Alexander Raskatov
Encyclopedia
Alexander Mikhailovich Raskatov (Russian
: Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Раска́тов; born March 9, 1953 in Moscow
) is a Russian
composer
.
, studied composition under Albert Leman
at the Moscow Conservatory
. In 1990 he was composer in residence at Stetson University
and 1998 in Lockenhaus
. Raskatov was a member of the Union of Soviet Composers
; after the collapse of the Soviet Union he is a member of the Composers' Union of Russia. In the early nineties he moved to Germany
, then to France in 2004. Raskatov is a member of the Russian Authors' Agency (RAO).
. His vocal works are often based on texts of Russian poets like Alexander Blok
or Joseph Brodsky
. His viola concerto 'Path-Put-Chemin-Weg' was commissioned on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Yuri Bashmet and Valeri Gergiev and premiered in Le Chatelet in January 2003. A documentary on the concerto was recorded by the Dutch National Television (NTR) and can be viewed via the link
http://beta.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1106395
Irina Schnittke, Alfred Schnittke
’s widow, entrusted him with the reconstruction of Schnittke’s Ninth Symphony of 1998, which he finished in 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nEo0F-uvTM
In June 2010 his first opera - A Dog's Heart - received its world premiere at the Dutch National Opera (Amsterdam). It rapidly gained high international acclaim and was scheduled for a series of performances in the UK in November 2010 (English National Opera, London). A series of performances is planned at "La Scala del Milano" in 2013.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5oz7yhHg84&feature=relmfu
His most recent musical piece entitled 'A White Nights Dream' was premiered at the Royal Festival Hall (London, UK; cond. Vladimir Jurowski) in September 2011.
Orchestral
Wind ensemble
Concertante
Chamber music
Keyboard
Vocal
Arrangements and reconstructions
(2007)
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...
: Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Раска́тов; born March 9, 1953 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...
) is a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
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...
.
Life
Alexander Raskatov, a son of a leading journalist of the magazine KrokodilKrokodil
Krokodil was a satirical magazine published in the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1922. At that time, a large number of satirical magazines existed, such as Zanoza and Prozhektor...
, studied composition under Albert Leman
Albert Leman
Albert Semionovich Leman , — 3 December 1998, Moscow ) was a Russian and Soviet composer of classical music.Albert Leman received his music education in the Leningrad Conservatory under Michail Fabianowitsch Gnessin and Vladimir Vladimirovich Nil'sen. In 1941-42 he was the chief of musical...
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...
. In 1990 he was composer in residence at Stetson University
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. In the 2012 U.S...
and 1998 in Lockenhaus
Lockenhaus
Lockenhaus is a town in the district of Oberpullendorf in Burgenland in Austria.- History :The town was part of Hungary since the foundation of the kingdom in the year 1000. Since 1898 the name Léka had to be used because of the Magyarization by the government in Budapest...
. Raskatov was a member of the Union of Soviet Composers
Union of Soviet Composers
The USSR Union of Composers or Union of Composers of the USSR , , was a professional organisation of composers in the Soviet Union...
; after the collapse of the Soviet Union he is a member of the Composers' Union of Russia. In the early nineties he moved to 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...
, then to France in 2004. Raskatov is a member of the Russian Authors' Agency (RAO).
Musical style
Raskatov’s music, especially his sound development, is influenced by Modest Mussorgski and Anton WebernAnton 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...
. His vocal works are often based on texts of Russian poets like Alexander Blok
Alexander Blok
Alexander Alexandrovich Blok was a Russian lyrical poet.-Life and career:Blok was born in Saint Petersburg, into a sophisticated and intellectual family. Some of his relatives were literary men, his father being a law professor in Warsaw, and his maternal grandfather the rector of Saint Petersburg...
or Joseph Brodsky
Joseph Brodsky
Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky , was a Russian poet and essayist.In 1964, 23-year-old Brodsky was arrested and charged with the crime of "social parasitism" He was expelled from the Soviet Union in 1972 and settled in America with the help of W. H. Auden and other supporters...
. His viola concerto 'Path-Put-Chemin-Weg' was commissioned on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Yuri Bashmet and Valeri Gergiev and premiered in Le Chatelet in January 2003. A documentary on the concerto was recorded by the Dutch National Television (NTR) and can be viewed via the link
http://beta.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1106395
Irina Schnittke, Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke ; November 24, 1934 – August 3, 1998) was a Russian and Soviet composer. Schnittke's early music shows the strong influence of Dmitri Shostakovich. He developed a polystylistic technique in works such as the epic First Symphony and First Concerto Grosso...
