Rodion Shchedrin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rodion Shchedrin
Родион Щедрин
Rodion Shchedrin in 2009
Born	(1932-12-16) 16 December 1932 (age 92) Moscow, Soviet Union
Occupation	Composer, pianist
Spouse(s)	Maya Plisetskaya ​ ​ (m. 1958; died 2015)​

Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin (born December 16, 1932) is a famous Russian composer and pianist. A composer is someone who writes music, and a pianist plays the piano. Shchedrin has won many important awards, like the USSR State Prize and the Lenin Prize. He was also part of a group of lawmakers in Russia for a short time. He is also a citizen of Lithuania and Spain.

About Rodion Shchedrin's Life

Rodion Shchedrin was born in Moscow, Russia. His family loved music, and his father was also a composer and music teacher. Rodion studied music at the Moscow Choral School and the Moscow Conservatory. He learned how to compose music and play the piano.

From 1958 until she passed away in 2015, he was married to the famous ballerina Maya Plisetskaya. A ballerina is a dancer who performs in ballets.

How Shchedrin's Music Changed

When Shchedrin first started writing music, it often sounded very bright and colorful. He sometimes used parts of traditional folk music in his early works. Later, he began to use more modern and experimental ways of composing. This made his music sound different and exciting.

Famous Works by Shchedrin

Shchedrin has written many different kinds of music. Some of his most well-known pieces are ballets, which are stories told through dance and music. These include The Little Humpbacked Horse (from 1955), Carmen Suite (from 1973), and Anna Karenina (from 1971).

He also wrote operas, which are plays where the words are sung. His operas include Not Only Love (from 1961) and Dead Souls (from 1976). Besides these, he has composed music for piano, symphonies for orchestras, and other types of music.

Awarding of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", II degree (April 29, 2008)

He wrote five special pieces called concertos for orchestra. These are like big musical conversations for all the instruments in an orchestra. His first one, sometimes called Naughty Limericks, became very famous around the world. The second one, The Chimes, was first played by the New York Philharmonic orchestra.

Shchedrin as a Performer

Rodion Shchedrin is also a very talented pianist and organist. He often played the piano himself when his own piano concertos were first performed. In 1974, he played all three of his piano concertos in one concert, which was recorded.

Since the Soviet Union ended, Shchedrin has traveled more and worked with musicians from different countries. He now spends his time between Munich, Germany, and Moscow, Russia.

With Maya Plisetskaya and Vladimir Putin at the opening of the new stage of the Mariinsky Theatre (May 2, 2013)

In 2009, he was honored at the Rheingau Musik Festival in Germany. He and his wife, Maya Plisetskaya, attended concerts that featured his music.

Major Compositions

Rodion Shchedrin has created a wide range of musical works. Here are some of his most important compositions.

Stage Works

These are works meant to be performed on a stage, like operas and ballets.

Operas

• Not Love Alone (1961): An opera in three acts.
• Dead Souls (1976): An opera based on a famous novel.
• Lolita (1993): An opera based on Vladimir Nabokov's novel.
• The Enchanted Wanderer (2001–2002): An opera for a concert stage.
• Boyarina Morozova (2006): A choral opera, meaning it features a lot of singing by a choir.
• The Left-Hander (2013): An opera based on another novel by Nikolai Leskov.
• A Christmas Tale (2015): An "Opéra féerie," which is like a fairy tale opera.

Ballets

• The Little Humpbacked Horse (1956): A ballet in four acts.
• Carmen Suite (1967): A ballet in one act.
• Anna Karenina (1971): A ballet based on Leo Tolstoy's novel.
• The Seagull (1979): A ballet based on Anton Chekhov's play.
• The Lady with the Lapdog (1985): Another ballet based on a story by Anton Chekhov.

Orchestral Works

These are pieces written for a full orchestra.

