Afanasiev, Nikolai (Yakovlevich), Russian

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Afanasiev, Nikolai (Yakovlevich), Russian

Afanasiev, Nikolai (Yakovlevich), Russian composer; b. Tobolsk, Jan. 12, 1821; d. St. Petersburg, June 3, 1898. He studied violin with his father. In 1836 he made his debut as a violinist in Moscow, where he was concertmaster of the orch. at the Bolshoi Theater from 1838 to 1841. In the latter year he became conductor of a landowner’s serf orch. outside St. Petersburg. After touring as a violinist from 1846 to 1851, he settled in St. Petersburg, where he was concertmaster and sometimes conductor at the Italian Opera. He then became a piano teacher at the Smolny Inst. in 1853. He composed 9 operas, among them Taras Bulba, Vakula-kuznets (Vakula the Smith), Ammalet-bek (St. Petersburg, Nov. 23, 1870), and Stenka Razin. His other works include 6 syms., 9 violin concertos, a Cello Concerto, and chamber works.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire