Nikita Koshkin

"Koshkin" redirects here. For the Soviet tank designer, see Mikhail Koshkin.

Nikita Koshkin (1956 - )

Nikita Koshkin (born February 28, 1956) is a classical guitarist and composer born in Moscow. His early influences included Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, as well as rock music. As with those composers his music is characterised by rhythmic appeal, immediacy and wide range of colours, and well-thought-out dramatic content.

Koshkin first came to prominence with his suite "The Prince's Toys," completed in 1980 and first performed by the Czech-born guitarist Vladimir Mikulka. It depicts the fairytale world of a child in which his toys come to life and, eventually, abduct him to some other dimension. The suite incorporates numerous sound-effects on the guitar to paint images: the so-called 'snare drum' effect, for example, created by holding down crossed B and E (or low-E and A) strings with the left hand, to imitate the drums of toy soldiers. Other extended techniques include scraping the strings with the fingernails; a large variety of percussive effects; 'playing' the strings between the tuning heads and nut, or the knotted sections of the strings on the bridge; 'hammer-ons', where the left hand fingers suddenly depress the string against the fingerboard without the intervention of the right hand; and so on.

Koshkin's most celebrated guitar work is "Usher-Waltz," a piece inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe story [[The Fall of the House of Usher], and written for the famed guitarist Vladislav Blaha.]. Cast in a single movement, it is a motoric waltz whose careering harmonic progression around A minor threatens, and ultimately succeeds, in tearing the music apart. Its climax is an extraordinarily effective sequence of pounded right-hand chords, 'Bartok pizzicato' (where the strings are deliberately snapped back against the fingerboard), and then ghostly harmonics. Like much of Koshkin's work it has an immediate appeal to a wide audience who are both astonished at the visceral impact of the piece, and at the range of sounds coaxed from the guitar, which sounds "bigger than it really is". It was made famous by John Williams' performance, in the 'Seville Concert' CD, in 1993.^[1] Other famous performers of Koshkin's work include The Assad Duo and The Zagreb and Amsterdam Trios.^[2]

His set of variations "The Porcelain Tower" is another substantial and rewarding work for listeners, and for players of good intermediate or advanced standard, as is the "Andante quasi Passacaglia e Toccata: The Fall of Birds" (composed in 1978).

Besides writing works for solo guitar, Koshkin has composed guitar-ensemble music as well; in addition to numerous pieces for guitar duo, he has written two works for guitar quartet: Changing the Guard (1994), and Suite for Four Guitars (composed for the Georgia Guitar Quartet, 2007).

Early life

Koshkin received his first guitar from his grandfather, along with a recording of Segovia's, which inspired him to become a guitarist, despite his parents forecasting a diplomatic career for him.^[3] Koshkin studied classical guitar at The Moscow College of Music, under Georgi Emanov, and later at the Gnessin Institute under Alexander Frauchi, with compositional teaching from Victor Egorov.^[4]

Discography

As performer

• The Prince's Toys: Koshkin Plays Koshkin. SR 1011. Soundset Recordings, 1998.^[5]
• The Well-Tempered Koshkin. SR 1015. Soundset Recordings, 2001.

List of Compositions

This list of songs or music-related items is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

^[6]

Solo

• 1974 - Rain
• 1978 - Andante quasi Passacaglia e Toccata: The Fall of Birds
• 1980 - The Prince's Toys
• 1980 - Piece with Clocks
• 1983 - Avalon
• 1983 - Merlin's Dream
• 1984 - Usher-Valze
• 1986 - Guitar
• 1987 - Prelude and Waltz: Homage to Segovia
• 1987 - Mascarades Vol. 1
• 1988 - Mascarades Vol. 2
• 1988 - Suite Six Cordes
• 1989 - Les Elfes (Suite)
• 1992 - Pieces (3)
• 1992 - Prelude and Valse
• 1994 - Jouets Du Prince (6 pieces)
• 1996 - Marionette
• 1997 - Sonata for Guitar Solo
• 1998 - The Porcelain Tower
• 1998 - The Ballads
• 2004 - Introduction et Vivace
• 2005 - Nominativus Singularis (24 easy pieces)
•  ? - Zapateado
•  ? - Happy Birthday Vol. 1, 2, 3 and 4
•  ? - Trois Pieces Op. 1
•  ? - Romance
•  ? - Parade
•  ? - Pulcinella
•  ? - Les Elfes (Suite)
•  ? - Da Capo
•  ? - Three Stations on One Road
•  ? - Pierrot et Arlequin
•  ? - Les pas -Foot steps
•  ? - Poposhka

Guitar Duo

•  ? - Cambridge Suite
• 1992 - Berceuse (Milkulka)
• 2000 - Prelude by Bach
•  ? - Returning Of Winds

Guitar Trio

• 1993 - Let's Play Together

Guitar Quartet

• 1994 - Changing The Guard
• 2007 - Suite for Four Guitars

Guitar and String Quartet

•  ? - Amphion
•  ? - Guitar Quintette

Guitar Concerto

•  ? - Concerto Grosso

See also

• Extended techniques

References

1. ^ http://plum.cream.org/williams/records/054.htm
2. ^ http://physiology.med.unc.edu/tgs/artists/koshkin/nikita_koshkin_bio.html
3. ^ http://www.melbay.com/authors.asp?author=673
4. ^ http://physiology.med.unc.edu/tgs/artists/koshkin/nikita_koshkin_bio.html
5. ^ http://www.soundset.com/cd_detail.php?artist=&disc=koshkin_toys&item=notes&view=standard
6. ^ http://www.henry-lemoine.com/en/catalogue/rechercheResultat.html?auteur=koshkin&instrument=&x=0&y=0&titre=&genre=&collection=&media=&dispo=&editeur=&cotage=

External links

• Nikita Koshkin Biography
• Mel Bay Profile

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Name	Koshkin, Nikita
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Date of birth	February 28, 1956
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