Статья в "Музыкальном журнале" к 95-летию Б.А. Чайковского

 В девятом номере «Музыкального журнала» за 2020 год опубликована статья Ю.Б. Абдокова "Борис Чайковский: свобода и одиночество", посвящённая 95-летию со дня рождения крупнейшего русского композитора XX столетия.

 В своей статье профессор МГК им. П.И. Чайковского, в частности, пишет:

"Стезя свободы и одиночества, избранная Борисом Чайковским в пору, когда можно было лишь гадать, как сложится судьба рано повзрослевшего подростка, сочинившего несколько безупречных в ремесленном отношении и совершенных по поэтической подлинности фортепианных прелюдий, в течение всей жизни оставалась для него далёкой дорогой без видимых пределов в измеряемом вехами мире. Никаких «магистральных» путей экспериментального или охранительного искусства не пересекает этот открытый и, всё же, загадочно-таинственный, бесконечный путь. Разгадать тайну подобного движения вряд ли возможно в сутолоке юбилейных торжеств, всякого рода «чтений» и прочих богемных акций. В толпе трудно быть честным и одиноким, а ведь именно таким с первых шагов на композиторском поприще был и, бесспорно, навсегда останется Борис Александрович Чайковский, 95-летие которого приходится на этот сентябрь. <...>

В одну из последних наших встреч Борис Александрович неожиданно заговорил о «Потерянном Рае» Джона Мильтона. Разговор был интимный, прощальный. С тех пор я часто открываю эту книгу, пытаясь восстановить атмосферу вечера, в который закатное московское солнце в полусумраке кабинета на Студенческой улице высветляло лицо Бориса Александровича, обретавшее уже (это понимаешь всегда с опозданием) свойство истончающегося лика. Открыл наугад старинный том и прочитал: «Но лишь Тебе известны времена Твои…»".

 

Полностью статья о Б.А. Чайковском доступна по ссылке.

The Boris Tchaikovsky Awards 2015

The Boris Tchaikovsky Awards 2015:

The Boris Tchaikovsky Society glad to inform about The Boris Tchaikovsky Awards of 2015. The Awards were given to: choreographer Konstantin Semenov (for the choreography for the ballet "Labyrinth" with the music of Boris Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto) and flautist Sergey Zhuravel (for outstanding artistic performances achievements and for the 2010-2015 concert programs). 
Congratulations to the new Laureats of The Boris Tchaikovsky Award! 
Here is the list of the Laureates since 2005: http://www.boris-tchaikovsky.com/awards_eng.html

"Общество Бориса Чайковского" радо сообщить, что Лауреатами Премии имени Бориса Чайковского 2015 года стали: балетмейстер Константин СЕМЁНОВ (за хореографию балета «Лабиринт» и яркое сценическое воплощение музыки Фортепианного концерта Б.А.Чайковского) и флейтист Сергей ЖУРАВЕЛЬ (за большие творческие достижения в академическом исполнительском искусстве и концертные программы 2010-2015 годов). 

Поздравляем лауреатов и желаем им дальнейших творческих успехов!
Имена всех лауреатов с 2005 года: http://www.boris-tchaikovsky.com/award_rus.html

Article on The Musical Magazine / Статья в "Музыкальном журнале"

Article on The Musical Magazine / Статья в "Музыкальном журнале"

К 90-летию со дня рождения Б.А.Чайковского В №9 "Музыкального журнала" опубликована статья Юрия Абдокова (ученика Б.А.Чайковского):

http://boris-tchaikovsky.com/Pic/Pages_from_MG_9.pdf

The article to Boris Tchaikovsky's 90th anniversary published in issue #9, 2015 of "The Musical Magazine" (in Russian). The article written by Yuri Abdokov, who was a pupil of Boris Tchaikovsky at the post-graduate course, and who now is the Professor at the Moscow Conservatory.

