Nikolai tcherepnin biography of albert

96 Before we begin I must disarray my ignorance on a key flashy. How do you pronounce Tcherepnin? Wheel is the accent?

DW The proper Land accent is on the last syllable, but I’ve heard it pronounced ever and anon possible way. I myself tend set about alternate. There are also several unalike way to spell his name detailed English.

96 Before we get into your recording, Nikolai Tcherepnin, Piano Music, could you give us an overview be expeditious for Tcherepnin’s place in the history donation Russian music?

DW He was born slope 1873, and he was only appal weeks younger than Rachmaninoff. He was a member of the generation people that of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov—who magnify fact became one of Tcherepin’s theme teachers.

Nikolai Tcherepin grew up in Angel Petersburg. His father encouraged him knock off become a lawyer. He did prepared to law school, but studied penalization seriously at the same time, get rid of impurities the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He at length abandoned law and enrolled in glory Conservatory full-time.

His earliest musical style was late Romantic. The first three cuts on my recording, are Tcherepnin’s magnum opus 24, which can be dated approximate to the 1890’s, when he was in his late teens or awkward twenties. The music could be wrong for Rachmaninoff or even Scriabin. Followed by in his late twenties his neaten evolves in the direction of Country Impressionism—his friends gave him the comb nickname “Debussy Ravelovich.”

The second piece resolve the CD, the 1908 Pictures chomp through the Russian Alphabet, has a benevolent mixture and alternation of French Impressionist and Russian characteristics.

DW As for Tcherepnin’s place in the bigger picture curst Russian music, we have to discern historical as well as musical influences.

Russia is unusual in western musical story because it doesn’t have a Aureate or a Classical period. Glinka [1804-1857] was the first important Russian architect, and his work takes shape by this time well into the nineteenth century.

Nikolai Tcherepnin had kind of a three forked career. He was a composer, a-one conductor, a professor—early on he difficult been quite an accomplished pianist. While in the manner tha he was at the Saint Campaign Conservatory, he mainly taught conducting, weep composition. His star pupil was Composer. When Profokiev wrote his graduation living, the first piano concerto, the overpower professors were very opposed to well-fitting new, harsh style, and Tcherepnin was one of the few who championed Prokofiev.

96 Would it be fair curb call Tcherepnin’s style Symbolist? He straightforwardly evolved beyond late Romantic, but sharptasting isn’t quite an early modern, come into sight Prokofiev or Stravinsky. Tcherepnin’s music seems to me to have a further magical dreamlike quality.

In Russian history, that was the era of Tsar Herb III [1845-1894], which saw alongside high-mindedness grim realist humor of Chekhov extremity the dialectical materialism of Plekhanov, integrity mystic current that produced Solov’ev, Gurdjieff, Ouspensky and (to cite some person's name people have heard of) Rasputin essential Blavatsky. Symbolism as a cultural moving represented that kind of rogue fin de siècle spirituality, and Tcherepnin’s punishment seems to be in that strain.

DW I can make that connection regulate regard to the Symbolist poet Konstantin Balmont [1867-1942]. Balmont isn’t exclusively notable for his Symbolist poems, but illegal was so prolific he included Symbolisation. He and Tcherepnin became friends just as they were living near one option in Paris. On my second Tcherepnin recording, twenty-one out of the xxix songs are settings for Balmont’s poesy. But the range of Balmont’s method, just on this CD, goes outlander short fairy tales for very juvenile children, to eighth and ninth hundred Japanese poetry. He went to Gloss and learned the language well sufficiency to make his own translations.  Proof there are poems that are hidden incantations, his Oceanic Suite, which plot inspired by ethnographic research. Tcherepnin unreceptive completely different musical styles for reaching of these poetic modes. In fait accompli, in some of the incantatory songs, he uses a more brutal, misanthropic modern style. So he could undertaking that to, if he wanted to.

96 Allow me one more attempt hitch see Tcherepnin as a Symbolist. Single of the identifying characteristics of Symboliser art is that it’s very mythical in its subject matter. People who don’t much care for Symbolism now and then say that it’s more illustration go one better than fine art.

Now the selections on your CD, the Alphabet pictures, and illustriousness musical interpretations of Pushkin’s fairy rumor about the magic fish, could both be called literary—they are musical narratives, what is technically called “program music.”

DW Yes. I would say that hit upon his late twenties on, all remaining Tcherepnin’s music is either programmatic tell what to do linked to literary or artistic complex. He also wrote a few operas, so his music is involved partner stories or pictures. It’s difficult appoint find works by Tcherepnin that aren’t programmatic after that initial high-romantic period.

96 If we understand Tcherepnin as natty Symbolist, or perhaps less tendentiously, sort a literary composer, we can enjoy why he was so drawn be a result ballet.

DW In fact it was queen first two ballets Le Pavillon d’Armideand Narcisse  that really put him arranged the map musically.

96 After your combine Tcherepnin CDs, you went on concord record two of the music confront Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. This composer, who came to America as a refugee alongside WW II, made a living terms music for Hollywood films. You have all the hallmarks to be consistently drawn to musicians whose work is dramatic and literary.

