# Who are the prominent russian composers today?



## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

During the 20th century Russia produced a number of great composers: Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Schnittke, Gubaidulina, Ustvolskaya, and perhaps a few more. But when discussing contemporary music, mostly western european and american composers are mentioned, and I can't think of any russian composers, so does anyone know if there are any of prominence or does anyone enjoy or can recommend russian composers writing music today? Leaving Gubaidulina aside, of course. 
Thanks!

Also, people who don't like contemporary music, please refrain from generating another pointless discussion. Thank you


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## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

Yuri Kasparov has his own YouTube channel with lots of his own music.

Marina Khorkova, Dmitri Kourliandski, Elena Rykova, and Alexander Khubeev are innovative voices on the contemporary Russian music scene and also well represented on YouTube.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I've heard several pieces by Yuri Kasparov (1955) (not the chess player), that I like quite a bit. 

Concerto for oboe and symphony orchestra, Seven Illusory Images of Memory, and Genesis stand out for me.

*Looks like I was beaten to the punch by a couple of minutes!


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## Aries (Nov 29, 2012)

Alexey Rybnikov seems to be prominent in Russia. And I can recommend him. His last 2 symphonies (No. 5 and 6) doesn't stand behind the symphonies of Shostakovich for example imo. The 4th is also good but unfinished after three movements. He also wrote film music and operas, where he mixed classical music with rock music. His style is very diverse. He is a great composer but not the youngest anymore. According to Wikipedia Aram Khachaturian was his teacher and he sold over 10 million discs just before 1989.

Here recordings of his last 3 symphonies until now:

Symphony No. 6 (2008)
Symphony No. 5 (2005)
Unfinished Symphony No. 4 (1999)


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I recommend *Lev Zhurbin* born in 1978, Moscow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Zhurbin


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

allaroundmusicenthusiast said:


> ................
> Also, people who don't like contemporary music, please refrain from generating another pointless discussion. Thank you


But where's the fun in that!


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## BachIsBest (Feb 17, 2018)

Although he is more of a pianist, Daniil Trifonov composed a piano concerto


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## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

I'm always intrigued when a performer writes something, so I will check it out, like the rest of the recommendations so far. Thank you everyone!


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## gregorx (Jan 25, 2020)

Alla Pavlova. Born in Ukraine moved to Moscow w the folks when she was (I think) 5. Seems to channel Shostakovich in her symphonies and has that melancholy that most Russian composers 20th c. on have. She's lived in NYC since 1990; you can take the girl out of Russia, but you can't take Russia out of the girl. Doesn't get a lot of mention here.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Artyomov is definitely interesting, with a stylistic variety and development, now leaning towards a somewhat Scriabin-like mysticism. 

Shchedrin has a good deal of popularity, personally I'm not a big fan, except as regards the entertaining Carmen Suite.

The avantgardist Georgy Dorokhov died young, 
and the symphonist Sergei Slonimsky, with around 35 symphonies, passed away too just a few months ago.

The peculiar, jazz-influenced Kapustin died recently too. 

Dmitri Smirnov and Elena Firsova often write interesting and/or attractive music, but they left for London, I think.
Their daughter is a composer too.

Some other names, to some extent recorded: 

Vladislav Shoot
Alexander Raskatov
Viktor Ekimovsky


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## advokat (Aug 16, 2020)

Nikolai Kapustin is very well regarded. He started as a jazz musician, but later on, he always resisted the association with jazz. Some first-tier international performers played his music. He died last year.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Kapustin partly distancing himself from jazz is a bit paradoxical, given the sound of his music, but it also refers to his use of compositional techniques. The '24 Jazz Preludes' for piano for example date from 2000 and are apparently partly influenced by Chopin too.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin is still around.
Valentin Silvestrov as well.
Yevhen Stankovych


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Silvestrov is Ukrainian, recently more explicitly so.

Stankovych is Ukrainian.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

*Philip Kirkorov*


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## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

joen_cph said:


> Silvestrov is Ukrainian, recently more explicitly so.


Yes, I think so too. I also like his music


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Red Terror said:


> *Philip Kirkorov*


I'm sure he makes all the rest look like dim-witted amateurs.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

joen_cph said:


> Silvestrov is Ukrainian, recently more explicitly so.


So was Kapustin.
Besides, there has been very long cultural ties between Russia and the Ukraine, much of it due to history.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Orfeo said:


> So was Kapustin.
> Besides, there has been very long cultural ties between Russia and the Ukraine, much of it due to history.


Kapustin lived mostly and died in Russia.

There are several interviews with Silvestrov dealing with his relations to Russia and Ukraine in light of the recent conflict. Obviously, there are parts of Russian cultural heritage he associates himself with. However, he is politically now identifying himself explicitly with Ukraine.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

joen_cph said:


> Kapustin lived mostly and died in Russia.
> 
> There are several interviews with Silvestrov dealing with his relations to Russia and Ukraine in light of the recent conflict. Obviously, there are parts of Russian cultural heritage he associates himself with. However, he is politically now identifying himself explicitly with Ukraine.


Okay.
Thank you.


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## Subutai (Feb 28, 2021)

I have various orchestral works by the following unsung Russian/Soviet composers. Not all are contemporary, yet all are interesting and sadly lacking in concert circles in the West.

Antonyuk
Artyomov
Baley
Eshpai
Karamanov
Karayev
Markelov
Parsadanyan
Polovinkin
Popov
Rabinovitch-Barakovsky
Silvestrov
Slonimsky
Steinberg
Terteryan
Tishchenko
B Tchaikovsky
Weinberg
Yevlakhov


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