Alexander Raskatov was born in 1953. He studied composition in the class of Albert Leman at the Moscow Conservatory and then completed a four-year aspirant position. In the early 1990s he moved to Germany, later to France, where he worked as a freelance composer. In 1990 he was composer in residence at Stenton University, in 1998 in Lockenhaus. He received numerous grants and well-known composition commissions. The sophisticated sound development and concentrated material treatment reveal influences of Stravinsky and Webern in Raskatov. His numerous vocal works are based on texts from recent Russian poetry (including Blok, Baratynski, Chlebnikow, Brodsky). In addition, he dealt intensively with the Russian futurists of the 1920s (including Mossolow, Roslawetz) and completed some of the surviving fragments. Irina Schnittke entrusted him with the reconstruction of the 9th symphony of her husband, who died in 1998.
Commission from World Top Performers including Yuri Bashmet, Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Radio-France and Festival Presence, Gidon Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica, Frankfurt Fest, Dennis Russel Davies and the Stuttgart Kammerorchester, Basel Sinfonie Orchester, Jaap van Zweden and Dallas Sympony Orchestra, Vadim Repin and the Trans-Siberian Festival, Opera de Lyon, the Dutch National Opera (Amsterdam) and others.
Notable awards and other important facts:
1998 – Recipient of the Main Composition Prize at the Salzburg Easter Festival;
2003 – TV of Holland made a special film dedicated to his Viola Concerto «Path», which was performed by Yuri Bashmet and Valery Gergiev with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra; 2014 – The opera «A Dog’s Heart» received a prize for the best opera creation of the year in France. This opera has been performed at the DNO Amsterdam (2010), the ENO London (2010), La Scala de Milano (2013), Opera de Lyon (2014) and again at the DNO Amsterdam (2017), with a total of 32 performances;
2014 – Laureate of the Grand Prix Antoine Livio (Paris);
2018 – The opera «GerMANIA» (based on Heiner Mueller’s work, with the libretto written by the composer) was performed at the Opera de Lyon and was listed on Awards Operas 2019;
2018 – Premiere of the new opera «Eclipse» at the Mariinsky Theatre under the baton o Valery Gergiev. Currently he is working on a new opera by J. Orwell «Animal Farm» commissioned by the Amsterdam Opera House.
A composer of music of «high drama» and «intense emotion» (BBC), «at once, ingenious, hypnotic, brave, and beautiful» (Festival Internazionale A.F. Lavagnino), Eugene Birman has written for symphony orchestras (London Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orquestra Gulbenkian), choirs (BBC Singers, Latvian Radio Choir, Eric Ericsons Kammarkör), and leading ensembles and soloists (Maxim Vengerov, Maurizio Ben Omar, etc.) across four continents in venues ranging from London’s Southbank Centre to Carnegie Hall to above the Arctic Circle. His highly public career, with appearances on CNN, BBC World TV, Radio France, Deutsche Welle, and others, is characterized by a fearless focus on socially relevant large-scale compositions covering the financial crisis, Russian border treaties, and more.
Commissioners and partners for Birman’s work extend beyond the concert hall to major international bodies such as the European Union, the Austrian Foreign Ministry, and the Hong Kong SAR, as well as through prominent fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation (2018) and the US Department of State’s Fulbright Program (2010-11). Most recently, he was awarded the 2017 Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize, leading to a season-long residency at the Southbank Centre and world premiere with the Philharmonia Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall, and appointed the sole Artist-in-Residence of the 2018 Helsinki Festival, Finland’s biggest yearly cultural event. The forthcoming concert seasons will see collaborations with the Berlin Philharmonic, Theatre of Voices, EXAUDI, and a virtual-reality opera with the Osage Art Foundation in Hong Kong.
Born in 1987 in Moscow, Russia, he began his musical education at the Moscow Gnessin State Musical College in violin. A D. Phil recipient from the University of Oxford, he also holds degrees from Columbia University, the Juilliard School, and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana.
