Andrei Volkonsky
Encyclopedia
Prince
Andrei Mikhaylovich Volkonsky also Andrey, André, Mikhailovich, Michailovich, Volkonski, Volkonskiy, etc. ' onMouseout='HidePop("81575")' href="/topics/Geneva">Geneva
, Switzerland
– September 16, 2008 in Aix-en-Provence
, France
) was a Russian composer
of classical music, conductor
and harpsichordist
. He was a key figure in Early Music Revival in Russia.
, he was born in Geneva
in 1933. As a child he played his improvisations to Sergei Rachmaninov
. Then he studied piano with the legendary Dinu Lipatti
. The Volkonsky family resettled in Moscow
in 1947. From 1950 to 1954 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory
under Yuri Shaporin, but was expelled for breaking some minor disciplinary rules. In 1956 Volkonsky began the career of a harpsichord player and a conductor. He pioneered performing renaissance and baroque music, which had hitherto not been played in the USSR. In 1965 he founded an ensemble of early music, called ‘Madrigal’.
He was among the first Soviet composers who began experimenting with twelve-tone
and serial techniques. An early work in this style was his piano suite "Musica Stricta" (1956). His works greatly influenced his colleagues. Composing such music at that time was an act of courage: it was a protest against the suppression of freedom, and specifically against the requirement that the composers in Soviet Russia followed the narrowly-prescribed doctrines of the Socialist Realism. It is not surprising that his music, attempting at a real renewal and enrichment of the musical language in Russia, was banned from performance. Volkonsky said that he had been fighting for 25 years to establish and preserve his artistic individuality in Moscow before requesting an exit visa in December 1972.
But he was not allowed to leave the country immediately. Five months of suspense and unemployment followed, during which he hounded the passport office and sold most of his belongings, including scores and books, to support himself.
Andrei Volkonsky emigrated to the West in 1973. He first returned to Geneva, where he was born, and later settled in Aix-en-Provence
(in the South of France
). He was married (1954–1960) to the poetess Helvi Jürisson (b. 05.10.1928). They had a son, prince Peeter Volkonski
(Piotr Andreevitch Volkonsky) (b.12.09.1954), an acclaimed Estonian actor and rock-musician.
They are closely related to Eudoxia Streshneva
, Natalia Naryshkina
, Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna of Russia, Tsarevna Sophia Alekseyevna of Russia, Eudoxia Lopukhina
, Maria Miloslavskaya
, Praskovia Saltykova
, Martha Skavronskaya, Ivan VI of Russia
, Peter I of Russia
, Peter II of Russia
, Feodor III of Russia
, Alexis of Russia, Ivan V of Russia
etc.
Film music
Suite de los espejos/Spiegel-Suite/Mirror Suite/La Suite de miroirs
Federico Garcia Lorca (1959)
Les Plaintes de Shchaza/Die Klagen der Shchaza/Laments of Shchaza (1960)
Concert itinerant/Das wandernde Konzert/Wandering Concerto 30:33
(Omar Hayyam) (1964–67)
(1-9) Lydia Davydova (Sopran), Andre Volkonsky (Orgel) und Solisten des Symphony Orchestra
of Leningrad Philharmonic, Leitung: Igor Blazhkov. Aufnahme: 1967
(10-13) Lydia Davydova (Sopran), Andre Volkonsky (Cembalo) und Solisten des Symphony Orchestra
of Leningrad Philharmonic, Leitung: Igor Blazhkov. Aufnahme: 1965
(14) Tatiana Marushchak (Sopran), Grigory Sandomirsky (Violine), Natalia Pshenichnikova (Flote),
Mark Pekarsky Percussion Ensemble, Collegium Musicum Chamber Orchestra, Leitung: Timur Mynbaev
Live-Aufnahme beim,,Alternativa?" Festival Moskau im Oktober 1989
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
Andrei Mikhaylovich Volkonsky also Andrey, André, Mikhailovich, Michailovich, Volkonski, Volkonskiy, etc. ' onMouseout='HidePop("81575")' href="/topics/Geneva">Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
– September 16, 2008 in Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) was a Russian composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of classical music, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and harpsichordist
Harpsichordist
A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord.Many baroque composers played the harpsichord, including Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, George Frideric Handel, François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau...
. He was a key figure in Early Music Revival in Russia.
Biography
A descendant of a Russian aristocratic princely family in exileExile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
, he was born in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in 1933. As a child he played his improvisations to Sergei Rachmaninov
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
. Then he studied piano with the legendary Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti was a Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was cut short by his death from Hodgkin's disease at age 33. He was elected posthumously to the Romanian Academy.-Biography:...
. The Volkonsky family resettled in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1947. From 1950 to 1954 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
under Yuri Shaporin, but was expelled for breaking some minor disciplinary rules. In 1956 Volkonsky began the career of a harpsichord player and a conductor. He pioneered performing renaissance and baroque music, which had hitherto not been played in the USSR. In 1965 he founded an ensemble of early music, called ‘Madrigal’.
