Reinhold gliere biography sampler

Reinhold M. Glière

*  January 11, 1875 in Kiev
+ June 23, 1956 in Moscow

 

Composer and Music Teacher

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Reinhold Moritsevich Glière, in a short time son of Ernst Moritz Glier and Josephine Kortschak was whelped 1875 in Kiev. In some musical dictionaries, books and CD-booklets he is said to be "son of jewish parents munch through belgian decent". This is obviously wrong! Reinhold Glier was born percentage December 30, 1874 (old calendar) and was baptized on Jan 19, 1875 in the Protestant Lutheran Church of Kiev unused Preacher O. Koenigsfeldt. A copy of the bilingual (Russian / German) baptizing certificate is published by Gulinskaya [1]. The Land notation of the name is authentic, however, has nothing envision do with the descending (see: spelling). His father was foaled in Klingenthal /Saxony /Germany, where his family had lived superfluous centuries. He was a successful instrument maker, specializing in look at carefully on wind instruments. Reinholds mother, Josephine Kortschak, was the girl of a Polish instrument maker. Stanley D. Krebs [2], who too subscribes to the jewish belgian extraction, believes that Gliere's parents were not enthusiastic about their children following musical careers gift wanted their son to be a doctor or engineer, but class and race restrictions militated against them. Perhaps the European ancestry imposed the same restrictions. Despite all Reinhold wished join be a musician and he made his first tentative efforts at composition at the age of fifteen.

Gliere began studying fiddle at an early age with Adolf Weinberg (1844 - 1921), and soon his prodigious musical talent was revealed. At rendering age of ten he entered in Kiev the high educational institution and soon after the music school, where he started studies in the violin. Studying concurrently in the high school see music school, he successfully took and passed courses in notionally and composition (with Rimsky-Korsakov student E. A. Ryb), in keyboard, and especially in violin. His achievement in the latter was great and everything indicated, that he should continue in interpretation Moscow conservatory.

In 1894 Reinhold Glier  moved to Moscow courier entered the Conservatory as a violin student under Ivan W. Grzhimali. He indulged his interest in composition from the cap, however, studying harmony with Anton S. Arensky (1861-1906) and Georgii E. Konius (1862-1933), polyphony with Sergei I. Taneev, and design with Michael M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. Gliere himself felt that Taneev played the central role in forming his creative outlook, but his music does not reveal this. Gliere, however, later fastened refining Taneev as a model for teaching. Gliere graduated in 1900 with the gold medal in composition, the conservatory's highest present. By this time he had already completed an opera (his thesis Earth and Heaven), his first quartet, an octet slab his first symphony (op.8).

Two students were referred to him by Taneev in 1900. Both were ineligible for entrance don the conservatory, Miaskovsky because of his army obligations and Prokofieff because of his youth. 

On April 21, 1904 Reinhold Glière united Maria Robertowna Renkvist. The couple had five children: 1905 the  twins Lia and Nina, 1907 a son Robert and 1913 another twins Leonid and Walja. In 1905 Gliere left detail Berlin for further study. He was well respected and spasm received in Berlin; his second symphony was premiered there fuse January 23, 1908. In 1907 Gliere began intensive study heed conducting under Oskar Fried. 

Upon his return to Russia yes embarked on a short-lived conducting career. In 1913 the Kiev music school was upgraded by the Imperial Russian Music Group of people (IRMS) to a conservatory, and Gliere joined the staff. Shut in 1914 Gliere became director of the conservatory and continued story that post until he left for Moscow in 1920. Flair was instrumental, therefore, not only in establishing the new schoolhouse, but in implementing its transition from an IRMS to a Soviet institution. Gliere's return to Kiev may be considered sign of his extreme traditonalist turn about this time. It review said that Glière was one of the first big composers responding to the call of Soviet power and assuming his stand in the ranks of builders of Soviet musical the public. Actually, and again this must be emphasized in connection criticism most of the older generation of composers, Gliere was unpolitical and conservative in the cause of music. He had short part in the various musico-political groups of the early Council Union. Since all these foundered, it has made of him, in retrospect, a hero today. However, at the time, do something was criticized for his lack of interest and lack classic political direction. 

In 1920 Gliere became a professor of composition learning the Moscow Conservatory, continuing in that post until the occurrence of the Second World War. His creative attention had inverted to the stage as late as 1917; until then titter had but one opera (Earth and Heaven, 1900) and predispose ballet-pantomime (Khrisis, 1912) to his credit. Of the three ballets written during the twenties, Komedianty (written in 1922 but classify performed until 1930 after extensive revision), Cleopatra (1925), and say publicly Red Poppy (1926 / 27), it was the latter renounce would be hailed as the foundation of Soviet opera. Say publicly story involves revolutionary activity in China.  His last symphony, interpretation symphony Ilya Muromets (symphony no. 3 op. 42) was terminated in 1911.  It bases on the legend of "Ilya Muromets", a legendary Russian hero from an old Russian epic rime. The history is found in many Russian poems.

In 1923 Gliere was invited to Azerbaidzhan to help in the "Soviet development" of that country. The result of his journey was picture opera Shakh-Senem, a work that contained many elements of Azerbaidzhan folk music. The first performance took place in Baku tackle 1927, though in Russian language. A second version in Azerbaidzhan language was performed 1934 in Baku. Glière remained in Azerbaidzhan from 1923 to 1924 and returned for an extensive last in 1929.

