Alla Pavlova, born in 1952, is one of those Russian composers
who had their musical education under the Soviet system. Pavlova’s flowering as a composer
has been taking place in a totally different world, especially in her case, as she has been
living in New York since 1990.
In 1983 she received her Master's Degree at the Gnesin Academy of Music in Moscow. She studied composition with Armen Shakhbagian.
In 2003 Naxos issued a CD with her Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3. Her First Symphony is an emotional response to her discovery, on a return visit to Moscow. Her Third Symphony is tonal and romantic in conception.
In October 2005 Naxos issued her Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4. The music of her Second Symphony moves between classical and contemporary styles in the different movements.
The music oscillates between a melodic and readily attractive idiom, not too far distant from Hollywood in its scoring, and an aggresive idiom that has Khachaturian lurking in the background.
The Second Symphony is redolent in colour and with an oriental flavour to the melodic input. A massive organ statement opens the Fourth.
After the release of recordings of her Symphonies
Nos. 1 and 3 (Naxos 8.557157) and Nos. 2 and 4 (Naxos 8.557566) Naxos has issued a new CD with recordings of her Monolog for violin and string orchestra (2002), Old New York Nostalgia Suite - a suite for
string orchestra, percussion, alto-saxophone, tenor saxophone and trumpet (revised in 2002 of the suite for piano solo) and
Sulamith ballet suite (written in 2003-2004). The Suite Sulamith consists of excerpts from the ballet Sulamith, based on the story by
the Russian writer Aleksander Kuprin. it is a dramatic and touching lovestory between King Solomon and a poor girl, Sulamith, a servant from his vineyard, and the only love of his life. The performers are the Moscow
Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Rossen Milanov with Yaroslav Krasnikov (violin). (Naxos 8.557674).
Then Naxos issued the third CD with symphonies of Alla Pavolva. This Naxos CD 8.570369 contains her Symphony No. 5 (2006) and her Elegy
for piano and string orchestra (1998).
The Symphony No. 5 has a spiritual programme. One may imagine the whole work as in sonata-form. The first movement
is the main theme, the second movement the second theme, the third movement the development and the fourth and fifth movement
have the spiritual role of a recapitulation; in fact they are two different 'finales': one sujective, the other objective.
The orchestration of this symphony is lighter and simpler that that of her previous symphonies for full orchestra. The only brass instruments are the horns.
There is much less percussion. Strings are the foundation of the score and the violin solos are particularly important.
Elegy was written as a project for the main title for a film "The American Healys", a tragic love story based on the life of Michael Healy, who defies
the laws of Georgia by marrying his black slave.
Alla Pavlova CDs
In October 2005 Naxos issued her Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4. The music of her Second Symphony moves between classical and contemporary styles in the different movements.
The music oscillates between a melodic and readily attractive idiom, not too far distant from Hollywood in its scoring, and an aggresive idiom that has Khachaturian lurking in the background.
The Second Symphony is redolent in colour and with an oriental flavour to the melodic input. A massive organ statement opens the Fourth.
Nos. 1 and 3 (Naxos 8.557157) and Nos. 2 and 4 (Naxos 8.557566) Naxos has issued a new CD with recordings of her Monolog for violin and string orchestra (2002), Old New York Nostalgia Suite - a suite for
string orchestra, percussion, alto-saxophone, tenor saxophone and trumpet (revised in 2002 of the suite for piano solo) and
Sulamith ballet suite (written in 2003-2004). The Suite Sulamith consists of excerpts from the ballet Sulamith, based on the story by
the Russian writer Aleksander Kuprin. it is a dramatic and touching lovestory between King Solomon and a poor girl, Sulamith, a servant from his vineyard, and the only love of his life. The performers are the Moscow
Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Rossen Milanov with Yaroslav Krasnikov (violin). (Naxos 8.557674).
The Symphony No. 5 has a spiritual programme. One may imagine the whole work as in sonata-form. The first movement
is the main theme, the second movement the second theme, the third movement the development and the fourth and fifth movement
have the spiritual role of a recapitulation; in fact they are two different 'finales': one sujective, the other objective.