View source for Dmitri Smirnov (composer)

{{short description|Russian composer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Dmitri Smirnov
| native_name  = {{small|Дми́трий Смирно́в}}
| image        = Dmitri N Smirnov ©Kompozitor.jpg
| image_size   =  
| caption      = 
| birth_name   = Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov
| birth_date   = {{birth date|df=y|1948|11|2}}
| birth_place  = [[Minsk]], [[Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic|Byelorussian SSR]], [[Soviet Union]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|df=y|2020|4|9|1948|11|2}} 
| death_place  = [[Watford]], England
| occupation   = {{plainlist|
* Composer
* Academic teacher
}}
| website      = 
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Elena Firsova]]|1972}}
| children     = 2 
}}

'''Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov''' ({{langx|ru|Дми́трий Никола́евич Смирно́в}}; 2 November 1948 – 9 April 2020) was a Russian-British composer and academic teacher, who also published as '''Dmitri N. Smirnov''' and '''D. Smirnov-Sadovsky'''. He wrote operas, symphonies, string quartets and other [[chamber music]], and vocal music from song to [[oratorio]]. Many of his works were inspired by the art of [[William Blake]].

== Career ==
Smirnov was born in [[Minsk]]<ref name="Boosey" /> into a family of opera singers: his parents were Nikolay Senkin-Sadovsky and Eugenia Smirnova.<ref name="Bio" /> His family moved to [[Ulan-Ude]] and then [[Bishkek]], where he spent most of his childhood.<ref name="Bio" /> He studied at the [[Moscow Conservatory]] from 1967 to 1972,<ref name="Bio" /> composition with [[Nikolai Sidelnikov]], instrumentation with [[Yuri Kholopov]], and analysis with [[Edison Denisov]].<ref name="Boosey" /><ref name="Sikorski" /> He also studied privately with [[Philip Herschkowitz]], a pupil of <!--both [[Alban Berg|Berg]] and--> [[Anton Webern]].<ref name="Boosey" />

He worked as an editor for the music publishing house Sovietski Kompositor from 1973 to 1980, and then turned to freelance composing.<ref name="Bio" /> He received first prize for his composition ''Solo for Harp'' at a competition of the International Harp Week in [[Maastricht]] in 1976, which won him international recognition.<ref name="Bio" /> In 1979, Smirnov was blacklisted as one of "[[Khrennikov's Seven]]" at the Sixth Congress of the [[Union of Soviet Composers]] for unapproved participation in some festivals of Soviet music in the West. Smirnov was one of the founders of Russia's new ''[[ACM - Association for Contemporary Music]]'', established in Moscow in 1990. From 1991, he lived in England. He was [[composer in residence]] at the [[University of Cambridge]]'s [[St John's College, Cambridge|St John's College]] and at [[Dartington]], and visiting professor at [[Keele University]] from 1993 to 1998.<ref name="Bio" /> From 2003 he taught at [[Goldsmiths College]] at the [[University of London]].

Many of Smirnov's works reflect his fascination with the poetry and art of [[William Blake]].<ref name="Boosey" /> He composed a [[song cycle]] based on Blake's ''The Season'' (1979), which grew into his first symphony, subtitled ''The Seasons''.<ref name="Boosey" /> His two operas ''[[Tiriel (opera)|Tiriel]]'' and ''[[Thel (opera)|Thel]]'' on text by [[William Blake]] were premiered in 1989, the first at the [[Freiburg]] Festival in Germany, and the second at the [[Almeida Theatre]] in London. His First Symphony was premiered the same year at the [[Tanglewood Festival]]<ref name="Bio" /> and the [[Southbank Centre]] in London.<ref name="Boosey" /> His orchestral ''Mozart-Variations'' were staged as a ballet in [[Pforzheim]] in Germany in 1992. Other premieres include the oratorio ''A Song of Liberty'' in [[Leeds]] in 1993, played by the [[BBC Philharmonic]],<ref name="Bio" /> the Cello Concerto in [[Manchester]] in 1996, the [[cantata]] ''Song of Songs'' in [[Geneva]] in 2001, and the [[Triple Concerto No. 2 (Smirnov)|Triple Concerto No. 2]] for violin, double bass and harp, which was performed at the [[Barbican Centre]] on 26 May 2004, combined with Mahler's [[Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)|Second Symphony]] "Resurrection", with [[Andrew Davis (conductor)|Andrew Davis]] conducting the London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus.<ref name="Russell" />

His work has been performed by many notable conductors, including: [[Riccardo Muti]], [[Sir Andrew Davis]], [[Dennis Russell Davies]], [[Peter Eötvös]], [[Oliver Knussen]], [[Vassily Sinaisky]], [[Pavel Kogan (conductor)|Pavel Kogan]], [[Gennady Rozhdestvensky]], [[Gunther Schuller]], and [[Yan Pascal Tortelier]]. He composed ''Jacob's Ladder'' and ''River of Life'' for the [[London Sinfonietta]], String Quartets Nos. 3 and 6 for the [[Brodsky Quartet]], ''Song of Songs'' on a commission from the [[Orchestre de la Suisse Romande]], and ''Between Scylla and Charybdis'' for the string orchestras {{ill|Amsterdam Sinfonietta|nl|lt=Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam}} and the [[English String Orchestra]].<ref name="Boosey" />

== Personal life ==
Smirnov was married to the composer [[Elena Firsova]]. They moved to the United Kingdom in 1991, living in [[St Albans City and District|St Albans]] near London from 1998.<ref name="Boosey" /> Their children are Philip Firsov (an artist and sculptor) and [[Alissa Firsova]] (a composer, pianist and conductor). He died on 9 April 2020 in [[Watford]] from the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="Sikorski" /><ref name="death">{{cite news|url=https://www.classicalmusicnews.ru/news/dmitrij-smirnov-passed/|title=Скончался композитор Дмитрий Смирнов|date=9 April 2020|access-date=9 April 2020|website=ClassicalMusicNews.Ru|language=ru}}</ref>