’s widow, entrusted him with the reconstruction of Schnittke’s Ninth Symphony of 1998, which he finished in 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nEo0F-uvTM
In June 2010 his first opera - A Dog's Heart - received its world premiere at the Dutch National Opera (Amsterdam). It rapidly gained high international acclaim and was scheduled for a series of performances in the UK in November 2010 (English National Opera, London). A series of performances is planned at "La Scala del Milano" in 2013.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5oz7yhHg84&feature=relmfu
His most recent musical piece entitled 'A White Nights Dream' was premiered at the Royal Festival Hall (London, UK; cond. Vladimir Jurowski) in September 2011.
Selected works
Opera- The Pit and the Pendulum (Колодец и маятник), Opera in 5 episodes (1989–1991); libretto in Russian by Alexei Parin after the story by Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
- A Dog's Heart (Собачье сердце), Opera in 2 acts (18 scenes with an epilogue) (2008–2009); libretto in Russian by Cesare Mazzonis after the story by Mikhail BulgakovMikhail BulgakovMikhaíl Afanásyevich Bulgákov was a Soviet Russian writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which The Times of London has called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.-Biography:Mikhail Bulgakov was born on...
Orchestral
- Xenia for chamber orchestra (1991)
- Steady Time, 3 Orchestral Interludes (2007)
Wind ensemble
- Paradise Lost? (1999)
- Pro–kofiev et Contra–kofiev (1999)
Concertante
- Night Hymns, Chamber Concerto for piano and 11 instruments (1982–1984)
- Concerto for oboe and 15 strings (1987)
- 6 Psalmodies for viola, harp and 15 strings (1990)
- Commentary on a Vision for solo percussion and orchestra (1991)
- Miserere for viola, cello and orchestra (1992)
- Farewell from the Birds of Passage for alto saxophone, percussion and string orchestra (1994)
- Primal Song (Urlied) for viola and 15 strings (1995)
- Blissful Music for cello and chamber orchestra (1997)
- Swinging the Dream Pendulum for violin, string orchestra, piano, celesta and harpsichord (1998)
- Ritual II for 4 saxophones, percussion, piano and string orchestra (1998–1999)
- 5 Minuten aus dem Leben von W.A.M. (not a "not-turno") for violin solo, string orchestra and percussion (2001)
- Concerto "Path" (Путь; Chemin; Weg) for viola and orchestra (2002)
- Gens extorris for piano and string orchestra (2005)
- Bel Canto for viola, string orchestra and temple gong (2008)
- In Excelsis, Concerto for violin and orchestra (2008)
Chamber music
- Byline for cello and piano (1974)
- Little Triptych for oboe solo (1975)
- Canti for viola solo (1978)
- Dramatic Games, Sonata for cello (1979)
- 4 Bagatelles for 2 violins and bassoon (1980)
- Invitation to a Concert for 2 percussionists (1981)
- Remembrance of an Alpine Rose for 6 percussionists, a musical box (or barrel organ) and tape (1982)
- Muta III for 3 flutes (1986)
- Sentimental Sequences for chamber ensemble (1986)
- 2 Pieces for double bass and piano (1986)
- Sonata for Yuri Bashmet for viola and piano (1988)
- Glosses for bassoon solo (1989)
- Dolce far niente for cello and piano (1991)
- Kyrie eleison for cello solo (1992)
- Madrigal in Metal for five percussionists (1993)
- Eco perpetuo for basson, bass clarinet, percussion, harp, piano, cello and double bass (1993)
- "... I Will See a Rose at the End of the Path ..." for string quartet (1994)
- Xcos for cello and accordion (1994)
- Litania for chamber ensemble (1994)
- Path for 2 cellos and harpsichord (1994)
- Before Thy Throne for violin and percussion (1999)
- Ode to Valentine's Day for 8 cellos and a bottle of champagne (2004)
- Time of Falling Flowers for 6 instrumentalists (2006)
- Cosmogony According to Chagall for chamber ensemble
Keyboard
- Two Pieces for piano (1980)
- Piano Sonata (1981)
- Consolation for piano (1989)
- Punctuation Marks for harpsichord (1989)
- Misteria brevis for piano and percussion (1 performer) (1992)
- Credo in Byzantinum for harpsichord or piano (1995)
- Recordare for piano (2006)
Vocal
- Courtly Songs for soprano and chamber ensemble (1976)
- Starry World for tenor and piano (1977)
- Circle of Singing (Part I) for mezzo-soprano, cello, piano, harpsichord and celesta (1984); words by Vasily ZhukovskyVasily ZhukovskyVasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19th century...
and Evgeny BaratynskyEvgeny BaratynskyYevgeny Abramovich Baratynsky was lauded by Alexander Pushkin as the finest Russian elegiac poet. After a long period when his reputation was on the wane, Baratynsky was rediscovered by Anna Akhmatova and Joseph Brodsky as a supreme poet of thought.- Life :Of noble ancestry, Baratynsky was... - Elegies for high voice and piano (1984)
- Book of Spring for tenor and chamber ensemble (1985); words by Vasily ZhukovskyVasily ZhukovskyVasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19th century...
