Nikolai Kapustin
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin (Russian
: Николай Гиршевич Капустин) (born November 22, 1937 in Gorlovka
, Ukraine
) is a Ukrainian Russian composer and pianist.
Kapustin studied piano with Avrelian Rubakh (pupil of Felix Blumenfeld
who also taught Simon Barere
and Vladimir Horowitz
) and, later, Alexander Goldenweiser at the Moscow Conservatory
. During the 1950s he acquired a reputation as a jazz
pianist, arranger and composer. He is steeped, therefore, in both the traditions of classical virtuoso
pianism
and improvisation
al jazz.
He fuses these influences in his compositions, using jazz idioms in formal classical structures. An example of this is his Suite in the Old Style, Op.
28, written in 1977, which inhabits the sound world of jazz improvisation but is modelled on baroque suites such as the keyboard partita
s composed by J. S. Bach
, each movement being a stylised dance or a pair of dances in strict binary form
. Other examples of this fusion are his set of 24 Preludes and Fugue
s, Op. 82, written in 1997, and the Op. 100 Sonatina
.
Kapustin views himself as a composer rather than a jazz musician. He has said, "I was never a jazz musician. I never tried to be a real jazz pianist, but I had to do it because of the composing. I’m not interested in improvisation – and what is a jazz musician without improvisation? All my improvisation is written, of course, and they became much better; it improved them."
Among his works are 18 piano sonata
s, six piano concerti
, other instrumental concerti, sets of piano variations
, étude
s and concert studies.
Russian and Japanese record labels have released several recordings of the composer playing his own music. He has also been championed by a number of prominent western pianists, including Steven Osborne
and Marc-André Hamelin
who both released CDs devoted to Kapustin.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Николай Гиршевич Капустин) (born November 22, 1937 in Gorlovka
Horlivka
Horlivka is a city in the Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine. As of 2001, the city's population was 292,000. It is a coal mining and chemical industry centre...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) is a Ukrainian Russian composer and pianist.
Kapustin studied piano with Avrelian Rubakh (pupil of Felix Blumenfeld
Felix Blumenfeld
Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld was a Russian composer, conductor, pianist and teacher.He was born in Kovalevka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire , the son of Austrian Mikhail Frantsevich Blumenfeld and the Polish Marie Szymanowska, and studied composition at the St...
who also taught Simon Barere
Simon Barere
Simon Barere was a renowned Russian pianist. His Russian surname Барер is transliterated Barer, however, as an adult he changed the spelling to Barere in order to reduce the frequency of mispronunciation.-Biography:...
and Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
) and, later, Alexander Goldenweiser 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...
. During the 1950s he acquired a reputation as a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist, arranger and composer. He is steeped, therefore, in both the traditions of classical virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
pianism
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
al jazz.
He fuses these influences in his compositions, using jazz idioms in formal classical structures. An example of this is his Suite in the Old Style, Op.
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
28, written in 1977, which inhabits the sound world of jazz improvisation but is modelled on baroque suites such as the keyboard partita
Partita
Partita was originally the name for a single instrumental piece of music , but Johann Kuhnau and later German composers used it for collections of musical pieces, as a synonym for suite.Johann Sebastian Bach wrote two sets of Partitas for different instruments...
s composed by J. S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, each movement being a stylised dance or a pair of dances in strict binary form
Binary form
Binary form is a musical form in two related sections, both of which are usually repeated. Binary is also a structure used to choreograph dance....
. Other examples of this fusion are his set of 24 Preludes and Fugue
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
s, Op. 82, written in 1997, and the Op. 100 Sonatina
Sonatina
A sonatina is literally a small sonata. As a musical term, sonatina has no single strict definition; it is rather a title applied by the composer to a piece that is in basic sonata form, but is shorter, lighter in character, or more elementary technically than a typical sonata...
.
Kapustin views himself as a composer rather than a jazz musician. He has said, "I was never a jazz musician. I never tried to be a real jazz pianist, but I had to do it because of the composing. I’m not interested in improvisation – and what is a jazz musician without improvisation? All my improvisation is written, of course, and they became much better; it improved them."
Among his works are 18 piano sonata
Piano sonata
A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement , two movements , five or even more movements...
s, six piano concerti
Piano concerto
A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
, other instrumental concerti, sets of piano variations
Variation (music)
In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
, étude
Étude
An étude , is an instrumental musical composition, most commonly of considerable difficulty, usually designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular technical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidly growing popularity of the piano...
s and concert studies.
Russian and Japanese record labels have released several recordings of the composer playing his own music. He has also been championed by a number of prominent western pianists, including Steven Osborne
Steven Osborne (pianist)
Steven Osborne is a Scottish pianist who has performed concertos and solo recitals worldwide.He was taught by Richard Beauchamp at St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh before going to the Royal Northern College of Music/Manchester University in Manchester to study under Renna Kellaway...
and Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ, is a French Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marc-André Hamelin began his piano studies at the age of five. His father, a pharmacist by trade who was also a pianist, introduced him to the works of Alkan, Godowsky, and Sorabji when he was...
who both released CDs devoted to Kapustin.
External links
- Hyperion Records: Nikolai Kapustin
- Nikolai Kapustin, compiled by Onno van Rijen
- Kapustin fan web site by Wimmo: nikolai-kapustin.info
- MusT, publishers of Nikolai Kapustin's music
- Nikolai Kapustin's orchestral works from 60's and 70's, compiled by Anton Kapustin
- Paper on classical and jazz influences in Kapustin's Twenty-four Preludes Op. 53 by Randy Creighton
- Paper on Kapustin's symbiotic music by Jonathan Edward Mann