current; the post Shostakovitch "image." 

[Josquin des Prez]

Thanks for the download. Glad to get replies from those interested and knowledgeable.  The Kapustin" Intermezzo" is interesting.  A mite jazzy.  I believe that many post-Modernists incorporate popular elements,  so it appears.

Kapustin is not a post-Modernist. He is a traditional composer who likes to combine European piano techniques with a Jazz idiom, one inspired particularly by Oscar Peterson, whom the composer admired as a youth. His work range from piano miniatures of all sort (preludes, fugues, impromptus, etudes, bagatelles ect.) to full fledged piano sonatas. All of his music is heavily contrapuntal and always shows great rhythmic and harmonic invention. He sounds like a mix between Scarlatti and Bach, juxtaposed with a contemporary Jazz voice. In former times he would have been considered a great composer, but he is far too traditional for contemporary standards so he had to live in near obscurity until Hamelin "discovered" him, so to speak.

[DavidW]

Thanks for the reply.Is he a Modernist? ? I hope libraries hold some of the works I can try before ordering. I feel I've exhausted all the classical works I would like in  terms of developmet, style, harmony,"sensuositry" drama, etc., etc. I'm pleased at the list of possibilities  so far on  the thread.

No he is not a modernist, that's early 20th century era.  Postmodernist composers are liberated from upholding the traditional approach, many of which embraced pre-baroque harmonies, and investigated other ideas of melody, orchestration, rhythm not embraced by the canon. 

[vandermolen]

Although from a slightly older generation I'd strongly recommend Gavriil Popov (1904-1972). His First Symphony is sensational - the only work I know which can stand comparison with Shostakovich's 4th Symphony - an absolutely wonderful piece.  The more conventiona war-timel Second Symphony 'Motherland' is deeply felt (Northern Flowers have just released it). Also, the valedictory Symphony No 6 is a darkly powerful work.  Sadly Popov couldn't come to terms with the repressive Soviet regime and drank himself to death.

[schweitzeralan]

Although from a slightly older generation I'd strongly recommend Gavriil Popov (1904-1972). His First Symphony is sensational - the only work I know which can stand comparison with Shostakovich's 4th Symphony - an absolutely wonderful piece.  The more conventiona war-timel Second Symphony 'Motherland' is deeply felt (Northern Flowers have just released it). Also, the valedictory Symphony No 6 is a darkly powerful work.  Sadly Popov couldn't come to terms with the repressive Soviet regime and drank himself to death.

Am familiar with Popov's works. Excellent composer. Am familiar with several of his works for piano; however, I don't know the 2nd Symphony.  Since you recommend it,   I'll check some local libraries.

[some guy]

In former times he would have been considered a great composer, but he is far too traditional for contemporary standards so he had to live in near obscurity until Hamelin "discovered" him, so to speak.

You have some specific dates to put on the phrase "in former times"? Far as I can tell, only in the twentieth centuy could anyone who writes like this be considered "great." There were people in the middle of the nineteenth century who began writing in older styles, but audiences weren't going for it. Neither the regressive composers nor the avant garde were welcomed. Dead composers ruled.

(Greatness itself is a fairly recent idea for music. Fairly recent meaning since the early nineteenth century. Before that "greatness" was not nearly the overriding issue it has been since the early eighteen hundreds.)