== Works ==
[[File:Dsmirnov-small.jpg|thumb|Self portrait]]
Smirnov's works were published by [[Hans Sikorski]] in Hamburg,<ref name="Sikorski" /> [[Boosey & Hawkes]] in London,<ref name="Boosey" /><ref>[https://www.boosey.com/cr/catalogue/ps/powersearch_results?composerid=2700 Alphabetical list of works] [[Boosey & Hawkes]]</ref> and [[G. Schirmer]] in New York City. 
* Piano Sonata No. 1 (1967), No. 2 (1980), No. 3 (1992), No. 4 ''String of Destiny'' (2000),<ref name="Culot" /> No. 5 (2001), No. 6 ''Blake-Sonata'' (2008)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://vivatmusic.com/catalogue/russian-emigres |title=Dmitri Smirnov (b.1948) Blake Sonata, Op. 157 (2008) recorded by Alissa Firsova to the CD VIVAT 109 ''Russian Émigrés''. |access-date=30 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801204453/http://www.vivatmusic.com/catalogue/russian-emigres |archive-date=1 August 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Violin Sonata No. 1 (1969), No. 2 (1979), No. 3 "es ist .." in memory of Oleg Firsov (1998),<ref name="Culot" /> No. 4 (2005)
* Piano Concerto No. 1 (1971), No. 2 (1978)
* ''Eternal Refuge'' for voice and piano trio (also orchestra version), text by [[Mikhail Bulgakov]] (1972)
* String Quartet No. 1 (1974), No. 2 (1985), No. 3 (1993), No. 4 (1993), No. 5 (1994), No. 6 (1998), No. 7 (2005), No. 8 ''Inferno'' (2007)
* Clarinet Concerto (1974)
* ''Pastorale'' for orchestra (1975)
* ''Mirages'' for saxophone quartet (1975)
* ''Solo for Harp'' (1976)
* ''The Sorrow of past Days'' for voice, flute, percussion, violin and cello, text by [[Alexander Pushkin]] (1976)
* Triple Concerto No. 1 for saxophone, piano, double bass, strings & percussion (1977)
* Piano Trio No. 1 (1977),<ref name="Culot" /> No. 2 (1992), No. 3 "Tri-o-Tri" (2005)
* Cello Sonata (1978)<ref name="Culot" />
* ''The Seasons'', song cycle for voice, flute, viola and harp, text by [[William Blake]] (1979)
* Symphony No. 1 ''The Seasons'' (1980)
* Symphony No. 2 ''Destiny'' for four soloists, mixed chorus & orchestra, text by [[Friedrich Hölderlin]] (1982)	
* ''The Night Rhymes'' cantata for voice & orchestra, text by [[Alexander Pushkin]] (1982)
* ''[[Tiriel (opera)|Tiriel]]'', opera after William Blake (1983–1985)
* ''[[Thel (opera)|Thel]]'' (or ''The Lamentations of Thel''), chamber opera after William Blake (1986)	
* ''Mozart-Variations'' for orchestra (1987)
* ''The Visions of Coleridge'' for voice and 10 players, text by [[S. T. Coleridge]] (1987)
* ''Songs of Love and Madness'' for voice, clarinet, celesta, harp & string trio, text by William Blake (1988)
* ''The Seven Angels of William Blake'' for piano (1988)
* ''Blake’s Pictures'' (ballet): ''The Moonlight Story'' (1988), ''Jacob's Ladder'' (1990), ''Abel'' (1991), ''The River of Life'' (1992)	
* ''Eight-line Poems'' for voice, flute, horn, harp and string trio, text by [[Osip Mandelstam]]
* Violin Concerto No. 1 (1990), No. 2 (1995). No. 3 (1996)
* ''A Song of Liberty'', oratorio for four soloists, mixed chorus and orchestra, text by William Blake (1991)
* Piano Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello & double bass (1992)
* Cello concerto (1992)
* ''Ariel Songs'' for voice, 2 recorders, cello & harpsichord, text by [[William Shakespeare]] (1993)
* ''The Guardians of Space'' for orchestra (1994)
* Symphony No. 3 ''Voyages'' for orchestra (1995)
* ''The Music of the Spheres'' for piano (1995)
* ''The Bride in her Grave'', opera, libretto by Ruth Fainlight (1995)
* ''Elegy in memory of Edison Denisov'', in two versions: (a) for solo cello, (b) for sixteen players (1997)<ref name="Culot" />
* ''The Bird of Time'' for orchestra (1997)
* ''Song of Songs'', cantata for soprano, tenor, mixed chorus & orchestra, text by [[King Solomon]] (1997)
* ''Between Scylla and Charybdis'' for string orchestra (1997)
* ''Mass'' for mixed chorus (1998)
* ''Opus 111'' for clarinet, cello & piano (1998)
* ''Twilight'' for soprano and six players, text by [[James Joyce]] (1998–2000)
* ''Portrait'' in memory of [[Dmitri Shostakovich]], for wind octet & double bass (1999)
* ''Concerto Piccolo'' (to [[Mstislav Rostropovich]]) for cello and orchestra (2001)
* ''Innocence of Experience'' for tape, text by William Blake (2001)
* ''Metaplasm'' No. 1 for piano (also for orchestra, 2002), No. 2 for piano (2002)
* [[Triple Concerto No. 2 (Smirnov)|Triple Concerto No. 2]] for violin, harp, double bass and orchestra (2003)
* ''Dream Journey'' for voice, flute clarinet, vln, cello and piano, text by [[Matsuo Bashō]] (2003–2004)	
* ''Red Bells''  in memory of [[Dmitri Shostakovich]], the first movement of ''Family Concerto'' for piano and ensemble of seven players, composed jointly with his wife and daughter, [[Elena Firsova]] and [[Alissa Firsova]] (2005)
* ''Requiem'' for four soloists, mixed chorus and orchestra (2006)
* ''Amore sola'' for solo violin (2006)
* ''Proverbs of Hell''  for voice and piano, text by William Blake (2006)
* ''The Lonely Wanderer'' for voice and cello, text by [[Lermontov]] (2007)
* ''Duo in Green'' for 2 violins (2008)
* ''Space Odyssey'' for large orchestra (2008)
* ''From the Pine to the Moon'' for voice and cello, text by Lermontov (2009)
* ''The Book of Constellations'' for ensemble (2009–)
* ''The Last Trumpet'' for trumpet and timpani (2010)
* ''Kubla Khan: A Vision in a Dream'' for tenor (or soprano), bajan, violin and cello, text by S. T. Coleridge, composed jointly with Firsova and Firsova (2010/2011)
* ''Zodiac'' for orchestra (2010–2013)
* ''Canisi-Variations'' for violin and piano (2011)
* ''Papageno-Variations'' for orchestra (after Beethoven's 12 Variations for cello & piano, Op. 66) (2012)
* ''Visionary Heads'' (after ''[[Visionary Heads]]'', pictures by William Blake) for piano (2013)
* ''Farewell. In Memory of Alexander Ivashkin.'' For solo cello (2014)
* ''Pro et contra'', two pieces for viola and piano (2014)
* ''The Silly Moon'', 8 haiku for voice and piano, text and music by Smirnov (2014)
* ''Solo for Viola'' (2014)
* ''The China Travel'', 20 songs for voice and piano on poems by [[Olga Sedakova (poet)|Olga Sedakova]], composed with V. Gorodetskaya (2014)
* ''Four Eight-line Poems'' for voice and piano on poems by Sedakova (2014)

