Sergei Nikiforovich Vasilenko (russian: Серге́й Никифорович Василенко, ''Sergej Nikiforovič Vasilenko''; – 11 March 1956) was a Russian and Soviet composer, conductor and music teacher whose compositions showed a strong tendency towards mysticism.
Vasilenko was born in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
and originally studied law at
Moscow State University
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
, but then changed direction and studied at 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 ...
from 1896 to 1901 as a pupil of
Sergei Taneyev
Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev (russian: Серге́й Ива́нович Тане́ев, ; – ) was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of composition, music theorist and author.
Life
Taneyev was born in Vladimir, Vladimir Governorate, Russia ...
and
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov
Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (russian: Михаи́л Миха́йлович Ипполи́тов-Ива́нов; 28 January 1935) was a Russian and Soviet composer, conductor and teacher. His music ranged from the late-Romantic era ...
. From 1903 to 1904 he was the
conductor of a private opera house in Moscow. For several years he was the organiser and conductor of the Historic Concerts of the Russian Musical Society. He then became a Professor at the Moscow Conservatory, where his students included
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 Armenia ...
,
Nikolai Roslavets
Nikolai Andreevich Roslavets (russian: link=no, Никола́й Андре́евич Ро́славец; in Surazh, Chernigov Governorate, Russian Empire – 23 August 1944 in Moscow) was a significant Ukrainian modernist composer of Beloruss ...
,
Nikolai Rakov and
Aarre Merikanto
Aarre Merikanto (29 June 1893 – 28 September 1958) was a Finnish composer.
He was born in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, the son of Elise "Liisa" Häyrynen (1869-1949) and the famous romantic composer, professor Oskar Merikanto (1868-1 ...
.
Vasilenko was awarded two
Orders of the Red Banner of Labour as well as the title
People's Artist of the RSFSR
People's Artist of the RSFSR (russian: Народный артист РСФСР, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchest ...
. In 1947, 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 USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...
. He died in Moscow in 1956.
Selected works
Opera
*''Skazaniye o grade velikom Kitezhe i tikhom ozere Svetoyare'' (Tale of the Great City of Kitezh and the Quiet Lake Svetoyar) (1902; originally a cantata, Op. 5)
*''Sïn solntsa'' (The Son of the Sun), Op. 63 (1929)
*''Khristofor Kolumb'' (Christopher Columbus), Op. 80 (1933)
*''Buran'' (The Snow Storm), Op. 98 (1939)
*''Velikiy kanal'' (The Grand Canal), Op. 101 (1939)
*''Suvorov'', Op. 102 (1942)
Ballet
*''In the Rays of the Sun'', Op. 17 (1925–26)
*''Noya'', Op. 42 (1923)
*''Joseph the Handsome'', Op. 50 (1925)
*''Lola'', Op. 52 (1926)
*''The Gypsies'', Op. 90 (1936; after
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
)
*''The Frog Princess'', Op. 103 (1941)
*''Mirandolina''
Choral
*Cantata ''Legend of the Great City of Kitezh and the Quiet Lake Svetoyar'', Op, 5 (later turned into an opera that anticipated
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's
work on the same subject)
*Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution, Op. 92 (1937)
Incidental music
*
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...
' ''
Alcestis
Alcestis (; Ancient Greek: Ἄλκηστις, ') or Alceste, was a princess in Greek mythology, known for her love of her husband. Her life story was told by pseudo-Apollodorus in his '' Bibliotheca'', and a version of her death and return from t ...
