theartsdesk Q&A: Composer Rodion Shchedrin

Neglected for unmusical reasons, the ballerina's husband is back

by Ismene BrownSaturday, 18 September 2010

Maya Plisetskaya as Carmen and Nikolai Fadeyechev in Shchedrin's 1967 ballet for her

The Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin has long been damned faintly by two facts - that he is the husband of the Bolshoi prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and that he was for a long time the president of the Russian Composers' Union in the USSR. These two things were plenty enough to remove discussion of him from the musical arena to the seething forum of politics where every Soviet composer's actions were given intense non-musical scrutiny both inside and outside the USSR.

A composer's life is a marathon. It's not a sprint where you win and then you're a winner for eternity. No, you go up and down.

Explore topics

Share this article

...

Permalink Submitted by Caroline (not verified) on Sat, 18/09/2010 - 07:01

Thanks for this. But Shchedrin has found his level. Pace Gergiev, he has written a great many non-communicative and forgettable scores, and a few really good ones. He's simply not up there with Schnittke or Gubaidulina. The point I object to is his definition of depression - when in one, write a new piece. Impossible in cases of real depression. It's not a 'bad mood'.

Looking for a cd of

Permalink Submitted by FRED GARRISON (not verified) on Wed, 21/03/2012 - 02:06

Looking for a cd of SHCHEDRIN'S: Not Love Alone Suite. The version with THE MOSCOW RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA under the direction of KIRIL KONDRASHIN. Was on a MELODIYA disc No. 74321491252. New or used playable disc will due. Even a homemade copy as long as it is recorded well is acceptable. Please contact me with your requirements. THANK, FRED

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

more Classical music

Bach Brandenburg Concertos, OAE, QEH review - forever young Zest, dash and fun in rejuvenated favourites

First Person: Alec Frank-Gemmill on reasons for another recording of the Mozart horn concertos On ignoring the composer's 'Basta, basta!' above the part for the original soloist

Andrej Power, LSO, Mäkelä, Barbican review - singing, shrieking rites of darkness and light Radical masterpieces by Sibelius and Stravinsky have never sounded more extraordinary

Mailley-Smith, Piccadilly Sinfonietta, St Mary-le-Strand review - music in a resurgent venue Neglected London church now the home of a vibrant concert series

Classical CDs: Mandolins, multiphonics and multiple pianos Classical horn concertos, a Gallic record label celebrated and Seventies pop meets the French baroque

Kolesnikov, Hallé, Elts, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - the dude who dazzles Fun French music forms a foil to naked, virtuoso pianism

Fauré Centenary Concert 5, Wigmore Hall review - a final flight The master of levitation in transcendent performances from Steven Isserlis and friends