Nikolai Karetnikov
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Nikolayevich Karetnikov , (June 30, 1930, Moscow
– October 10, 1994, Moscow
) was a Russia
n composer of the so-called Underground
– alternative or nonconformist group in Soviet music.
(1948-1953) where his teachers were Vissarion Shebalin
(composition), Tatiana Nikolayeva
(piano), Igor Sposobin and Viktor Tsukkerman (theory). He also studied privately with Philip Herschkowitz
, a pupil of Berg
and Webern
. He was influenced by music of the New Viennese school and was a firm supporter of twelve-tone technique
. His ballets Vanina Vannini and The Geologists were performed at the Bolshoi Theatre
with choreography by Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasiliev
. However, the authorities found the music unacceptable. It was criticized, and then banned from the performances in the Soviet Union
for decades.
His Symphony No. 4 (1963) received its first performance in 1968 in Prague
, just before the Soviet army invasion to suppress the Prague Spring
. His third ballet Little Zaches Called Zinnober was performed at the Hanover
Opera House (1971) in the composer's absence, because he was not given permission to travel abroad. His main activity at that time was writing incidental music for theatre, film and television.
He continued to compose and publish his serious works in secrecy. He wrote two large scale operas Till Eulenspiegel (1965-1985) and The Mystery of Apostle Paul, (1970-1986). Having no opportunity to perform these works in public, he persuaded the Moscow Cinema Orchestra to make the recording for him privately, section by section over the years. When the tape was ready, the vocal parts were added. This was, perhaps, the only examples of a samizdat
(underground) opera. Finally, Till Eulenspiegel was premiered by the Bielefeld Opera
in Germany
conducted by Geoffrey Moull
in 1993, and The Mystery of Apostle Paul was premiered on August 4, 1995, Hanover
after the composer’s death.
Karetnikov was also the author of a collection of autobiographical stories called Темы с вариациями (Themes with Variations), published in Russia
in 1990 (A French translation was published in the same year by Editions Horay).
also:
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...
– October 10, 1994, 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...
) was a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n composer of the so-called Underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
– alternative or nonconformist group in Soviet music.
Biography
Karetnikov studied at the Central Musical School (1942-1948) and the Moscow ConservatoryMoscow 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...
(1948-1953) where his teachers were Vissarion Shebalin
Vissarion Shebalin
Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin was a Soviet composer.-Biography:Shebalin was born in Omsk, where his parents were school teachers. He studied in the musical college in Omsk. He was 20 years old when, following the advice of his professor, he went to Moscow to show his first compositions to...
(composition), Tatiana Nikolayeva
Tatiana Nikolayeva
Tatiana Petrovna Nikolayeva was a Russian Soviet pianist, composer and teacher.-Early life:Nikolayeva was born in Bezhitsa in the Bryansk district on May 4, 1924...
(piano), Igor Sposobin and Viktor Tsukkerman (theory). He also studied privately with Philip Herschkowitz
Philip Herschkowitz
Philipp Herschkowitz was a Romanian-born composer and music theorist, pupil of Alban Berg and Anton Webern, who spent 47 years, from 1940 to 1987, in the Soviet Union.-Biography:...
, a pupil of Berg
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
and Webern
Anton Webern
Anton Webern was an Austrian composer and conductor. He was a member of the Second Viennese School. As a student and significant follower of Arnold Schoenberg, he became one of the best-known exponents of the twelve-tone technique; in addition, his innovations regarding schematic organization of...
. He was influenced by music of the New Viennese school and was a firm supporter of twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg...
. His ballets Vanina Vannini and The Geologists were performed at 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...
with choreography by Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasiliev
Vladimir Vasiliev (ballet dancer)
Vladimir Viktorovich Vasiliev , a Russian ballet dancer, was principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, and was best known for his role of Spartacus and his powerful leaps and turns.-Biography:Born in Moscow in 1940, the son of a truck driver, Vasiliev graduated from the Moscow Ballet School in 1958...
. However, the authorities found the music unacceptable. It was criticized, and then banned from the performances in 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....
for decades.
His Symphony No. 4 (1963) received its first performance in 1968 in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, just before the Soviet army invasion to suppress the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
. His third ballet Little Zaches Called Zinnober was performed at the Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
Opera House (1971) in the composer's absence, because he was not given permission to travel abroad. His main activity at that time was writing incidental music for theatre, film and television.
