The State Orchestra Names Alexander Vustin as 2016 “Composer in Residence”

The well-known Russian composer Alexander Vustin (b. 1943) has been named the first Composer in Residence of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia “Evgeny Svetlanov,” for the year 2016.

A residency as a way of supporting composers is widespread in countries such as Austria, the UK, Germany, the US, and elsewhere. It involves, especially, commissioning these composers to create new works, and premiering them. Many established masters, such as Sofia Gubaidulina, György Kurtág, John Corigliano, Magnus Lindberg, George Crumb, and Jörg Widmann, as well as many promising emerging composers, have held such positions with various performance groups, opera houses and festivals. In Russia, such partnerships are still in an early stage of development, such that the establishment of one by a leading performance organization—the State Orchestra of Russia “Evgeny Svetlanov” and its artistic director, the world-renowned conductor Vladimir Jurowski—is of special importance.

In his tenure as Composer in Residence, Vustin will write works for the orchestra. They will be premiered in several State Orchestra concerts, including in the special concert celebrating the orchestra’s 80th anniversary, which will be held on 5 October in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. Additionally, the orchestra will present earlier works by Vustin, such as "Word" for percussion and wind instruments (1975) and “Sine Nomine” for orchestra (2000), as well as “Song from Platonov’s Novel” for male choir and orchestra (1995), which will be performed in June at the annual Platonov Festival in Voronezh.

Says Vladimir Jurowski, "I have known and studied Alexander Vustin’s music for a long time. He occupies a special position in today's musical life. Musicians, musicologists, critics, and—what is rare—fellow composers, speak of him with admiration. And the warmth, knowledge, tact, and good taste with which he speaks of the music of other composers is always striking to me. Vustin is open to a great variety of modern ideas and trends, but he invariably remains true to his own voice. To me, his works embody a crossroad between the Russian tradition and the broader European ones, yet it is a pity that, until now, for some reason, he hasn’t had enough opportunity to create a body of work for symphony orchestra. In part, that’s why this is so interesting to me: to partner with a composer for whom writing orchestral works is a significant change of pace.

But there are other considerations. These days, the traditional classical symphonic audience and the audience interested in new music rarely intersect, unfortunately. Many musicians and concertgoers regard c works with great wariness. Putting on the same program both established masterpieces and compelling new works is intended to help solve this important problem. The composition of new orchestral music is vitally important to the very future of symphony orchestras. Of course we can always go back to masterworks created over the last two hundred and fifty years and play them for the three hundred and fifty-eighth time, but if orchestral repertoire isn’t also constantly enriched, then at some point symphony orchestras will simply cease to exist.

So, the State Orchestra is embarking on vigorously promoting works by a contemporary composer of such significance that performing his music will be our pleasure as well as our honor. This is extremely important in light of the current situation, and I excitedly hope that our initiative is the start of a long and vital tradition."

The first State Orchestra concert featuring Alexander Vustin as Composer in Residence will include the world premiere of his "Lukeria’s Song" for folk singer and orchestra (2015), with Natalia Boriskova as soloist. The concert will take place on 20 January at Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.