Sergei Vasilenko

{{short description|Soviet Russian composer}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Sergei Vasilenko

| image = Василенко Сергей Никифорович.jpg

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_name = Sergei Nikiforovich Vasilenko

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1872|03|30}}

| birth_place = Moscow

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1956|03|11|1872|03|30}}

| death_place = Moscow

| nationality =

| other_names =

| occupation = Composer, conductor

| years_active =

| known_for =

| notable_works =

| education =

| alma_mater = Imperial Moscow University (1896)

}}

Sergei Nikiforovich Vasilenko ({{langx|ru|Серге́й Никифорович Василенко}}, Sergey Nikiforovich Vasilenko; {{OldStyleDateDY|30 March|1872|18 March}} – 11 March 1956) was a Russian and Soviet composer, conductor and music teacher whose compositions showed a strong tendency towards mysticism.{{Cite journal|last=Artamonova|first=Elena|title=Unknown Sergey Vasilenko And His Viola Compositions: Recent Discoveries In Russian Archives|url=https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/7604/1/JAVS%20Vasilenko%20article%20(2).pdf|journal=Journal OF THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY|volume=28|issue=1|pages=33–47}}

Vasilenko was born in Moscow and originally studied law at Moscow State University, but then changed direction and studied at the Moscow Conservatory from 1896 to 1901 as a pupil of Sergei Taneyev and Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov.{{Cite web|title=Сергей Василенко (II)|url=https://www.kino-teatr.ru/kino/composer/sov/36721/bio/|access-date=2020-12-10|website=Кино-Театр.РУ}} From 1903 to 1904 he was the conductor of a private opera house in Moscow.{{Cite web|title=персоналии - Василенко Сергей Никифорович|url=http://www.mosconsv.ru/ru/person.aspx?id=33781|access-date=2020-12-10|website=www.mosconsv.ru|language=ru}} For several years he was the organiser and conductor of the Historic Concerts of the Russian Musical Society. He then became a Professor at the Moscow Conservatory, where his students included Aram Khachaturian, Nikolai Roslavets, Nikolai Rakov and Aarre Merikanto.{{Cite web|title=Сергей Никифорович Василенко (Sergei Vasilenko) {{!}} Belcanto.ru|url=https://www.belcanto.ru/vasilenko.html|access-date=2020-12-10|website=www.belcanto.ru}}

Vasilenko was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner of Labour as well as the title People's Artist of the RSFSR. In 1947, he was awarded the Stalin Prize.{{Cite journal|last=Рогаль-Левицкий|first=Дмитрий|date=1947|title=Творческий путь С. Н. Василенко|url=https://mus.academy/storage/magazine/articles/pdfs/compressed/Y9BLvdAlL2fPZm8eeZD9ACIfvOr4xQGKSGdIfNi9.pdf|journal=Музыкальная Академия|volume=2|pages=7–19}} He died in Moscow in 1956.

Selected works

=Opera=

  • Skazaniye o grade velikom Kitezhe i tikhom ozere Svetoyare (Tale of the Great City of Kitezh and the Quiet Lake Svetoyar) (1902; originally a cantata, Op. 5){{Cite journal|last=Е. А.|first=Артамонова|date=2015|title=Композитор Сергей Василенко и его вклад в Русскую музыкальную культуру|url=http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/26441/1/26441.EA.pdf|journal=Художественное Образование и Наука|pages=96–103}}
  • Sïn solntsa (The Son of the Sun), Op. 63 (1929)
  • Khristofor Kolumb (Christopher Columbus), Op. 80 (1933)
  • Buran (The Snow Storm), Op. 98 (1939){{Cite web|title=Сергей Никифорович Василенко - Персоны - Санкт-Петербургская академическая филармония имени Д.Д. Шостаковича|url=https://www.philharmonia.spb.ru/persons/biography/178019/|access-date=2020-12-10|website=www.philharmonia.spb.ru}}
  • Velikiy kanal (The Grand Canal), Op. 101 (1939)
  • Suvorov, Op. 102 (1942)