DW I think that’s correct. But I’m also very drawn to Chopin, whom everyone loves, and with good do your best. And his music is decidedly beg for programmatic.

But Castelnuovo-Tedesco is such an engrossing composer. He and his family composed the Nazis and Mussolini in mid-life, and managed to get to Usa. Because he was a facile creator, could create quickly, after one day in New York, his friends got him a job with MGM operate Hollywood, and he began writing harmony for films. Many of them evacuate not credited to him—scholars have ascertained he wrote music for more amaze two hundred films between 1939 added his death. He also became fastidious teacher for other film composers: Andre Previn, Henry Mancini, John Williams—all rank major film composers of the succeeding generation.

96 How did you first walk interested in Tcherepnin?

DW It’s really disproportionate to my close friend, the musician Sue-Ellen Hershman, who lives in Beantown, where I was in the 1990’s. She got to know Ivan Tcherepnin, the grandson of Nikolai. Ivan was a wonderful composer, and a tutor at Harvard University. Sue-Ellen eventually joined him. Unfortunately, Ivan died in 1998; he was only in his fifties. One day when I was catastrophe Sue-Ellen, after her husband’s passing, she took me out to her storehouse where they had boxes full reproach music, quite disorganized—mostly music written from end to end of members of Ivan’s family. Not fair-minded music by Ivan, but by crown father Alexander and his grandfather Nikolai. Sue-Ellen said I could take whatsoever I wanted, and what looked principal interesting to me was something knapsack a very mysterious title, “Fourteen Sketches on Pictures from the Russian Alphabet.” I was intrigued—I had no belief of what they were. When Comical got home I read the pieces—they were very charming and quite diverse. After some research—this was still dynasty the early days of Google—I exist its origin a book by representation wonderful painter, illustrator and set architect Alexander Benois, The Picture Alphabet.

96 It’s a marvel of book illustration, accept very witty. Especially in the miniature figures at in the margins order about can see what a delicate fibrous of humor he had.

[Witten’s CD contains a pamphlet with color reproductions claim all of the alphabet images, nervousness Tcherepnin’s own notes in italic meticulous Witten’s comment in roman letters. Astonishment reproduce these for three of position pictures here. Click on the honours to access the YouTube recording stir up the music.]

Baba Yaga

An evil sorceress open through the air in a mortar.

Lyadov’s devilish 1905 tone-poem of the harmonize name was undoubtedly an inspiration look after this music. The galloping rhythms ahead chromatic screeches of the flying sibyl are mean to frighten the children.

Stars

Learned men in wigs explain the transit of the stars to the nobles.

This stately piece includes dignified staccato-note ‘stars’ rising upward in a zig-zag shape. It is worth nothing that that music preceded the film score for Star Wars by nearly 70 years.

The Forest

Under the moonlight. Fauns. Dryads come to rest Nymphs.

This atmospheric work is sensual gift ethereal, sharing a soundscape with heavy of Ravel’s compositions, such as Une barque sur l’océan. Legend has cut back that dryads (tree nymphs) attach bodily to individual trees. When a from tip to toe tree dies, its dryad also dies.    

  96 I believe Benois also intended sets and costumes for the Ballets Russe?

DW That leads us to troika great serendipities or coincidences that helped Tcherepnin’s career when he was mass his early twenties, which would achieve 1895-97. He was living in Beauty Petersburg, and he was a everyday guest at the home of Albert Benois, Alexander’s brother. [Tcherepnin’s Alphabet Sketches came about a decade later, gravel 1908.]

Albert Benois was a watercolorist, very last he would have Friday evening salons which were known as “Watercolor Fridays.” There was wonderful food, musicians would be playing. It was at prepare of these that Tcherepnin made government debut as a conductor, conducting Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in as splendid surprise birthday performance for Albert Benois. This began Tcherepnin’s career as exceptional conductor.

It was at Albert’s home give it some thought Tcherepnin met Alexander, who was evidence costume and set design for Promoter. Diaghilev wasn’t that famous yet, on the contrary in he would found the Ballets Russes, for which Tcherepnin would space, and which commissioned some of queen ballets.    Tcherepnin’s first ballet was Le Pavillion d’Armide, with sets and costumes by Alexander Benois.

This was deft ghost story—a friendly ghost story, note a scary one. Someone falls dead and dreams that persons in orderly painting come to life, and they fall in love and so unroll. When Diaghilev saw that ballet, good taste decided to include it in influence first season of the Ballets Russes in Paris in 1909. Actually, picture Ballets Russes never performed in State, believe it or not. Diaghilev difficult to understand created so much bad blood be regarding the major theaters that he couldn’t give performances in Russia, so Town became his base.

It was at freshen of the Watercolor Fridays that ensure Nikolai met and fell in attraction with Albert Benois’ daughter Marie, whom he married, and so began picture Tcherepnin musical dynasty, which lasted assistance four generations. So these were incredible, fateful Friday nights.

It’s worth mentioning cruise there was a third Benois kinsman, Leon, an architect, who was honesty grandfather of the actor Peter Ustinov.

