Alemdar Karamanov

Internet Edition compiled by Onno van Rijen

Updated 9 April 2007

Born

10 September 1934 in Simferopol.

Education

He studied at the Crimean Music College in Simferopol and then at the Moscow State P.I.Tchaikovsky Conservatoire (1953-1958) as a composition student of Prof. S. Bogatyrjov (which also was professor at the Kharkiv Arts Institute (Ukraine), and one of founders of the Kharkiv composers' school) and as a piano student of Prof. V. Natanson. There he completed his post-graduate studies as a composition student of Prof. D. Kabalevsky and Prof. T. Khrennikov (1958-1964, with interruptions).

Style

He aimed at appropriating and managing technical achievements of the Western Avant-Garde and uniting them with the Russian, “Russian Oriental”(with Crimean motives) and Soviet musical traditions.

Works

Five Preludes for piano (1953)

String Quartet No. 1 (1953)

Piano Sonata No. 1 (1953)

Eight Pieces (Variations) for piano (1954)

"The Seasons of the Year (Vremena goda)", twelve pieces for piano (1954)

Four Pieces for clarinet and piano (1954)

Variations for oboe and piano (1954)

Five Pieces for two oboes and piano (1954)

String Quartet No. 2 (1954)

"Fairy Tale (Skazka)", symphonic poem (1954)

Symphony No. 1 (1954)

In five movements.
Piano Sonata No. 2 (1954-1955)
Partly lost, except Finale movement “Rondeau”).
Symphony No. 2 (1955)
In two movements.
Revised in 1975.
"Five Children's Pieces" for piano (1956)

"Forest Pictures (Lesnye kartinki)", suite for orchestra (1956)

Symphony No. 3 (1956)

In four movements:
1. Andantino - 17'37"
2. Moderato - 5'38"
3. Andantino - 7'55"
4. Allegro - 8'58"

CD Marco Polo 8.223796: Moscow SO, A. de Almeida (cond)

Symphony No. 4 "May" (1956)
In four movements.
Symphony No. 5 "W. I. Lenin" for narrator, solo voices, chorus and orchestra (1957)
Dramatorio on verses by Vladimir Majakovsky (in Russian) in three movements.
“Komsomolija”, one-act ballet (1957)
Composed with E. Krylatov.
Libretto by V. Varkovicky.
“Angarstroj”, symphonic poem (1957)

Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonietta" (1957)

In four movements.
Symphony No. 7 “Lunnoe more (Moon Night)” (1958)
In three movements.
Piano Concerto No. 1 (1958)

“The Seasons of the Year (Vremena goda)", choral cycle for mixed a cappella chorus (1959)

Lost.
“Ballade” for voice and piano (1950s)

“Romances” for string quartet and piano (1950s)

“Ave Maria” for piano (1950s)

“Two Dances” for piano (1950s)

Published in 1959.
“Rodina” (“Fatherland”) for chorus (1950s)
On verses by Konstantin Simonov (in Russian).
Symphony No. 8 "Classical" (1960)
In four movements.
“To Slavs (Slavjanam)" for chorus (1960)

Suite for jazz orchestra (1960)

Piano Sonata No. 3 (1960)

Piano Sonata No. 4 (1961)

Variations for piano (1961)

“Heroic Dances (Geroicheskie tancy)", symphonic poem-suite for orchestra (1961)

In five movements.
“Stronger than Love (Sil'nee lubvi)", ballet (1961)
Libretto by B. Lavrenev.
Production: Malegot Theatre of Leningrad.
Piano Concerto No. 2 (1961)

Violin Concerto No. 1 (1961)

Oriental Capriccio for violin and orchestra (1961)

Six Etudes for piano 1960-1962

Symphony No. 9 "Liberation (Osvobozhdenie)" (1962)

In four movements.
"Music (Muzyka)" for cello and piano (1962)

“Prologue, Thoughts and Epilogue (Prolog, Mysl' i Epilog)” for piano (1962)

“African Songs (Afrikanskie pesni)", vocal cycle for baritone and piano (1962)

On verses by African poets (in Russian translation).
"Music (Muzyka)" No. 1 for piano (1962)

"Music (Muzyka)" No. 2 for piano (1962)

Symphony No. 10 "Youth of the World" (1963)

In three movements.
“Song of Married Soldier (Pesnja zhenatogo soldata)", cantata for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1963)
On text by A. Machado-y-Ruiz (in Russian).
“The Crime was in Granada (Prestuplenie bylo v Granade)" for soprano, violin, flute and two pianos (1963)
To the memory of Federico Garcia Lorca.
On text by M. Hernandez (in Russian).
"Music (Muzyka)"for violin and piano (1963)

String Quartet No. 3 (1963)

“When You are Passing By (Kogda ty prokhodish' mimo)", poem for tenor and piano (1963)

On text by L. Asampur (Alla Sampurova) (in Russian).
“Window into Music (Okno v muzyku)", sixteen children's pieces for piano (1963)

Three Preludes for piano (1963)

Scherzo for clarinet and piano (1963)

Four Pieces for trombone and piano (1964)

Overture “Heroic” - “12th April (Geroicheskaja” - “12-e Aprelja)” for orchestra (1964)

Overture “Festival (Prazdnichnaja)” for orchestra (1964) Violin Concerto No. 2 (1964)