=Ballet=

  • In the Rays of the Sun, Op. 17 (1925–26)
  • Noya, Op. 42 (1923)
  • Joseph the Handsome, Op. 50 (1925)
  • Lola, Op. 52 (1926)
  • The Gypsies, Op. 90 (1936; after Alexander Pushkin)
  • The Frog Princess, Op. 103 (1941)
  • Mirandolina

=Choral=

  • Cantata Legend of the Great City of Kitezh and the Quiet Lake Svetoyar, Op, 5 (later turned into an opera that anticipated Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's work on the same subject)
  • Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution, Op. 92 (1937)

=[[Incidental music]]=

=Orchestral=

  • Three Bloody Battles, Op. 1 (1900)
  • Epic Poem, Op. 4 (1900–03)
  • Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 10 (1904–06)
  • The Garden of Death, symphonic poem after Oscar Wilde, Op. 13 (1907–08)
  • Sappho, symphonic poem, Op. 14 (1909)
  • Flight of the Witches, symphonic poem, Op. 15 (1908–09)
  • Au soleil, symphonic poem, Op. 17
  • Fantastic Waltz, Op. 18 (1912)
  • Symphony No. 2 in F major, Op. 22
  • Suite on lute music of the 14th to 17th centuries, Op. 24 (1914)
  • Zodiac, suite on French themes of the 18th century, Op. 27 (1914)
  • Exotic Suite, Op. 29 (1915–16)
  • Indian Suite, Op. 42bis
  • Chinese Suite, No. 1, Op. 60 (1928)
  • Turkmenian Suite, Op. 68 (1931)
  • Chinese Suite, No. 2, Op. 70 (1931)
  • Merry-go-round, 8 Soviet dances, Op. 73 (1932)
  • The Soviet East, suite, Op. 75 (1932)
  • Red Army Rhapsody, Op. 77 (1932)
  • film music for Boris Barnet's Outskirts (1933)
  • Slavonic Rhapsody (1937)

=Concertante=

  • Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 25 (1910–13)
  • Concerto for symphony orchestra and brass band (1928)
  • Suite on Russian Folk Themes, balalaika and accordion (1928)
  • Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra, Op. 113
  • Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor, Op. 128

=Chamber=

  • String Quartet in A, Op. 3 (c. 1901)
  • Sonata in D minor for viola and piano, Op. 46 (1923); version for violin and piano (1955)
  • String Quartet in E minor, Op. 58 (c. 1928)
  • Quartet on Turkmenian Themes, for flute, oboe (English horn), clarinet, bassoon and percussion ad lib., Op. 65 (1932)
  • Piano Trio in A, Op. 74 (1932)
  • Japanese Suite for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, xylophone and piano, Op. 66a (1938)
  • Chinese Sketches, woodwind, Op. 78 (1938)
  • Quartet on American Themes, woodwind, Op. 79 (1938)

=Military band=

  • March of the Red Army, Op. 64 (1929)
  • Fantasy on Revolutionary Songs of the West, Op. 71 (1931)

=Other=

  • songs (including settings of Māori, Sinhalese, Indian and Japanese tunes)
  • folksong arrangements (including Negro and Turkmenian melodies)
  • piano pieces

Recordings

  • Sergei Vasilenko: Viola and Piano Music (Complete) - Viola Sonata, Op. 46 / Lullaby / 4 Pieces on Themes of Lute Music of the 16-17th Centuries, Op. 35 / Sleeping River / Oriental Dance, Op. 47 / Suite Zodiakus I.A.S, Op. 27 / 4 Pieces (1953) - Elena Artamonova (viola) and Nicholas Walker (piano). Toccata Classics TOCC0127, released 2011
  • "The Russian Connection" - Hexagon Ensemble. Etcetera Records KTC1246, released 2001 - includes Sergei Vasilenko: Quartet on Turkmenian Themes Op.65

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book| title =Imperial Moscow University: 1755-1917: encyclopedic dictionary | agency = A. Andreev, D. Tsygankov |location= Moscow |year= 2010 |publisher= Russian political encyclopedia (ROSSPEN) | pages =114–115 | isbn = 978-5-8243-1429-8| ref =Imperial Moscow University}}
  • A. Eaglefield-Hull (ed), A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians (Dent, London 1924)
  • Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed. (1954)

See also

{{See LMST|Sergei|Vasilenko}}