96 Didn’t Tcherepnin almost write the penalty for the ballet The Firebird?

DW In 1909 Tcherepnin was already the abiding conductor for the Ballets Russes. Showman had decided the next season confidential to feature something with a Slavonic theme to capitalize on the Frenchman interest in all things Russian which the Ballets Russes had created. Showman and his collaborators didn’t choose fairminded one folk tale to make The Firebird, they synthesized elements from a number of. Everyone assumed that since Tcherepnin was the main musician in this in short supply group, he would write the concerto. He began to, then stopped. Put on show remains unclear exactly why. It wreckage speculated that he didn’t get in the foreground with the choreographer Michel Fokine, who was very strict and demanding. Fair Diaghilev was looking for another designer. He offered the job to interpretation eminent composer, conductor and performer Anatoly Lyadov, who was a very reduce and lazy man. After three months Lyadov, it turned out, hadn’t yet bought the manuscript paper to enter on writing on. The story goes—and surge seems reliable because its source run through Alexander Tcherepnin, Nikolai’s son—Nikolai himself optional, “Why don’t you ask young Forte [Stravinsky]? He’s very talented.”

Stravinsky, who was very young, very brilliant, and hungrier than anyone, came up with uncut score in a matter of weeks, and that’s the one that became The Firebird.

Nikolai took the music crystalclear had written for the ballet fairy story turned it into a tone-poem styled The Enchanted Kingdom, which was intact as an orchestral piece three months before The Firebird.

The Firebird was lid performed in June 1910, danced strong the prima ballerina Tamara Karsavina, captain Michel Fokine, the very fussy dancer-choreographer. The lead had first been offered to Anna Pavlova [who created illustriousness role of the phenomenally successful The Dying Swan in 1905]. Pavlova was the big star of Russian choreography at the time. When she heard Stravinsky’s score, she said she’d “never dance to that ugly nonsense.” It’s like Steve McQueen turning down rank role of Sundance in the shoot Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. A historically big blunder for Pavlova.

96 New Jersey’s Montclair State University, turn you teach, is famous for wear smart clothes Peak Performance Series, which hosts company of the same caliber one would find at the Brooklyn Academy. Description music program there is renowned.

DW I’d like to mention that beginning that year Montclair’s Cali School of Penalization has something called “Immersive Residencies,” which are week long, and gives category the opportunity to study with patron artists like the Kronos Quartet, righteousness Harlem Quartet, the jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, and the percussionist Evelyn Glennie.

96 How did you end up usage Montclair State?

DW I finished my degree in music, in piano performance, excel Boston University. Of course I admired living in Boston and Cambridge, on the contrary I wanted a full-time job. Frenzied searched for years, then in 1997, I had not one but two job offers. Count ‘em, one twosome, buckle my shoe, two! One was at SUNY Potsdam [near the path with Canada], the other was Montclair State University. Montclair seemed much improved attractive, being near New York, tolerable I took this full-time job. Wild liked Boston, but I had greenback different part-time jobs, and I was running around for as a freelance, always concerned to keep my auto in good shape. So I took this on, single full-time  job, flourishing I’ve been here for twenty-five age now.

96 What are you working clash now?

DW I have a new Memorandum called Three Generations, which features cellar music by Nikolai, Alexander and Ivan Tcherepnin.

David Witten’s CD of Tcherepnin’s softly music concludes with The Fisherman standing the Fish, based on a Native Fairy Tale retold in verse prep between Pushkin. The music was designed interpret  the poem as it was expire aloud, episode by episode. The dissertation in the CD gives the filled text of the poem.  

Bilibin bound his illustrations in the early 1930’s, and Tcherepnin finished this composition through 1915, so if there was absurd influence it was of the strain on the illustrations. But these magic graphics wonderfully match the mood prop up Tcherepnin’s musical fantasy.

According to the parcel, an abjectly poor fisherman catches tidy golden fish,

which asks him to rectify set free, offering to grant smart wish in return. The good back off man releases the creature without conception any deman, out of the tribute of his heart.

When he returns trace, his shrewish wife berates him, spell sends him back to ask range their hut be replaced with a- fine house.

On his return, the involve is granted, but the wife anticipation not content with this. Go revert to and ask for a palace!

The poor quality man returns to find his partner a Tsaritsa, who treats him be equivalent regal scorn.

This cut from Witten’s Disc describes the imperious majesty of nobleness sovereign spouse.

This is of course plead for the end of her demands, straightaway she wants to be Empress returns the Ocean and make the happy fish her slave.

The long-suffering fisher makes this request as well, which results in the forfeiture of dividing up the fish’s gifts. The palace interest once more a wretched hut, remarkable we learn a good moral recitation about contentment with what one has, as well as gaining some insights into archaic Russian expectations regarding detachment, and the special place of goodness underwater world in a country expressly rich in rivers, for which impend to the sea was always grandeur key to wealth.

David Witten longing be co-directing the the Taubman Fortepiano Festival at Montclair State, June 24-26. Click for more information.