|
|
Kats-Chernin, Elena (b. November 4, 1957, Tashkent). Uzbek-born Australian composer of stage, orchestral, chamber, choral, and piano works that have been performed throughout the world.
Ms. Kats-Chernin studied figure skating and music as a child and studied at the School of Music in Yaroslavl from 1962-71, when she left her home to study at the Russian Academy of Music in Moscow from 1972-75. She then studied composition with Richard Toop at the New South Wales Conservatory in Sydney from 1975-80 and with Helmut Lachenmann at the Musikhochschule Hannover and Musikhochschule Stuttgart, on a Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst scholarship.
Her honors include the Sounds Australian Award for best composition and the Jean Bogan Prize (both 1996), the Green Room Award for best original music for dance (2003, for Wild Swans), the Helpmann Award for best original score (2004, for Wild Swans), and a two-year fellowship from the Australia Council (2004-05, for a collaboration with Meryl Tankard). Recently, her Deep Sea Dreaming was featured at the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Sydney (2000), Water at the Opening Ceremony of the Rugby World Cup in Sydney (2003) and numerous works at the Musica Nova festival in Helsinki (2001) and a Soundstreams concert in Toronto (2002).
Her works have been performed throughout Australia, Europe and North America by many leading soloists, including pianists Emanuel Ax, Stephanie McCallum, Lisa Moore, Ian Munro, and Margaret Leng Tan, percussionist Evelyn Glennie, violinist Georges Lentz, harpist Marshall McGuire, guitarist Geoffrey Morris, cellist David Pereira, and violist Patricia Pollett. Her works have also been performed by numerous ensembles and orchestras, including the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Ensemble Modern, the Gryphon Trio, the Nash Ensemble, Perihelion, the Seymour Group, the Sydney Alpha Ensemble, the Sydney Children's Choir, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, among others.
She has lived primarily in Australia since 1975, but lived in Germany from 1980-94.
In addition to the works listed below, she has composed several ballets and much incidental music for state theatres in Austria and Germany. She has also collaborated as a performer with the German choreographer Reinhild Hoffman in experimental theatre productions in Germany, Italy, Japan, and Portugal.
Boosey & Hawkes publishes her music.
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail address: e.kcher@optusnet.com.au
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
STAGE: Iphis (opera, libretto by Richard Toop, after Ovid), 2 sopranos, mezzo-soprano, 2 tenors, baritone, flute (+ piccolo), clarinet (+ bass clarinet), trumpet, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 1997; Matricide – The Musical (1 act opera, libretto by Kathleen Mary Fallon), 6 sopranos, clarinet (+ bass clarinet, alto saxophone), double bass, piano (+ synthesizer), percussion, 1998; Wild Swans (ballet, choreography by Meryl Tankard, vocalise, after Hans Christian Andersen), soprano, orchestra, 2002 (a suite was arranged; also suite for violin, piano); Mr Barbeque (12 cabaret songs, text by Janis Balodis), tenor, clarinet, bassoon, violin, double bass, piano, percussion, 2002; Undertow (chamber opera, libretto by Juha Vanhakartano, Andrea Rieniets), 5 voices, 2 actors, dancer, 8 players, 2003
ORCHESTRAL: Stairs, 1984; Clocks, small orchestra (20 players), CD, 1993 (also included in film Clocks); Retonica, large orchestra, 1993; Cadences, Deviations and Scarlatti, small orchestra (14 players), 1995; Zoom and Zip, 17 strings, 1997; TurnTableTurn, soprano saxophone, big band, 1999; Displaced Dances (concerto), piano, large orchestra, 2000; Heaven is Closed, large orchestra, 2000; Concerto No. 2, piano, large orchestra, 2001; Torque, piano, accordion, string orchestra, 2002; Water, large orchestra, 2003; Mythic, small orchestra, 2004
