Lesser known Russian/Soviet composers

[Cato]

From the Classical Download Topic:

I just came across a performance of the incredible Protopopov Sonata #1 by a Russian pianist named Daniel Ekimovsky who seems not to have known that Afros on white guys died with Bob Ross!   0:)

Despite that: it is some performance!  The one available on YouTube has static throughout for some reason, so this is an improvement, although the quality is again not the best. 

http://classical-music-online.net/en/listen/131965

[North Star]

Is Protopopov an ancestor of Gavriil Popov? 0:)

[Cato]

Is Protopopov an ancestor of Gavriil Popov? 0:)

Not sure: Poppy Popover, the Snap, Crackle, and Pop Girl, could be involved! 

[Karl Henning]

Natasha Popovlova?

[Cato]

Natasha Popovlova?

Who doesn't lova  Natasha Popovlova!   0:)

I should  mention that all three sonatas of Protopopov are available at the link above.

A tragedy: censored by the Communists, Protopopov seems to have quit composing after producing just a handful of works.  I keep hoping to hear that in an attic somewhere a stash of compositions by him has been found.

[vandermolen]

I very much enjoyed this Symphony with its echoes of Shostakovich, Shebalin, Miaskovsky and Eshpai. The Amazon UK reviewer did not like it at all. Jurovski is the grandfather of the conductor.
[asin]B00UCOK09K[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

I very much enjoyed this Symphony with its echoes of Shostakovich, Shebalin, Miaskovsky and Eshpai. The Amazon UK reviewer did not like it at all. Jurovski is the grandfather of the conductor.
[asin]B00UCOK09K[/asin]

I still need to explore Eshpai. Any suggestions on where to go first, Jeffrey? I've been looking at those Albany recordings and drooling.

[vandermolen]

I still need to explore Eshpai. Any suggestions on where to go first, Jeffrey? I've been looking at those Albany recordings and drooling.

Definitely John. Symphony 4 and 5 on Russian Disc. 5 is his masterpiece I think. Am sure you would like it. It is cheaper on Amazon US compared with Amazon UK - which is good news for you.   

[Mirror Image]

Definitely John. Symphony 4 and 5 on Russian Disc. 5 is his masterpiece I think. Am sure you would like it. It is cheaper on Amazon US compared with Amazon UK - which is good news for you.   

Very nice. Thanks for the recommendation.

[vandermolen]

Greatly enjoying this score (Symphony 2). He was the son-in-law of Rimsky-Korsakov and the teacher of Shostakovich. His symphony is powerfully brooding and reminiscent of Miaskovsky and Mahler in places:
[asin]B00005LASB[/asin]

[Cato]

I should  mention that all three sonatas of Protopopov are available at the link above.

A tragedy: censored by the Communists, Protopopov seems to have quit composing after producing just a handful of works.  I keep hoping to hear that in an attic somewhere a stash of compositions by him has been found.

Sergei Protopopov: my comments above still stand!

I was admiring this work during some free time today: the Piano Sonata #2.

https://www.youtube.com/v/Ta9kJdi1rI4

[pjme]

https://www.youtube.com/v/cE37vifSAr4

An early Ustvolskaya "Poem" for orchestra.

From :http://ustvolskaya.org/eng/catalog.php


"The Light of the Steppe" retitled "Poem No. 1" (and The Hero's Exploit retitled "Poem No. 2", together with The Dream of Stepan Razin and Sport Suite retitled "Suite") after several years' deliberation were included into the author's Catalogue. Galina Ustvolskaya's attitude towards these works is an indication of the great demands she made of herself. Their style shows too that she had it within her to write another, more accessible, style of music with greater potential to bring her mass popularity. She chose the other way, consciously and uncompromisingly.

[vandermolen]

Steinberg's 'Passion Week' is a most beautiful, ethereal work which was banned almost as soon as completed (1923) as a consequence on the soviet ban on religious music. Would definitely appeal to admirers of Rachmaninov's 'Vespers':
[asin]B01H5JT0M2[/asin]

[vandermolen]

This is an excellent CD which I may have mentioned before. In particular the Symphony in D Minor by Nina Makarova from 1938. It is rather in the spirit of her teacher Miaskovsky but a moving, memorable and powerful score in its own right. I have played it four times over the past two days. It's on YouTube if you want to hear it. The CD is a very interesting and enjoyable one featuring music by two female soviet composers, Nina Makarova and Zara Levina. It did not surprise me to hear that Miaskovsky was the teacher of Makarova but she has been rather undeservedly overshadowed by her husband Khachaturian. Much as I like all of Khachaturian's symphonies there is an argument that Makarova's symphony is superior to any of them - I thoroughly enjoyed it and the scores by Levina as well.

