Kapustin, Nikolai 1937 - 2020
Author: Kawakami, Masahiro
Last updated：June 1, 2007
Author: Kawakami, Masahiro
Born in Gorlovka, Ukraine, in 1937. He began to show interest in piano and composition from an early age, and at 14, he moved to Moscow to commence serious piano studies. He studied with A. Rubbakh at the Music High School, and subsequently spent five years in A. Goldenweiser's piano class at the Moscow Conservatory. During this period, he experienced a striking encounter with American music by listening to Voice of America radio broadcasts. He gradually became aware of jazz while listening to LP records, eventually realizing that this music was essential for his creative activities. Upon graduating from the Moscow Conservatory in 1961, he performed as a member of Oleg Lundstrem's orchestra until 1972, while also composing. From 1972 to 1977, he worked with a light music orchestra, and from 1977 to 1984, with a film music orchestra, after which he retired from public performance to dedicate himself solely to composition. His early works centered on orchestra or big band with piano, and he has six piano concertos, chamber music for various instrumental configurations, and numerous other piano pieces. Representative piano works include 16 piano sonatas and "24 Preludes and Fugues." Currently, the number of his works totals 131 (as of May 2007). There are also many recordings of his own performances of his works, including unreleased ones. The compositional style of his works varies slightly depending on the period of composition; while strongly influenced by the musical language of modern and contemporary composers, especially Ravel, Bartók, Prokofiev, he also employed idioms and rhythms ranging from early jazz to big band, bebop, Latin, and rock. By integrating various contemporary musical sensibilities, he arrived at his unique compositional style. In terms of pianism, which encompasses the essence of jazz and the history of classical music since Bach, he has achieved unparalleled success. His works are now performed by musicians worldwide, and his scores are primarily published successively in Japan and the United Kingdom.
Works(88)
Concerto (3)
concerto (9)
Works with orchestral accompaniment (10)
Piano Solo (20)
sonata (13)
pieces (4)
etude (4)
character pieces (2)
Reduction/Arrangement (3)
"Aquarela do Brasil" by Ary Barroso, Paraphrase for Piano Op.118
Composed in: 2004 Playing time: 3 min 10 sec
Various works (13)
Piano Ensemble (5)
Reduction/Arrangement (3)
Paraphrase on Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" for two pianos, four hands Op.129
Composed in: 2006 Playing time: 4 min 30 sec
Paraphrase on Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" for two pianos, four hands Op.129
Composed in: 2006 Playing time: 3 min 45 sec
Chamber Music (3)
sonata (2)
Various works (4)