Reviews on Naxos CD with Piano Quintet and The War Suite

Reviews on Naxos CD with Piano Quintet and The War Suite

The CD issued by Naxos on Autumn 2014, received a high praises in the media. We're presenting the reviews placed on the Naxos Web-site:

Here is the review in German: Ernst Hoffmann Ensemble Magazin für Kammermusik, December 2014 View PDF   

And here is the review in Russian from Yuri Abdokov, Professor of Moscow Conservatory (who was a pupil of Boris Tchaikovsky):

Yuri Abdokov Muzykalny Zhurnal (Musical Magazine /"Музыкальный журнал"), March 2015 View PDF

Here is the list of the reviews in English from Naxos Web-site, with the quotations:
   Fanfare, March 2015 
   MusicWeb International, January 2015 
   Pizzicato, January 2015 
   American Record Guide, January 2015 
   MusicWeb International, December 2014 
   Classical Lost and Found, November 2014 
   Gramophone, November 2014 
   Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review, September 2014 
   The Guardian, September 2014 
   David's Review Corner, September 2014 

Barry Brenesal Fanfare, March 2015 …there’s no lack of precision, tension, or involvement; and Olga Solovieva…is a powerful, almost elemental, presence. © 2015 Fanfare Read complete review

Michael Cookson MusicWeb International, January 2015 All the musicians play with convincing ensemble and attractive tone. The performances are both committed and intelligent and the Piano Quintet is particularly engaging. This disc is a most accessible and agreeable way of exploring the music of Boris Tchaikovsky. © 2015 MusicWeb International Read complete review

Remy Franck Pizzicato, January 2015 Boris Tchaikovsky—not related in any way to his famous colleague—had an extremely fruitful imagination. His rich language is accordingly dramatic. The performers play both compositions with panache. © 2015 Pizzicato

Stephen Estep American Record Guide, January 2015 The musicians all understand this music and play it exceedingly well… © 2015 American Record Guide Read complete review on American Record Guide

Steve Arloff MusicWeb International, December 2014 Their [RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet’s] sensitive playing is in evidence throughout this disc. Maxim Anisimov is a brilliantly evocative player whose mellow tone shines brightly at every appearance. As a Boris Tchaikovsky Society Award Winner in 2010 the pianist Olga Solovieva is the perfect choice for the piano quintet… This is a thoroughly enjoyable disc making a fine introduction to the music of this great Russian composer. © 2014 MusicWeb International Read complete review

Bob McQuiston Classical Lost and Found, November 2014 Russian soloists Olga Solavieva and Maxim Anisimov join the Irish Vanbrugh Quartet for these technically accomplished, sensitive performances. They make a strong case for this remarkable music. © 2014 Classical Lost and Found Read complete review

Philip Clark Gramophone, November 2014 The Vanbrugh Quartet and pianist Olga Solovieva put real intellectual muscle behind the physical weight of their playing… © 2014 Gramophone Read complete review on Gramophone

Grego Applegate Edwards Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review, September 2014 This is music of great gravitas…the music speaks eloquently for itself, as a bellwether of Boris Tchaikovsky's inventive originality…the “Piano Quintet”…is filled with dramatic impact, modernist stridency and Russian brio. On this basis alone I find myself wanting to hear more of him. All modern Russophiles will no doubt find this disk rather essential. It is music that holds its own for originality yet partakes of the Russian modernist ethos, both of which situate the works nicely as part of a continuum. The Vanbrugh Quartet, pianist Olga Solovieva, and clarinetist Maxim Anisimov give us impassioned performances filled with brio and lyrical clarity. Very impressive music, very well played. This is a good one! © 2014 Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review Read complete review

Tim Ashley The Guardian, September 2014 The performances…are exceptional. © 2014 The Guardian Read complete review

David Denton David's Review Corner, September 2014 Born in 1925, Boris Tchaikovsky was one of the most highly productive pupils of Shostakovich, and like his mentor he could quite happily work in many genres. The present disc finds him in the concert hall with the 1962 Piano Quintet, and then two years later in the film studio for the emotive While Defending the Front Line. In whichever medium he was working his musical parentage is never in doubt. Maybe that has been the reason that his music is not widely known outside of Russia, Shostakovich occupying so much of today’s concert hall coverage, there is no room left for more of the same thing. That is certainly regrettable in the case of the Piano Quintet, as it would be highly popular had it carried his mentors name. Indeed the hard-driven scherzo is among the finest string quartet music from the second half of the 20th century, while the final Adagio is full of sadness for reasons the sleeve notes do not explore. As a whole this is an extremely fine score I greatly commend to you. Recorded in Moscow…they are a really splendid group who have previously appeared on the label, their technical prowess easily dealing with the music’s many demands. Very good sound quality. © 2014 David’s Review Corner

