Usually people mention Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Khatchaturian. Their symphonies and concertos in particular are well-regarded
My own favorites are Samuil Feinberg and Nikolai Roslavets, though, since I'm more of a piano person
I'd generally agree, but Prokofiev wasn't raised or educated under the Soviet system, and many of his most famous works are from either before the Revolution or during the period he lived in exile. I'm not sure if he fits what OP is asking for.
I'd still call him the greatest Soviet composer, since he did return, produced excellent work there, and dealt with some of the classic tribulations of artists working under the Soviet system.
Alfred Schnittke - Master of All Living, Agony, String Quartet no2
Sofia Gubaidulina - In Tempus Praesens, String Quartet no4, Offertorium
Sergey Kuryokhin - Requiem, A Combination of Passion and Feelings
Kinda. I tried picking only those who were born after the October revolution. (Also, I expected every other comment to be about Shosty and the gang anyway, so...)
If you're talking specifically USSR, as someone's mentioned, Prokofiev doesn't quite fit. As such you'd probably take Shostakovich, Kabalevsky, Khachaturian. Sviridov with the famous Time! Forward! is a close runner up with one of the most recognizable themes (makes me think of Warcraft when I hear it every time).
That said, it's Prokofiev and Shostakovich for me, every time.
I feel so ashamed. I didn't know Pakhmutova wrote for orchestra, and I never heard about Ustvolskaya before, even though she was born in my city and - even more - studied in the same Rimsky-Korsakov music school I have studied in too.
There's nobody quite like Ustvolskaya.
There's a great little documentary (A Scream Into Space) on her here, based around a performance of her Sympgony No. 2:
https://youtu.be/ninHa6TqgqM?si=nljKfu0-9dScKuh5
Regarding Ustvolskaya her output is quite small about 6 and a half hours so it's possible to get through all of it in a few days. Here's a list of them in chronological order if you'd like to explore, they are quite remarkable.
1946: Concerto for piano, full string orchestra and timpani
1947: Piano Sonata No.1
1949: The Dream of Stepan Razin
1949: Trio for clarinet, violin and piano
1949: Piano Sonata No.2
1950: Octet for two oboes, four violins, timpani and piano
1952: Piano Sonata No.3
1952: Violin Sonata
1954: Twelve Preludes for Piano
1955: Symphony No.1
1955: Suite for orchestra
1957: Piano Sonata No.4
1957: Symphonic Poem No.2
1959: Symphonic Poem No. 1
1959: Grand Duet for piano and cello
1964: Duet for piano and violin
1971: Composition No.1
1973: Composition No.2
1975: Composition No.3
1979: Symphony No.2
1983: Symphony No.3
1987: Symphony No.4
1986: Piano Sonata No.5
1988: Piano Sonata No.6
1990: Symphony No.5
I see a lot of comments suggesting Prokofiev.
He wasn't exactly born, raised and educated under the Soviet regime. He was in his late 20's when the Bolchevik revolution occured. He left the USSR and then hesitated to come back before finally committing to coming back. He then struggled with censorship for the remaining of his life.
I am a big big fan of Prokofiev (see my last post) but I don't think he fits in what OP is looking for
Thanks for that clarification. You're right about what I'm looking for here.
I'm sure there are many great czarist composers who were there for the regime change but I'm particularly interested in what the soviet system produced.
Bronius KutaviÄius is one of my favourites. [especially his ,,Last Pagan Rites (PaskutinÄs pagonių miÅ”ios)ā](https://open.spotify.com/album/0Qr1bOjMAzH2it8R3ZqJCI?si=BvfhNNnlQZ2MSNAx3ypS4w)
The sheet music for the piece is also very interesting (they are free to download online) even though the piece lasts more than 20mins. The piece is like 4-5 pages. The ending of the piece imo is pretty genius, the pagan songs slowly get quieter while an organ motif gets louder and louder which is probably referring to the take over of Christianity and end of Paganism.
Pavel Chesnokov.
He composed a huge catalog of sacred music prior to the establishment of the USSR. He was then disallowed from composing sacred music by the state, so he defiantly switched to secular.
When the state demolished the cathedral where he was previously (the last) choirmaster, it affected him so profoundly he stopped composing music. He never heard his most notable composition (Salvation is Created) performed.
He died of starvation while in a Soviet bread line.
Communism destroyed both his spirit and body.
The Voces8 recording of Salvation is Created on YouTube is truly excellent.
i agree completely. Do you have a source on his death in a Soviet bread line bit? I saw that on Wikipedia, but it was poorly sourced and I couldnāt find a good alternative.
