Composer

Sergei Slonimsky

BIOGRAPHY

Sergei Slonimsky (1932-2020), a prominent Russian composer, was born into the family of well-known writer Mikhail Slonimsky. He graduated from the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory in 1955 where he studied with composer and pedagogue, Orest Evlakhov and piano with Vladimir Nilsen. He also studied at the Musical College in Moscow from 1943 until 1950. Sergei Slonimsky serves on the composition faculty at the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory, since 1959.

Sergey Slonimsky is a People’s Artist of Russia (1987), and received numerous honours and awards as: State Prize of the Russian Federation (2001), Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR (1983), International Baltic Star Prize (2009), and Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. In May 2010, he was invited as a honored guest to the Festival “Wall to Wall Behind the Wall” in New York (USA).

Sergei Slonimsky is an important composer, without whom Russian music would be incomplete and less controversial. It is not easy to find composers who, with the same success, utilize virtually every existing classical and modern music genre in their compositions.

His output covers opera, symphony, ballet, oratorio, and sonata. He is the author of numerous chamber compositions, music for folk instruments, and teaching pieces for children. His vividly imaginative compositions show a brilliant composer’s mastery. Slonimsky draws on many historical eras and cultural epochs: Antiquity, Middle Ages and Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism, and Romanticism. His music consists of a variety of images that contain an abundance of artistic information.

Sergei Slonimsky is a versatile musical personality. He is a composer, a pianist, a music scholar, and a pedagogue. Slonimsky made a name for himself in modern Russian music as one of the leaders in the Soviet musical movement that came to life in the 1960s. As a musicologist, he worked out a new system of rhythmic notation, which he called “rhythmic neums.”

While teaching at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, he developed a school of composers and musicologists and guided many of his students into successful careers in music, among them the conductors Vladislav Chernushenko, Vasily Sinaisky and Yuri Simonov.

Slonimsky’s musical reality is extensive; it encompasses Antiquity, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism and Romanticism. In Slonimsky’s music, one can hear the influence of the folklore and secular traditions of different time periods and styles, along with jazz and rock. Slonimsky was also influenced by the most significant tendencies of twentieth century culture, including polystylistic synthesis and a free combination of folklore elements with professional music. He studied such trends as Neoclassicism, Neobaroque, and innovations of the New-Viennese school and the composers of Les Six. Even though Slonimsky assimilated all of these trends, it is difficult and perhaps impossible to attribute any of them to him. He freely and boldly blended modern techniques of composition with a classical manner of writing and formed his own musical language based upon his brilliant knowledge of folklore.

The peculiarity of Slonimsky’s artistic consciousness is in the intermingling of Western and Slavophile tendencies. His contemporaries often favored one of these tendencies: Alfred Schnittke and Edison Denisov followed more Western traditions, while Georgy Sviridov and Valery Gavrilin were Slavophiles. In contrast, Slonimsky intertwined both Western and national Russian traditions, which he interpreted rather unpredictably. Moreover, he turned towards other cultures, incorporating foreign material and splendidly transforming it into his own.

FEATURED PUBLICATIONS

WORKS

1957 The Carnival Overture for symphony orchestra.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1958 Symphony No 1 for symphony orchestra (in 3 movements) 30’
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1964 Concerto Buffo for chamber orchestra.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1970 Suite from the “Ikar” (“lcarus”) ballet for symphony orchestra (in 7 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1973 Concerto for symphony оrchеstrа, three electric guitars and soloing instruments (in 3 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

1973 Dramatic Song for symphony orchestra.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

1975 Festive Music for balalaika, lozhki and symphony orchestra.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

1975 Symphonic Motet 12’
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

1978 Symphony No 2 for symphony orchestra (in 3 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1981 Silent Music for sуmрhоnу orchestra
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1982 Symphony No 3 for full symphony orchestra (in 4 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1982 Symphony No 4 for symphony orchestra (in 4 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1983 Concerto primaverile (Spring Concerto) for violin and string or­chestra (in 3 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1983 Symphony No 5 for symphony orchestra (in 3 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1984 Symphony No 6 for symphony orchestra
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (sсоre)

1984 Sуmphony No 7 for symphony orchestra (in 5 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1985 Symphony No 8 for string orchestra, trumpet and bells
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1987 Concerto for оbое аnd сhаmbеr ensemble (in 2 movements) 20’
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1987 Symphony No 9 for full symphony orchestra (in 2 movements) 20’
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1988 Slavonian Concerto for organ and string orchestra (in 3 movements) 20’
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1991 Ароllо аnd Marcius, symphony with flute and harp solo
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1992 Symphony No 10 «Infernal Circles». After Dante (in 9 movements) for full symphony orchestra
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1994 St. Petersburgian Visions for symphony orchestra
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1996 Symphoniette for symphony orchestra (in 3 movements) 20’
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1997 Jewish Rhapsody, сoncerto [No 1] for piano, strings, flute and percus­sion (in 3 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1998 Concerto for violoncello and сhаmbеr orchestra (in 3 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

2001 Concerto for piano and orchestra No 2 (in 3 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

2002 Russian Kaleidoscope (60 years after the battle of Stalingrad) for ensemble
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

2003 Suite from the ballet “Princess Pirlipat or Punished Nobility” (in 9 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

2003 Pavlovsk valtz-gallopade 10’
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

2003 Symphony№11 (in 4 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

2003 Princess the Frog, concert suite based on the Russian folk tale
for balalaika and Symphony Orchestra (in 6 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

2004 Symphony №12 (in 4 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

2004 Symphony №13 (Four stasims from the tragedy) (in 4 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

2005 Concerto-Symphony for alto domra and Symphony or Folk Orchestra (in 3 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

1964 Dialogues, inventions for flute, оboe, clarinet, bassoon and French-horn.
Manuscript is in the author’s archives (score)

1968 Antiphones for string quartet.
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

1969 Chromatic Роеm for organ.
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

1973 Shortest Pieces for piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

1975 Solo espressivo for оbое solo.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1976 Exotic Suite for two violins, two electric guitars, saxophone and
percussion (in 3 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1980 Novgorodian Dance for clarinet, trombone, сеllо, piano and percussion
(with tape-record).
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1980 Intermezzo to the Memory of J. Brahms for piano
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1981 Musica lirica for flute, violin and clavecin.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1981 Suite оf Тravellings for piano (in 4 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1981 Album for Children and Youths, pieces for piano
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

1983 In the World оf Animals, children’s Suite for сеllо and piano
(junior forms) (in 5 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1984 Monodia оп the Reading of Euripidis for violin solo.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1986 Sonata for violin and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive. .

1986 Sonata for сеllо and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1987 Тwo pieces after the tales bу Perrot for piano, 4 hands.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1988 Elegy to the Memory of Sibelius for piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1988 Тwo Pieces for piano, 4 hands.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1988 Тwo Pieces for piano, 4 hands.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1989 American Rhapsody оn the Тhеmе G. H. for two pianos and clavecin.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1989 French Suite from the music to the play “Death of Robespierre” bу R. Rolland
for piano (in 7 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1990 The Princess, Unable to Cry, suite after the tale by Baumbach.
for piano (in 7 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1990 King-musician, suite after the tale by Brothers Grimm.
for piano (in 4 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1990 Тwo Tales, for harp.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1990 Recitative, Aria, Burlesque, for flute, piano and percussion.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

1993 Reminiscences of the Nineteenth century, cycle of piano pieces (in 3 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1994 Twenty Four Preludes and Fugue for piano
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1994 Alba for flute and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1996 Тhе Сhесhеn Rhapsody for harp.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1997 Lamento furioso for clarinet, violin and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

1997 Korean Suite, five pieces for piano with moving pentatonism in the melody
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1999 Northern Ballad to the Memory оf Grieg for piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

2000 Trio for violin, сеllо and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

1959 Suite for viola and piano (in 4 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1960 Sonata for violin solo (in 4 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1961 Pastorale and Toccata for organ.
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

1962 Sonata for piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1964 Three Pieces for сеllо solo
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

VOCAL-SYMPHONY COMPOSIТIONS

1961 Songs of Vagabonds, vocal-symphonic cycle 24’
for mezzo soprano, baritone and Sуmрhоnу Orchestra
to the words of the Russian folk songs (in 9 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1963 Voice from Choir, cantata for soloists, choir, organ and Chamber’ Orches­tra. Verses bу А. Bloc (in 7 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1974 Virineya, оratorial suite from the same nаmе ореrа
for soloists, miхеd choir and symphony orchestra
Words bу S. Tsenin (in 9 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1981 Магу Stuart, vocal-symphonic suite from the same nаmе ореrа
for soloists, choir and symphony orchestra.
Words bу Yа. Gordin. (in 9 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1998 One day of life, cantata to the text of «Chapter of a thousand».
Translated from Old Indian by V. Toporov.

1999 Тhе Visions of Ioann Grozny, oratorial suite after the same nаmе opera
for soloists, choir and symphony orchestra. Words bу Yа. Gordin
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

2003 Requiem (in 14 movements)
Canonical Latin texts
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

2005 Concerto-Symphony for alto domra and Symphony
or Folk Orchestra in 3 movements
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

CHORAL COMPOSHIONS

1967 Two Russian Songs for choir а сарреllа. Folk words
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1969 Northern Landscapes for choir а сарреllа
Verses bу Vs. Rozhdestvensky
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1972 Сhorаl Games for children’s choir, boy soloist and two percussions
Verses bу А. Vvedensky.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1973 Evening Music for choir а сарреllа and tam-tam. Without words
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1974 Four Russian Folk Songs for choir а cappella. Fo1k words
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1974 I’ll tell you with the finаl uprightness, choir а cappella to the verses
bу О. Mande1stam.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1977 Silent Don, concerto for mixed choir а cappellа to the verses of old
Cossack songs. After the novel bу М. Sholokhov
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1982 White Night, a cappella chorus. Verses bу В. Okudzhava
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1983 Four Stasims from the Тragedy «Oedipus in Colon» bу Sophoclus
for mixed choir а сарреllа. Translated from Ancient Greek bу S. Shervinsky
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1983 Little Тriptych for choir а сарреllа. Verses bу S. Orlov
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1985 Three Choruses to the Poems bу A. Fet for choir а сарреllа.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1986 Behind the River (Zarechye), three songs to the verses bу
А. Prokofiev for choir а сарреllа.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1988 Five English Songs for children’s choir with piano and а сарреllа.
Translated into Russian bу S. Marshak
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1992 Forest Musicians for children’s choir and percussion. Folk words
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1992 House for Notes for children’s choir. Verses bу G. Lyakhovitskaya
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1993 То Lyre. Horatius’ Ode for mixed choir, harp and trombone
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1993 Monument for men’s choir and trombone. Verses bу Horatius
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

2000 Greeting Canticle to the Universal Club of Petersburgians
for choir a cappella. Words by A. Yemelyanov
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

CНAMBER-VOCAL COMPOSIТIONS

1958 Spring Has Соте! Vocal suite for mean voice and piano
to the verses bу the Japanese poets (in 5 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1959 Songs of Vagabonds, vocal cycle for mezzosoprano, baritone and piano.
Words of the Russian folk songs (in 9 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

1963 Polish Lines, vосa1 cycle to the poems bу Antony Slonimsky
for mezzosoprano and flute (in 4 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1964 Lyrical Lines, vocal cycle for voice and piano.
Verses bу Yе. Rein (in 5 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1966 Farewell to Friend, vocal scene for high voice and piano.
From the Sumerian epos of Hilgamesh.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1967 David’s Psalms. Monologues for high voice, оboe, French-horn and
harp. Texts аrrangеmеnt bу Yа. Druskin.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1969 Six Romances to the Verses bу А. Akhmatova for voice and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1971 Festive Songs. Vоса1 cyc1е to the verses bу D. Кharms for soprano,
flute piccolo, tuba and percussion (in 7 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1974 Four Poems bу О. Mandelstam for voice and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1974 Теn Poems bу А. Akhmatova for voice and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1975 Songs of Тroubadours. То the old German and old Provence lyrics
for soprano, tenor, 4 block-flutes and lute (in 11 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1975 Pesnokhorka for contralto, flute, оboe, trumpet, balalaika, accordion, 1ozhki, vibraphone and 3 electric guitars. Folk words.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1975 «Song of Songs» bу Solomon, lyrical fragment for soprano, tenor,
chamber choir, оbое, French-horn and harp.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1983 Strophes from «Dhammapada» from the ancient Indian literature
for soprano, flute, harp and percussions.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1985 Six Duets for soprano, mezzosoprano and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1985 Five Romances to the Poems bу М. Lermontov
for tenor and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1986 Songs to the Verses bу М. Tsvetayeva for voice (contralto) and guitar (in 9 movements)
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1987 Rubai, five poems bу Abdurrahman Jami for tenor and piano.
Trans­lated from the old Persian into Russian bу Y. Zvyagintseva.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1987 Five Songs to the Verses bу В. Akhmadulina for voice and guitar.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1988 Nadira’s Gazelles for soprano and piano. Translated from the
Usbekian into Russian bу S. Ivanov.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1990 Six Romances to the Poems bу O. Mandelstam for voice and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1993 Reminiscences of the Old Romance, duets for soprano,
mezzosoprano and piano
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1993 То Lydia (Lovers Quarrel). Ode bу Horatius (III, 9). For soprano,
baritone and piano. Translated into Russian bу N. Romanovsky.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1994 Drei Lieder nасh Versen von Jossip Mandelstam.
Deutsch von Paul Celan (Тhree Songs to the роеrns bу Osip Mandelstam,
translated to German bу Paul Celan) for mezzosoprano, violin, сеllо and piano
Manuscript is in the author’s archive

