Sergey Kuryokhin

Sergey Kuryokhin ( _ru. Сергей Анатольевич Курёхин, other spellings include Sergei Kuriokhin, Sergei Kurekhin, Sergueï Kouriokhine, Sergey Kuriokhin, etc.) (June 16, 1954 - July 9, 1996) was a Russian film actor, film composer, pianist, music director, experimental artist and writer based in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Biography

Kuryokhin began his acting career as a piano and keyboard player with a school band in Leningrad. After playing with professional jazz-bands as well as popular rock musicians, Kuryokhin went through several stages in his career, and eventually became one of the most recognisable names and faces in Russia during the 1980s and 1990s. At the end of his short life, he emerged as an avant-garde film composer, improvisor, performance artist and film actor. Outside Russia he is primarily known as a jazz and experimental musician, through his works released since 1981 on UK's Leo Records, as well as his concert tours with "Ensemble Pop-Mekhanika" and his happening show also titled "Pop Mekhanika". He also made a significant contribution to several albums of the famous Russian rock band Aquarium.

Kuryokhin's memorable film works include starring in (and composing music for) " [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0183022/ Two Captains II] "("Два капитана II") a comedic pseudo-documentary about World War I; a soundtrack to the neo-noir Russian horror movie "The Designer" (" _ru. Господин Оформитель"), and the lead role of the combative nerd taking on the local mob, in "Lokh pobeditel vody" ("Dude Who Defeated Water").

Kuryokhin shot to fame after creating one of the first popular media viruses in the Russian media. It was one of his semi-improvised acts of performance art, broadcast live on the Russian TV in May 1991. As a guest on a popular TV talk show "Fifth Wheel", Kuryokhin provided a "proof" [ [http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9B%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BD-%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B1 Russian Wikipedia entry about this episode] ] that Lenin was a mushroom [ [http://www.overstream.net/view.php?oid=i4i6uua3i7efluifnyee The Fifth Wheel episode with English subtitles] ] .

During the 1990s Sergei Kuryokhin was a board member of the St. Petersburg City Council for Culture and Tourism. He died of a rare heart condition, myocardial sarcoma, in 1996, and was laid to rest in the Komarovo Cemetery, near the tomb of Anna Akhmatova.

Discography

* "The Ways of Freedom" ("Пути Свободы") (1981)
* "Tragedy in Rock" ("Трагедия в стиле РОК") (1988)
* "Mr.Designer" ("Господин оформитель") (1989)
* "Popular Science" ("Популярная наука") (1989)
* "Album for Children" ("Детский альбом") (1991)
* "Opera for the Rich" ("Опера богатых") (1991)
* "Some combinations of fingers and passion" (1991)
* "Sparrow Oratorium/Four Seasons" ("Воробьиная оратория") (1994)

Other works

*Music for the stage production of the Chekhov's "Chaika" (aka.. The Seagull) (1994).
*Music for the Russian TV series Anna Karenina (2007).

ee also

*Album by Kenny Millions & Otomo Yoshihide "Without Kuryokhin" dedicated to the memory of Sergey.

References

External links

* [http://www.scaruffi.com/avant/kuryokhi.html Short bio]
* [http://www.raig.ru/kuriokhin.asp Full discography at Russian Association of Independent Genres]
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