Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov, Diploma of the Moscow Conservatoire
Born
in 1948 in Minsk into a family of opera singers, Dmitri Nikolaevich
Smirnov entered the Moscow Conservatoire in 1967. He studied
composition with Nikolai Sidelnikov, orchestration with Edison Denisov, and analysis with Yury Kholopov. He also studied with Alban Berg’s and Anton Webern's pupil Philip Herschkowitz. From 1973 to 1980 he was an editor for the publisher Sovetsky Kompozitor. Since then he has pursued a career as a freelance composer. His Solo for Harp won First Prize in a competition in Maastricht (1976). In 1989 his opera Tiriel (on a text by William Blake) was premiered at the Freiburg Festival, and its companion piece Thelwas was performed at the Almeida Festival in London. That year his First Symphony (The Seasons) was performed at the Tanglewood Festival. Other premieres include the oratorio A Song of Liberty (1993), Cello Concerto (1996), cantata Song of Songs (2001), and Triple Concerto 2 (2004).
Smirnov's music has been played by international conductors, including Martin Brabbins, Sir Andrew Davis, Peter Eötvös, Lionel Friend, Edward Gregson, Oliver Knussen, Pavel Kogan, Vladimir Kozhukhar, Alexander Lazarev, Reinbert de Leeuw, Jerzy Maksimiuk, Lev Markiz, Gerhard Markson, Diego Masson, Yuri Nikolajevski, Gregory Rose, Gennadi Rozhdestvenski, Gunther Schuller, Vassili Sinaiski, Neal Stulberg, Yan Pascal Tortelier, and Guillaume Tourniaire.
Recent commissions have been from the London Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, The Nieuw Sinfonietta of Amsterdam, London Sinfonietta, The Brodsky, Dante and Vanbrugh Quartets, Nash Ensemble, Fretwork, Legrand Ensemble, Leeds Festival Chorus, Cheltenham, West Cork and Dartington Summer Festivals, Karine Georgian and Mstislav Rostropovich. Smirnov's book "A Geometer of Sound Crystals" (English Edition) ssm 34 (studia slavica musicologica, vol. 34), ISBN 3-928864-99-8 was published by Ernst Kuhn 2003. His music is available through Publishers Boosey & Hawkes (London), Hans Sikorski (Hamburg), G. Schirmer (New York), www.sibeliusmusic.com, and Meladina Press (St Albans).
Smirnov has previously held positions of Composer-in-Residence at Bard College in NY, USA, St John's College, Cambridge University, Dartington College of Arts, Devon and Visiting Professor at Keele University. He has been at Goldsmiths since 2003.
Presentations and exhibitions
Recent and upcoming performances:
2008
Evening Song for tenor-saxophone and piano. Hippolytuskerk, Holland. Duo Hans (Erik Dijkstra & Niels Bijl)
Ballade and Twelve Melancholic Waltzes for saxophone and piano,
Amsterdam, Holland. CD presentation “The Soviet Saxophone” by the duo
OPUS35 (Filip Davidse and Naomi Tamura)
Fantasia and Mirages for saxophone quartet. Symphony Space, New York. PRISM Saxophone Quartet
To sing a song for counter tenor and lute (text by William Shakespeare)
Southwark Cathedral, London. Rick Jones (counter tenor, lute)
Inferno (String Quartet No. 8), tribute to Dante Alighieri
Rodewald Concert Society, in partnership with the Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic. St George's Concert Hall, Liverpool. Dante String Quartet
2007
Red Bells, in memory of Dmitri Shostakovich for piano and 7 players,
Royal Academy of Music. Alissa Firsova (piano) Kevin Griffiths
(conductor)
Elegy in memory of Edison Denisov for 16 players. Skalholt, Iceland, Isafold Ensemble under Daniel Bjarnason.
2006
Quartet No.7, tribute to Dmitri Shostakovich. West Cork Festival
“Celebrating Shostakovich 1906-2006”, RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet
Research interests
Dmitri Smirnov’s interrelated areas of research encompass his activity as a composer writing music in various genres including opera, symphony, chamber, vocal and electronic music as well as music for theatre, cinema and television. He also an author of books and articles on different aspects of both contemporary and old classical Russian and European music.Selected publications
On the Symphony by Anton Webern. "Muzykalnaya Academia" No3, pp.
