Fedor Akimenko

[vcsam]

Does anyone know of the composer Fedor Akimenko (or Yakimenko)? His dates are 1876-1945. I am searching for two cello sonatas which are listed on Wikipedia. This list of his works could be wrong, of course, and when I did a worldcat search nothing came up at all. However, a number of his works are in manuscript at the French National Library, including a Cello Concerto. I have an impression that he was very talented and interesting, along the lines of Catoire. Thank a lot!

[eschiss1]

alas, IMSLP doesn't yet have the cello sonatas, that I can tell (under Theodore Akimenko, here- IMSLP) but hopefully eventually. Maybe someone or some library does under that or some other spelling - VIAF suggests quite a few alternate spellings and library catalogs etc. (Worldcat definitely included) are very picky about matching their spelling... (one thing I really do like about Google, I will admit, is that it is positively... protean in its willingness to guess, its flexibility,... at alternate spellings in other languages, etc., ...)

[eschiss1]

Though.. .I wonder why his violin sonata no.2 is called "op.38bis"? Could it be related to the cello sonata Op.37 (the one of his two cello sonatas that has an opus no.)? I don't know... There is score & parts of the 2 violin sonatas downloadable from IMSLP, anyway...

[eschiss1]

Hrm. Didn't know that he was one of the Rimsky pupils who taught Stravinsky directly (along with Vasily Kalafati)...

[vcsam]

Thanks for your reply. That is a good idea about the Violin Sonata and its proximity to the Cello Sonata. Yesterday I listened to the Potolovsky Sonata and was very impressed with it. I intend to program it soon.

[ChrisDevonshireEllis]

Fyodor Yakimenko was Ukrainian - also known as "Akimenko". Studied with Balakirev then at St. Petersburg Conservatory with Liadov, Vitols and Rimsky, graduating in 1914. Later taught Stravinsky composition, and was based in France from 1923 - Paris, then Nice.
One Opera: "The Snow Fairy"
Orchestrated Lermontov's "Rusalka" and "Angel"
Two Violin Sonatas
Cello Sonata
A variety of minatures and character pieces.
Biography by P. Matsenko: "Akimenko" (Winnipeg, 1954)  - Chris

 

[eschiss1]

2 cello sonatas - the whole discussion started from a request about the one without opus number (I know next to nothing about the one with, and nothing about the one without, alas)

[Christopher]

I found this:

Angel (Poem-Nocturne)

http://youtu.be/vtOfmQCqqJw

St.Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra, under Igor Blazhkov

The composer is listed on this youtube page as Fedir Yakymenko, the Ukrainian rendering of his name.

So various renderings of his name in Latin script are Fedor/Fyodor/Fedir/Theodore .. Akimenko/Akymenko/Yakimenko/Yakymenko ... !

Акименко, Фёдор Степанович in Russian (Akimenko, Fyodor Stepanovich)
Якименко, Федір Степанович in Ukrainian (Yakymenko, Fedir Stepanovich)

I see his brother Yakiv (1883-1921) was also a composer - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakiv_Stepovy

[eschiss1]

Ah, thanks! And two of his works are now recorded on IMSLP by Matesic btw I see (the nocturne in D for strings, and the 2nd violin sonata (recorded with synthesized piano - of course, if a violin/piano duo or two or three wants to upload a recording or commercially record it, more-the-merrier)

[Christopher]

This is also on youtube by Akimenko (again listed as Yakymenko):


Lyric Poem

http://youtu.be/cSxXAvSnmPA

St.Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra, under Igor Blazhkov

[eschiss1]

Will have a look soon again, thanks. Blazhkov to my mind has done (b.1936, still alive?) a lot for music (I may not always love the music he brought out of obscurity- I share peoples' mixed feelings about DS' 2nd and 3rd symphonies- well, a bit more positive about sym 2 than are others and not that familiar yet with sym. 3, I need to be fair!... - but as I recall he did give them their modern premieres so that one can make up one's own mind, and this is generally a matter for thanks...)

[Wheesht]

Quite few a few Akimenko scores can be found in the old card catalogue of the Music Department at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. Their image catalogue can be found here: [http://staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/die-staatsbibliothek/abteilungen/musik/recherche-und-ressourcen/imagekataloge/]. I found the Cello Sonata in D major, op. 37, in the first catalogue and you can go straight to the card image by entering the number: Suche Bildnummer: S0060779.

[Christopher]

I've just noticed that Akimenko/Yakymenko's poème-nocturne "Angel" is being played at the Bristol Proms on 25th August, by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Kirill Karabits.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/events/composers/3af5dc35-791a-4ccc-8d3b-ec821986fb03

[eschiss1]

Well, -that-'s good news (I assume...!)

[Christopher]

why "I assume"?