He continued to compose and publish his serious works in secrecy. He wrote two large scale operas Till Eulenspiegel (1965-1985) and The Mystery of Apostle Paul, (1970-1986). Having no opportunity to perform these works in public, he persuaded the Moscow Cinema Orchestra to make the recording for him privately, section by section over the years. When the tape was ready, the vocal parts were added. This was, perhaps, the only examples of a samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
(underground) opera. Finally, Till Eulenspiegel was premiered by the Bielefeld Opera
Bielefeld Opera
The Bielefeld Opera is the venue of Städtische Bühnen Bielefeld in Bielefeld, Germany. It is a Dreisparten Haus , offering plays, music , and ballet...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
conducted by Geoffrey Moull
Geoffrey Moull
Geoffrey Moull is a professional conductor and pianist.- Education :Geoffrey Moull was born in London, Ontario, Canada and studied conducting with Kirill Kondrashin, Sergiu Celibidache and Martin Stephani...
in 1993, and The Mystery of Apostle Paul was premiered on August 4, 1995, Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
after the composer’s death.
Karetnikov was also the author of a collection of autobiographical stories called Темы с вариациями (Themes with Variations), published in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1990 (A French translation was published in the same year by Editions Horay).
Works
- Pieces for piano
- Symphony No. 1 (1951)
- Julius Fučík, oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1953)
- Symphony No. 2 (1956)
- Dramatic Poem for orchestra (1958)
- Symphony No. 3 (1959)
- Lento-Variations for piano (1961)
- Vanina Vanini, ballet in one act after StendhalStendhalMarie-Henri Beyle , better known by his pen name Stendhal, was a 19th-century French writer. Known for his acute analysis of his characters' psychology, he is considered one of the earliest and foremost practitioners of realism in his two novels Le Rouge et le Noir and La Chartreuse de Parme...
(1961, performed 1962, MoscowMoscowMoscow 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...
) - The Geologists, ballet in one act, performed 1964, MoscowMoscowMoscow 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...
- Sonata for violin and piano (1962)
- Symphony No. 4 (1963)
- String Quartet with a Prayer and a Meditation (1963)
- Concerto for thirty-two wind instruments (1965)
- The Chronicle of Zaches, Called Zinober, ballet in three acts after E.T.A. HoffmannE.T.A. HoffmannErnst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann , better known by his pen name E.T.A. Hoffmann , was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist...
(1967) - Chamber Symphony for 19 instruments (1968)
- Little Night Music, four pieces for flute, clarinet, bass-clarinet and piano (1968)
- Concert Piece for piano (1969)
- Five Wind Melodies for chorus and brass band (1969)
- Eight Psalms to the Memory of Boris PasternakBoris PasternakBoris Leonidovich Pasternak was a Russian language poet, novelist, and literary translator. In his native Russia, Pasternak's anthology My Sister Life, is one of the most influential collections ever published in the Russian language...
for male chorus (1969-1989) - Two Pieces for piano (1974)
- Till Eulenspiegel (Тиль Уленшпигель), opera in two acts (1965-1985) performed in 1993, BielefeldBielefeldBielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - From Sholom AleichemSholom AleichemSholem Aleichem was the pen name of Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich, a leading Yiddish author and playwright...
, concert suite for chamber orchestra (1987) - The Mystery of Apostle Paul, opera-oratorio in 10 acts (1970 - 1986, premiered August 4, 1995, HanoverHanoverHanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - Piano Quintet (1990)
- Symphony No. 5
- Symphony No. 6 (1990)
- Music for brass band (1992)
- Concerto for string orchestra (1992)
- Six Spiritual Songs (1993)
also:
- Incidental music for theatre: about 40 including "King LearKing LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
", "A Man for All Seasons", "MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
", etc. - Film scores: about 60 including "Run", "A Rotten Tale", "First Russians", etc.
- Radio & TV music
Recordings
- Melodia C10 29949 000. (LP) Recorded: 1988. Nikolai Karetnikov: Тиль Уленшпигель [Til’ Eulenspiegel] (1985). Soviet State Cinema Orchestra; Conductors: Emin Khachaturian and Valery Poliansky.
- Le Chant du Monde LDC 288029/30. Nikolai Karetnikov: Till Eulenspiegel (Opera in 2 Acts) 2 CDs. Soviet State Cinema Orchestra; Conductors: Emin Khatchaturian/Valery Poliansky
- Le Chant du Monde, Russian Season LDC288070, Released: February 1994. Audio CD DDD. Karetnikov, Nikolai: Chamber Music. Performers: Oleg KaganOleg KaganOleg Moiseyevich Kagan was a Soviet violinist, known for his chamber partnerships with the likes of pianist Sviatoslav Richter and cellist Natalia Gutman. He was also a significant proponent of modern music, in particular Berg's Violin Concerto...
, Vladimir Skanavi, Vladimir Loukianov, Konstantin Komissarov, Alexander Petrov, Alexander Gothelf, and Yury Slessarev. - 1. Sonata for Violin and Piano
- 2. Two Pieces for Piano
- 3. Concert Piece
- 4. String Quartet
- 5. Quintet for Piano and Strings.