204-220, Moscow, 1995 (Russian) / also in “I svet vo t’me svetit” About
music by Webern. Nauchnye trudy Moskovskoi Konservatorii, Volume No25,
pp. 91-116, Moscow 1998 (Russian)
Going beyond the borders – On Brian Ferneyhough. "Muzykalnaya Academia"
No2, pp. 202-208, Moscow, 1996 (Russian) ISSN 0869–4516
Musical Idea: About the Mystery of creation processes in music.
“Muzykalnaya Academia” No2, Moscow, 2002 ISSN 0869–4516
Shostakovich, Symphony No, 1. BBC Music Magazine, February 1998, page 21 (English)
Symbolism in the Flute Concerto by Edison Denisov. In the collection:
SVET. DOBRO. VECHNOST’. In memory of Edison Denisov. Pp. 369-381,
Moscow, 1999 (Russian)
The Panic in the United Kingdom: On music by Harrison Birtwistle.
"Muzykalnaya Academia" No2, pp. 145-150, Moscow, 1999 (Russian) ISSN
0869–4516
Postlude in memory of Schnittke Op112 – Composer's note. "Muzykalnaya
Academia" No2, pp. 21-24, Moscow, 2001 (Russian) ISSN 0869–4516
Marginalia to the Second Violin Sonata by Alfred Schnittke, June 2001
(English) Tempo No220/ April 2002, pp. 2-10, Boosey and Hawkes, London,
ISSN 0040-2982 / in “Shostakovich and the Consequences”
Schostakowitsch-Studien, Band 6, SSM 32 Studia Slavica Musicologica,
Verlag Ernst Kuhn, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-928864-93-9
Schnittke’s choral music of 70-80s – Sleeve note for the CD Schnittke,
Choir Concerto, Minnesang, Voices of Nature, Holst Singers, Stephen
Layton, Hyperion, 2001
A Geometer of Sound Crystals. A Book on Herschkowitz (in English) SSM
34 Studia Slavica Musicologica, Verlag Ernst Kuhn, Berlin 2003, ISBN
3-928864-99-8
“Dodecamania” of Pierre Boulez or The notes on his “Notations”,
"Muzykalnaya Academia" No4, pp. 112-119, Moscow, 2003 (Russian) ISSN
0869–4516, Also in SATOR TENET OPERA ROTAS: Yuri Kholopov and His
School, Moscow 2003, p.238-253.
Song from Underground. The Masterpieces of Russian Underground, Lincoln Centre, New York, USA, 2003 (English)
My Shostakovich (Russian/English) In DSCH Journal No. 24, January 2006,
pp.13-17 (English), in Muzykal’naya Akademia, No.3, pp.30-34 ISSN
0869–4516 (Russian)
Melos of Prokofiev’s Visions: On the thematic patterns of his “Visions
fugitives” (English) in “Schraeg zur Linie des Sozialistichen
Realismus?” Prokofjew-Studien, Band 3. SSM 37 Studia Slavica
Musicologica, Verlag Ernst Kuhn, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-9366637-03-2
“Prokofjew and Schostakowich (in German) in “Schraeg zur Linie des
Sozialistichen Realismus?” Prokofjew-Studien, Band 3. SSM 37 Studia
Slavica Musicologica, Verlag Ernst Kuhn, Berlin 2005, ISBN
3-9366637-03-2
Selected recordings:
“Winter Journey” Peter Sheppard Skærved (Violin)
Smirnov: Partita (Fish Ear FECD621)
“An Introduction to Dmitri Smirnov” Elegy, String of Destiny, Es ist…, Piano Trio 1, Cello sonata, Postlude (Megadisc MDC 7818)
“Etude Philharmonique” Peter Sheppard Skærved (Violin)
Smirnov: Two Fugues (Metier MSV CD92028)
“Works By Modern Composers Of Moscow”
Smirnov: Solo For Harp (Mobile Fidelity MFCD 906)
“Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, Vol.2”
Smirnov: Sonata for flute and harp (Olympia OCD 282)
“Four generations of Russian composers” Aurelia Saxophone Quartet
Smirnov: Fantasia (Vanguard Classics 99154)
“Beethoven Op18 and six more” Brodsky Quartet
Smirnov: Quartet No 6 (Vanguard Classics 99212)