Konstantin Ivanov (conductor)
Encyclopedia
The third man to hold the post of conductor
of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Konstantin Konstantinovich Ivanov (1907–1984), is known from a number of recordings made by the old USSR state recording company Melodiya, but biographical information about him has been hard to find.
. At the age of 13, he was adopted by a regiment of the Red Army
. He became a trumpeter in army orchestras. He attended the Moscow Conservatory
where he studied conducting with the conductor L. M. Ginzburg. Ivanov graduated in 1937, and the following year won the All-Union Conductors Competition. Engagements with the Bolshoi Theatre
and the All-Union Radio Symphony Orchestra followed in 1941.
In 1945, Ivanov succeeded Nathan Rakhlin as Principal Conductor of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra. Under Ivanov’s direction, the orchestra began an extensive program of touring. Initially this was to the republics of the Soviet Union
, but in 1956 it performed in the Soviet allied states of Poland
and Romania
. As the Cold War
thawed, Ivanov and the orchestra travelled outside the Communist bloc. In 1958 they made an appearance at an international exposition in Brussels
where they performed for Queen Elizabeth of Belgium. In the same year they also visited China
. In 1960, the orchestra visited the United States
, then in 1961 appeared at the Vienna Festival
.
Konstantin Ivanov was succeeded as Principal Conductor of the USSR Symphony Orchestra in 1965 by Yevgeny Svetlanov. His reputation in later years, at least in the west, was somewhat eclipsed by the rise of a younger generation of Soviet conductors such as Svetlanov, Rozhdestvensky and Kondrashin, all of whom became much better known, and who travelled abroad more frequently. He died in 1984.
’s 5th Symphony. The Dutch Melodia disc (562.265) of this performance was backed with four works by Anatole Liadov. EMI-Melodiya used these as fillers on LPs of Tchaikovsky’s First and Third Symphonies, conducted by Ivanov’s successor Yevgeny Svetlanov. Ivanov also conducted the Antar Symphony with the USSR Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra on a 3 disc set of Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral music. In 1973 Melodiya issued an LP of Rimsky-Korsakov’s suites from Le Coq d'Or and Tsar Sultan. This also appeared on EMI-Melodiya. At various times, Ivanov recordings of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony have been in circulation, as have symphonies by Eshpai, Arensky and Shostakovich’s cantata The Sun Shines Over the Motherland; a piece of Stalinst propaganda.
The recordings considered here were heard in the following incarnations:
ARENSKY: Suite No. 1 World Record Club (Australia) R 09475. Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra (Coupled with Symphony No. 1 conducted by Eduard Serov)
GLAZUNOV: Symphony No 5 HMV-Melodiya LP ASD 2540 (Coupled with RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, Symphony No 1 conducted by Boris Khaikin), Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony was also released on Dutch Melodia LP 562.265 with Liadov's Kikimora, Baba Yaga and two orchestral polonaises. The Liadov items were played by the USSR Symphony Orchestra.
MIASKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 Melodiya Australia CD MA 3019 (no longer available). USSR Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra. Coupled with Symphony No. 11 (Moscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by Veronika Dudarova.
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Symphony No. 2 Antar, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. World Record Club (Australia) 3 LP set R 06847-9. Suites from Le Coq D'or and Tsar Sultan have been issued by HMV-Melodiya, World Record Club (Australia), and on CD from Melodiya Australia MA 3027 (no longer available).
SHOSTAKOVICH: The Sun Shines Over The Motherland. RFSFR Russian Chorus (Director: Alexander Yurlov), USSR Symphony Orchestra. Russian Disc RDCD 11 048 (no longer available)
Some of the LPs were issued by Capitol/Angel in the United States.
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...
of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Konstantin Konstantinovich Ivanov (1907–1984), is known from a number of recordings made by the old USSR state recording company Melodiya, but biographical information about him has been hard to find.
Career
A brief article in The Great Soviet Encyclopaedia says he was born in 1907 in the town of Yefremov or Efremov (Russian: Ефре́мов) in the Tula OblastTula Oblast
Tula Oblast is a federal subject of Russia with its present borders formed on September 26, 1937. Its administrative center is the city of Tula. The oblast has an area of and a population of 1,553,874...
