He is the author of “space” music and most of the films of Tarkovsky, Konchalovsky and Mikhalkov
He is one of the giants of modern electronic music. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Confederation of Electroacoustic Music ICEM at UNESCO. He is the author of the music for over 100 films, including masterpieces by world-famous directors such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Andrei Konchalovsky, Nikita Mikhalkov and Karen Shakhnazarov.
He is the composer Eduard Artemiev and on November 30 of this year turned 85.
With the “Nika” award / Source: Archive of the Union of Composers in Russia
He is the author of the music for the films “Solaris” (1972), “Mirror” (1974) and “Stalker” (1979) by Tarkovsky; on “Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano” (1977), “Own among Strangers, Strange among Own” (1974), “Slave of Love” (1976), Hitchhiker” (1990), “Urga-Territory of Love” (1991) , “Scorched by the Sun” (1994), “The Barber of Siberia” (1998), “Sunstroke” (2014), etc. by Nikita Mikhalkov; on “Sibiriad” (1979), “Homer and Eddie” (1988), ” Odyssey” (1997), “The House of Fools” (2002), “Sin” (2019) and others by Andrei Konchalovsky.
In 2000, he completed his opera “Razkolnikov” (based on the novel “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoyevsky), which he began in 1977.
In addition to creating music, Artemiev lectures students at the Moscow Conservatory and holds master classes around the world. He is an honorary citizen of Baltimore, USA. Chairman of the Russian Association for Electroacoustic Music, member of two creative unions – of composers and cinematographers of Russia.
Eduard Artemiev / Source: Archive of the Union of Composers in Russia
This famous man, whose music we have heard in films, provides sound for space stations and announces the Moscow Film Festival, as well as other spectacular events of an international scale.
His work includes electronic compositions, operas, symphonies, suites, instrumental compositions, music for theater productions, radio plays, feature films, documentaries, popular science and animated films.
Eduard Artemiev was born on November 30, 1937 in Novosibirsk, graduated from the Moscow Choir School and the Moscow Conservatory. The composers Alexander Scriabin, Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky influenced his formation as a musician. A favorite work of the composer is the opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Eduard Artemiev / Source: Archive of the Union of Composers in Russia
More
The Russian man according to Andrei Konchalovsky: He doesn’t listenand think what to do answered
In addition to creative activity, Artemiev also worked as a sound researcher at a scientific research institute under the leadership of Yevgeny Murzin, the creator of the first photoelectronic synthesizer ANS.
Artemiev became the first performer of the synthesizer. He wrote the theoretical work “Notes on Electronic Music”.
And all this happens at the dawn of electronic music in the world – in the 60s of the last century.
Eduard Artemiev in his studio / Source: Archive of the Union of Composers in Russia
In 1961, Artemiev created the musical plays “In Space” and “Starry Nocturne”, and in 1964 – “Etude”. In those years, the electronic genre was still unknown, but very intriguing and increasingly attracted the interest of the cinema.
Artemiev turns to film music and can rightly be said to reach the world giants of the genre.
He became the author of the first film with electronic music in the former social camp (“Meeting the dream”, directed by Mikhail Karyukov and Otar Koberidze).
Sound system for the Soviet space technology pavilion in London in 1962.
In 1966, the first studio for electronic music was opened in Moscow.
Artemiev composed the music for the documentaries “Planet Ocean” and “Home in Space”.
Source: Archive of the Union of Composers in Russia
Two years later he became world famous. In 1968, at the Festival of Contemporary Music in Florence, he won a gold medal for his composition “Mosaic”.
It was also awarded at the festivals in Venice (1969) and Orange (1970).
Eduard Artemiev, in the middle / Source: Archive of the Union of Composers in Russia
At the end of the 1970s, Eduard Artemiev experimented with the Synth-100 synthesizer. To this day, he continues to innovate and create beauty from sounds.
His only son Artemy, as well as his granddaughter Ekaterina, also follow his path.
Source: Archive of the Union of Composers in Russia
In 2019, the composer lost his closest person – his wife Isolde, who was, in his words, “his whole world”.
Despite the pain of the loss, the composer again found solace in his work and continues to work at full speed to this day.
Eduard Artemiev is the laureate of four state prizes in the field of literature and arts, for the feature films “Courier” (1986), “Urga – the territory of love” (1991), “Crushed by the sun” (1994) and “The Barber of Siberia” ( 1998). He is a three-time laureate of the “Nika” award for the music for the films “Limit” (1995), “Mom” (2000) and “Driver for Vera” (2004) and laureate of the award “Art of unification of man and information” in the category “Art”.
In 2001, the composer was awarded the “St. George” prize from the 23rd Moscow International Film Festival for “remarkable contribution to world cinematography”.
Eduard Artemiev / Source: Archive of the Union of Composers in Russia
Emmy MARIANSKA
