Not everyone dreams of making music from an early age. It often happens that interest in her wakes up in adolescence, or even later. Soviet composer Nikolaev Aleksey was born into a family of musicians, but until the age of thirteen he treated the piano quite coolly. Nevertheless, he became one of the prominent composers of his time. He managed to become an opera master and musician with an unusual vision.
Education
The childhood of the composer was in the war years. At that time, the country's population was not up to music, but at the insistence of his father, Nikolaev Alexei went along the family path. First, he entered the school at the Moscow Conservatory, and later he got to one of the faculties of the Moscow Conservatory. At the same time he studied at the art history department of the State University.
Art attracted a young man more; he wrote and defended his thesis on the work of Zegers. But later the music overshadowed everything, he began to write his first works. Interestingly, the composer's work is as versatile as his interests. He tried himself in different genres and themes. Over the years, he created several operas, ballets, symphonies, oratorios, and many other works.
Master of opera
The first opera of the master was the work “Woe is not trouble”, put on the verses of Marshak. Then he barely finished the course of the conservatory under the direction of Shebalin, but the opera was accepted and put on the repertoire of the Opera Studio at the conservatory. Even then, everyone understood that Nikolaev was a unique composer, with natural talent. The audience favorably accepted his first work.
No less successful was the work “At the Cost of Life” based on the play by Salynsky. Contemporaries noted that the vocal parts of Nikolaev operas were simple even for first-year students. He made corrections without regret and rewrote even very large chunks. However, Alexey Alexandrovich estimates the opera according to Salynsky extremely critically. He was dissatisfied with his offspring and repeatedly noted that he could write better. Much better, in his opinion, were the operas of the mid-eighties - “Count Nulin” and “Feast during the Plague”.
Last days
One of the most attractive works of the master is the opera The Last Days, written based on the work of Mikhail Bulgakov. Nikolaev Alexey was able to develop and generalize the idea of the author of the work. The whole opera can be divided into several parts and many symphonic episodes with different moods: lyrical, grotesque and epic.
Two time coordinates turned at the hand of the master into two musical series: natural and dynamic. Now thirteen symphonic etudes from this opera are performed as separate works - variations. The ending of the work is also interesting. For him, Nikolaev Alexey Alexandrovich used the call of the cuckoo.
Career success
Since 1958, the composer became a teacher. Both students and journalists loved him very much. It was a pleasure to talk with Aleksei Aleksandrovich, according to their recollections - he had a subtle sense of humor, intelligence, deep knowledge, and at the same time was completely deprived of the arrogance that many professors sin.
Another career success can be called many films and performances to which he wrote music. They were very popular in Soviet times, but now most of these paintings are forgotten. For his achievements in the professional field Nikolaev Alexei received many prestigious awards. Among them are the prizes named after Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Glinka. But the most important thing is that his works are still performed at the philharmonic societies of different cities and studied at conservatories. The most popular are instrumental concerts, which he wrote in different years for flute, cello, violin, oboe and piano trio.