Five Preludes and Nineteen Concert Fugues for piano (1964)

New version in 1984: Fifteen Concert Fugues.
“The Autumnal (Osennee)” for chorus (1964)
On text by V. Firsov (in Russian).
“The Sparkling World (Blistajushchij mir)”, musical play with ballet (1962-1965)
After Aleksandr Grin.
Production: Crimean Music-Drama Theater of Simferopol.
Concerto for trumpet and jazz orchestra (1965)

Symphony No. 11 (1965)

Cycle of Symphonies Nos. 11-14 “Accomplished (Sovershishasja)" for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1965-1966)

After the Bible (Four Gospels and Psalm 117).
In ten movements with chorus in the Finale:
1. “Because God has Loved the World so Much (Ibo tak vozljubil Bog Mir)"
2. “Theirs Is the Kingdom of Heaven (Takovykh jest' Carstvo Nebesnoe)”
3. “In Hebrew, in Greek, In Roman (Po-Evrejski, Po-Grecheski, Po-Rimski)"
4. “It is Accomplished (Sovershilos')”
5. “He Who Was Pierced Through (Tot, Kotorogo pronzili)”
6. “Beating Himself with the Fist on the Chest (Udarjaja Sebja Kulakom v Grud')"
7. “With Clothes, Embrocated by Ointments (Odezhdami, Smochennymi Aromatami)”
8. “He is Not Here. He is Resurrected (Ego zdes' net. On voskres)”
9. “They Always Were in Church (Byli Vsegda v Cerkvi)”
10. “In the Glory of His Father (V slave Otca Svoego)”
Music to the Film "Ordinary Fascism (Obyknovennyj fashizm)" (1965-1966)
Produced by M. Romm.
Stabat mater for solists, chorus and orchestra (1967)

Piano Concerto No. 3 "Ave Maria" (1968)

In three movements:
1. Allegretto - 12'29"
2. Largo - 6'16"
3. Andantino - 14'37"

CD Marco Polo 8.223796: Moscow SO, A. de Almeida (cond), V. Viardo (piano)

“Requiem” for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1971)
Orchestral version in 1991.
“Messa” (1972)
Unfinished.
Symphonies Nos. 15-16 “In Amorem Et Vivificantem” (1974)

“Remembrances (Vospominanija)" for chorus (1974)

On text by Alla Sampurova (in Russian).
Symphony No. 17 "America" (1975)

“Return”, “Dedication”, “Flying Leaves”, “Images-Pictures" ("Vozvrashchenie”, “Posvjaschenija”, “Letjashchie listki”, “Obrazy-kartiny”), choral cycles (1975)

On texts by Alla Sampurova (in Russian).
“To You (Tebe)”, seven songs (romances) for coloratura soprano and piano (1975)
On texts by Alla Sampurova (in Russian).
Four Romances on verses by Russian poets for bass and piano (1975)

“Stars (Zvezdy)", vocal cycle for medium-range voice and piano (1975)

On verses by S. Shchipachev (in Russian).
Cycle of Symphonies Nos. 18-23 “Was (Byst')” (1976-1980)
After St. John's Revelation in New Testament.
“Poema Pobedy”; “Poem of Victory”
Symphony No. 18 "To He Who loves us (Lubjashchu ny)” (1980)
“Putjami svershenij”; “Roads of Accomplishments”
Symphony No. 19 “Blood of the Lamb (Kroviju Agncheju)” (1976)
“Pobede rozhdennyj” or “Rozhdennye dlja pobedy”; “Born to Victory” or “The Born for Victory”
Symphony No. 20 "Blessed are the Death (Blazhennii mertvii)" (1977-1978)
“Velikaja zhertva”; “Great Sacrifice”

CD Olympia OCD 486: USSR Radio SO, V. Fedoseyev (cond)

Symphony No. 21 “The Great City (Grad Velij)” (1978)
“Vsego Prevyshe”; “Higher Than All"
Symphony No. 22 “Let It Be (Byst')” (1980)
“Retaliation”

CD Decca 452 850 2: Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Vladimir Ashkenazy (cond)

Symphony No. 23 “I am Jesus (Az Iisus)" (1980)
“Reborn from the Ashes” or “The Risen from the Ashes”.

CD Decca 452 850 2: Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Vladimir Ashkenazy (cond)
CD Olympia OCD 486: USSR Radio SO, V. Fedoseyev (cond)

“Fountain of Love (Fontan lubvi)”, musical (1982)
After A. Pushkin's poem “Bahcisaray Fountain (Bakhchisarajskij fontan)”.
"Crimean (Krymskaja)", overture for orchestra (1982)

“Adzhimushkaj Legend-Fact (Legenda-byl' Adzhimushkaja)" for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1983)

On text by B. Serman (in Russian).
Symphony No. 24 “Adzhimushkaj” (1983)

"Spring (Vesennjaja)" for orchestra (1984)

Music to the Film "Strategy of the victory (Strategija pobedy)" (1985)

Music to the Film "Love with Privileges (Ljubov's privelegijami)" (1989)

Produced by V.Kuchins'ky.
“Hymn (Gimn)” (1992)
National Anthem of Crimean Republic.
“Khersones”, mysteries (1994)

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