Knipper, Lev (Konstantinovich)

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Knipper, Lev (Konstantinovich)

Knipper, Lev (Konstantinovich), important Russian composer; b. Tiflis, Dec. 3, 1898; d. Moscow, July 30, 1974. He studied piano with Gnesina and composition with Glière and Zhilyaev at Moscow’s Gnessin School; also took private lessons with Jarnach in Berlin and Julius Weissmann in Freiburg im Breisgau. Under the influence of western European trends, he wrote music in a fairly advanced style of composition, but soon abandoned these experiments and devoted himself to the study of folk music of different nationalities of the Soviet Union.

Works

dramatic:Opera: Severniy veter (The North Wind; 1929-30; Moscow, March 30, 1930); Marya (1936-38); Aktrisa (The Actress; 1942); Na Baykale (On the Baikal Lake; 1946-48); Korenzhizni (The Source of Life; 1948-49); also ballets. orch.: 14 syms. (1929-54); orch. suites on ethnic motifs; overtures; 3 violin concertos (1944, 1965, 1967); 2 cello concertos (1962, 1972);Clarinet Concerto (1966); Oboe Concerto (1967); Bassoon Concerto (1969). chamber: 3 string quartets; other chamber music; piano pieces. vocal: Songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire