Vasily Andreyevich Zolotarev 1873-1964

[Mark Thomas]

I have to say that this is all getting faintly ridiculous. Although no recording appears to be accessible, Symphony No.1 was written in 1903 and so, whatever anyone might think of it, the work clearly qualifies for discussion here. I imagine that someone whose score-reading skills are better than mine could have a look at the score, which is freely available at IMSLP, and tell the rest of us what it's like. The other symphonies post-date 1918 and so fall outside our remit unless and until we can actually get to hear/read them. The same goes for anything else by Zolotarev which post-dates 1918.The YouTube excerpt from the Flaming Hearts ballet is clearly romantic in style, but we have no idea when it was written (actually I can only find online references to a 1949 ballet called The Prince Lake), so it gets us nowhere as regards anything else by Zolotarev and we speculate with no evidence.

Dhibbard has kindly offered:

I'll see what I can find about the Symphony no 1 since it was written before 1918...

and I suggest that the rest of us refrain from posting in this thread until we hear back from him, or anyone else who has something concrete to report.

[eschiss1]

Erm- 1902 or 1902-3 re the symphony, (1902 according to Fleisher but maybe that's year composition was begun? 1903 is pub. date.) But yes.
I'd like to hear some of the (other, besides quartet no.4) chamber music posted there, but that's tangential to this thread.
Anyhow. Right. Agreed. Sorry.

[dhibbard]

Yes.. I'm starting to put the pieces of this whole Zolotarev matter together... I'm thinking the tape I heard of  Symphony no 1 was from an old  1935 -1942 APRELEVSKY ZAVOD 78 recording.   I wasn't really paying attention to the significance of the composer Vasili Zolotarev at the time.   But if the Symphony no 1 was published in 1903.. then that makes sense... it was recorded in the 1920s or 1930s.  The  APRELEVSKY ZAVOD label was pre Melodiya, pre "torch"   They are shallack  records and very fragile.  I'll make further inquiry in Riga.

[Alan Howe]

I'm thinking the tape I heard of  Symphony no 1 was from an old  1935 -1942 APRELEVSKY ZAVOD 78 recording.   I wasn't really paying attention to the significance of the composer Vasili Zolotarev at the time.   But if the Symphony no 1 was published in 1903.. then that makes sense... it was recorded in the 1920s or 1930s.  The  APRELEVSKY ZAVOD label was pre Melodiya, pre "torch"   They are shallack  records and very fragile.

This all sounds very vague - not to mention suspicious - to me. Why haven't we heard about this mysterious recording from you before, dhibbard? Does it actually exist, or is this all a very wild goose chase? Verifiable evidence, please...

[Mark Thomas]

As I said less bluntly in an earlier post, come up with something we can hear, and then we have something worth writing about.

[giles.enders]

To add to the previous posts about his orchestral music, I am adding his chamber works which were well thought of by Cobbett.
Up to 1915 Zolotarev was part of Belaieff's circle and was influenced by Liadov and Balakirev.

Chamber works

Piano Quartet in D major Op.13  1904 pub. by M P Belaieff
Piano Trio in E minor  Op.28 1905
String Quintet in D minor (2 cellos) Op.19  1904 pub. by M P Belaieff
String Quartet in D major  Op.5  1899  pub. by M P Belaieff
String Quartet in A Major  Op.6  1902  pub.by M P Belaieff
String Quartet in D Major  Op.25 pub. by M P Belaieff
String Quartet in B flat major  Op.33  1912 pub. by M P Belaieff
String Quartet in Op. 46  1915
String Quartet  1943
Suite in form of variations for violin & piano  Op.2  pub. by M P Belaieff
Two Novelettes; Elegie, Intermezzo for violin and piano  Op.11 pub. by Jurgenson
Mazurka for violin and piano  1922
Violin Sonata  Op.40
Epilogue for viola & piano
Poem for cello and piano  1962

Piano

Piano sonata in G major Op.10 pub. by M P Belaieff
Piano sonata  Op.42  1919  pub. by Muzsektor Gosizolata
Three pieces; Sonatine, Berceuse, Etude. Op.14  pub. by Jurgenson
Three preludes  Op.18   pub. by Jurgenson
Two morceaux; Prelude, Etude.  Op.39
Four pieces  Op.43  pub. by Muzsektor Gosizolata
Three pieces; Moderato, Andante affettuoso, Andante cantabile  Op.44
30 short pieces based on Ukranian songs for piano 4 hands  Op.15

Songs

Four songs  Op.1
Four songs  Op.16
Six songs  Op.17
Gipsy Dance  Op.20

[Christopher]

He was a student of Rimsky-Korsakov.  Real surname was Kuyumzhi.

