Rodion Shchedrin

Rodion Shchedrin began his musical career as a singer in the choir school of his native city, Moscow. He studied composition at the local conservatory with Yuri Shaporin and piano with Yakov Flier. For over a decade he was chairman of the Composers' Union of Russia, succeeding Dmitri Shostakovich.

Shchedrin's extensive oeuvre reflected his constant search for new possibilities of artistic expression. In his compositions he combined elements of folklore and traditional stylistic devices, often based on the great Russian classics such as Dmitri Kabalevsky and Dmitri Shostakovich, featuring modern compositional methods such as collage and aleatoricism. From Sergei Prokofieff, who also strongly influenced Shchedrin's compositional style, the composer inherited the tendency towards catchy rhythms and constructionist, comprehensibly clear linguistic gestures. The tension and richness of his music are fed by the play of timbres, constantly changing lyrical and dramatic episodes, as well as wide-ranging melodic lines.

His later works are published by Schott-Verlag.

This biography can be reproduced free of charge in concert programs with the following credit: Reprinted by kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes/Sikorski.