Symphonies

• Symphony No. 1 (1958)
• Symphony No. 2 "Twenty-Five Preludes" (1962–1965)
• Symphony No. 3 "Scenes of Russian Fairy Tales" (2000)

Concertos for Orchestra

These are special pieces where the whole orchestra is featured.

• Concerto for Orchestra No. 1 "Naughty Limericks" (1963)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 2 "The Chimes" (1968)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 3 "Old Russian Circus Music" (1989)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 4 "Round Dances (Khorovody)" (1989)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 5 "Four Russian Songs" (1998)

Concertos for Solo Instrument with Orchestra

These pieces feature one main instrument playing with the orchestra.

• Piano Concertos: He wrote six piano concertos, with the first one in 1954 and the sixth in 2003.
• Trumpet Concerto (1993)
• Cello Concertos: Two pieces for cello and orchestra (1994, 2001).
• Viola Concerto (1997)
• Violin Concertos: Two pieces for violin and orchestra (1997, 2004).
• Oboe Concerto (2010)
• Double Concerto "Romantic Offering" (2010): For both piano and cello with orchestra.

Vocal Music

This includes music for singers, sometimes with an orchestra or choir.

For Soloist, Chorus and Orchestra

• Poetoria (1968): A concerto for a poet, a woman's voice, choir, and orchestra.
• Lenin Is Amongst Us (1969): An oratorio for singers, choir, and orchestra.

For One Part Solo

• Laments (1965): Songs for a voice with piano.
• My Age, My Wild Beast (2003): A vocal cycle for tenor, narrator, and piano.

Choruses a cappella

These are pieces for a choir without any instruments.

• The Willow (1954)
• Russian Villages (1973)
• The Sealed Angel (1988): A Russian church service piece for choir and a shepherd's pipe.

Piano Works

These are pieces written specifically for the piano.

• Piano Sonata No. 1 (1962)
• Twenty-Four Preludes and Fugues (Volume 1 in 1964, Volume 2 in 1970): A large collection of piano pieces.
• Polyphonic Notebook (1972): Twenty-five preludes for piano.
• Notebook for the Youth (1981): Fifteen pieces for young piano players.
• Piano Sonata No. 2 (1997)
• Diary (2002): Seven pieces for piano.
• Romantic Duets (2007): For piano played by four hands.

Chamber and Instrumental Works

These are pieces for a small group of instruments or a single instrument.

• Suite for clarinet and piano (1951)
• The Frescoes of Dionysios (1981): For nine instruments.
• Echo Sonata for solo violin (1984)
• Sonata for cello and piano (1996)
• Balalaika for solo violin (1997)
• Ancient Melodies of Russian Folk Songs (2007): For cello and piano.

Awards and Honors

Rodion Shchedrin has received many important awards for his contributions to music:

• Order of Merit for the Fatherland: A high honor from Russia. He received the 2nd class in 2007 and 3rd class in 2002.
• State Prize of the Russian Federation (1992): For his choral music The Sealed Angel.
• Lenin Prize (1984): For his opera Dead Souls and other works.
• USSR State Prize (1972): For his oratorio Lenin Is Amongst Us and opera Not Only Is Love.
• People's Artist of the RSFSR (1976) and People's Artist of USSR (1981): These titles recognize him as a leading artist.
• Shostakovich Award (1992)
• Crystal Award of the World Economic Forum (1995)
• He is an honorary member of many music academies and societies around the world.
• Echo Klassik award (2008): A German music award for his opera Boyarina Morozova.
• "Golden Mask" award (2009): A Russian national theater award for his opera The Enchanted Wanderer.
• Grammy Awards: He has been nominated for and won Grammy Awards for his contemporary classical music.
• An asteroid is named after him: 4625 Shchedrin.

Images for kids

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  Rodion Shchedrin in 2009

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  Awarding of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", II degree (April 29, 2008)

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  With Maya Plisetskaya and Vladimir Putin at the opening of the new stage of the Mariinsky Theatre (May 2, 2013)