Yuri Butsko

[Gijs vdM]

Dear all,

I happened to chance upon this composer a short while ago: Yuri Butsko. Born 1938, Russia. What I found of him so far intrigues me, even despite the limited (probably private) recordings  I found at  http://classical-music-online.net/en/composer/Butsko/2379

Anyone with more information, and/or have heard (about) his music? Biographical data seems to be very scarce, to put it mildly. His music seems, insofar as I can tell so far, to be quite often on a rather large scale (2nd Piano Trio 65mins, Piano Sonata 70mins), usually somewhat slow moving, with often a feel of melancholy or so.

Anyone?

All best,
Gijs

[eschiss1]

Here's a lengthy Russian Wikipedia article- using Google to translate: (no, I don't know Russian. I found this by tweaking out the Cyrillic letters of his last name by parallel examples, that sort of thing. It's fun to try to do that- ok, ok...)   

Юрий Маркович Буцко :

Wikipedia:

Yury Butsko ( May 21 1938 , Lubny ) - Soviet and Russian composer. Teacher of the Moscow Conservatory .

-- Biography
Born May 21, 1938 in Lubny Poltava region .
In 1961 he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in the class composition of SA Balasanyan.
In the 1959-1962 House of Musical pioneers of the Kirov region.
Since 1966 teacher of theoretical subjects in the Music School. Ippolitov-Ivanov .
M. Butsko - from the galaxy of composers who studied with an outstanding teacher - Vasily Mikhailovich Shaternikova (piano). Among them - RK Shchedrin, AG Schnittke, Khachaturian, KS.

-- Works
mono-opera - Diary of a Madman (as Gogol, 1964);
Opera - Midnight (by F. Dostoevsky, 1967);
Opera - "Diary of a Madman" by Gogol, 1971;
Opera - "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1973 (released from the plate stock audiazapisyu Opera);
Opera - "From the letters of the artist" by KA Korovin, 1978.
Cantata Wedding Song (lyrics by folk, 1966) - for soloists, chorus and orchestra.;
oratorio, The Legend of the Pugachev Rebellion (1968) - for soloists, chorus and orchestra.;
Cantata The Evening (cl folk, 1962) - for choir and symphony. ork.;
Two stories (lyrics Bunin, 1966) - for mezzo-soprano and orchestra.;
6 symphonies (1968) - for orchestra.;
2 gigs (1967) - for piano n. with a ork.;
3 concertos for violin and orchestra.;
Concerto (1968) - for vlch. with a ork.;
Divertimento (1966) - for the stone. ork.;
Concerto (1965) - for piano n. and stone. ork.;
Sinfonietta (1966) - for strings. ork.;
Polyphonic Concerto (1970) - for organ, harpsichord, piano n. and Celesta;
Quartet (1963);
Russian Suite (1961),
Toccata and 6 studies (1964),
Partita (1965),
cycle Pastorale (1966) - for piano n.;
Pieces (1969) - for the body;
cantata Ode to Revolution (cl Mayakovsky, 1965)
6 choruses Bride (cl folk, 1961)
choruses on poems of revolutionary poets (1969),
choirs for children - for choir and piano n.;
cycles:
based on poems by Alexander Blok's poem "The Twelve" (1963),
"Loneliness" to the poems of Khodasevich - for voice and piano n.;
music for the drama. plays and films
Symphony Suite № 1 "Ancient Rus'
Suite Symphony № 2 "from the Russian past"
Symphony Suite № 3 "Mr. Veliky Novgorod"

[JimL]

I was particularly intrigued by this: Concerto (1965) - for piano n. and stone. ork.; 

Do they use stone. orkestras in rock operas?

[rbert12]

You are right, it is difficult to find information about Butzko in the net, I had this problem trying to find something about his more recent works, for instance his sixth symphony with the intriguing title "Leaving Russia". As it is a favorite of mine I will try to translate with the help of Google translator, his entry in the booklet written by Jacques di Vanni "1953-1983, 30 ans de musique soviétique" (sorry, but my French is better than my English).