CHAMBER MUSIC: Chechyotka – Tap Dancing, trombone, piano, 1979; In Tension, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1982; Solo Januar, button accordion, 1985; Totschki, oboe, clarinet, 1993; Clip, percussion, 1994; Chamber of Horrors, harp, 1995; Concertino, violin, ensemble (flute [+ piccolo], oboe, E-flat clarinet, bassoon [+ contrabassoon], French horn, trumpet, trombone, double bass, piano, 2 percussion), 1995; ProMotion, amplified ensemble (E-flat clarinet, guitar, cello, double bass, piano, percussion), 1995; Champagne in a Teapot, English horn, ensemble (flute [+ piccolo], E-flat clarinet, French horn, trumpet, harp, string quartet, double bass, piano, 2 percussion), 1996; Gypsy Ramble, violin/viola, cello, piano, 1996; Kosky Tango, clarinet, string quartet, 1996; Purple Prelude, clarinet, harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, 1996 (also version for piano); Removalist Rag, saxophone, piano, 1996 (version of piano work); Russian Rag, clarinet, trumpet, harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass, marimba, 1996 (version of piano work; also version for flute, cello, piano, 2004; version as Why Not, clarinet, trombone/tuba, piano, 1999); Twenty-Five Measures, clarinet, 1996; Wedding Suite, flute, violin, 1996; Wild Rice, cello, 1996; Charleston noir, string quartet, 1997 (version of piano work; also version for 4 double basses, 2002); Hemispheres, flute (+ piccolo), clarinet (+ bass clarinet), harp, piano, string quartet, 1997; Umcha Piece, 5 percussion, 1998; Sarglos, alto saxophone, piano, percussion, 1999; Skeletons in the Cupboard, ensemble, 1999; The Velvet Revolution, French horn, violin, piano, 1999
CHAMBER MUSIC: Character Interludes, flute, guitar, 2000; Rag Interlude (formerly Interlude 1), viola, 2000; Tranquil Interlude on an open D string (formerly Interlude 2), viola, 2000; A Little Piece of Gossip, guitar, 2000; Bleached Memories, treble guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, bass guitar, 2001; Patina, violin, 2001; Sand Waltz, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2001; A Short Waltz, violin, cello, piano, 2001; Still Life, viola, piano, 2001; Vitalia's Steps, piano, toy piano, percussion, 2001 (also version for piano [+ toy piano], percussion [+ toy piano], 2001); For Rosa, string quartet, 2001; A-void-ance, violin, cello, piano, 2002; Bertina, clarinet, 2 guitars, cello, marimba, 2002; Charmer's Apprentice, oboe, piano, 2002; Naïve Interlude, clarinet, 2003 (also versions for violin, 2003; violin, piano, 2003; viola, piano, 2003); Colours of the Sea, alto flute, cello, piano, 2004; Nonchalance, cello, piano, 2004; Wild Swans, violin, piano, 2004 (suite from ballet)
CHORAL: Doo (texts by the composer, Kirsten Winter), children's chorus, 3 mixed choruses, 1996; Gone with the Waltz, 6 mixed voices, 1997; Talk Show (song-cycle, text by Hilary Bell), mixed chorus, 1997; Mater, 6 mixed voices, 2000; Deep Sea Dreaming, children's chorus, orchestra, 2000 (also version for children's chorus, piano, 2000); Memorial Rag (texts by the composer, Chris Latham), children's chorus, string quartet, 2001 (also version for children's chorus, piano, 2001); Rockhampton Gardens Symphony No. 1 (text by Mark Svendsen), tenor, children's chorus, mixed chorus, marimba ensemble, brass band, orchestra, 2001; The Bather (texts by the composer, Voice Squad), 4 mixed voices, harp, 2001; Un-labelled (texts by the composer, Xenia Hanusiak), youth chorus, 2001; Rockhampton Gardens Symphony No. 2 (text by Mark Svendsen), mezzo-soprano, tenor, children's chorus, mixed chorus, marimba ensemble, brass band, orchestra, 2002-03; Ad Astra, girls' chorus, school orchestra, 2004; Butterflying, children's chorus, piano, 2004
VOCAL: Langsam (text by Friedrich Rückert), soprano, clarinet, viola, cello, piano, 1996; Fox (text by Margaret Wild), speaker, orchestra, 2000; Next, Please!, baritone, clarinet, violin, double bass, piano, 2003; Wild Swans, soprano, orchestra, 2004 (suite from ballet)
