Natasha Theremin

Natasha Theremin
Background information
Birth name Natasha Theremin
Born 4 June 1948
Russia
Genres Classical music, electronic music
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Theremin

Natasha Theremin (born Natalia Theremin 4 June 1948) is the daughter of Russian scientist, musician and inventor Léon Theremin and Maria Feodorovna (Gushchina).

Theremin received her first music lessons as a child from her father, who accompanied her on the piano. She graduated from the School of the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnessin Academy with a specialty in piano teaching.

Beginning in the late 1970s, she began to develop new techniques on how to play the theremin, and is virtually the only concert performer on this instrument in the former USSR and in the world.

Natasha Theremin introduced the world's first theremin setting along the edge of the palm (one octave must fit between closed and opened positions). These settings were favored by such performers as Carolina Eyck, Masami Takeuchi, Lydia Kavina and others.

Continuing the tradition of Lev Theremin, Natasha created new interpretations of classical works performed on the theremin, including "Swan" by Saint-Saens, "Daisies" and "Vocalise" by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and "Concerto for voice" by Glier. She also performs contemporary music for the theremin, written especially for her (such as "Fantasia for theremin and organ" by S. Archer, "Melody for theremin" by Vorontsov). She gives concerts in Moscow, Leningrad, Kazan, Vilnius, Tallinn, and is involved in the filming of documentaries.

During joint visits with her father, Natasha Theremin demonstrated the theremin at the festival in Bourges, (France)[1] and the concert program of the International Computer Music Festival in Stockholm (Sweden, 1990), New York University, the University of Berkeley (US, 1991) and during the award to Leo Theremin in the "Academy of light" in The Hague (Holland, 1993).[2]

On September 25, 1991 at Stanford University, a concert was held, which honored Lev Theremin, in which Natasha Theremin, accompanied by electronic music pioneer Max Mathews,[3] performed on the theremin "Vocalise" by Sergei Rachmaninoff.[4][5]

Leon Theremin created a series of concerts for tube theremin especially for Natasha. Under her guidance, Russia attempted to create the world's first theremin concert on a modern element base. The tool was presented at festivals in France, Lithuania and Sweden.

After her father's death, Natasha stopped speaking and resumed public activity in 2013, performing at the Festival Theremin in the Central Museum of Musical Culture in Moscow.

In 2016 she toured in Japan (Hamamatsu, Tokyo and Kyoto).

In her repertoire were classical and modern music.

Natalia was the co-organizer of the international festival of theremin culture Thereminology, and curator of the Russian Theremin School (the only theremin school in Europe and Russia).

See also

References

  1. Montague, Stephen (1 January 1991). "Rediscovering Leon Theremin". Tempo (177): 18–23. JSTOR 945928.
  2. Chadabe, Joel (1 January 1997). "Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music". Prentice Hall via Google Books.
  3. Institut national de l'audiovisuel (France) (1 January 2008). "Max Mathews". Stanford University Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics via Google Books.
  4. "Soviet pioneer of electronic music pays historic visit to Stanford".
  5. Cunningham, Robert (1 January 2001). "Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Bio-bibliography". Greenwood Publishing Group via Google Books.

External links

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