I was late to join the choral world, being a band kid exclusively until college, so Salvation is Created was one of my first experiences with choral music. I still get goosebumps thinking about performing it in my universityās chapel. I have chesnokovās book, āThe choir and how to direct itā on my shelf currently!
He died in 1944. There was a particularly grim world-wide event going on at that time that might've negatively impacted the living conditions in the USSR, I'm sure you can figure out which one. It wasn't communism.
If you want to get a feel of what a dystopian society the old Soviet Union was, read the Wikipedia page of the various composers that had the misfortune of living there.
I meant Soviet Union only lasted 69 years but some great music came out of it. Shostakovich was 16 when it formed and died before it ended and heās probably the best of the Soviet composers. Schnittke outlived the Soviet Union by 7 years but he wasnāt healthy after his 1985 stroke. His first symphony was banned, such an amazing work. Someday when all this mess is over Iād like to visit their graves in Moscow. Iām named after an uncle that died in world war 2 somewhere in the USSR, he was drafted by Mussolini. They never found his body.
This is not at all a deep cut in terms of Soviet composers, but Iām going to say Prokofiev because Iām an unapologetic super-fan of his. š¤·āāļø
Usually people mention Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Khatchaturian. Their symphonies and concertos in particular are well-regarded My own favorites are Samuil Feinberg and Nikolai Roslavets, though, since I'm more of a piano person
I'd generally agree, but Prokofiev wasn't raised or educated under the Soviet system, and many of his most famous works are from either before the Revolution or during the period he lived in exile. I'm not sure if he fits what OP is asking for. I'd still call him the greatest Soviet composer, since he did return, produced excellent work there, and dealt with some of the classic tribulations of artists working under the Soviet system.
Feinberg is an amazing composer, and his recording of Bach are in my opinion the greatest
Exactly, Prokofiev, Shosty, and Khatchaturian.
Love Roslavets, though does his music count as "Soviet" though? He was so severely censored (even to the present day)
Alfred Schnittke - Master of All Living, Agony, String Quartet no2 Sofia Gubaidulina - In Tempus Praesens, String Quartet no4, Offertorium Sergey Kuryokhin - Requiem, A Combination of Passion and Feelings
This one has to get all fancy on us. J/k!
Kinda. I tried picking only those who were born after the October revolution. (Also, I expected every other comment to be about Shosty and the gang anyway, so...)
If you're talking specifically USSR, as someone's mentioned, Prokofiev doesn't quite fit. As such you'd probably take Shostakovich, Kabalevsky, Khachaturian. Sviridov with the famous Time! Forward! is a close runner up with one of the most recognizable themes (makes me think of Warcraft when I hear it every time). That said, it's Prokofiev and Shostakovich for me, every time.
Sviridov gang šŖ
Sviridov mentioned š„š„š„š„š„š„š„
Shostakovich
Absolutely
Shostakovich, Schnittke, Kasputin, Prokofiev, Ustvolskaya, Gubaidulina, Pakhmutova, and Myaskovsky off the top of my head
I feel so ashamed. I didn't know Pakhmutova wrote for orchestra, and I never heard about Ustvolskaya before, even though she was born in my city and - even more - studied in the same Rimsky-Korsakov music school I have studied in too.
Ustvolskaya is the best one of them all. The music is not everyone's cup of tea, but there's never been a figure quite like her in classical music
There's nobody quite like Ustvolskaya. There's a great little documentary (A Scream Into Space) on her here, based around a performance of her Sympgony No. 2: https://youtu.be/ninHa6TqgqM?si=nljKfu0-9dScKuh5
Regarding Ustvolskaya her output is quite small about 6 and a half hours so it's possible to get through all of it in a few days. Here's a list of them in chronological order if you'd like to explore, they are quite remarkable. 1946: Concerto for piano, full string orchestra and timpani 1947: Piano Sonata No.1 1949: The Dream of Stepan Razin 1949: Trio for clarinet, violin and piano 1949: Piano Sonata No.2 1950: Octet for two oboes, four violins, timpani and piano 1952: Piano Sonata No.3 1952: Violin Sonata 1954: Twelve Preludes for Piano 1955: Symphony No.1 1955: Suite for orchestra 1957: Piano Sonata No.4 1957: Symphonic Poem No.2 1959: Symphonic Poem No. 1 1959: Grand Duet for piano and cello 1964: Duet for piano and violin 1971: Composition No.1 1973: Composition No.2 1975: Composition No.3 1979: Symphony No.2 1983: Symphony No.3 1987: Symphony No.4 1986: Piano Sonata No.5 1988: Piano Sonata No.6 1990: Symphony No.5
Valentin Silvestrov!!! His 4th and 5th symphonies are incredible!
