Alexander Vustin

Alexander Vustin

Alexander Kuzmich Vustin, also Voustin or Wustin (Russian: Алекса́ндр Кузьми́ч Ву́стин, born: April 24, 1943, Moscow) is a Russian composer.

Biography

He studied composition first with Grigory Frid at a regional music college, and later with Vladimir Ferè at the Moscow Conservatory, graduating in 1969. Between 1969 and 1974, Vustin worked as a music editor at USSR Radio. From 1974 he worked as an editor at the Kompozitor publishing house.

Music

Vustin has composed since 1963: however, he regards only those works written since 1972 as valid. His musical language is distinctive by the remarkable organization of its musical texture. Vustin uses the twelve-tone technique, but in his own original way.

His first notable compositions were written in the midst of the 70s: the eight-minute-long The Word (scored for ensemble of woodwinds, brass and percussion (1975)) was dedicated to Grigori Frid; and the three-minute long In Memory of Boris Klyuzner, for baritone and string quartet (1977) was set to the autobiographical text by Yuri Olesha. Another striking piece, Blessed are the Poor in Spirit for boy-soprano (or counter-tenor) accompanied by a chamber ensemble was composed in 1988 to the text from Matthew 5:3–8.

His opera The Devil in Love, to the Russian libretto by Vladimir Khachaturov after the novel The Devil in Love by Jacques Cazotte, the result of 15 years of labour, (1975–1989) is probably one of the most important of his works. Though it was never staged, its musical material nourished the dozens of compositions written in around the same period.

The works of Alexander Vustin are often included in the programmes of major festivals, such as the "Kremerata Musica", Tage für Neue Musik (Zürich), Holland Festival, the 14th Musik Biennale Berlin, Presènce 93 (Paris), Melos-Ethos (Bratislava), Maraton Soudobe Hudby (Prague), Donaueschinger Musiktage and Deutsche Kammerphilarmonie (Germany), Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus (Austria), Moscow Forum, and Moscow Autumn (Russia). Among performers of his music are the conductors Reinbert de Leeuw, Lev Markiz, Eri Klas, Igor Dronov, Alexander Lazarev, Vitaly Kataev, Gidon Kremer, Martyn Brabbins, and Cristoph Hagel. Ensembles include Kremerata Baltica, Amsterdam Wind Orchestra, Schönberg Ensemble, Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam (Netherlands), the Mark Pekasky Percussion Ensemble, Studio New Music, Ensemble of Soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre, the Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Works

Alexander Vustin (2008)

• String Quartet, 1966
• Symphony, for orchestra, 1969
• Three Toropets Songs, 1972
• Nocturns for chamber ensemble in three movements 1972, revised 1982
• Sonata for Six Instruments, (piccolo, flute, clarinet, viola, cello, and 5 string double bass, 1973
• Sonata for piano (version of Sonata for Six Instruments), 1973
• Lamento, for piano 1974
• Toropetsk Songs, for ensemble, 1975
• The Word, for ensemble, 1975
• In Memory of Boris Klyuzner, for baritone and string quartet, text by Yuri Olesha 1977
• Capriccio for solo female voice, bass chorus and instrumental ensemble 1977
• Memoria 2, concerto for percussion, keyboards and strings, 1978
• Fairy Tale (Skazka) for solo oboe 1979
• Homecoming for baritone and 13 players (2 string quartets, 2 pianos, horn, 2 percussion players), text by Dmitri Shchedrovirsky 1981
• The Diversions of Kozma Prutkov (Dosugi Kozmy Prutkova), for baritone and percussion, 1982
• Hommage à Beethoven, concerto for percussion and small orchestra, 1984
• Festivity (Prazdnik), for children's choir and orchestra, 1987
• Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for voice and ensemble, 1988
• The Devil in Love (Le Diable amoureux or Vlyublyonny dyavol) is an opera in three acts (1975-1989); libretto by Vladimir Khachaturov after Jacques Cazotte
• Zaitsev's Letter, for narrator, strings, and bass drum, 1990
• White Music, for organ, 1990
• Music for Ten, for ensemble, (text by Jean-François de La Harpe), 1991
• Heroic Lullaby, for ensemble, 1991
• To My Son (Posvyashchenie synu), for ensemble, 1992
• Three Songs, for voice and ensemble (clarinet, bass clarinet, viola, cello, double bass, soprano), text from Andrey Platonov's novel Chevengur, 1992
• Agnus Dei for mixed choir, percussion and organ 1993
• The Birth of a Piece, for string quartet, 1994
• Small Requiem for soprano and string quartet 1994
• Song from the novel, "Chevengur" by Andrei Platonov for male choir and orchestra, 1995
• Music for Angel, for saxophone, vibraphone, and cello 1995
• Piano Trio 1999
• Sine nominee, for orchestra, 2000
• Veni Sancte Spiritus, for choir and ensemble
• Anna Karamasoff, music for the film
• The Search of a Sound for solo bells and orchestra, 2008
• Canticum canticorum for voices and ensemble, 2010
• Litania for percussion, voices and organ, 2011
• From the Life of Elves for piano, violin and cello, 2011
• The Wind for chorus and ensemble, text by Alexander Blok from the poem The Twelve

Recordings

Most recordings of his music can be heard at the following link: Classical Archives

CDs

• Kremerland

Release Date: Oct 12 2004, Total Running time: 1:18:45

Label: DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON, Catalog No.: 000339202, UPC: 28947480129

The tracks include:

Alexander Vustin: Tango hommage à Gidon, for violin, string orchestra & percussion 7:37 Conducted by Gidon Kremer, Performed by Kremerata Baltica and Andrei Pushkarev

• Russian Saxophone

Label: BIS, CD-765 Digital

Audio CD (September 17, 1996)

Alexander Vustin: Musique pour l'ange (1995), for tenor saxophone, vibraphone & cello Performers: Claude DeLangle, Jean Geoffroy

• An Introduction to Alexander Wustin

Label: Megadisc, MDC 7845

1. The Word (1975) 7.36
2. Blessed are the Poor in Spirit (1988) 7.19
3. Music for Ten (1991) 4.56
4. To my Son (1992) 18.13
5. Heroic Lullaby' (1991) 19.21

Performers: Studio for New Music conducted by Igor Dronov

• Alexander Wustin – Memoria 2, Agnus Dei, Sine Nomine

Label: Thorofon, CTH 2486

1. Memoria2 (1978) Concerto for percussion, keyboard instruments and strings Concert pour percussions 15.06
2. Song from the novel "Tchevengur" by Andrei Platonov (1995) for male choir and orchestra 7.37
3. Hommage a Beethoven (1984) Concerto for percussion instruments and small orchestra 16.05
4. Agnus Dei (1993) for mixed choir, percussion and organ 10.08
5. Sine Nomine' (2000) for orchestra 16.29

Bibliography

«Ex oriente...III» Eight Composers from the former USSR: Philip Gershkovich, Boris Tishchenko, Leonid Grabovsky, Alexander Knaifel, Vladislav Shoot, Alexander Vustin, Alexander Raskatov, Sergei Pavlenko Edited by Valeria Tsenova. English edition (studia slavica musicologica, Bd. 31), 206 pp., music illus., ISBN 3-928864-92-0

External links

• About the opera Boosey & Hawkes
• Vustin's works from Boosey & Hawkes
• Vustin page at Classical Archives
• Biography at the Hans Sikorski Page
• Classical composers