Andrei Yakovlevich Eshpai (russian: Андре́й Я́ковлевич Эшпа́й; 15 May 1925 – 8 November 2015) was an ethnic Mari (

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n and

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

) composer. He was awarded the title of

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significan ...

in 1981.

Biography

Eshpai was born at

Kozmodemyansk Kozmodemyansk (russian: Козьмодемьянск) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Kozmodemyansk, Mari El Republic, a town in the Mari El Republic; ;Rural localities * Kozmodemyansk, Sovetsky Distric ...

Mari ASSR The Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Mari ASSR) (Mari language, Mari: Марий Автоном Совет Социализм Республик, ''Mariy Avtonom Sovet Sotsializm Respublik'') was an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics ...

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

to a Mari father and Russian mother. A

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

veteran, he studied

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

from 1948 to 1953 under

Vladimir Sofronitsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Sofronitsky (or Sofronitzky; russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Софрони́цкий, ''Vladimir Sofronitskij''; – August 29, 1961) was a Soviet-Russian classical pianist, best known as an interpr ...

, and composition under Nikolai Rakov,

Nikolai Myaskovsky Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky or Miaskovsky or Miaskowsky (russian: Никола́й Я́ковлевич Мяско́вский; pl, Mikołaj Miąskowski, syn Jakóbowy; 20 April 18818 August 1950), was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is som ...

and

Evgeny Golubev Yevgeny Kirillovich Golubev (russian: Евге́ний Кири́ллович Го́лубев) (16 February 1910 25 December 1988) was a Soviet and Russian composer. Golubev was born and died in Moscow. He was taught by Nikolai Myaskovsky, and h ...

. He performed his postgraduate study under

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; rus, Арам Ильич Хачатурян, , ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan, Ru-Aram Ilyich Khachaturian.ogg; hy, Արամ Խաչատրյան, ''Aram Xačʿatryan''; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet and Armenian ...

from 1953 to 1956. Eshpai was the son of the composer Yakov Eshpai, and the father of the filmmaker

Andrei Andreyevich Eshpai Andrei Andreyevich Eshpai (russian: Андре́й Андре́евич Эшпа́й, born 18 April 1956, Moscow, Russia) is a (Russian and Soviet) film director, screenwriter and producer of Mari descent. Biography He is the son of the co ...

. On 8 November 2015, Eshpai died in Moscow from a stroke at the age of 90.

Notable works

Stage

* ''Nobody Is Happier Than Me'',

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

(1968–1969);

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by V. Konstantinov and B. Ratser * ''Love Is Forbidden'',

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

(1973) * ''Angara'',

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

(1974–1975) * ''A Circle'', ballet (1979–1980)

Orchestral

* ''Symphonic Dances on Mari Themes'' (1951) * Symphony no. 1 in E minor (1959) * Symphony no. 2 in A major "Praise the Light" (1962) * Symphony no. 3 (1964) * Symphony no. 4 "Symphony-Ballet" (1980-1981) * ''Simon Bolivar'', Symphonic Poem (1982) * Symphony No. 5 (1985) * Symphony No. 6 "Liturgic" for mixed chorus, baritone (or bass) and symphony orchestra (1988) * Symphony No. 7 (1991) * ''Games'' (1997) * Symphony No. 8 (2000–2001) * Symphony No. 9 "Four Verses" for symphony orchestra, mixed chorus and narrators (1998–1999)

Concertante

* Piano Concerto No. 1 in F minor (1954) * Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor (1956) * ''Concerto Grosso'', Concerto for orchestra with solo trumpet, piano, vibraphone and double bass (1966–1967) * Piano Concerto No. 2 (1972) * Violin Concerto No. 2 (1977) * Viola Concerto (1987) * Cello Concerto (1989) * Clarinet Concerto (1995) * Flute Concerto (1992) * Violin Concerto No. 3 "Bartok Concerto" (1990–1992) * Violin Concerto No. 4 (1993) * Oboe Concerto (1982) * Concerto for trumpet, trombone and orchestra (1994–1995) * Double Bass Concerto (1994–1995) * Horn Concerto in F major (1995) * Tuba Concerto (2001) * Bassoon Concerto ''Opus Singularis'' (2001)

Other

* 3

violin sonata A violin sonata is a musical composition for violin, often accompanied by a keyboard instrument and in earlier periods with a bass instrument doubling the keyboard bass line. The violin sonata developed from a simple baroque form with no fixed form ...

s * piano compositions * songs

References

External links

Eshpai at Onno van Rijen's site

Eshpai at Peoples
1925 births 2015 deaths People from Mari El Mari people Members of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union 20th-century composers 20th-century pianists 21st-century composers 21st-century pianists Male film score composers Russian ballet composers Russian classical musicians Russian classical pianists Russian film score composers Russian male composers Russian music educators Russian pianists Soviet classical musicians Soviet classical pianists Soviet film score composers Soviet male composers Soviet music educators Soviet pianists Albany Records artists Moscow Conservatory alumni Moscow Conservatory academic personnel Academicians of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences "Nika" Soviet military personnel of World War II People's Artists of the USSR People's Artists of the RSFSR Recipients of the USSR State Prize Lenin Prize winners Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Recipients of the Medal of Zhukov Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery {{Russia-composer-stub