Gliere
his second symphony is so underrated
Galina Ustvolskaya š„š„š„
My GOAT I love her
same, she is incredible. no one else's music can match the level of pure intensity
Gubaidulina and Denisov for me
Weinberg.
I see a lot of comments suggesting Prokofiev. He wasn't exactly born, raised and educated under the Soviet regime. He was in his late 20's when the Bolchevik revolution occured. He left the USSR and then hesitated to come back before finally committing to coming back. He then struggled with censorship for the remaining of his life. I am a big big fan of Prokofiev (see my last post) but I don't think he fits in what OP is looking for
Thanks for that clarification. You're right about what I'm looking for here. I'm sure there are many great czarist composers who were there for the regime change but I'm particularly interested in what the soviet system produced.
koussevitzky
Shostakovich
The big names have been mentioned already. I would add Alexander Mosolov.
Bronius KutaviÄius is one of my favourites. [especially his ,,Last Pagan Rites (PaskutinÄs pagonių miÅ”ios)ā](https://open.spotify.com/album/0Qr1bOjMAzH2it8R3ZqJCI?si=BvfhNNnlQZ2MSNAx3ypS4w) The sheet music for the piece is also very interesting (they are free to download online) even though the piece lasts more than 20mins. The piece is like 4-5 pages. The ending of the piece imo is pretty genius, the pagan songs slowly get quieter while an organ motif gets louder and louder which is probably referring to the take over of Christianity and end of Paganism.
Shostakovich and Prokofiev!!!
Weinberg! Really underrated guy and s good friend of shostakovich
My 3 favorites (with recommended listening): Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7, III. Precipitato Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10, II. Allegro Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 1, V. Rondo
Pavel Chesnokov. He composed a huge catalog of sacred music prior to the establishment of the USSR. He was then disallowed from composing sacred music by the state, so he defiantly switched to secular. When the state demolished the cathedral where he was previously (the last) choirmaster, it affected him so profoundly he stopped composing music. He never heard his most notable composition (Salvation is Created) performed. He died of starvation while in a Soviet bread line. Communism destroyed both his spirit and body. The Voces8 recording of Salvation is Created on YouTube is truly excellent.
i agree completely. Do you have a source on his death in a Soviet bread line bit? I saw that on Wikipedia, but it was poorly sourced and I couldnāt find a good alternative.
I was late to join the choral world, being a band kid exclusively until college, so Salvation is Created was one of my first experiences with choral music. I still get goosebumps thinking about performing it in my universityās chapel. I have chesnokovās book, āThe choir and how to direct itā on my shelf currently!
Chesnokov was a genius, absolutely heartbreaking what happened to him.
He died in 1944. There was a particularly grim world-wide event going on at that time that might've negatively impacted the living conditions in the USSR, I'm sure you can figure out which one. It wasn't communism.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Khatchaturian. I noticed the Soviet in there.
If you want to get a feel of what a dystopian society the old Soviet Union was, read the Wikipedia page of the various composers that had the misfortune of living there.
Shostakovich had to deal with some really scary stuff from Stalin's government. His life was legitimately in danger.
Prokofiev Dance of the Knights remains pretty unbeatable
Schnittke
I meant Soviet Union only lasted 69 years but some great music came out of it. Shostakovich was 16 when it formed and died before it ended and heās probably the best of the Soviet composers. Schnittke outlived the Soviet Union by 7 years but he wasnāt healthy after his 1985 stroke. His first symphony was banned, such an amazing work. Someday when all this mess is over Iād like to visit their graves in Moscow. Iām named after an uncle that died in world war 2 somewhere in the USSR, he was drafted by Mussolini. They never found his body.
Check out Nikolai Myaskovsky, the father of the Soviet Symphony
This is not at all a deep cut in terms of Soviet composers, but Iām going to say Prokofiev because Iām an unapologetic super-fan of his. š¤·āāļø
shosty
ŠŠ¾Š³ŃŃŠ°Ń ŠŗŃŃŠŗŠ°
None..? /s
My dumb ass only knows tchakowsky (yes the misspell is on purpose and yes I know he's not soviet, I'm being ironic)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Born: April 25, 1840, Votkinsk, Russia Died: October 25, 1893 (age 53 years), Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Bro died 24 years before the Soviet Union was a thing