He was among the first Soviet composers who began experimenting with twelve-tone
Twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg...
and serial techniques. An early work in this style was his piano suite "Musica Stricta" (1956). His works greatly influenced his colleagues. Composing such music at that time was an act of courage: it was a protest against the suppression of freedom, and specifically against the requirement that the composers in Soviet Russia followed the narrowly-prescribed doctrines of the Socialist Realism. It is not surprising that his music, attempting at a real renewal and enrichment of the musical language in Russia, was banned from performance. Volkonsky said that he had been fighting for 25 years to establish and preserve his artistic individuality in Moscow before requesting an exit visa in December 1972.
-
- "The next day I was expelled from the Union of Composers. All my concerts were cancelled. The record company was instructed not to release the records I had made…" (Andrei Volkonsky)
But he was not allowed to leave the country immediately. Five months of suspense and unemployment followed, during which he hounded the passport office and sold most of his belongings, including scores and books, to support himself.
-
- "The Soviet authorities finally had the intelligence and wisdom to release the composer who was of no use to them in the fulfilment of their music five-year plans, who could not compose that only kind of music which was allowed in the Soviet Union… I was just a speck of dirt in the grand marble palace of the Soviet Culture." (Andrei Volkonsky)
Andrei Volkonsky emigrated to the West in 1973. He first returned to Geneva, where he was born, and later settled in Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
(in the South of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
). He was married (1954–1960) to the poetess Helvi Jürisson (b. 05.10.1928). They had a son, prince Peeter Volkonski
Peeter Volkonski
Prince Peeter Volkonski is an Estonian actor, rock-musician, composer. He is a descendant of a princely Rurikid family, and an influential art figure in Estonia....
(Piotr Andreevitch Volkonsky) (b.12.09.1954), an acclaimed Estonian actor and rock-musician.
They are closely related to Eudoxia Streshneva
Eudoxia Streshneva
Eudoxia Streshnyova was the second wife of Tsar Mikhail. She was a daughter of a nobleman Lukyan Stepanovich Streshnyov from Mozhaysk, who died in 1630, and his wife Anna Konstantinovna Volkonskaya.- Biography :...
, Natalia Naryshkina
Natalia Naryshkina
Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina was the Tsaritsa of Russia from 1671 to 1676 as the second spouse of tsar Alexei I of Russia.-Biography:Coming from a petty noble family, daughter of Kirill Poluektovich Naryshkin and wife Anna Leontyevna Leontyeva Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina was the Tsaritsa of...
, Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna of Russia, Tsarevna Sophia Alekseyevna of Russia, Eudoxia Lopukhina
Eudoxia Lopukhina
Tsarina Evdokiya Feodorovna Lopukhina was the first wife of Peter I of Russia. They married in 1689 but divorced in 1698...
, Maria Miloslavskaya
Maria Miloslavskaya
Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya was the first wife of tsar Alexis of Russia and mother of the tsars Feodor III of Russia and Ivan V of Russia, as well as regent princess Sophia Alekseyevna.-Biography:...
, Praskovia Saltykova
Praskovia Saltykova
Praskovia Fyodorovna Saltykova was the tsaritsa of Russia as the only wife of Ivan V of Russia. She was the mother of Empress Anna of Russia...
, Martha Skavronskaya, Ivan VI of Russia
Ivan VI of Russia
Ivan VI Antonovich of Russia , was proclaimed Emperor of Russia in 1740, as an infant, although he never actually reigned. Within less than a year, he was overthrown by the Empress Elizabeth of Russia, Peter the Great's daughter...
, Peter I of Russia
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
, Peter II of Russia
Peter II of Russia
Pyotr II Alekseyevich was Emperor of Russia from 1727 until his death. He was the only son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, son of Peter I of Russia by his first wife Eudoxia Lopukhina, and Princess Charlotte, daughter of Duke Louis Rudolph of Brunswick-Lüneburg and sister-in-law of Charles VI,...
, Feodor III of Russia
Feodor III of Russia
Feodor III Alexeevich of Russia was the Tsar of all Russia between 1676 and 1682....
, Alexis of Russia, Ivan V of Russia
Ivan V of Russia
Ivan V Alekseyevich Romanov was a joint Tsar of Russia who co-reigned between 1682 and 1696. He was the youngest son of Alexis I of Russia and Maria Miloslavskaya. His reign was only formal, since he had serious physical and mental disabilities...
etc.
Selected works
- Piano Sonata in B Major (1949)
- Rus, cantata on text by Nikolai GogolNikolai GogolNikolai Vasilievich Gogol was a Ukrainian-born Russian dramatist and novelist.Considered by his contemporaries one of the preeminent figures of the natural school of Russian literary realism, later critics have found in Gogol's work a fundamentally romantic sensibility, with strains of Surrealism...
