Lesser known Russian/Soviet composers

[Roy Bland]

[Roy Bland]

[Roy Bland]

https://musalm.ru/en/

[Roy Bland]

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=118579;image

[Roy Bland]

periphereal composers

https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/261207705/FULL_TEXT.PDF

[pjme]

Butsko has been on my radar since a couple of years. Strange, unusual music that hovers between kitsch and the sublime...it is basically tonal, "romantic", I guess, it seems to hark back to Russia's "great past" and to shun contemporary influences, except maybe (early) Stravinsky, some Prokofiev...Weird! maybe he is some sort of folkloric mystic? apparently some of his works are extremely long .
This symphony - suite has a -imho-  stunning soloist in mrs. Panina. I have no idea what she is singing about, but she seems deeply involved....is it a soprano, an alto or contralto?
As most of the information on Butsko is in russian it is difficult to get a clear picture . who is he? and why?

I met him before....

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,26195.msg1168770.html#msg1168770

[Roy Bland]

Butsko has been on my radar since a couple of years. Strange, unusual music that hovers between kitsch and the sublime...it is basically tonal, "romantic", I guess, it seems to hark back to Russia's "great past" and to shun contemporary influences, except maybe (early) Stravinsky, some Prokofiev...Weird! maybe he is some sort of folkloric mystic? apparently some of his works are extremely long .
This symphony - suite has a -imho-  stunning soloist in mrs. Panina. I have no idea what she is singing about, but she seems deeply involved....is it a soprano, an alto or contralto?
As most of the information on Butsko is in russian it is difficult to get a clear picture . who is he? and why?

I met him before....

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,26195.msg1168770.html#msg1168770

Dear Pjme
i would begin from his own page
https://www.butsko.ru/
listen symphonic works
"Lysistrata"
symphonic scenes based on Aristophanes
Radio Symphony Orchestra "Orpheus"
conductor - Denis Kirpanev

and read essays
https://vestnik.ippolitovka.ru/vipusk1-12-2023-eng/tpost/jcuvivzux1-yuri-butsko-composer-teacher-thinker
https://nfilatova.ru/science/statja_o_butsko/?ysclid=m4dm14kvz753691429
Best

[AnotherSpin]

Butsko has been on my radar since a couple of years. Strange, unusual music that hovers between kitsch and the sublime...it is basically tonal, "romantic", I guess, it seems to hark back to Russia's "great past" and to shun contemporary influences, except maybe (early) Stravinsky, some Prokofiev...Weird! maybe he is some sort of folkloric mystic? apparently some of his works are extremely long .
This symphony - suite has a -imho-  stunning soloist in mrs. Panina. I have no idea what she is singing about, but she seems deeply involved....is it a soprano, an alto or contralto?
As most of the information on Butsko is in russian it is difficult to get a clear picture . who is he? and why?

I met him before....

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,26195.msg1168770.html#msg1168770

I don't remember ever listening to or being interested in Yuri Butsko's music, but I can definitely say that his name is undoubtedly Ukrainian, not Russian. Wikipedia confirms that he was born in Ukraine, in the Poltava region. In his youth, he went to Moscow to study, where he settled, initially fascinated by ancient history, and later by music. Clearly, he lost his identity — aggressive assimilation was carried out in the USSR, where, regardless of one's origin, everyone was considered part of the newly invented historical community of the "Soviet people" (=Russians).

[pjme]

Thanks for your reaction. i will keep listening.

In 2018 I found this 

 Yuri Boutsko (b. 1938 - d.2015) has devoted his life and art to adapting the old Russian chant (called "znamenny rospev") to modern times, while at the same time preserving its context and religious meaning. The znamenny chant is interpreted by Butsko as "the ideal of spiritual perfection, a goal to be constantly pursued." The composer has constructed an original system determining the "method of working with znamenny chant." The underlying principle of the system is a melodic scale extracted from znamenny chant (the ancient Russian tone-row). Although the scale is limited by the compass of a human voice, Boutsko extends it in by adding tri-tones [or trichords] above and below until the initial starting pitch is restored. The system is open and contains twelve tones. Boutsko describes it as a kind of Russian dodecaphony, applying a twelve-tone row extracted from Russian material. Boutsko's religious approach determines specific qualities of his music: extended durations, a continuous elaboration of each image or motive, and an absence of sharp contrasts. The ever intense 'tone' and the need to shape an exhaustive statement generate the quality of "extended time," sometimes to the extent of meditation.
Boutsko's music has been widely performed in Russia and many other countries.

Source: https://uiowa.edu/cnm/festival-composers

I. Вьюн над водой: (Плач) ....(shout or cry)
II. Ах вы, ветры: (Причитание) .....(lament or elegy)
III. Слава: (Величальная) ......(cheering or joy, glory)

[Roy Bland]

[Cato]

Dear Pjme

i would begin from his own page
https://www.butsko.ru/
listen symphonic works
"Lysistrata"
symphonic scenes based on Aristophanes
Radio Symphony Orchestra "Orpheus"
conductor - Denis Kirpanev

and read essays

https://vestnik.ippolitovka.ru/vipusk1-12-2023-eng/tpost/jcuvivzux1-yuri-butsko-composer-teacher-thinker
https://nfilatova.ru/science/statja_o_butsko/?ysclid=m4dm14kvz753691429
Best

Thanks for your reaction. i will keep listening.

In 2018 I found this

 Yuri Boutsko (b. 1938 - d.2015) has devoted his life and art to adapting the old Russian chant (called "znamenny rospev") to modern times, while at the same time preserving its context and religious meaning. The znamenny chant is interpreted by Butsko as "the ideal of spiritual perfection, a goal to be constantly pursued." The composer has constructed an original system determining the "method of working with znamenny chant." The underlying principle of the system is a melodic scale extracted from znamenny chant (the ancient Russian tone-row). Although the scale is limited by the compass of a human voice, Boutsko extends it in by adding tri-tones [or trichords] above and below until the initial starting pitch is restored. The system is open and contains twelve tones. Boutsko describes it as a kind of Russian dodecaphony, applying a twelve-tone row extracted from Russian material. Boutsko's religious approach determines specific qualities of his music: extended durations, a continuous elaboration of each image or motive, and an absence of sharp contrasts. The ever intense 'tone' and the need to shape an exhaustive statement generate the quality of "extended time," sometimes to the extent of meditation.

Many thanks to Roy Bland and PJME for the information and links!

I found this to be of interest:

[Cato]

I came across this essay about the music of Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov for the movie Andrei Rublev by Andrei Tarkovsky.

I do not know anything about Julia Holter, but her comments are on target:

"Holter's music has long been described as avant-pop, with her albums known to switch unpredictably between gentle introspection and organised chaos – she's just as inspired by Gyorgy Ligeti as she is Joni Mitchell.

Holter believes this kind of juxtaposition is also present in composer Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov's score for Andrei Rublev.

"It's obviously a very fragmented film that's more about emotion than plot, and his score speaks to this, but very subtly," she explains. "You can feel the sounds right in the pit of your stomach. I like that the score can create this atmosphere of dread but then knock you away with a gorgeous choir or string section. It has an element of unpredictability."

See:

https://lwlies.com/articles/know-the-score-julia-holter-andrei-rublev/

[Roy Bland]

[Roy Bland]

Wartime series no longer on Northern Flowers
https://spb-orchestra.ru/muzyka-voennoj-pory/

[ChamberNut]

Wartime series no longer on Northern Flowers
https://spb-orchestra.ru/muzyka-voennoj-pory/

That looks interesting!

[Roy Bland]

[Roy Bland]

moldovian music