. At the age of 13, he was adopted by a regiment of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. He became a trumpeter in army orchestras. He attended 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...
where he studied conducting with the conductor L. M. Ginzburg. Ivanov graduated in 1937, and the following year won the All-Union Conductors Competition. Engagements with the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
and the All-Union Radio Symphony Orchestra followed in 1941.
In 1945, Ivanov succeeded Nathan Rakhlin as Principal Conductor of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra. Under Ivanov’s direction, the orchestra began an extensive program of touring. Initially this was to the republics of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, but in 1956 it performed in the Soviet allied states of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. As the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
thawed, Ivanov and the orchestra travelled outside the Communist bloc. In 1958 they made an appearance at an international exposition in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
where they performed for Queen Elizabeth of Belgium. In the same year they also visited China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. In 1960, the orchestra visited the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, then in 1961 appeared at the Vienna Festival
Vienna Festival
The Wiener Festwochen is a cultural festival in Vienna that takes place every year for five or six weeks in May and June.The Wiener Festwochen was established in 1951, when Vienna was still occupied by the four Allies...
.
Konstantin Ivanov was succeeded as Principal Conductor of the USSR Symphony Orchestra in 1965 by Yevgeny Svetlanov. His reputation in later years, at least in the west, was somewhat eclipsed by the rise of a younger generation of Soviet conductors such as Svetlanov, Rozhdestvensky and Kondrashin, all of whom became much better known, and who travelled abroad more frequently. He died in 1984.
Recordings
Some of Ivanov’s recordings became available in the west through the association of Britain’s EMI Group with the Soviet state label Melodiya. These included his account of GlazunovGlazunov
Glazunov can refer to:*Alexander Glazunov , a Russian composer*Andrei Glazunov, a 19th century Russian trade expedition leader*Ilya Glazunov , a Russian painter...
’s 5th Symphony. The Dutch Melodia disc (562.265) of this performance was backed with four works by Anatole Liadov. EMI-Melodiya used these as fillers on LPs of Tchaikovsky’s First and Third Symphonies, conducted by Ivanov’s successor Yevgeny Svetlanov. Ivanov also conducted the Antar Symphony with the USSR Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra on a 3 disc set of Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral music. In 1973 Melodiya issued an LP of Rimsky-Korsakov’s suites from Le Coq d'Or and Tsar Sultan. This also appeared on EMI-Melodiya. At various times, Ivanov recordings of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony have been in circulation, as have symphonies by Eshpai, Arensky and Shostakovich’s cantata The Sun Shines Over the Motherland; a piece of Stalinst propaganda.
The recordings considered here were heard in the following incarnations:
ARENSKY: Suite No. 1 World Record Club (Australia) R 09475. Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra (Coupled with Symphony No. 1 conducted by Eduard Serov)
GLAZUNOV: Symphony No 5 HMV-Melodiya LP ASD 2540 (Coupled with RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, Symphony No 1 conducted by Boris Khaikin), Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony was also released on Dutch Melodia LP 562.265 with Liadov's Kikimora, Baba Yaga and two orchestral polonaises. The Liadov items were played by the USSR Symphony Orchestra.
MIASKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 Melodiya Australia CD MA 3019 (no longer available). USSR Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra. Coupled with Symphony No. 11 (Moscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by Veronika Dudarova.
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Symphony No. 2 Antar, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. World Record Club (Australia) 3 LP set R 06847-9. Suites from Le Coq D'or and Tsar Sultan have been issued by HMV-Melodiya, World Record Club (Australia), and on CD from Melodiya Australia MA 3027 (no longer available).
SHOSTAKOVICH: The Sun Shines Over The Motherland. RFSFR Russian Chorus (Director: Alexander Yurlov), USSR Symphony Orchestra. Russian Disc RDCD 11 048 (no longer available)
Some of the LPs were issued by Capitol/Angel in the United States.