New CD on Naxos: Piano Quintet & Premiere recording of "The War Suite"

New CD was released in September 2014 by Naxos:
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.573207

World premiere recording of "The War Suite", and first digital recording of the great Piano Quintet.
The music was played and recorded by The Vanbrugh Quartet, outstanding ensemble from Ireland (wonderful Ioana Petcu-Colan plays 2nd violin in the Quintet recording, which makes this recording really unique).
In "The War Suite" Russian clarinetist Maxim Anisimov participates, and in the Piano Quintet - Olga Solovieva.

This CD was long time awaited. 
"The War Suite" consists from the music composed to the film (directed by Yuly Fait) about the events of Great Patriotic War (Second World War). Composer himself considered that the score of this music is lost, but the efforts of The Boris Tchaikovsky Society brought the fruits, and the manuscript was found.  Two of Boris Tchaikovsky's former students - Elena Astafieva and Stanislav Prokudin - edited the score and compiled the Suite. Some of the music is known for Boris Tchaikovsky's admirers thanks to his Thirt Quartet (composer used some music material there), but something will be really new for everybody. And it shows the source of the Third Quartet (so much admired by Shostakovich, by the way).

The Piano Quintet is one of the milestones in the legacy of Boris Tchaikovsky, probably his greatest chamber work. Six years ago the recording made by Boris Tchaikovsky himself and Prokofiev Quartet appeared on the CD issued on the Forum label (Regis). The new recording from The Vanbrugh Quartet shows that Boris Tchaikovsky's Piano Quintet is also among the masterpieces of piano quintet genre. 

We hope, the music-lovers will warmly meet this CD, and the musicians will be interested to play these works.

Igor Prokhorov

    
  

In Memoriam: Yanina Iossifovna Moshinskaya-Tchaikovskaya

On the first day of Orthodox Easter, on 5 May 2013 the widow of Boris Tchaikovsky passed away after a long illness, on her 94th year.

During the decades Yanina Iossifovna Moshinskaya-Tchaikovskaya [25.04.1920 - 5.05.2013] was a spouse and a close friend for her husband, outstanding composer Boris Tchaikovsky.
She was amazingly talented, modest and friendly person and she lived though not an easy but a long life, always giving herself to people. In her youth, during a Second World War, in 1942 she served at the hospital for the soldiers. Later she graduated from the Moscow Conservatory (as a musicologist), worked as an editor on Russian Radio.

During her last years (after the sudden death of Boris Tchaikovsky) she was the center of attraction for the admirers of Boris Tchaikovsky music, for the young musicians. The visits to her flat and meetings with her are unforgettable for everyone.

The outstanding successor of her great husband, Yanina Iossifovna Moshinskaya-Tchaikovskaya will be always with us.

[More details read in Russian: 

http://hramvtolmachah.ru/index.php/news/179-ioanna-chaykovskaya]

Review on Violin Concerto/Sonata CD on MusicWeb

The review on Violin Concerto/Sonata CD with Victor Pikaizen, Boris Tchaikovsky and Kirill Kondrashin (Moscow PO) appeared: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Mar12/Tchaikovsky_Boris_PH11047.htm

New CDs from Profil Medien and Divox

The year 2012 started with two new CDs with the music of Boris Tchaikovsky.

I. First of all, it is CD with Violin Concerto and Violin Sonata from Profil Medien, Guenter Haenssler Edition. The recordings (licensed by Melodiya) are the same as on the old LP, but carefully digitized and remastered. This is the third CD from Profil Medien with Boris Tchaikovsky's music - first was "Theme and Eight Variations" premiere performance recording (Staatskapella Dresden with great Kirill Kondrashin), then Second Symphony (also premiere performance recording, also with Kirill Kondrashin) coupled with piano pieces with composer at piano.

And now - long waited Sonata for Violin and Piano (first appearance of Sonata on the CD), performed by Victor Pikaizen and Boris Tchaikovsky, and first studio recording of Violin Concerto with it's first performers - Victor Pikaizen, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kirill Kondrashin.