==Recordings==

* Fish Ear FECD621. Peter Sheppard, Violin: Winter Journey / Smirnov: ''partita'' 
* Megadisc MDC 7818. an Introduction to Dmitri Smirnov. ''Elegy, String of Destiny, Es ist…, Piano Trio 1, Cello sonata, Postlude''<ref name="Culot" />
* Metier MSV CD92028. Peter Sheppard, Violin: Etude Philharmpnique / Smirnov: ''Two Fugues'' 
* Mobile Fidelity MFCD 906. Works by Modern Composers of Moscow / Smirnov: ''Solo for Harp''
* Olympia OCD 282. Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, Vol.2 / Smirnov: ''Sonata for fl and harp''
* Conifer 75605 51252-2, reissued on RCA/Catalyst 82876 64283-2. [[Chilingirian Quartet]] / Smirnov: ''Second Quartet'' 
* Vanguard Classics 99154. Aurelia Saxophone Quartet: Four generations of Russian composers / Smirnov: ''Fantasia'' (also on Challenge Classics CC 72039)
* Vanguard Classics 99212. Brodsky Quartet: Beethoven Op18 and six more / Smirnov: ''Quartet 6''  (also reissued on Challenge Classics, CC 72009)
* NBE CD 021 Nederland Blazers Ensemble: ''La ligubre gondola'' & ''Legende No. 2'' / Liszt/Smirnov 
* Vista Vera VVCD-00232 by Lev Mikhailov and partners / Smirnov: ''Mirages'' for saxophone quartet 
* Visto: 2121 CD – Proyecto Mockba /  Smirnov:  ''Serenade op. 34,'' para obeo, saxofón alto y violonchelo. ''Tiriel op. 41b,'' para saxofón barítono y piano 
* Meridian CDE 84586: Primrose Piano Quartet / Smirnov Piano Quintet; 
* Vivat: 109: Russian Émigrés – Alissa Firsova, piano / Smirnov: ''Sonata No. 6 "Blake Sonata", Op. 157 (2008)''

==Bibliography==
* ''A Geometer of Sound Crystals: A Book on Philip Herschkowitz''. (Ernst Kuhn, Berlin 2003)  {{ISBN|3-928864-99-8}} 
* ''The Anatomy of Theme in Beethoven's Piano Sonatas''. (Ernst Kuhn, Berlin 2008)  {{ISBN|978-3-936637-19-9}}

