Khrennikov Tikhon Khrennikov

Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov (Russian: Ти́хон Никола́евич Хре́нников; 10 June [O.S. 28 May] 1913 – 14 August 2007) was a Russian and Soviet composer, pianist, and leader of the Union of Soviet Composers, who was also known for his political activities. He wrote three symphonies, four piano concertos, two violin concertos, two cello concertos, operas, operettas, ballets, chamber music, incidental music and film music.

During the 1930s, Khrennikov was already being hailed as a leading official Soviet composer. In 1948, Andrei Zhdanov, the leader of the anti-formalism campaign, nominated Khrennikov as Secretary of the Union of Soviet Composers. He held this influential post until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Compositions

Symphonies

• Symphony No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 4 (1933–35)
• Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 9 (1940–42)
• Symphony No. 3 in A major, Op. 22 (1973)

Other symphonic works

• "Mik", suite for orchestra, Op. 3 (1934)
• Much Ado About Nothing, incidental music, Op. 7 (1935–36)
• "Don Quichotte" by Mikhail Bulgakov, suite for orchestra, Op. 10 (1941)
• "Love For Love", suite from the ballet, Op. 24b (1976)
• "A Hussar Ballad", suite from the ballet, Op. 25b (1978)

Concertos

• Piano Concerto No. 1 in F major, Op. 1 (1932–33)
• Violin Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 14 (1958–59)
• Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 16 (1964)
• Piano Concerto No. 2 in C major, Op. 21 (1972)
• Violin Concerto No. 2 in C major, Op. 23 (1975)
• Three Pieces for Violin and orchestra, Op. 26b (1978)
• Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 28 (1983–84)
• Cello Concerto No. 2, Op. 30 (1986)
• Piano Concerto No. 4, for piano, string orchestra and percussion, Op. 37 (1991)

Operas

• "Into the Storm", four acts, Op. 8 (1936–39) - Libretto by A. Faiko and Nikolai Virta based on N. Virta's novel "Loneliness".
• "Brother-in-Law Without Kindred (Frol Skobeev)", comic opera, Op. 12 (1945–50) - Libretto by S. Tsenin after D. Averkiev's Play "Frol Skobeev".
• "Mother", three acts, Op. 13 (1952–57) - Libretto by A. Faiko based on Maxim Gorky's novel "Mother".
• "One Hundred Devils and Just One Girl", operetta in three acts, Op. 15 (1962–63) - Libretto by E. Shatunovsky.
• "A White Night", musical chronicle in three acts, Op. 17 (1966) - Libretto by Y. Shanutovsky, after Tolstoi.
• "The Low-Born Son-in-Law" (1967) - second version of "Frol Skobeyev" (1950)
• "The Boy Giant", children's opera in three acts, Op. 18 (1968–69) - Libretto by N. Shestakov and N. Satz.
• "Much Ado About Hearts", three acts (1972–73) - Libretto by Boris Pokrovsky after Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing".
• "Dorothea", two acts, Op. 27 (1982–83)
• "Golden Calf", Op. 29 (1984–85)
• "The Naked King", comic opera, Op. 31 (1988)
• Musical for children "Wonders, oh, wonders!", musical for children (2001)
• "At 6 P.M. After the War", musical (2003)

Ballets

• "Our Courtyard" (Happy Childhood), children's ballet in one act, Op. 19 (1970)
• "Love For Love", two acts, Op. 24 (1976)
• "A Hussar Ballad", three acts, Op. 25 (1978)
• "Napoleon Bonaparte", Op. 40 (1994)
• "The Captain's Daughter", Op. 41 (1999)

Music for plays

• "Mik" (1934)
• "Alexander Shigorin" (1935–36)
• "Big Day" (1937)
• "Guilty Without a Sin" (1937)
• "I’m the Son of Working People" (1938)
• "Romantics" (1939)
• "Don Quichotte" by Mikhail Bulgakov (1941)
• "A Long Time Ago" (1942)
• "Birthday" (1944)
• "Marine Officer" (1944)
• "Wise Things" (1965)
• "Rootless Son-in-law" (1966)

Chamber music

• "Birkenstamm", version for violin ensemble (1935)
• String Quartet No. 1 (?)
• String Quartet No. 2 (?)
• Three Pieces for Violin and piano, Op. 26 (1978)
• String Quartet No. 3, Op. 33 (1988)
• Sonata for Cello and piano, Op. 34 (1989)
• Five Pieces for woodwind instruments, Op. 35 (1990)

Piano works

• Five Pieces for piano, Op. 2 (1933)
• Three Pieces for piano, Op. 5 (1934–35)
• Five Pieces for piano, Op. 38 (1992)
• Six Children's Pieces for piano, Op. 42 (2002)

Vocal and choral works

• Three Romances for voice and piano after Pushkin, Op. 6 (1935)
• "Birch Tree", song for voice and piano (1935)
• Three Lieder for voice and piano, Op. 7b, from the incidental music "Much Ado About Nothing", Op. 7 (1935–36)
• "Three Pans", song for voice and piano (1939)
• "We Are Masters of the War", song for chorus and piano (1941)
• "Song About a Moscow Girl", song for voice and piano (1941)
• "Song About Friendship", song for voice and piano (1941)
• Five Romances for voice and piano after Robert Burns, Op. 11 (1942)
• "Farewell", song for voice and piano (1942)
• "There is a Good Town in the North", song for chorus and piano (1942)
• "New Year’s", song for voice and piano (1942)
• "Everybody for the Motherland", song for chorus and piano (1942)
• "Men from Ural are Great Warriors", song for chorus and piano (1942)
• "Song of the Soviet Union", song for chorus and piano (1943)
• "Luchint’s Song", song for chorus and piano (1943)
• "Song of Song", song for voice and piano (1944)
• "Waiting Home", song for voice and piano (1944)
• "Moscow’s Windows", song for voice and piano (1960)
• "Morning Song", song for voice and piano (1960)
• "Our Soviet Country", song for chorus and piano (1964)
• Three Poems for chorus, Op. 20 (1971)
• Three Sonnets by W. Shakespeare for voice and piano, Op. 32 (1988)
• Three songs based on the lyrics by Nekrasov for chorus a capella, Op. 36 (1990)
• Five Romances after lyrics by Ivan Bunin, Op. 39 (1992)
• "Tatyana’s Day", waltz, for voice and piano (2004) - after Mikhail Lomonosov

Film music

• "Struggle Is Still On" (1938)
• "Swineheard and Shepherd" (1941)
• "Return with Victory" (1941)
• "Six O’Clock In the Evening After the War" (1944)
• "The Train Goes East" (1947)
• "Miners of Donetsk" (1950)
• "Cavalier of the Golden Star" (1951)
• "At Six PM after the War" (1952)
• "True Friends" (1953)
• "The Captain’s Daughter" (1958)
• "Hussard Ballad" (1961)
• "No Password Necessary" (1967)
• "Mother" (1968) - sound version of the 1926 silent film
• "Three" (1969)
• "Ruslan and Ludmila" (1972)
• "Stars and fans" (1973)
• "Afterthought Had Hit You, Congratulations!" (1976)
• "Duenna" (1978)
• "We Were Chosen by Time" (1978)
• "The Antarctic Novel" (1979)
• "Money Box" (1980)
• "Heart Operation" (1982)
• "Love for Love" (1983)
• "Two Comrades" (1999)