1995 То the Death of G. Zhukov, ballad for baritone, flute, сellо,
piano and percussion to the verses bу I. Brodsky.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1995 Moscow, the Coarse, three songs to the verses bу S. Yesenin
for basso, guitar and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

1995 А Failure’s Songs, five heartrending romances to the verses bу Yе. Rein for bass, guitar, piano and percussion.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1997 Three Poems bу А. Kushner for voice, flute and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1997 Six Romances to the Poems bу M. Lermontov and G. Derzhavin
for mezzosoprano, baritone and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

1999 Тwo Songs to the Verses bу А. Gorodnitsky for basso and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

2000 Three Romances to the Poems bу А. Kushner for voice and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

2001 Three Songs to the Verses bу N. Rubtsov for basso and piano.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

2001 А Маn from the Bar, suite for bass, saxophone and piano.
Poems bу Yе. Rein.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive.

2002 Three Songs to the lyrics by Eugene Rein
for bass, trombone and wooden bar
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

2002 Spanish Epigrams for middle voice and piano
Translation by V.Vasiliev
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

2003 Hello, Hell! for bass, double bass, piano
Three poems by A. Kondratova
Manuscript is in the author’s archives

1967 Virineya, musical drama in three parts
Libretto bу S. Tsenin after the nоvеl by L. Seyfulina.
Manuscripts is in St. Petersburg Mussorgsky
State Academic Ореrа and Ballet Theatre (score)
and in the author’s archive (piano score)

1970 Ikar (Icarus), ballet in 5 scenes
Libretto bу Yu. Slonimsky.
Manuscripts is in State Academical Bolshoy Theatre
and State Academical Mariinsky Theatre
(score, piano score)

1972 Master and Margarite, chamber opera
Libretto bу Yu. Dimitrin and V. Fialkovsky.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score)

1980 Mary Stuart, opera-ballad.
Libretto bу Yа. Gordin.
Manuscripts is in the author’s archive (score, piano score)

1991 Hamlet, drаmmа реr musica in 3 acts 150’
after the tragedy bу W. Shakespeare trans1ated bу В. Pasternak.
Libretto bу Ya. Gordin and S. Slonimsky.
Manuscript is in Samara Academic Ореrа and Ballet Theatre
and Кrasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre (score)

1995 Тhе Visions of Ioann Grozny, thе Russian tragedy in 14 visions 150’
with three epilogues and overture.
Libretto bу Yа. Gordin according to the histori­саl documents
of the 16th century.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

1995 Кing Ixion, chamber opera (monodic drama) 150’
after the ancient myth and the tragedy bу I. Annensky,
with choir and chamber orchestra. Libretto bу S. Slonimsky.
Manuscript is in the author’s archive (score).

2001 King Lear, dramma реr musica 150’
аftеr the tragedy bу W. Shakespeare,
translated bу В. Pasternak. Libretto bу S. Slonimsky.
Manuscripts is in the author’s archive (score).

2001 Princess Pirlipat, a ballet in one act 60’
Libretto bу M. Shemyakin after E. Th. А. Hоffmann’s «Таlе of the Tough Nut»
from the «Serapion Brothers».
Manuscripts is in the author’s archive (score, piano score).

2003 The Magic Nut, а ballet in two acts 100’
Libretto by M. Shemyakin, after E. Th. A. Hoffmann’s
“Tale of the Tough Nut”

1964 Before the History’s Verdict, music to film.
Producer F. Ermler. Film Studio “Lenfilm”.

1966 RepubIic оf Shkid, music to film.
Producer G. Poloka. Film Studio “Lenfilm” .

1967 Intervention, mиsic to film.
Producer G. Poloka. Film Studio Lenfilm.

1972 Inspector, music to the performance of the Gorky Bolshoy Drama Theatre.
After the play bу N. V. Gogol. Producer G. Tovstonogov.

1974 Romantics, music to the performance of the Leningrad
Academic Comedy Theatre after the play bу Е. Rostand. Producer Y. Golikov.

1977 Silent Don, music to the performance of the Gorky Bolshoy Drama Тheatre
after the novel bу М. Sholokhov. Producer G. Tovstonogov.

1989 Robespierre, music to the performance after the dramatic play
bу R. Rolland “Death of Robespierre”. Komissarzhevskaya Drama Theatre.
Producer R. Agamirzian.