==References==
{{reflist
| refs =

<ref name="Culot">{{cite web
| last = Culot
| first = Hubert
| url = http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/July02/smirnov.htm
| title = Dmitri Smirnov (born 1948)
| website = musicweb-international.com
| date = July 2002
| access-date = 15 April 2020
}}</ref>

<ref name="Russell">{{cite web
| last = Russell
| first = Alex
| url = http://www.musicweb-international.com/SandH/2004/May-Aug04/smirnov_mahler265.htm
| title = Dmitri Smirnov & Gustav Mahler; Gordan Nikolitch (violin), Rinat Ibragimov (double-bass), Bryn Lewis (harp); Laura Claycomb (sop), Michelle DeYoung (mez-sop); London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus; Sir Andrew Davis (conductor); Barbican Centre, 26th May, 2004
| website = musicweb-international.com
| date = August 2004
| access-date = 15 April 2020
}}</ref>

<ref name="Bio">{{cite web
| url = https://www.sikorski.de/media/files/1/12/190/249/342/3206/smirnov_biography.pdf
| title = Dmitri Smirnov / Biography
| website = [[Hans Sikorski|Sikorski]]
| access-date = 15 April 2020
}}</ref>

<ref name="Boosey">{{cite web
| url = http://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/composer/composer_main.asp?composerid=2700
| title = Dmitri N. Smirnov / Biography
| website = [[Boosey & Hawkes]]
| date = 2001
| access-date = 15 April 2020
}}</ref>

<ref name="Sikorski">{{cite web
| url = https://www.sikorski.de/342/en/smirnov_dmitri.html
| title = Smirnov, Dmitri
| website = [[Hans Sikorski|Sikorski]]
| date = 2020
| access-date = 15 April 2020
}}</ref>

}}

==Sources==
*[[Yuri Kholopov]]: ''Russians in England: Dmitri Smirnov, [[Elena Firsova]].'' Article, in: Music From the Former USSR. Issue 2. Moscow: Composer, 1996, pp.&nbsp;255–303 (in Russian); also in «Ex oriente...I» Ten Composers from the former USSR. [[Viktor Suslin]], Dmitry Smirnov, [[Arvo Pärt]], [[Yury Kasparov]], [[Galina Ustvolskaya]], [[Nikolai Sidelnikov]], [[Elena Firsova]] [[Vladimir Martynov]], [[Andrei Eshpai]], [[Boris Chaikovsky]]. Edited by Valeria Tsenova (studia slavica musicologica, Bd. 25), Verlag Ernst Kuhn – Berlin. {{ISBN|3-928864-84-X}} pp.&nbsp;207–266 (in English)
*Gerard McBurney: ''Dmitri Smirnov''. Entry in [[Grove Dictionary of Music]]

==External links==
{{wikisource|works=or}}
{{Commons category|Dmitri Smirnov}}
* {{DNB portal|121191699}}
* [http://wikilivres.ru/A_Complete_List_of_Works_(Smirnov) A Complete List of Works] (in Russian)
* {{Discogs artist|Dmitri Smirnov}}
* [http://www.lieder.net/lieder/get_settings.html?ComposerId=5774 Dmitri N. Smirnov at Recmusic (the texts of the vocal works)]
* {{YouTube|user=dmitrinsmirnov|title=Smirnov}}
* Robert Hugill: [http://www.planethugill.com/2015/08/russian-emigres-from-alissa-firsova.html Russian Emigres from Alissa Firsova ] planethugill.com 14 August 2015

{{Khrennikov's Seven}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smirnov, Dmitri}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century British composers]]
[[Category:20th-century British male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Russian classical composers]]
[[Category:Soviet classical composers]]
[[Category:21st-century British composers]]
[[Category:21st-century British male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Russian classical composers]]
[[Category:British classical composers]]
[[Category:British male classical composers]]
[[Category:British opera composers]]
[[Category:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England]]
[[Category:Russian male opera composers]]
[[Category:Moscow Conservatory alumni]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Russian opera composers]]
[[Category:Soviet emigrants to the United Kingdom]]