'' (written as a schoolboy)
*other works
Orchestral
*''Three Bloody Battles'', Op. 1 (1900)
*''Epic Poem'', Op. 4 (1900–03)
*Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 10 (1904–06)
*''The Garden of Death'', symphonic poem after
Oscar Wilde, Op. 13 (1907–08)
*''Sappho'', symphonic poem, Op. 14 (1909)
*''Flight of the Witches'', symphonic poem, Op. 15 (1908–09)
*''Au soleil'', symphonic poem, Op. 17
*''Fantastic Waltz'', Op. 18 (1912)
*Symphony No. 2 in F major, Op. 22
*Suite on lute music of the 14th to 17th centuries, Op. 24 (1914)
*''Zodiac'', suite on French themes of the 18th century, Op. 27 (1914)
*''Exotic Suite'', Op. 29 (1915–16)
*''Indian Suite'', Op. 42bis
*''Chinese Suite'', No. 1, Op. 60 (1928)
*''Turkmenian Suite'', Op. 68 (1931)
*''Chinese Suite'', No. 2, Op. 70 (1931)
*''Merry-go-round'', 8 Soviet dances, Op. 73 (1932)
*''The Soviet East'', suite, Op. 75 (1932)
*''Red Army Rhapsody'', Op. 77 (1932)
*film music for
Boris Barnet
Boris Vasilyevich Barnet (russian: Бори́с Васи́льевич Ба́рнет; 18 June 1902 – 8 January 1965) was a Soviet film director, actor and screenwriter of British heritage. He directed 27 films between 1927 and 1963. Barne ...
's ''
Outskirts'' (1933)
*''Slavonic Rhapsody'' (1937)
Concertante
*Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 25 (1910–13)
*Concerto for symphony orchestra and brass band (1928)
*''Suite on Russian Folk Themes'', balalaika and accordion (1928)
*Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra, Op. 113
*Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor, Op. 128
Chamber
*String Quartet in A, Op. 3 (c. 1901)
*Sonata in D minor for viola and piano, Op. 46 (1923); version for violin and piano (1955)
*String Quartet in E minor, Op. 58 (c. 1928)
*Quartet on Turkmenian Themes, for flute, oboe (English horn), clarinet, bassoon and percussion ad lib., Op. 65 (1932)
*Piano Trio in A, Op. 74 (1932)
*''Japanese Suite'' for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, xylophone and piano, Op. 66a (1938)
*''Chinese Sketches'', woodwind, Op. 78 (1938)
*''Quartet on American Themes'', woodwind, Op. 79 (1938)
Military band
*''March of the Red Army'', Op. 64 (1929)
*''Fantasy on Revolutionary Songs of the West'', Op. 71 (1931)
Other
*songs (including settings of
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
,
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
, Indian and Japanese tunes)
*folksong arrangements (including Negro and Turkmenian melodies)
*piano pieces
Recordings
*Sergei Vasilenko: Viola and Piano Music (Complete) - Viola Sonata, Op. 46 / Lullaby / 4 Pieces on Themes of Lute Music of the 16-17th Centuries, Op. 35 / Sleeping River / Oriental Dance, Op. 47 / Suite Zodiakus I.A.S, Op. 27 / 4 Pieces (1953) - Elena Artamonova (viola) and Nicholas Walker (piano).
Toccata Classics
Toccata Classics is an independent British classic music label founded in 2005.
The founder of Toccata Classics is Martin Anderson, a music journalist. The label was founded primarily to promote unrecorded works by lesser-known composers, inc ...
TOCC0127, released 2011
*"The Russian Connection" - Hexagon Ensemble.
Etcetera Records Etcetera Records is a Dutch/Belgian classical music record label founded in Amsterdam in 1982. The original founders were David Rossiter and Michel Arcizet.
In 2002 Coda Distribution bought the label with the late Paul Janse (1967-2014) and Dirk De ...
KTC1246, released 2001 - includes Sergei Vasilenko: Quartet on Turkmenian Themes Op.65
References
Further reading
*
*A. Eaglefield-Hull (ed), ''A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians'' (Dent, London 1924)
*''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians,'' 5th ed. (1954)
See also
External links
Brief biography and list of works*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vassilenko, Sergei Nikiforovich
1872 births
1956 deaths
19th-century male musicians
20th-century composers
20th-century Russian conductors (music)
Russian male conductors (music)
20th-century Russian male musicians
Musicians from Moscow
Imperial Moscow University alumni
Moscow Conservatory alumni
Academic staff of Moscow Conservatory
People's Artists of the RSFSR
Stalin Prize winners
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Composers from the Russian Empire
Conductors (music) from the Russian Empire
Pupils of Sergei Taneyev
Russian ballet composers
Russian opera composers
Russian Romantic composers
Soviet conductors (music)
Soviet male composers
Soviet music educators
Soviet opera composers
Burials at Vvedenskoye Cemetery
Soviet male classical composers