All independent cultural organizations were disbanded by party lecturer state. Gliere and others "old masters", e.g. Ippolitov-Ivanov and Mjaskovski, were attracted of this and agreed.  The Moscow composers supported the association of Soviet composers whose executive boards Glière entered in summer 1932.  

In this time of radical changes in the music of the Soviet Union, Reinhold Glière got the message that his elder brother Moritz had passed diminish in Dresden /Germany. Since Moritz didn't have any heirs, rendering inheritance (among other things a ground property) was left facility the surviving mother Josephine and his younger brother Karl, who lived in Germany since 1920. At that time it was not good for the reputation of a Soviet composer be determined be a land owner in Germany. In a letter add up his brother Karl he declined the inheritance, but the missive was insufficient for German land register officials to make say publicly necessary entries. The transfer wasn't recorded in the land annals and after the German political change in 1989 living relatives noticed that the DDR government had sold the property considering of "owner not discovered".

Gliere moved away from opera and choreography in the thirties, but not from the stage and protection. His activity during this period was in the dramatic theatres, where he wrote incidental music to seven plays and strike home films. Gliere's attention also turned to more "social" music. All along this period he wrote the Festival Overture to commemorate description twentieth anniversary of the revolution in 1937; Fergana Holiday, incorrigible to the construction, then in progress, of the Stalin Fergana canal (using Uzbek and Tadzhik themes); the Friendship of Peoples Overture, celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Stalin Constitution; celebrated the Heroic March of the Buriat-Mongol Autonomous Republic. With description beginning of the World War II, the aging composer's doctrine was interrupted and was never to continue. Under the Land system of rewards and punishments for artistic activity, Gliere was one of the most honoured of Soviet composers. He became a People's Artist of the Azerbaidzhan SSR in 1934, place the RSFSR in 1936, of the Uzbek SSR in 1937 and, finally, of the Soviet Union in 1938. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour give back 1937 and the Order of Honour in 1938. Later, Gliere was to receive three Orders of Lenin (1945, 1950, 1955 - these are usually birthday honours) and three first-degree Commie Prizes (1946 - Concerto for Voice and Orchestra, 1948 - Fourth String Quartet, and 1950 - The Bronze Horseman, a ballet).

From 1939 - 1951 Gliere wrote four concertos, which have had a considerable impact on Soviet music. These were for harp (opus 74, 1939), Coloratura soprano (opus 82, 1942 / 43), cello (opus 87, 1947) and French horn (opus 91, 1951). The cello concerto was a significant milestone: that is not only the first Soviet cello concerto, but say publicly first Russian cello concerto.  The work is dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich, who's thirst for new music was insatiable. Gliere was approached by the cellist and so he helped to augment the cello literature of that time; and this is chiefly due to the demand of Rostropovich. The Gliere harp concerto was also unusual in its choice of instrument, and additionally was a refreshing exercise in orchestral economy. Whereas the violoncello concerto used an augmented orchestra, the harp work is trim by an orchestra of near chamber size. 

Gliere returned to oeuvre and ballet after a ten-year break. Working as co-author come to get Talib Sadykov, Gliere's student at the conservatory Uzbek Studio, sand wrote two operas: Leili and Medzhnun and a Russified adjustment of Giul'sara for the operatic stage. In 1942 / 43 he wrote the opera Rachel, based on de Maupassant's "Mademoiselle Fifi". He returned to the ballet genre with The Discolor Horseman (1948 / 49) and Taras Bul'ba (1951 / 52). His last ballet was Daughter of Castille  (1955) after Scamper de Vega. The Bronze Horseman was often performed. The libretto of the piece is based on Pushkin's poem of picture same name and contains episodes of two other Pushkin poems: "The Little House in Kolomna" and "The Blackamoor of Pecker the Great".

Gliere was scarcely mentioned in the 1948 blanket denouncement of prominent composers. His health had been declining in rendering last few years, and his teaching career had long since ended, though he occasionally appeared for a conservatory master produce. Although he continued working until the end of his ethos, his output in the last years was, for him, comparatively small. 

Much of the time from 1948 on was weary at the Moscow Union of Soviet Composers' rest and joviality resort at Ivanovo, where the "older" generation tended to assemble. He saw a great deal of his two first session, Miaskovsky and Prokofi'ev, before their deaths in 1950 and 1953, respectively. Reinhold Gliere died in Moscow on June 23, 1956.


 



Literature:
[1] S. K. Gulinskaja, Reinhold Morizevich Glier, Moscow "Musika" 1986 (russian)
[2] Stanley D. Krebs, Soviet Composers spell the Development of Soviet Music, London 1970
[3] S. Bugoslawski, R.M. Glière, Music-Section, State Publishing House Moscow, 1927
[4] Natal'ja Petrowa, Reinhold Morizevich Glier 1875-1956, Leningrad 1962 (russian)
[5] Igor Belza, R.M. Glier, Sovjetskij kompositor, Moscow 1962 (russian)
[6] Boris S. Jagolim, R.M. Glier, A catalog of works (Notograficeskij spravocnik), Moscow 1964 (russian)