[Maestro267]

I did notice that a recording of Symphony No. 1 and the Violin Concerto by Azerbaijani/Soviet composer Kara Karayev is coming out in mid-March on Naxos. Dmitry Yablonsky conducting.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I should go back and try to find the posts I made during that time I was exploring Russian contemporary music. It barely ever gets talked about and there are quite a few interesting things going on there.........

EDIT:

I found a couple of old posts. I should revisit this music sometime in the near future; I really enjoyed these composers and this recording when I heard it. I think all the composers I mentioned in the first post have works which can easily be found on youtube as well. I will do some more exploring, for those curious about the more obscure Russian composers.

Some more Russian composers whose music I have been listening to recently

Elena Mykova
Alexey Glazkov
Anton Svetlichny
Stanislav Makovsky
Natasia Krustchiova

Music Anthology of Young Russian Composers

Currently on Left-on-Board by Anton Svetlichny for violin and piano. A pretty cool collection of works, very pleasant all the way through

[relm1]

Not sure if this is the right thread to post my question but I have been on a mid/late 20th century Russian kick lately and am very much enjoying this recording of Schnittke Symphony No. 3 right now:


My question, between Schnittke and Boris Tishchenko, which post-Shostakovich Russian composer do you prefer and why?  Is it an unfair comparison or do you see them as equals? 

[vandermolen]

Not sure if this is the right thread to post my question but I have been on a mid/late 20th century Russian kick lately and am very much enjoying this recording of Schnittke Symphony No. 3 right now:


My question, between Schnittke and Boris Tishchenko, which post-Shostakovich Russian composer do you prefer and why?  Is it an unfair comparison or do you see them as equals?

I don't think that I've heard enough of their music to compare them really. Schnittke's Piano Quintet is the work that I most enjoy from either composer and suspect that he is the more memorable composer. What is the style of Symphony 3?

[relm1]

I don't think that I've heard enough of their music to compare them really. Schnittke's Piano Quintet is the work that I most enjoy from either composer and suspect that he is the more memorable composer. What is the style of Symphony 3?

Do check out this Rozhdestvensky recording of Schnittke's Symphony No. 3.  It is panstylistic so has elements of Mahler, rich Russian tonality, jazz, and modernism.  There is much drama and it is very big in scale lasting about 50 minutes and utilizing winds in 4, 6 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, large percussion, electric guitar, bass guitar, 2 harps, harpsichord, organ, celesta, piano, and strings.  I personally like how traditional brass chorals are over aleatoric elements.  It works. The Rozhdestvensky recording is of a very fine concert performance. 

Meanwhile, with Boris Tishchenko's Symphony No. 4 we have the same conductor (might be the same orchestra but soviet orchestras changed names every few years so not sure) is from a few years earlier (1978) and a similar Mahlerian scaled soviet symphony lasting 95 minutes.  In a way, this is a symphony of symphonies since each movement is titled as a symphony (a habit Tishchenko used frequently with his Dante Symphonies and other works titled symphonies that are more like symphonic poems).  The work is bleak and doesn't have much poetry or range to justify its duration but that is my opinion and I want to hear if I might be missing something.  To me, it sounds like a lot of loud chord progressions.  Meanwhile, I very much enjoy some of his other works like the more lyrical Symphony No. 6, the classical No. 7 and 8, and the Shostakovich No. 9 movement.    The second violin concerto is gorgeous.  When a composer comes across as so inconsistent to me, it makes me think I am missing something hence asking for others thoughts.

[vandermolen]

Do check out this Rozhdestvensky recording of Schnittke's Symphony No. 3.  It is panstylistic so has elements of Mahler, rich Russian tonality, jazz, and modernism.  There is much drama and it is very big in scale lasting about 50 minutes and utilizing winds in 4, 6 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, large percussion, electric guitar, bass guitar, 2 harps, harpsichord, organ, celesta, piano, and strings.  I personally like how traditional brass chorals are over aleatoric elements.  It works. The Rozhdestvensky recording is of a very fine concert performance. 

Meanwhile, with Boris Tishchenko's Symphony No. 4 we have the same conductor (might be the same orchestra but soviet orchestras changed names every few years so not sure) is from a few years earlier (1978) and a similar Mahlerian scaled soviet symphony lasting 95 minutes.  In a way, this is a symphony of symphonies since each movement is titled as a symphony (a habit Tishchenko used frequently with his Dante Symphonies and other works titled symphonies that are more like symphonic poems).  The work is bleak and doesn't have much poetry or range to justify its duration but that is my opinion and I want to hear if I might be missing something.  To me, it sounds like a lot of loud chord progressions.  Meanwhile, I very much enjoy some of his other works like the more lyrical Symphony No. 6, the classical No. 7 and 8, and the Shostakovich No. 9 movement.    The second violin concerto is gorgeous.  When a composer comes across as so inconsistent to me, it makes me think I am missing something hence asking for others thoughts.

I have some of the Dante symphonies but I can't say that, so far, they have made much impression on me but I should listen again. The Schnittke Third Symphony sounds more interesting from what you say.