[Alan Howe]

Any recordings?

[Christopher]

I think I've ranted about this many times!

Yes - in the archives of Belarus Radio & TV.  Some of his symphonies, operas, ballets, chamber music.  I asked for a copy of one of the symphonies: they demanded I justify my interest so that their committee could consider the "appropriateness" of my request, and payment of Euro 1920 - which wouldn't guarantee that they would actually release the recording. I mean, really. Best not to get me started, and don't mention Ukraine's archives to me either!

What they have is listed here, in Russian, if of interest to those who can read it:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/5np1lbgpc11pgue/Zolotarev_recordings_held_in_BelTV%2526Radio_archive.docx/file

[Alan Howe]

I remember your previous rant!

Have there been any other recordings? (I can't find any.)

[Christopher]

I'm unaware of any. 

I can't remember if I posted this before - there's an approx 8-minute fragment from his ballet "Flaming Hearts" (my translation) on this youtube clip which is called Belarusian Concert 1955 https://youtu.be/DZCmrittBws - it starts at approx 16m35s.  Stylistically it fits our genre and isn't unattractive. As it suddenly cuts out, it does hint at a complete (or fuller) recording.

There's also this song - "Human tears" (my translation) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot7j7OL7tlg - sung by Ivan Kozlovsky accompanied by the piano.

I have an 8-minute extract from his ballet "The Prince-Lake" on a CD, part of a 13-CD anthology of Belarusian music which I bought in Minsk.  I VERY much doubt there is any copyright on it - it seems to be rips of old Soviet recordings and the company which produced or compiled recordings no longer exists. The performers are not listed. If moderators deem it acceptable, I will post it.

[Mark Thomas]

I'm willing to take the risk. Post away.

[Christopher]

Done.  It's a pleasant piece, nothing more.... and same themes seem to be in this piece as in the Flaming Hearts clip on the youtube link above.

If of interest it's from this anthology -

http://www.mediafire.com/file/6miu1341dzwqnwm/Belarus_anthology_booklet_Part_1.pdf/file
http://www.mediafire.com/file/e2gkuzaraw1y955/Belarus_anthology_booklet_Part_2.pdf/file

- which gives snippets of information on Zolotarev and the works by other Belarusian composers on there, some of which date to "our" era.

Like I said, they all appear be rips of fragments from old Soviet recordings, hinting at complete recordings held somewhere...

About Z's name:

Zolotarev, pronounced Zolotaryov - in Russian.
Zalatarou - in Belarusian (Belarusian typically has a "w" sound where Russian has a "v").

Vasily - in Russian.
Vasil - in Belarusian.

[Christopher]

This was posted on youtube recently.  Not a wildly exciting piece tbh:

Excerpts from «Uzbek Rhapsody» - composed within 1931 but stylistically just about within limits.  4 mins long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShrFh69rew

The conductor is Mourad Assouil - the orchestra is not listed but on linkedin he is listed as with the Gomel Symphony Orchestra in Belarus.

[Christopher]

My contact at the Athens Phil has sent me a bit of biographical information on Zolotarev showing that he is regarded as Greek in some quarters.  I wonder if this is a prelude to a recording of his works by them...

Vasily Andreyevich Zoloraryov (Золотарёв) was born in Taganrog with the surname Kuyumzhi (Kougioumtzis, see Arkhip Kuindzhi, the famous Russian painter, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkhip_Kuindzhi - the surname is originally Turkish.). His mother was Ukrainian and his father Greek. He translated his surname to Zolotaryov (he didn't speak Greek and considered himself Russian, his schoolmates called him Greek-Pindos). Zolotaryov studied together with Kalafati and his surname was double written (Zolotaryov/Kuyumzhi) in documents presenting their grades and stored in St Petersburg's archives. There is a card catalogue in the 3rd floor of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and all their graduated students are written here. Zolotaryov/Kuyumzhi is written with both surnames.  He wrote about these facts in his "Reminiscences of My Great Teachers, Friends and Comrades" ("Воспоминания о моих великих учителях, друзьях и товарищах"), Moscow 1957.