II. Soon the new recording of Cello Sonata will come from the Swiss label Divox, which is specialized on the chamber music.
The recording was made by excellent musicians Emil Rovner (cello) and Alla Ivanzhina (piano). Also the 24 Preludes for solo cello by Weinberg are on the CD.

As each CD from Divox, the new CD is a special production, a result of love to music and real enthusiasm.

There are already few versions of Cello Sonata in Boris Tchaikovsky discography, two of them - with composers at piano (with cellists Mstislav Rostropovich and Alla Vassilieva).
The new CD (Divox is also famous with its approach to sound) definitely need to be in the collection of every Boris Tchaikovsky music admirers. New generation of musicians, who took the enthusiasm from their teachers (Emil Rovner's teacher was Ivan Monighetti, who earlier studied with great Mstislav Rostropovich), entered their energy and mastery to this recording, and result is increased by contemporary technical approach to sound recording.

In Memoriam: Vadim Nikolaevich IVANOV

Another huge loss in the world of classical music ... At the morning on 5th of November 2011 an outstanding sound engineer and producer Vadim Ivanov died after  a long illness...

Vadim IVANOV

He was one of the best professionals in the field of classical recordings in USSR, and later in Russia. His numerous recordings appeared on such labels as Naxos, Toccata Classics, Hyperion, Chandos, Chant du Monde, Harmonia Mundi, Fuga Libera, Relief, Melodiya, Russian Season, Albany Records, and other (here is the list of some of his recordings). He worked with almost all Russian leading musicians. 


The Boris Tchaikovsky Society collaborated with Vadim Ivanov since 2003. 
[Here is the list of CDs, recorded by The Boris Tchaikovsky Society with Vadim Ivanov as a sound producer:  CDA67413 (Boris Tchaikovsky: Six Etudes for Strings and Organ),  TROY749 (Boris Tchaikovsky: piano music), 8.557727 (Boris Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto, Clarinet Concerto, The Signs of the Zodiac), TOCC0046 (Boris Tchaikovsky: Song cycles), TOCC0082 (Anatoly Lyadov: piano pieces), TOCC0076 (Herman Galynin: piano pieces), 8.557804 (Sergey Taneyev: Violin Sonata, piano pieces).]


It was a real pleasure to work with Vadim Nikolayevich. The musicians, who started to work with Vadim Ivanov, became his admirers.  He was a person with absolutely positive energy, kind and warm, he always had gave a good impulses for everyone who worked with him or even just contacted with him.


During latest years he taught at Russian Academy of Music, and his pupils are leading sound engineers and producers in new generation. 


I believe the recording made by Vadim Ivanov always will be attractive and will be in demand; his experience will be alive in the hands and ears of his students, and his voice, his image, his kindness, his cordiality will always be alive in the minds and hearts of everyone who knew this outstanding man...


I.P.

October 2011 - Five concerts with major works

In October 2011 five  concerts with the major works by Boris Tchaikovsky will take place:

1 October, Kislovodsk (Russia) - Clarinet Concerto

1 October, Moscow (Russia) - Piano Trio

2 October, Vilnius (Lithuania) - Piano Quintet
23 October, Scottsdale (U.S.A.) - The Wind of Siberia
30 October, St.Petersburg (Russia) - Piano Quintet

More details - on our Web-site.

Boris Tchaikovsky passed away 15 years ago...

On February 7, 1996, the great composer Boris Tchaikovsky passed away.
15 years is almost nothing comparing with the eternity. But it is quite a large time for the human. During such tume quite possible to understand this or that true.
In the past seven years almost all composer's work have been released on the CDs. We can definitely say that music of Boris Tchaikovsky became more and more neccessary for people. We see the great interest to this bright and deep music.
If you look into the list of concerts taken place in 2009-2010 and the schedule of the concert for 2011 - you can notice that the music of Boris Tchaikovsky was performed and will be performed in different parts of the World: in Russia, U.K., U.S.A., Ireland, Germany, Brasil, Lithuania, Italy, Belgium, France, Hong Kong...

