Edison Denisov

Edisson Denissov (1929–1996), along with Alfred Schnittke and Sofia Gubaidulina, is one of the key representatives of the generation of Soviet composers who followed Dmitri Shostakovich. Composing under post-Stalinist conditions, all three had to endure harsh state repression. Denissov’s style developed from his early days under the influence of Shostakovich, through his reception of twelve-tone and serial techniques, to a more poly-stylistic approach with clear references to tradition, which included numerous arrangements of older music. Despite these diverse compositional styles, the richness of timbre, a distinctly lyrical attitude and a penchant for French culture can be identified as constant features.

Born on 6 April 1929 in the Siberian city of Tomsk, Edisson was named after the American inventor Thomas Edison, whom his father admired. In his youth, Denissov was equally enthusiastic about science and music and initially studied mathematics until 1951. While preparing for his degree, he contacted Dmitri Shostakovich and sent him some of his compositions. Shostakovich recognised Denissov’s talent and did his utmost to promote him. From 1951 to 1956, Denissov studied composition with Vissarion Shebalin in Moscow. Through his contact with the French pianist Gérard Frémy, who studied in Moscow for three years, he became more familiar with the works of the Schoenberg school. The influence of Anton Webern had a particularly profound impact on his work.

From 1959 onwards, Denissov himself taught at the Moscow Conservatory. Even though he was only allowed a subordinate position and not a professorship in composition, his teaching attracted crowds of young composers such as Elena Firsova and Vladimir Tarnopolski, making Denissov the most influential composition teacher in the post-Stalinist Soviet Union.

Denissov’s first major work was the chamber cantata The Sun of the Incas from 1964, inspired by Pierre Boulez, which he himself considered his Opus 1. The bold, undogmatic use of avant-garde compositional techniques evident in the work was enthusiastically celebrated in the West but met with frosty reactions from official Soviet authorities. Denissov was subjected to numerous bans and sanctions that remained in effect until the 1980s. In the years that followed, he composed almost exclusively chamber music. Peinture (1971) then marked a shift towards orchestral music, which was also reflected in numerous concertante works, often written for prominent performers such as the violinist Gidon Kremer. Following a serious car accident, Denissov settled in Paris, where he died on 24 November 1994.