PIANO: Reductions, 2 pianos, 1984; Tast-en, 1991; Variations in a Serious Black Dress, 1994; The Schubert Blues, 1995; Charleston noir, 1996 (also versions for string quartet; 4 double basses); Four Rags for Ian Munro, 1996 (each of its four sections may be performed separately: Rug Rag; Russian Rag II; Peggy's Rag; Removalist Rag [also version for saxophone, piano]); Purple Prelude, 1996 (version of chamber work); Russian Rag, 1996 (also versions for clarinet, trumpet, harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass, marimba; flute, cello, piano); Sunday Rag, 1997; Alexander Rag, 1998; Get Well Rag, 1998; Sonata Lost and Found, 1998 (one section may be performed separately: Unfinished Lullaby); Stur in dur, piano (+ voice), 1998; Suburban Rag, 1998; Zee Rag, 1998; Backstage Rag, 1999; Combination Rag, 1999; Page Turn, 1999; Twelve One Page Piano Pieces, 2001; Tremours dreams memories, 2003; Coktail Rag, 2003; After Dinner Rag, 2003, Revolving Doors, 2003; Saffire Rag, 2004; Half Moon Prelude, 2004
FILM SCORES (DIRECTOR): Clocks, 1995 (Kirsten Winter) (includes Clocks); Smash, 1997 (Kirsten Winter); The Widower, 2004 (Kevin Lukas)
FILM SCORES (FOR SILENT MOVIES) (DIRECTOR): Abwege, 10 players, 1995 (Georg Wilhelm Pabst); Körkarlen, small orchestra (18 players), 1996 (Victor Sjöström); Menschen am Sonntag, soprano, small orchestra (13 players), 2000 (Siodmak/Wilder)
DISCOGRAPHY
Stairs. Hiroyuki Iwaki/Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Vox Australis, 1989)
Tast-en. Lisa Moore, piano (Tall Poppies, 1994)
Russian Rag. Donna Coleman, piano (ABC Classics, 1996)
Cadences, Deviations and Scarlatti; Purple Prelude (original version); Concertino; Variations in a Serious Black Dress; Clocks; Russian Rag (second version). Georges Lentz, violin; Stephanie McCallum, piano; David Stanhope/Sydney Alpha Ensemble (ABC Classics: 456 468, 1997)
Totschki. Rita van Ooi, oboe; Roslyn Dunlop, clarinet (Roslyn Dunlop, 1998)
Twenty-Five Measures. Philippa Robinson, clarinet (Innaminka, 1998)
Purple Prelude. Jeanell Carrigan, piano (Vox Australis, 1998)
Chamber of Horrors. Marshall McGuire, harp (ABC Classics, 1999)
Unceremonious; Procession; Stigma; Golden Edge; Moo; Why Not; Left-over; Digging; Fake Sins; Dizziness; Let the Dust Settle; Not Quite in the Centre; Hot Air; Broken Mirrors; Clocks (excerpt). Uta-Mirjam Theilen, clarinets; Uwe Dierksen, trombone, tuba; Gregory Jones, cello; Elena Kats-Chernin, piano; Heinz Huber, accordion; Dirk Rotbrust, percussion (Wergo: LC 00846, 1999)
In Tension. Mark Summerbell/Seymour Group (Canberra School of Music, 1999)
Page Turn. Daniel Del Pino, piano (ABC Classics, 2000)
Four Rags for Ian Munro; Russian Rag. Elizabeth Green, piano (Elizabeth Green, 2000)
Purple Prelude; Russian Rag; Sonata Lost and Found; Alexander Rag; Stur in dur; Variations in a Serious Black Dress; Suburban Rag; The Schubert Blues; Get Well Rag. Lisa Moore, piano (Tall Poppies: TP 147, 2000)
Removalist Rag. James Nightingale, saxophone; Kerry Yong, piano (JLN Productions, 2000)
Four Rags for Ian Munro. Renate Turrini, piano (NEA Music Association, 2000)
Deep Sea Dreaming (excerpt). Simone Young/Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SOCOG, 2000)
Wild Rice. David Pereira, cello (Tall Poppies, 2001)
Concerto No. 2 (excerpts). Ian Munro, piano; Colin Piper/Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Sydney Symphony Orchestra, 2002)
Langsam. Perihelion (Artworks: AW 032, 2002)
Russian Rag (version by the performers). Karak Percussion (Karak Percussion, 2003)
Torque. Richard Tognetti/Australian Chamber Orchestra (ABC Classics: 476 102, 2003)
Still Life. Patricia Pollett, viola; Stephen Emmerson, piano (Tall Poppies: TP 162, 2003)
Memorial Rag. Lyn Williams/Gondwana Voices (ABC Classics: 472 822, 2003)
(Last updated on September 7, 2004)