- Stabat mater, Five Fragments by Samuel Taylor ColeridgeSamuel Taylor ColeridgeSamuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
for counter-tenor and string trio (1988) - Gra-ka-kha-ta for tenor and four percussionists (1988); text by Velimir KhlebnikovVelimir KhlebnikovVelimir Khlebnikov , pseudonym of Viktor Vladimirovich Khlebnikov , was a central part of the Russian Futurist movement, but his work and influence stretch far beyond it.Khlebnikov belonged to Hylaea,...
- Let There Be Night, Five Fragments by Samuel Taylor ColeridgeSamuel Taylor ColeridgeSamuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
for counter-tenor (or mezzo-soprano) and string trio (1989) - "66" for soprano and twelve instruments on a Sonnet by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(1990) - Txetru – Urtext for soprano and percussion (1 performer), clarinet, bass clarinet, viola, cello and double bass (1992)
- Seven Stages of "Hallelujah" for soprano with percussion and piano (1993)
- Pas de deux for soprano with bells and saxophone (1994); words by Antonin ArtaudAntonin ArtaudAntoine Marie Joseph Artaud, more well-known as Antonin Artaud was a French playwright, poet, actor and theatre director...
- Sonnenuntergangslieder (Songs of Sunset) for mezzo-soprano, viola and piano (1995); words by Friedrich HölderlinFriedrich HölderlinJohann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin was a major German lyric poet, commonly associated with the artistic movement known as Romanticism. Hölderlin was also an important thinker in the development of German Idealism, particularly his early association with and philosophical influence on his...
- Gebet (Kaddish) (Prayer) for soprano and string quartet (1996)
- Resurrexi for soprano, mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble (1996–1997)
- Quasi Hamlet for soprano, flute, accordion, percussion and double bass (1997)
- Ritual for voice and percussion (1 performer) (1997); words by Velimir KhlebnikovVelimir KhlebnikovVelimir Khlebnikov , pseudonym of Viktor Vladimirovich Khlebnikov , was a central part of the Russian Futurist movement, but his work and influence stretch far beyond it.Khlebnikov belonged to Hylaea,...
- Praise for 4 male voices and church bells (1998)
- Circle of Singing (Part II) for baritone and piano (2000); texts by Alexander Pushkin and F. Tyuchev
- Voices of a Frozen Land for 7 singers, wind ensemble and percussion (2001)
- In nomine for 8 singers, wind ensemble and percussion (2001)
- "... and meadows merge into the sky ..." for soprano and string quartet (2004); words by Gennadi Aigi, Evgeny BaratynskyEvgeny BaratynskyYevgeny Abramovich Baratynsky was lauded by Alexander Pushkin as the finest Russian elegiac poet. After a long period when his reputation was on the wane, Baratynsky was rediscovered by Anna Akhmatova and Joseph Brodsky as a supreme poet of thought.- Life :Of noble ancestry, Baratynsky was...
and Vasily ZhukovskyVasily ZhukovskyVasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19th century... - Nunc dimittis "In Memoriam Alfred Schnittke" for mezzo-soprano, male voices and orchestra (2007); words by Joseph BrodskyJoseph BrodskyIosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky , was a Russian poet and essayist.In 1964, 23-year-old Brodsky was arrested and charged with the crime of "social parasitism" He was expelled from the Soviet Union in 1972 and settled in America with the help of W. H. Auden and other supporters...
and Starets Siluan
Arrangements and reconstructions
- Modest MussorgskyModest MussorgskyModest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
– Songs and Dances of Death for bass and orchestra (1877); arranged 2007; words by Arseni Golenishchev-Kutuzov - Sergei ProkofievSergei ProkofievSergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
– Sonata for cello, wind ensemble and double bass (1999); arrangement of the Sonata No.2 in C major for cello and piano, Op.119 (1949)
(2007)
- Alfred SchnittkeAlfred SchnittkeAlfred Schnittke ; November 24, 1934 – August 3, 1998) was a Russian and Soviet composer. Schnittke's early music shows the strong influence of Dmitri Shostakovich. He developed a polystylistic technique in works such as the epic First Symphony and First Concerto Grosso...
– Symphony No. 9 (1997/98), reconstruction (2007) - Dmitri ShostakovichDmitri ShostakovichDmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
– String Quartet No.7 in F minor, Op.108 (1960); arrangement for string orchestra (2001)