Alexander Radvilovich



Alexander Yuryevich Radvilovich (Александр Юрьевич Радвилович; born 1955) is a Russian composer, pianist, teacher, and lecturer from Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) who specializes in contemporary music discourses. He is the recipient of numerous domestic and foreign awards, and has had his compositions performed internationally, including Germany, Finland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His musical style focuses on exploiting the extremes of music in order to create from them new modes of communication which are both accessible in nature for listeners yet complex in its language.

Education
From 1962 to 1973, Alexander studied in the Secondary Specialized Music School within the St. Petersburg Conservatory in piano and theory with the composer Vladimir Arzumanov. Alexander happened to be his first graduate, and due to this close relationship he would introduce Alexander to Nikolas Slonimsky. Alexander would go onto study at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in the faculty of composition under Slonimsky, graduating in 1978 and continuing his education through participation in numerous courses and private tutorship with European (non-Russian) composers like Witold Lutoslavsky, Boguslaw Schaeffer, Ton de Leeuw, and Klaus Huber.

Career
He is known for his symphonies of two of his own poems called Legend About Violinist and Pushkin. At one time, after reading Fyodor Dostoyevsky he composed a string quartet called The Boy at Christ’s New Year Celebration and also designed a mini opera called Let’s Write Fairy-tale. He also composed an opera called Hindrance which was based on Danii Kharms' poem Ruin of the Gods. Currently he is a member of both Russian Composer’s and Saint Petersburg Composer's Unions and works as music pedagogue at the Humanitarian University of the Petersburg Conservatory. On occasion, he tours the world as composer, pianist. His music is published and performed by various labels and ensembles in countries such as Russia, as Austria (ARBOS - Company for Music and Theatre), the Netherlands and the United States. He is the founder and artistic director of the annual festival Sound Ways International Festival of New Music, dedicated to the presentation of contemporary music, and has served on competition jurys in countries such as Germany, Ukraine, and France.

Piano

 * 1973-74: Five Russian songs for piano
 * 1976/80: Sotto voce - three pieces for piano
 * 1982: Sonata for piano
 * 1999: "Labyrinth" for two pianos
 * 1993: "Galoshes of happiness" - for reader and piano four hands based on the fairy tale by G.Kh. Andersen
 * 1994: Se(a)iten for extended piano
 * 2008: Code of the Universe - concert etude for piano
 * 2007: Classic Smile, dedicated to S. Slonimsky for piano

Symphonic

 * The Legend of the Violinist
 * Claustrophobia
 * Music for the Care of the Soul

Orchestral

 * 1975: Elegy for chamber orchestra
 * 1976: Poem for violin and orchestra
 * 1977: Symphony No. 1 for symphony orchestra and male choir. Text by Katri Vala
 * 2008: "Incredible Stories" for reciter and orchestra on texts by D. Bisset

Ensemble

 * 2011: "Premonition of Winter" for bass flute, cor anglais and bass clarinet
 * 2012: Dramma per musica for nine musicians (Fl/Picc, Cl, Fag, Cor, Pno, 2 Vns, Vla, Cello)
 * 2015: SHOAH for ensemble (Fl, Cl/Cl.bass, Percussion, Piano, Vno, Vla, Cello)
 * 2017: Alpine Requiem for amplified vocal quartet, piano and percussion on liturgical texts of the Requiem
 * 2019: S'élognant dans le brouilliard ("Leaving into the fog") for clarinet and ensemble
 * 2019: “In those days when in the gardens of the Lyceum” for ensemble (Fl, Cl, Vno, Vc, Pno)
 * 2014: Musica lugubre for piano and ensemble (Fl, Cl/Cl.bass, Vno, Vla, Cello)<!-- 2. Chamber suite for flute and percussion 1975, 6'

4. "Sad Songs" for soprano and piano on verses by Leopold Staff 1976, 7'

6. Three songs for women's choir on the texts of old French songs

Dedicated to Irina Rodionova 1976, 6'

8. "Egyptian Songs" for mixed choir 1978, 14'

10. Lament for Osiris for soprano and mixed choir 1981, 6'

12. Four poems by R. M. Rilke for baritone and piano 1982, 8'30

13. Vocal cycle on verses by Alexander Blok for tenor, violin and piano 1983, 7.20”

14a. "The Legend of the Violinist", one-act ballet 1984, 27'

14b. "The Legend of the Violinist", symphonic poem 1984, 19'

15a. "Incredible Stories" for reader and three guitars (or piano) on texts by Donald Bisset (versions in Russian, English and German) 1984 16'

16. Elegy and serenade for two guitars 1985, 6'

17a. Aria for trumpet and organ 1985, 8'

17b. Aria for soprano saxophone and organ 1985, 8'

18a. Concerto for cor anglais and string orchestra 1986, 22'

18b. Concerto for soprano saxophone and string orchestra 1986, 22'

19. Dramatic Fanfare for three trumpets and percussion 1987, 8'40”

20. "Leningrad Songs" for mixed choir on texts by Okudzhava, Kushner, Shefner, Marshak 1986, 18'

21. Chamber Concerto for harpsichord and strings 1987, 12'

22. Symphony No 2 for symphony orchestra 1989, 26'

23. "Inverted World" - eight interludes for soprano, baritone, violin and harpsichord on German folk texts 1990, 16'