(1952) - The Face of the World, cantata on text by Paul ÉluardPaul ÉluardPaul Éluard, born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel , was a French poet who was one of the founders of the surrealist movement.-Biography:...
(1952) - Concerto for Orchestra (1953)
- Capriccio for orchestra (1954)
- Piano Quintet (1954)
- String Quartet (1955)
- Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op.8 (1955)
- Musica Stricta for piano (1956)
- Fantasia for Piano (1955)
- Two Japanese Songs for chorus, electric sound and percussion (1957)
- Music for 12 Instruments (1957)
- Serenade for Insect for chamber orchestra (1959)
- Mirror Suite for soprano and 5 players: Flute, Violin, Guitar, Organ and Percussion on text by Garcia Lorca (1960)
- Viola Sonata (1960)
- Lamentations of Schchaza for soprano, Cor Anglais, Violin, Marimba, Vibrafono, and Cembalo on text by Schchaza (1961)
- Jeu à Trois for flute, violin and harpsichord (1962)
- Concerto Itinérant for soprano, violin percussion and 26 instruments, text by Omar Khayam (1967)
- Replica for small orchestra (1969)
- Les mailles du Temps for 3 instrumental groups (1970)
- Mugham for tar and harpsichord (1974)
- Lied for 4 voices (1974)
- Immobile for piano and orchestra (1978)
- Was noch lebt for mezzo soprano and string trio on text by Johannes BobrowskiJohannes BobrowskiJohannes Bobrowski was a German lyric poet, narrative writer, adaptor and essayist.-Life:Bobrowski was born in Tilsit in East Prussia. In 1925, he moved first to Rastenburg, then in 1928 on to Königsberg, where he attended the humanist Gymnasium. One of his teachers was Ernst Wiechert. In 1937, he...
(1985) - Psalm 148 for chorus (1989)
- Carrefour for ensemble (1992)
Film music
- Novye pokhozhdeniya Kota v Sapogakh (1958)/Новые похождения кота в сапогах (as A. Volkonsky)
- Marya-iskusnitsa (1960)/Марья-искусница/Maria, the Wonderful Weaver/The Magic Weaver (USA)
- Priklyucheniya Krosha (1961)/Приключения Кроша/Adventures of Krosh
- 3+2 (1962)/Three Plus Two/Tri plyus dva
- Voyna pod kryshami (1967)/Война под крышами/The War Under the Roofs
- Dead SeasonDead Season (film)Dead Season is a 1968 Soviet spy film directed by Savva Kulish based on a screenplay by Aleksandr Shlepyanov and Vladimir Vajnshtok and featuring Donatas Banionis and Rolan Bykov.-Cast:...
(1968) - Mogila Lva (1971)/Могила льва/The Lion's Grave
- Pereprava (1987)/Переправа
Recordings
- CTH 2502: ANDRE VOLKONSKY
Suite de los espejos/Spiegel-Suite/Mirror Suite/La Suite de miroirs
Federico Garcia Lorca (1959)
- 1. Symbol 1:15
- 2. Der grofte Spiegel 0:15
- 3. Reflex 1:18
- 4. Strahlen 0:19
- 5. Widerhall 1:01
- 6. Shinto - Weg der Gotter 1:16
- 7. Die Augen 6:12
- 8. Initium 0:50
- 9. Schlaflied fur den schlafrigen Spiegel 5:16
Les Plaintes de Shchaza/Die Klagen der Shchaza/Laments of Shchaza (1960)
- 10. Lento ma non troppo 2:19
- 11. Presto 2:05
- 12. Lento rubato 6:38
- 13. Aussi vite que possible 5:07
Concert itinerant/Das wandernde Konzert/Wandering Concerto 30:33
(Omar Hayyam) (1964–67)
(1-9) Lydia Davydova (Sopran), Andre Volkonsky (Orgel) und Solisten des Symphony Orchestra
of Leningrad Philharmonic, Leitung: Igor Blazhkov. Aufnahme: 1967
(10-13) Lydia Davydova (Sopran), Andre Volkonsky (Cembalo) und Solisten des Symphony Orchestra
of Leningrad Philharmonic, Leitung: Igor Blazhkov. Aufnahme: 1965
(14) Tatiana Marushchak (Sopran), Grigory Sandomirsky (Violine), Natalia Pshenichnikova (Flote),
Mark Pekarsky Percussion Ensemble, Collegium Musicum Chamber Orchestra, Leitung: Timur Mynbaev
Live-Aufnahme beim,,Alternativa?" Festival Moskau im Oktober 1989
- Bella, CD, ADD, 1965-1989
External links
- Andrei Volkonsky on Wikilivres
- Ernst Kuhn, Berlin
- D. Smirnov: Russian Music in Exile
- D. Smirnov: Song from Underground (1) on Wikilivres
- D. Smirnov: Song from Underground (2) on Wikilivres
- CD information. Listen to
- Photo with Yuri Kholopov
- Prince Peeter Volkonsky (photo)
