Vasilii Zolotarev (1872-1964), A Catalog of the Orchestral Music

[eschiss1]

Zolotarev, if I understand the Wikipedia article right, was a Russian composer whose tutelage at the St. Petersburg Conservatory came from Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov.  His chamber music output (including 6 (according to Wikipedia - I knew of 4) string quartets, a quintet for strings, a piano quartet, 2 piano trios, and other works) seems to loom large relatively, though I doubt much if anything of his has been recorded.  I only just found out he even wrote a symphony, which was published in reduction in 1903; I've no idea if it survives. So I expect I'll be soliciting advice from anyone who knows more about his output than I do (and willing to expand this list to include all of his output - and do intend to write up a worklist for IMSLP in my capacity there in any case... though Wikipedia seems to have at the least a good start... !)
(It seems too that he taught Weinberg briefly - around 1939-41 - at the Belorussian State Conservatory in Minsk ? )

Anyway... needs filling out by much...

Symphonies:
Symphony no.1, Op.8, F-sharp minor, 1902, pub.1903
6 others (up to 1962) according to Wikipedia

Overtures:
Fête villageoise, Ouverture pour orchestre, Op.4 (pu.1901)
Ouverture-Fantaisie, Op.22 (pub.1907)

Concertante:
Cello concerto (published in a piano reduction/edition 1963)

Other orchestral works (instrumental)-
Rhapsodie hébraïque pour grand orchestre (or Evreiskaia rapsodiia), Op.7 (pub.ca.1902, Belaïeff)
Ferganskii (Ferrandais?) Marsh (published 1935)

Cantatas:
Paradise and the Peri (1900?)

And at least 2 operas...
(Recorded: apparently not much? An excerpt from one of the operas on LP, some brief works for bayan also on LP - hrm. Some of these may be music by Vladeslav Zolotarev, who also turns up as "V. Zolotarev" and was alive 1942-1975... and even though Worldcat says Vasily Zolotarev in some cases, they refer to works (like "Spanian" for bayan) that some searching suggests were written by the younger-generation composer. Hrm. So maybe only one LP, that of excerpts from the opera, after all... ah well. I like the chamber works I've seen @Sibley, Google (and now IMSLP.)

[Leea25]

Hi eschiss,

Here is a fairly complete list on my rather out of date website:

http://www.russiancomposers.org.uk/page1317.html

It is missing his theatrical output, but I can add some of them here:
1924 The Decembrists (opera)
1932-34 Ak-Gul (opera on Uzbekh Themes)
1947-48 The Prince of the Lake (ballet)

Yours,
Lee

[eschiss1]

Thanks! I've had occasion to use your site in the past, appreciated. I like the list of the other 6 symphonies- I assume the information was available -somewhere-

(Op.19 is in F minor, though, not D minor- the score is available at archive.org and at IMSLP. )
Hrm. Emeritron works- have not heard of that instrument. I'm fairly well convinced now that the works for accordeon and for bayan (which account for quite a few "Vasilii Zolotarev lps and all the CDs) supposedly by Vasilii Zolotarev are probably works published by "V. Zolotarev" written by Vladeslav Zolotarev, but on the other, don't know what an Emeritron is ...

[Leea25]

Yeah - sorry! The whole site is peppered with little errors like that I'm afraid. My sources for it were, well the internet ( ), Feofanov and Ho's Dictionary of Russian/Soviet composers, the Dictionary of Ukrainian Composers, MGG and Grove = LOTS of contradictions! I hope some of it is useful at least.

You're right about Vladislav Zolotaryov - he is the composer of a great many works for accordion/bayan.

The emiriton was an early electronic instrument of some sort. Here's a page I just found!
http://120years.net/machines/emiriton/index.html

Lee

[Christopher]

Have any of Vassili Zolotarev's works been recorded?

[eschiss1]

That I can see, just an excerpt from an opera (The Decembrists) in a recital of vocal works on LP. A few works for bayan (Russian accordeon) that I am fairly sure were by another Zolotarev whose first name starts with V - Vladeslav Zolotarev (see a post a few ways up from here ) - have been recorded and released under Vasilii's name (either actually released under his name on the CD cover in some cases, or just "V. Zolotarev" on some older LPs (a couple performed by Friedrik Lips, I think?) and filed under Vasilii in library catalogs by librarians who haven't heard of the more recent-generation composer who wrote for bayan) because of, I am guessing, confusion and mishaps at the distribution end in some cases, the receipt end in others. Happens fairly often when these ambiguities arise

[Christopher]

Let's hope someone can upload the excerpt from the Decembrists here! (assuming it's not commercially available...)

[Christopher]

I've just noticed that I do have a recording of one piece by him - The Prince-Lake - fragments from ballet (6 minutes 30 seconds long).  It's on the CD compilation Music of Belarus of the 20th Century (Музыка Беларусі XХ стагоддзя), itself part of the 13-CD set "Anthology: Music of Belarus, 17th-20th Century".  I hadn't noticed it was by him as his is labelled under the Belarusian version of his name - Vasil Zalatarou!  The piece is very melodic, well worth listening to if you can get your hands on it.  I would say which other composers it calls to mind, but it doesn't, which is refreshing.  Maybe Liadov very slightly.

[giles.enders]

Cobbett's lists the following chamber music by Vasilii Zolotarov;

Quintet for two violins, viola and two cellos in F minor Op.19  1904
Piano Quartet in D  Op.13  1905
Piano Trio  in E minor  Op.28  1911
String Quintet 1904
String Quartet in D Op.5  1899
String Quartet in A minor  Op.6 1902
String Quartet in D Op.25  1906
String Quartet in B flat  Op.33  1912
String Quartet 1915
String Quartet 1943
String Trio1905
Suite in the form of variations for piano and violin  Op.2  1900
Violin Sonata

There are two piano sonatas

There is also a piano concerto for four hands and a violin concerto

[Christopher]

Does anyone know anything about the recording of The Decembrists referenced above?

[eschiss1]

hrm. I forget, did anyone mention how it would look in Cyrillic, the opera title? having a few different ways to search always helps- I don't know but I can try to look... (hrm. Shaporin's opera of the same name is "Dekabristi" in transliteration, I see...)

[Christopher]

In Russian it would look like this:   Декабристы

[Christopher]

In Belarusian it would look like this: Дзекабрысты 

(Zolotarev/Zalatarou was Belarusian as well as Russian.)

[eschiss1]

*nod* haven't had luck but will keep at it- thank you!

[ChrisDevonshireEllis]

Ho & Feonaov (Dictionary of Russian Composers, Greenwood Press 1985) list him as studying also under Liadov, then later winning the Anton Rubenstein prize. He later taught himself at the Moscow Conservatory as well as Kiev, students included Kogan, Weinberg and many others. Apparently Rimsky didn't rate him.
Two Operas: "Decemberists" and "Ak-Gul" (latter based on Uzbek themes)
Two Ballets: "Lake Prince" and "Paradise and the Peri"
Seven Symphonies
Violin Concerto
Violin Sonata
Two Piano Sonatas
Thirty (!!!) Pieces for Four Hands
and a wide variety of chamber, suites, poems, overtures, stage works, choral works and arrangements of works by Liadov and Vasilenko.
Autobiography: "Reminiscences About My Great Pupils, Friends & Colleagues" (Moscow, 1957)
also mentioned in biography "Scriabin" by Bowers, (Palo Alto, 1969).

As some might say, he seems a bit of a diamond geezer. I'd also like to hear more. - Chris