Anatoly Nikolayevich Alexandrov

Anatoly Nikolayevich Alexandrov (* 13.jul / May 25 1888greg in Moscow, .. † April 16, 1982 ) was a Russian composer.

Life

Alexandrov was born into a musical family. His mother was a pianist. From her Alexandrov received his first piano lessons. During his childhood, his family moved several times, but lived since 1906 back in Moscow. At this time decided Alexandrov's mother to seek a composition teacher for her son. Through the mediation of Sergei Taneyev out this first himself received from 1907 students at Taneyev Nikolai Schiljajew, from the following year at Taneyev lessons. Alexandrov in 1910 entered the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied piano with Konstantin Igumnov ( until 1915 ) and composition with Sergei Vasilenko. His composition studies he graduated in 1916 with a gold medal. Then he had as a soldier in the First World War to participate and later fought for the Red Army in the Civil War. From 1923 and from 1926 as a professor, he taught composition at the Moscow Conservatory. This teaching, he finished only in 1964, when he retired. Towards the end of the 1920s was Alexandrov, a member of the Association for Contemporary Music (ASM ), representatives of the Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians ( RAPM ), violently attacked. This led to a temporary creative crisis, the beginning of the 1930s came to an end by the resolution of both organizations. Alexandrov was married to a singer and led a quiet, retired life. Although he had contact with numerous composers such as Nikolai Myaskovsky and Shostakovich, he shunned publicity. However, Alexandrov was provided with several state awards.

Style

Alexandrov takes stylistically a middle position between Alexander Scriabin and Nikolai Medtner. Even his teacher Sergei Taneyev had great influence on his musical views. Although Alexandrov did not renounce musical innovations, he always remained committed to the tradition of Russian music and never belonged to the avant-garde. The focus of his work his piano works and song cycles. His early work, which extends approximately to the end of the 1920s is generally the most attention in his work. During this time, Alexandrov was particularly keen to experiment and achieved almost impressionistic exotic sound effects. He turned often to ecstatic mystical moods and walked to the edge of tonality. But when in 1932 the officially desired aesthetics of Socialist Realism was announced Alexandrov changed his style considerably. This meant a simplification of his musical language in harmonic and melodic sense. In particular, he turned to the people and songs used this in many works. From this time on Alexandrov also dealt with the composition of educational piano music. Scriabin's influence faded significantly. But his music was now tinged late romantic and used a clear tonal idiom. In the compositions of his last years he looked back on his compositional career and preferred an introverted attitude. In the 1920s, Aleksandrov was considered one of the leading composers of Russian piano music.

Works

  • Orchestral works Symphony No.1 in C major op.92 (1965 )
  • Symphony No.2 in B flat major op.109 (1977 /78)
  • Symphony Concert for Piano and Orchestra in B flat minor op.102 (1974 )
  • Overture on Russian folksongs op.29 (1915, rev. 1930)
  • Overture on Two Russian Folksongs op.65 (1948 )
  • Stage and Film Music
  • " Two Worlds", Opera (1916 )
  • " The Forty-First ", opera op.41 ( 1933-35, unfinished)
  • " Béla " opera op.51 ( 1940-45 )
  • " The wild Bara ", opera op.82 ( 1954-57 )
  • " Lewscha " children's opera op.103 (1975 )
  • Numerous songs for voice and piano
  • String Quartet No.1 op.7 (1914, rev. 1921)
  • String Quartet No.2 in C sharp minor op.54 (1942 )
  • String Quartet No.3 op.55 (1942 )
  • String Quartet No.4 in C major op.80 (1953 )
  • Cello Sonata in G major op.112 (1981 /82)
  • Sonata No.1 in F sharp minor, Opus 4 "Fairytale Sonata " (1914 )
  • Sonata No.2 in D minor, op.12 (1918 )
  • Sonata No.3 in F sharp minor op.18 (1920, rev. 1956 and 1967)
  • Sonata No.4 in C major op.19 (1922, rev. 1954)
  • Sonata No.5 in G sharp minor op.22 (1923, rev. 1938)
  • Sonata No.6 in G major op.26 (1925 )
  • Sonata No.7 in D major op.42 (1932 )
  • Sonata No.8 in B flat major op.50 ( 1939-44 )
  • Sonata No.9 in C minor op.61 (1945 )
  • Sonata No.10 in F major op.72 (1951 )
  • Sonata No.11 in C major op.81 " Sonata - Fantasy " (1955)
  • Sonata No.12 in B minor op.87 (1962 )
  • Sonata No.13 in F sharp minor op.90 "Fairytale Sonata " (1964)
  • Sonata No.14 in E major op.97 (1971 )
  • Little Suite No.1 op.33 (1929 )
  • Little Suite No.2 op.78 (1952 )
  • Small Suite No.3 op.101 (1973 )
  • "Obsession passée ", 4 fragments op.6 ( 1911-17 )
  • " Eight Pieces for motives of songs of the peoples of the USSR" op.46 (1937 )
  • " Romantic episodes", 10 pieces op.88 (1962 )
  • "Memories ", 5 pieces op.110 (1979 )
  • "Visions ", 2 pieces op.111 (1979, unfinished)
  • Numerous smaller pieces
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