Andrei Volkonsky
FürstAndrei Mikhailovich Wolkonski, even Andrey, André, Mikhailovich, Mikhailovich, Volkonski, Volkonskiy, Russian Андрей Михайлович Волконский ( born February 14, 1933, Geneva, † September 16, 2008 in Aix -en- Provence) was a Russian composer and harpsichordist. He was a key figure in the rediscovery of early music in Russia.
Life and work
Wolkonski comes from the Russian prince Rurik family Wolkonski. His grandfather was a brother of Sergei Mikhailovich Wolkonski. He showed early musical talent and led as a child before his improvisations Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff. He studied piano with Dinu Lipatti. 1947 the family moved to Moscow. From 1950 to 1954 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory, especially with Yuri Alexandrovich Shaporin. He was expelled for a disciplinary offense the school. From 1956 he worked as a harpsichordist and organist; doing so he became the pioneer in music from the Renaissance and Baroque, which was previously played in the USSR hardly. In 1965 he founded his own ensemble Madrigal for Early Music.
As a composer he experimented with twelve-tone and serial music, such as in his piano suite Musica Stricta of 1956. His music, which did not suit the prevailing form of Socialist Realism, but was not listed. In 1972 he applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union. He was expelled from the Composers' Union and lost all material support. Only a year later, leaving him has been approved.
Wolkonski initially returned to his native city of Geneva and lived until his death in Aix -en- Provence later.
From 1954 to 1960 he was married to the Estonian poet Helvi Jürisson ( born October 5, 1928). The couple had a son, now known as actor and musician Peeter Volkonski.
Works
- Piano Sonata in B flat major (1949 )
- Rus, cantata by Nikolai Gogol (1952 )
- The Face of Peace, cantata by Paul Éluard (1952 )
- Concerto for Orchestra (1953 )
- Capriccio for Orchestra ( 1954)
- Piano Quintet (1954 )
- String Quartet (1955 )
- Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op.8 (1955 )
- Fantasy for piano (1955 )
- Musica stricta for piano (1956 )
- Two Japanese songs for choir, electronic sound and percussion ( 1957)
- Music for 12 instruments ( 1957)
- Serenade for an insect for chamber orchestra (1959 )
- Suite de los espejos (Mirror Suite) for soprano and five instrumentalists: flute, violin, guitar, organ and drums on Poems of Garcia Lorca (1960 )
- Sonata for Viola ( 1960)
- The complaints of the Shchaza for soprano, Cor Anglais, violin, marimba, vibraphone and harpsichord after Schchaza (1961 )
- Jeu à Trois for flute, violin and harpsichord (1962 )
- Concerto itinérant ( The traveling concert ) for soprano, violin, drums and 26 instruments after texts by Omar Khayyam (1967 )
- Replica for small orchestra (1969 )
- Les mailles du Temps for 3 instrumental groups (1970 )
- Maqam for Tar and harpsichord (1974 )
- Song for 4 Voices ( 1974)
- Immobile for Piano and Orchestra ( 1978)
- 7 sacred songs for three male voices ( solo or chorus) (1984 )
- What is still alive for mezzo-soprano and string trio based on poems by John Bobrowski (1985 )
- Psalm 148 for three voices ( solo or chorus), organ and timpani (1984, rev., 1989)
- Carrefour for ensemble (1992 )