Michael Kugel

Michael Kugel (Russian: Михаил Бенедиктович Кугель; born December 5, 1946) is a Russian viola player and composer.

Biography

Born in Kharkov, USSR, he studied at the Beethoven School of Music, at the Music College in Kharkov and later at the Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) Conservatory.

In 1975 he won First Prize (joint with Zoltan Toth) at the International Viola Competition in Budapest.^[1]

During years 1975-1990 Michael Kugel was the soloist of the Moscow Philharmonic Organisation, violist of the Beethoven Quartet and professor at the Moscow Conservatory. From 1990 till 1996 Michael Kugel was a professor at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance.

In 1996 he settled in Belgium and now he is a professor at the Ghent Conservatory (Belgium) and at the Conservatorium Maastricht in the Netherlands.

Michael Kugel appeared as a soloist with many major symphony orchestras in the world and also appeared as a conductor with many orchestras.

He has taken part in Festivals in Schleswig-Holstein, Lockenhause, Lille, Rolandseck, Passau, Jerusalem, Rizor, Orebro, Krems, Divonn, Menton, Mürzzuschlag, Venezia, Festival van Vlaanderen, Dubrovnik, Cincinnati, etc.

Michael Kugel was a member of jury for International competitions in England, Austria, Israel, USA, Croatia, Belgium, Germany and CIS:

• V Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, Workshop and World Viola Congress, 1994
• First International Viola Competition in Vienna,1998 ^[2]
• Primrose Memorial Viola Competition, 1999 ^[3]
• IX Lionel Tertis International Viola competition and Workshop, 2006 ^[4]
• etc.

Michael Kugel has given masterclass in Germany, England, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Mexico, Israel, France, Belgium, Croatia, CIS, Holland, Canada etc.

Michael Kugel has enriched the viola repertoire with many transcriptions and with his own compositions : Sonata-Poem for viola solo, Concerto for viola and orchestra, Suite in memoriam Shostakovich for viola and piano, sonatas etc. His compositions also include a piano sonata, chamber symphony and chamber music among others.

He has recorded about 20 discs and also made numerous records as a viola d'amore player as well.

He is the author of two books :

• Viola sonata by Shostakovich and The viola Concerto by Bartók - The history of an era and the Masterpieces of the instrumental music.
• Masterpieces of the Instrumental Music

Michael Kugel is the founder and the President of the Belgian Viola Society.

Selected compositions

Michael Kugel's compositions are published by Alain Van Kerckhoven Éditeur.

• Il Carnevale di Venezia for Viola and Piano (2001)
• Classical Preludes for Viola and Piano (1999)
• Sonata-Poem for Viola Solo (1987)
• Suite in Memoriam Shostakovich for Viola and Piano (1988)

Discography

He has recorded about 20 discs and also made numerous records as a viola d'amore player as well. He made them in the former Soviet Union but unfortunately most of those records are unavailable.

His recent recordings include:

• In Memoriam Shostakivich. Michael Kugel (viola), Vesna Podrug (piano), 1998, ISBN 3-221-15253-3
• The recorded viola. Volume IV. Pearl GEMS 0039, PhonCD R2448 reva v.4, 1998
• Mark Kopytman, Beyond all this... The Israel Camerata, Avner Biron (conductor), Michael Kugel (viola), 1999, IMI-CD-1929-03
• Glinka, Paganini, Bizet Waxman. Michael Kugel (viola) Asir Rozenberg (piano), 1999

Audio recordings

• Michael Kugel plays Carmen Fantasie (Georges Bizet — Franz Waxman, viola arrangement by Michael Kugel)

Video

Some videos can be found here: Michael Kugel on YouTube

Bibliography

• Michael Kugel, History of an era. An interpretation of two works for viola, 2002, ISBN 2-87304-00107
• Masterpieces of the Instrumental Music, unpublished

References

• [1] Budapest Philharmonic, Hall of fame
• [2] First International Viola Competition in Vienna
• [3] New Consonant Music, Composers
• [4] A & E Vienna Limited, Michael Kugel bio
• [5] University of Cincinnaty, Bios
• [6] Orford Arts Centre, Biographies, teachers/interpreters

Notes

1. ^ "Playing the Soviet carrier", Tully Potter, The Strad, June 1995
2. ^ First International viola competition in Vienna, 1998
3. ^ Primrose Memorial Viola Competition, 1999
4. ^ IX Lionel Tertis International Viola competition and Workshop, 2006

External links

• Michael Kugel at New Constant Music

Persondata
Name	Kugel, Michael
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Date of birth	December 5, 1946
Place of birth
Date of death
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