We are sure that time of this eternal music came, and Boris Tchaikovsky already took his place in the musical history among his predessesors: Dmitry Shostakovich, Nikolay Miaskovsky, Vissarion Shebalin, Anatoly Lyadov, Sergey Taneyev, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

And I completey agree with Mstislav Rostropovich, who wrote about Boris Tchaikovsky: "...I consider him to be a genius, whose contribution to the cello repertoire has yet to be sufficiently appreciated. Boris's modest nature would prevent him from ever showing off or advertising himself, and I do not think that sharing a surname with the illustrious Pyotr has helped him either. Nevertheless, I do think that one day people will come to know that two great Russian composers bore the same name…".

I.P.

New scores published

Two new scores came out from the press:

In the series "Boris Tchaikovsky. Selected Works":
ISMN 979-0-706350-10-3 
Boris Tchaikovsky. Swineherd (1954)  * The Galoshed of Fortune (1958)
Suites for orchestra from music to the fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen (full scores)

In the series "Laureates of the Boris Tchaikovsky Premium":

ISMN 979-0-706350-11-0

Dmitry Koltsov [1984-2010]. Quartet for Piano, Violin, Viola and Cello (full score)

The all list of the published score is here (http://www.boris-tchaikovsky.com/scores_e.htm)

In Memoriam: Rudolf BARSHAI

The great musician Rudolf Barshai has died in Switzerland on November 2nd, at the age of 86.

Rudolf Barshai with Boris Tchaikovsky after the premiere performance of Piano Concerto.

Rudolf Barshai wrote about Boris Tchaikovsky: "... In the Piano Concerto there are some moments where one can see that composer heard the steps of the giants who came before him. Brahms, in using that expression, was thinking of Beethoven. To my mind, Boris Tchaikovsky heard the same steps..." [the article with the full interview please read here.]


Now two giants - composer and conductor - will be on the Heaven...  


Thank you for your art, dear Rudolf Borisovich!..

In Memoriam: Pyotr Kirillovich KONDRASHIN

The mournful news came at the end of of the awful heat of Moscow Summer-2010: the famous sound producer (and engineer, supervisor, editor...)  Pyotr K. Kondrashin suddenly passed away. He was even younger than his father, great conductor Kirill Kondrashin (1914-1981), who also died too early...

Pyotr Kirillovich KONDRASHIN

[24.10.1945 – 01.08.2010]

During many years he was one of the leading Soviet/Russian sound producers, he recorded Svyatoslav Richter, Natalia Gutman, Nikolay Demidenko, Oleg Kagan, Rudolf Kerer, Evgeny Kissin, Vladimir Spivakov; he worked with such composers as Dmitry Shostakovich, Boris Tchaikovsky, Andrey Volkonsky, among many other. Pyotr Kondrashin was a really outstanding person, who made many recording of highest quality (some of them you can see following this link).

He was a very clever and kind person, with an original sense of humor. 

I had a happiness to work with him on several projects for the UK label Toccata Classics, including Grammy-nominated CD "Balakirev and Russian Folksong", Vol.1 of Weinberg's vocal works, the complete piano music of Nikolay Peyko (in two volumes, the releases are expected in 2011); as well as two works by Boris Tchaikovsky (Passacaglia & Fugue) and Spring Song by Andrey Golovin for the CD "Tribute to Boris Tchaikovsky", issued by the label Relief. 

Pyotr Kondrashin made several recordings with Boris Tchaikovsky music in early years, which were issued by Melodiya label on LPs (including Piano Quintet, recently reissued on the CD by Regis/Forum). 

And it was Pyotr Kondrashin, who recorded his father's last concert in USSR. One of Boris Tchaikovsky's recording - Theme & 8 Variations - appeared on the label Globe in 1991, due to the efforts of Pyotr Kondrashin. In that times in Russia it was impossible to find that CD, and one of my foreign friends (in fact, it was Uwe Rueding) found it and send me from Germany. I presented the CD to Boris Tchaikovsky (shortly before his sudden death), and later composer's widow Yanina Iossifovna told me they listened the CD and the composer was happy...

...Thousands listeners over the world (though they often do not notice or even know the names of sound producers) must be grateful to Pyotr Kondrashin for his excellent recordings... Let him be remembered forever!