"Butzko (Yuri Markovich) composer, born in Lubny (Poltava country, Ukraine) in 1938, graduated at the Moscow Conservatory (piano, choral chant and composition with S.A. Balassanian) and as historian at the Pedagogic Institute (1955-66). The ancient Russian history and the choral chant have a essential place in his production; modal music, ancient liturgies, archaism taken from several folkloric sources from his natal Ukraine and the North of Russia. Stravinsky's  "Russian period" influence is also manifest in his style. He is one of the foremost representants of the "Old Russia" school. Several quasi legendary personages as the leader of the peasants revolts under the Empress Catherine, Pugachev or the warrior saints Boris and Lev, and also themes taken from Gogol and Dostoievsky, demonstrate a specifically Russian thematic.
His borrowings from Western techniques are rare, and unlike the soviet composers influenced by the post-serialism and the short form, he prefers to compose works of great length (Polyphonic Concert for 4 pianos, 2h 30)".
Follows a list of principal works covered much better by eschiss1 

[kyjo]

Butsko sounds very intersting. Could he be another Sorabji ? (Well, the 2nd piano trio and the piano sonata aren't nearly as long much of Sorabji, but still...)

[Gijs vdM]

Hi all,

Thank you for all your information, interesting stuff!

@Eschiss1: the website I mentioned in my initial message lists Violin Concertos nos. 2,3 & 4 and a Cello Concerto no. 2.

@rbert12: On the website I mentioned is also a Polyphonic Concerto, not for 4 pianos but the one mentioned in eschiss1's listfor 4 keyboards (piano, harpsichord, celesta and organ; not a very usual combination!). Also this one plays for just under 80 mins. Apparently there are at least 2 such Polyphonic Concerti!

Could he be another Sorabji ?

Err, judging from what I heard so far, the answer is no....

all best,
Gijs

[kyjo]

If not, what is his style like?

[Gijs vdM]

If not, what is his style like?

Such a question I always find hard to answer. Best I can do is 'a kind of neo-romantic style, not ulike what the better Soviet composers had to offer, but without sounding anachronistic'. The 'language' is quite open and easy to grasp, if not very adventurous. Think Hindemith, but different(!). He seems to use rather little 'thematic/motivic' material and makes it work long and hard, perhaps sometimes over-stretching the material.

Helpful? No....

all best,
Gijs

[kyjo]

This IS helpful, Gijs vdM ! As long as his music is in a neo-romantic, approachable style, I'm interested ! Thank you!

[Gijs vdM]

This IS helpful, Gijs vdM ! As long as his music is in a neo-romantic, approachable style, I'm interested ! Thank you!

Well, glad to have been of help! Please do drop a note here if you have listeend to some (or more) to tell us what you think of it!

NB: please just 'Gijs', that would be quite enough!

All best,
Gijs

[joachim]

"Divertimento (1966) - for the stone. ork."

I am french, perhaps I not understand

What is "stone" in music orchestra, please ?

[eschiss1]

Mistranslation of "stor" (or stør?) Small orchestra I think, or string? I forget? Oh- that would be Danish or Swedish.
Still, somewhere between Russian (bolshogo or kamernogo?) to French to English something -seems- to have gone awry. (The original might have been the Russian equivalent of "for folk orchestra" or "for percussion orchestra".)

[jimsemadeni]

http://classic-online.ru/ru/composer/Butsko/2379

Large amount of his music at address above, unless you prefer not to go to Russia. Don't think I have had any problems.

[joachim]

OK, eschiss1, thanks 


jimsemadeni,

This link is very interesting, but in cyrillic alphabet, it is difficult !

[Gijs vdM]

Perhaps then this will be helpful?  http://classical-music-online.net/en/composer/Butsko/2379 

All best,
Gijs