Pavel Karmanov was born in 1970 in the city of Bratsk in the Irkutsk region in a family of musicians. He started to compose music at the age of 5, graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1995 and joined the Moscow Union of Composers a year later. Since his student years he has participated in major Russian festivals of contemporary music: Moscow Autumn and Alternative. His compositions has also been performed at the following festivals: Sound Route Tokyo – Moscow (Japan, 1999), the E. Denisov Festival (Tomsk, 2003), Warsaw Autumn (2005), the Dmitry Shostakovich Festival in Seattle (USA, 2006), etc. Karmanov’s compositions are widely performed in Moscow and St Petersburg and in significant cultural centers all over the world.
Karmanov received commissions from and has been played by world-famous artists, including the violist and conductor Yuri Bashmet; the pianist and harpsichordist Alexei Lubimov; the pianists Alexei Goribol, Polina Osetinskaya, Vladislav Pesin; the violinist, violist and conductor Nazar Kozhukhar and his Pocket Symphony ensemble; the violinist Tatiana Grindenko and her Opus Posth ensemble, Mark Pekarsky’s Percussion Ensemble, Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, the director Yuri Kasparov; One Orchestra (Saint-Petersburg), Seattle Chamber Players ensemble (USA), and many others. Karmanov’s music can be heard on stage and also in advertising trailers on radio and TV, and in soundtracks for television series. As a result of Karmanov’s lively co-operation with leading Russian film directors, he has written a number of film scores for both documentaries and movies, including works by Alexei Khanutin, Timur Bekmambetov, Andrei Proshkin, Nurbek Egen, Alexander Kott, Anna Fenchenko, etc.
Karmanov has made music in various styles ranging from serialism and sonorism to pseudobaroque. In the early 90s, he took a special interest in post-avant-garde aesthetics and minimalism. Developed from worldwide post-avant-garde practices, Karmanov’s music is now laconic in shape, impressionist in colour, mostly tonal, though many modern styles and techniques blend in his music, and many audio-visual additions are used during concert performances. «Vertep» is possibly one of Karmanov’s most extravagant compositions. In its author’s words, «it could be included in Pink Floyd’s programme!». This is a theatrical mystery play, with participation by the Synodal choir, several academic ensembles and a rock band. Its premiere took place at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in 2002. A premiere of some of Karmanov’s other significant composition took place in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in 2005 – Spring in January, written for Yuri Bashmet, Alexei Lubimov and the Novaya Rossiya Orchestra.
Honored Artist of Russia, Laureate of the St. Petersburg Government Prize, member of the Composers 'and Cinematographers' Unions. Alexander Knaifel was born in 1943 into a family of musicians. Studied at the Special Music School at the Leningrad Conservatory, at the Moscow and Leningrad Conservatories. Author of over a hundred works in all areas of musical art. Knaifel's works are heard on stages, in halls, from screens, on the air in many countries, at major music festivals, in the recordings of leading companies. Alexander Knaifel is the author of over 100 compositions in all areas of musical creativity.
The premieres of his works are performed at major music festivals in Paris, London, Amsterdam, New York, Zurich, Salzburg, Berlin, Cologne, Maastricht, Ferrara. In 1992, the first monographic festival of the composer took place in Frankfurt am Main. 1993-1994 he spent in Berlin, the first Russian musician to be awarded the international DAAD prize (German Academic Exchange Service, Berlin, 1992). World renowned musician Mstislav Rostropovich inspired the world premiere of Chapter Eight, the santicum canticorum for the temple, choirs and cello (1993), The Fiftieth Psalm (1995) and Beatitudes (1996). In collaboration with the great choreographer L. Jacobson, Knaifel created a choreographic scene «The Penitent Magdalene» (based on the works of Titian and Rodin, 1967) and a choreographic striptease «Disarmament" (based on cartoons by Bidstrup, 1966). The ballet «Hamlet», their last joint idea, remained unfinished. Under the direction of G. Rozhdestvensky, the romantic scenes «The Canterville Ghost» (Air Force London, 1980) and the music of the choreographic symphony «Medea» (Leningrad, 1984) were performed for the first time. In 2001, Pierre Audi staged «Alice in Wonderland» for the Theater of Players, Singers and Dances on the stage of the Royal Theater Carre (Amsterdam), created by Alexander Kneifel for the Netherlands Opera. Knaifel's music has been broadcast by Radio Russia, BBC (UK), Voice of America and National Public Radio (USA), Radio France (France), Deutschlandfunk and WDR (Germany), KRO (Netherlands), Lousanna, Bern (Switzerland). Recordings of Knaifel's compositions were published by Melodiya studio, Chant du Monde, Megadisc Classics, Teldec Classics International, ECM New Series.
