(b. 5 May 1952, Sumy – d. 3 February 2012, Moscow).
Russian composer, born in Ukraine, of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed throughout Europe and elsewhere.
Mr. Pavlenko studied composition with Nikolai Sidelnikov at the P. I. Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow from 1972–80 and instrumentation with Edison Denisov there from 1972–77.
Among his honours were Premier Prix in the competition for music for saxophone ensemble APES in Paris (1988, for Pastorale), Premier Prix in the competition for sacred music in Fribourg (1996, for Jesu Redemptor Omnium) and the title Composer of the Year from the newspaper Muzykalnoye obozrenie (2002). His music has been performed in Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Serbia, the UK, and the USA.
He was also active in other positions. He served as music director of the Taganka Theatre in Moscow from 1976–82.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
Rothschild's Violin (choreographic fantasy in 1 act, after Anton Chekhov), 1987
ORCHESTRAL:
Concerto No. 1, alto saxophone, orchestra, 1975
Concerto, flute, orchestra, 1977
Symphony No. 1, large orchestra, 1979
Concerto–Serenade in Memory of Vladimir Vysotsky, clarinet, string orchestra, 1980
Christmas Capriccio, bassoon, string orchestra, 1980
Adagio in D minor, 1981
Symphony No. 2, large orchestra, 1982
Symphony No. 3, 'Symphony of Lamentations', small orchestra, 1982
The Farewell, string orchestra, 1983
Concerto No. 1, cello, orchestra, 1983
Symphony No. 4, large orchestra, 1985
Concerto, oboe, string orchestra, 1986
Concerto, small orchestra (11 winds, 11 brass, 5 percussion), 1989
Sinfonia humana, string orchestra, 1989
Treverseum, 6 percussion, small orchestra, 1992
Ives-Composition: Concerto No. 2, cello, string orchestra, 1993
The Princess Dream (symphonic poem), 1994
Stance: Concerto No. 2, soprano saxophone, small orchestra, 1994
De Profundis (concerto grosso no. 1), violin, viola, orchestra, 2000
Sinful Music, viola, string orchestra, 2001
Gloria (concerto grosso no. 2), large orchestra, 2003
Pitches of Light, large orchestra, 2003 (section of The Ten Looks, a collaboration with 10 composers from Russia; may be performed separately)
Concertino Rustico, symphonic band, 2003
Te Deum (concerto grosso no. 3), piano, large orchestra, 2005
Saint Petersburg's Dreams (symphonic picture), large orchestra, 2007
Credo (concerto grosso no. 4), cello (+ electric cello), large orchestra, 2008–09
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Three Pieces for Contrabass and Piano, double bass, piano, 1973
String Quartet No. 1, 1974
Four Pieces, clarinet, piano, 1974
Sonata, alto saxophone, piano, 1975
Quintet, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 1976
Lyrical Poem, flute, piano, 1976
Quartet No. 1, 4 saxophones, 1976
Four Pieces, bassoon, piano, 1977
Sonata for Flute Alone, flute, 1977
Chamber Concerto, oboe, clarinet, French horn, violin, viola, harpsichord, 1977
The Portraits, flute, piano, 1978
Hommage, bassoon, string quartet, 1979
Trio, violin, cello, piano, 1979
String Quartet No. 2, 1979
Pas-de-trois, flute, violin, piano, 1979
Variations, trumpet, piano, 1979
Concerto breve, 12 saxophones, 1980
Sonata continuo, bass clarinet, 1980
Games, clarinet, trombone, cello, piano, 1980
Quartet, 4 clarinets, 1980
Message, clarinet, 1980
Duo a tre, bass clarinet, vibraphone (+ marimba), 1981
Sonata for Cello Alone, cello, 1983
Intermezzo, alto saxophone, harp, percussion, 1985
Tapestry, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1987
Retrospection, 6 percussion, 1988
Pastorale, 5 saxophones, 1988
Trio–Nocturne, flute, bass clarinet, piano, 1989
The Dedication, oboe, alto saxophone, cello, 1989
Lara-Composition, E-flat clarinet, 6 percussion, 1990
Katzenmusik, 6/12 French horns, 1990
Re – Marcus, 6 percussion, 1991
The Lilac, E-flat clarinet, viola, piano, 1991
Res facta, 4 cellos, 1993
In Gauguin's Manner, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 1994
In Imitation of Denisov, bassoon, piano, 1994
Xenia, harp, 1997
L'Imparfait (hommage en mémoire d'Edison Denisov), flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, 1997
Partita primitive, 2 violins, 1999
s.pavlenko@scherzo.ru, flute, clarinet, French horn, violin, viola, cello, piano, 2001
The Morse Code Alphabet, flute, 2004 (also version for soprano saxophone, 2006)
Equilibrium (quartet no. 2), 4 saxophones, 2006
Ave Maria, 4 cellos, 2006
Postludium, 8 cellos, 2006
A Portrait of the Composer in an Interior, flute (+ piccolo), clarinet (+ bass clarinet), French horn, bass trombone, violin, double bass, piano, percussion, 2007
Vektorraum, flute (+ piccolo), clarinet (+ bass clarinet), trumpet, bass trombone, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 2008
CHORAL:
Lamm Gottes (texts from liturgical sources in German), female chorus, 2003
VOCAL:
The Vologda Wedding (song-cycle, texts from folk tales from Russia), medium voice, piano, 1973
Cantata in Memory of Marina Tsvetaeva (text by Marina Tsvetaeva), soprano, small orchestra, 1976
Cantata in Memory of Osip Mandelstam (text by Osip Mandelstam), soprano, small orchestra, 1978
Site of the Water (text by Federico García Lorca), bass, organ, 1986
Two Sonnets by Philip Sidney (text by Sir Philip Sidney), soprano, cello, organ, 1988
Jesu Redemptor Omnium (hymn), soprano, small orchestra, 1995
Romances sans paroles (song-cycle, text by Paul Verlaine), soprano, clarinet, piano, 1996
The Lagoon (text by Joseph Brodsky), soprano, viola, piano, 1996
du bist der der du bist (text by Franz Mon), mezzo-soprano, bass clarinet (+ E-flat clarinet), percussion, 2001
Lamento (vocalise, in memoriam Edison Denisov), soprano, small orchestra (16 players), 2004
PIANO:
Sonata No. 1, 1975
Sonata No. 2, 'Fantasia quasi una sonata', 1981
La Musique à bis, 2001
Some frontier states, 2 quarter-tone pianos, 2001
ORGAN:
Orgelwerk, 1984
HARPSICHORD:
Quasi toccata, 1989
DISCOGRAPHY
Trio. Tigran Alikhanov Trio (Melodiya: S 1018255, 1982) (LP)
Hommage. Valery Popov, bassoon; Mark Gorenstein/string quartet (Melodiya: S 1018407, 1983) (LP)
The Farewell. Igor Zhukov/Moscow Chamber Orchestra (Olympia, 1990)
Tapestry. Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble (Olympia: OCD 295, 1992)