24. "About the musicians, about the conductor and about myself" - a cheerful fantasy for string orchestra 1990, 10'

25. De profundis temporum four psalms for two pianos 1991/92, 24'

26. Pater noster for baritone and organ 1991, 7'

27. "Prayer" - composition for piano quartet 1992, 13'

28a. Composition for violin solo 1992, 7'50”

28b. Composition for viola solo 2016, 8'

29. Baltic Music for brass quintet, bells, organ and singing audience 1992, 12'

31. Verlorgeganger Brief (The Lost Message) for oboe, cello and piano 1993, 10'

32. Spiegel ("Mirrors") for clarinet and violin 1994, 7'20”

34. "Music for three" for clarinet, violin and piano 1994, 7'50”

35. Flautissimo for soprano, alto and bass flutes 1994, 7'

36a. "Through the Styx" for five varieties of flutes (one performer) and percussion 1995, 19'

36b. "Through Styx" version for piccolo, grand alto, bass flute and percussion 1997, 17'

37. Splitter - reflections for two reciters, brass quintet, organ and bells on texts by Johannes Jordan (in German) 1995, 22'

38. "Pythia" for violin and piano. Dedicated to Alexandra Savina 1996, 10'

39. "Der Lesende" (Reading) - vocal poem for soprano and chamber ensemble to the words of R.M. Rilke (in German) 1997, 10'

Variants of the composition of the ensemble: Cl., V-la., Vc., P-no + Perc. or Cl., Cor, V-no, P-no+Perc.

40. Brave New World (“Oh, brave new world”), for piano after reading O. Huxley 1997, 10'

41. "From Andersen's Tales" - pieces for piano four hands 1997, 18'

42. "Pushkin" - chamber symphony in five epigraphs for 12 musicians 1998, 11'

43. "Flamme(r)" - concert etude for piano 1999, 5'15”

45. "Möbius strip" for bass clarinet, double bass and piano 1999, 5'

46. Prelude and chorale BACH - DSCH for piano 2000, 2'

47. BACH-DSCH - music of letters for oboe and five obligate instruments 2000, 3'

48. "Let's write a fairy tale" - a mini-opera for two soloists and a choir to the words of D. Kharms 2001, 11'

49. Sinfonia sacra for mixed choir, horn, violin, button accordion and percussion 2001, 13'

50. Cadenzi concertanti for flute, clarinet and chamber ensemble 2001, 5'

51. Götter Dämmerung - postlude in memory of G. Verdi for ensemble 2001, 3' (Fl., Cl., Tr-ne, V-no, V-la, Vc, Cb)

52. "Sphinx" for button accordion and piano 2002, 10'

53. Interference - a mini-opera for three soloists and a chamber ensemble on a text by D. Kharms 2003, 9'

54. "Mirror music" for chamber ensemble Fl/Picc., Cl., Trba, Perc., Vno, Vc) 2004, 9'

55. "Claustrophobia" for symphony orchestra 2004, 6'30''

56. "Christ's Boy on the Christmas Tree" for string quartet, percussion, audio recording after Dostoevsky's story 2004, 27'

57. Pierrot's Dreams for five musicians (Fl/Alt.fl., Cl/Cl.basso, Vno, Vc, Pno) 2005, 9'

58. Sequence in memory of Luciano Berio for women's choir, string orchestra and percussion 2006, 6'30''

59. Concerto for violin, string orchestra and percussion 2007, 11'

61a. "Big Brother", anti-utopia for baritone, bass profundo, two reciters and ensemble on texts by J. Orwell, E. Zamyatin, O. Huxley and G. Hesse 2007

61b. "Big Brother", anti-utopia for baritone, profundo bass, two reciters and orchestra on texts by J. Orwell, E. Zamyatin, O. Huxley and G. Hesse 2008, 18'

63. JUDAS. Passion for soloists, choir and orchestra on the text of the Gospel of Judas and L. Andreev 2008, 34' Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Mixed choir, Orchestra

64. Waldes Musik (Forest music) for female choir 2008, 3'

65. "Very scary music" for symphony orchestra 2009, 9'

66. Two poems by Tristan Tzara for mezzo-soprano and ensemble (in French) (Fl/Alt, Perc., Vno, Vc, Pno) 2009, 9'30”

67. Mermaid Dreams for recorder, alto saxophone and percussion 2009' 7'

68. "Music for the care of the soul" for symphony orchestra 2010, 13'

69. CHEKHOV symphony (Symphony No. 3) for symphony orchestra 2010, 20'30”

70. “Tchaikovsky. Italian holidays" for orchestra 2011, 11'

71. Symphony No. 4 for small orchestra and singing public 2011, 14'

74. l'éclat des ténèbres ("Shine of Darkness"), chamber cantata for mezzo-soprano and ensemble on verses by Tristan Tzara. (Fl/Picc/Alt, Cl/Cl.bass, Vno, Cello, Percussion, Piano) 2013, 20'

77. "Galoshes of happiness" - for the reader and orchestra based on the fairy tale by G. Hr. Andersen. 2016, 20'

79. "About Niels and Martin" for women's choir 2017, 3'

80. "In the rain" for women's choir 2018, 3'

81. "Wittgenstein", intermezzo for piano and snare drum 2018, 5' -->