Graduated in 1995 from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory in the choral conducting class and in 1998 opera and symphonic conducting. Since 1995 he has been teaching at the St. Petersburg Music College named after Rimsky-Korsakov. As a vocalist, he took part in productions of ancient and modern operas. Among the parties: Latin - “Aeneas in Lazio” by J. Sarti, Orpheus - “Orpheus” K. Monteverdi, Kaufman - “Jacob Lenz” by V. Rome.
As a guest conductor, he collaborated with leading orchestras of Russia, including the Russian State Orchestra named after E.F. Svetlanov, the Russian National Orchestra, the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the choir and orchestra of MusicAeterna and others. Since 2019 conductor of MusicAeterna. Fedor Lednev participated in the productions of the operas at the Perm Opera and Ballet Theater such as «Wozzeck» by A. Berg at the Bolshoi Moscow Theater, «MedeaMaterial» by P. Dusapen, and «Nosferatu» by D. Courlandsky. Performs modern academic music. Permanent conductor of the ensemble «eNsemble» (St. Petersburg) and the Moscow ensemble of contemporary music, performs with the «New Music Studio» and the GAM ensemble (Moscow), the ensembles «Nostri Temporis» (Ukraine), KNM (Germany), «Phoenix» (Switzerland). He participated in the first performance of more than 200 works written by Russian and foreign composers. Laureate of the Nation Theatre Award «Golden Mask» as part of the production team of the ballet «Paquita» (Ural Opera Ballet, Ekaterinburg, 2019)
Member of the Union of Composers of Russia, Member of the Board of the Union of Composers of St. Petersburg, Candidate of History of Art, Professor of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Composer, pianist, teacher. Was born in St. Petersburg in 1955. After graduating from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory in the composition class of Professor S.M. Slonimsky, additionally he studied at composing courses in Poland, Holland and Germany with V. Lutoslawsky, T. de Leeu, B. Fernehow, P.-H. Dittrich. Laureate of international composing competitions in Germany and Switzerland.
In 2007, the All-Russian newspaper «Musical Review» named him «Person of the Year». In 1989 Alexander Radvilovich founded the International New Music Program «Sound Ways» and has been its leader ever since. Within the framework of this program, since 1989, the International Music Festival of New Music «Sound Ways» has been held annually. Since 1990 he has been touring as a composer and pianist, giving lectures at Russian and foreign universities, at international master courses in Europe, Asia and the USA. Radvilovich is the first Russian composer to give lectures at the International Summer Courses in Darmstadt. Jury member of international competitions in Russia, Germany, France, Ukraine, Bulgaria. The composer's music is performed in Russia, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the USA, and is published in Russia, Holland and the USA.
Сomposer, pianist and musicologist. Born 1987 in Russia, St. Petersburg. Associate Professor of the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory named N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov (history of foreign music department). Member of the Union of Composers (since 2010), candidate of art history (2014). Laureate of the Youth Prize of the Government of St. Petersburg (2012). Winner of the composition competition «Pythian Games» («Interesting Cinema» project, 2014). Winner of the St. Petersburg Theater Award «Breakthrough» (2015), special award of the cultural center «ZIL» (Moscow, 2016). Symphonic music was performed by conductors such as Fabio Mastrangelo, Fedor Lednev, Ilya Ioff, Alim Shahmametiev, Alexey Nyaga, Michael Agrest. She is the author of music for twenty-five dramatic performances, among which are the performances of Valery Fokin, Andrey Moguchy, Viktor Ryzhakov, Alexandr Artemov.
Composer. Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In 1986 he graduated from the Tashkent State Conservatoire. After graduating, Yanov-Yanovsky travelled to European Russia, where he benefited from the advice and support of, among others, Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina and Edison Denisov. He was a participant of Master Class in Lerchenborg with P. Ruders and E. Denisov (1992) and he took part in Summer Academia at IRCAM in Paris (1993). Yanov-Yanovsky has won a number of awards for his musical compositions; among them, second prize at the 4th International Competition of Sacred Music (Fribourg, Switzerland, 1991) for his piece «Lacrymosa» for soprano and string quartet; ALEA III International Prize (Boston, 1992) for his work «Presentment» for chamber ensemble and tape; and Special Award of Nantes at the International Film Festival (France, 1992) for the musical score in the film «Kammie».
In 1993-94, Yanov-Yanovsky performed and recorded the chang part in his piece «Chang Music V» with the Kronos Quartet. And in 2000, together with Elisabeth Chojnacka, he performed and recorded his «Music of Dreams» for harpsichord and chang. In 1999 took place two monographic concerts of works by the composer took place in Rome and Torino in 1999, and in Brussels and Mons (Belgium) in 2003. In 2002, Yanov-Yanovsky won a fellowship from Siemens Corporation USA and spent two months in New Jersey as a composer in residence. Between 2002 and 2004, Yanov-Yanovsky was a composer in residence with the Belgian ensemble Musiques Nouvelles. In 2006 he was invited to join other composers in the Carnegie Hall’s Professional Training Workshops for Young Musicians. His works have been performed during the 23rd International Music Festival in Brno (1988), the cycles of concerts Europhonia in Zagreb (1990), the Schleswig-Holstein Festival (1994, 1995), Lerchenborg Music Days (1992, 1994), Vienna Jazz Festival (1993), ISCM World Music Days in Stockholm (1994), Kronos And Friends Festival (1993, 1994), Presences (1993, 2000) in Paris, the 17th Music Biennale Zagreb (1993), the Festival Internationale Cervantino in Mexico (1993), Warsaw Autumn (1997), Moscow Autumn (1996, 1997), Music Today (1995), Munich Biennale (1996), Settembre Musica (2000), Musica Viva's Yarra Valley Festival (2002), Spoleto Festival USA (2002, 2003), Melbourne Festival (2002), Sydney Festival (2003), Alspekte Salzburg (2003) and other festivals. Performers of Yanov-Yanovsky’s music have included the Arditti Quartet, Dawn Upshaw, the Kronos Quartet, the Moscow Ensemble of Contemporary Music, ALEA III Ensemble, Erwartung Ensemble, the New Juilliard Ensemble, Jerusalem Contemporary Players, Xenia Ensemble, Musiques Nouvelles, AntiDogma Musica, the Xenakis Ensemble, the Nieuw Ensemble, Sentieri selvaggi, Alter ego, Joel Sachs, Sarah Leonard, Barbara Bayer, Dennis Rassel Davies, Diego Masson, Phillis Bryn-Julson, Herve Desarbre, Pascal Rophe, Ivan Monighetti, Ensemble Caput, Elisabeth Chojnacka, HK Gruber, David James, Hilliard Ensemble, Yo-Yo Ma, the London Sinfonietta, and 2e2m. In addition to his concert music, Yanov-Yanovsky is known for his scores for 75 films and more than 30 theater performances. In 1996 he founded the International Festival of Contemporary Music ILKHOM-XX in Tashkent. He was an art director of the festival till 2006.
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