Pavel Ivanovich Necheporenko (russian: Па́вел Ива́нович Нечепоре́нко; – 27 March 2009) was a

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, ...

musician, highly recognized as a virtuoso performer of the balalaika.

Biography

Pavel Ivanovich Necheporenko (sometimes spelled Nechiporenko) was born on , the son of a mariner. By the time of the

Second World War 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 ...

, Necheporenko was already a distinguished balalaikist. Serving in the Soviet navy, he spent the

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of L ...

moving from ship to ship giving morale-boosting solo concerts, earning himself a medal for bravery. After the war, Necheporenko graduated as a conductor from the

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 ...

in 1949. He became the chief conductor of the Andreyev Russian Folk Instruments Orchestra, a post he held till 1955. However, this post was eclipsed by the fact that he was a virtuoso balalaikist in his own right, and was giving solo performances. During the Soviet period he was the winner of an all-union contest of folk instrument performers. He was awarded the

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize * The Stalin Peace Prize, awarded 1949 to 1955, later known as the Lenin Peace Prize The Int ...

in 1952, awarded Honored Artist of the USSR in 1959 and given 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 1969. Of distinguished appearance with wavy grey hair, an inclination to be as formally dressed as possible when photographed with his instrument, and a transcriber of classical pieces for balalaika; Necheporenko, following in the footsteps of

Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev (russian: Василий Васильевич Андреев; 26 December 1918)
article on the city ...

, presents the balalaika as a musical instrument with the same status as any "serious" instrument used in classical music. Among his most famous transcriptions is his Variations on Paganini's 24th Caprice, which Necheporenko played on balalaika without accompaniment. He also wrote original arrangements for balalaika and piano: "Hour by Hour" and "From Village to Village" were pieces most sought out by other balalaika players. Necheporenko worked as a professor at the Gnessin State Musical College for many years. He was considered to be the best teacher in the country by his contemporaries. Many of his students won competitions and found teaching positions at other institutions. Necheporenko would quite often spend a lot of time preparing lessons for his students. New students were usually required to forget everything they knew about balalaika playing and learn Necheporenko's method from scratch. Necheporenko utilized "tough love" to motivate his students to perform at a high level. In 2006, a concert in Moscow was given to celebrate his 90th birthday. Several of his former students performed at this concert and a few expressed to the audience their heartfelt gratitude for all that Necheporenko had given to them as students. Necheporenko died on 27 March 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nechiporenko, Pavel Ivanovich 1916 births 2009 deaths People's Artists of the USSR Russian balalaika players Soviet military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Stalin Prize Soviet musicians