Liadov, Anatoli (Konstantinovich)

Liadov, Anatoli (Konstantinovich), prominent Russian conductor, teacher, and composer, son of Konstantin (Nikolaievich) Liadov; b. St. Petersburg, May 11,1855; d. Polynovka, Novgorod district, Aug. 28, 1914. He began his musical training with his father, then entered the St. Petersburg Cons. (1870), where he took courses in piano and violin. He then studied counterpoint and fugue with J. Johannsen and composition with Rimsky- Korsakov. However, he was expelled for failing to attend classes (1876), but after his readmission, obtained his diploma with a highly successful graduation piece, the final scene from Schiller’s Die Braut von Messina(1878). He became an instructor of theory (1878), advanced counterpoint (1901), and composition (1906) at the Cons., and also taught theory at the Court Chapel (from 1885). He was active as a conductor. With Balakirev and Liapunov, he collected folk songs for the Imperial Geographic Soc. (publ. in 1897). He was a teacher of Prokofiev and Miaskovsky. As a composer, Liadov was fascinated by variation techniques and canonic writing; many of his works possess the imaginative quality of Russian fairy tales. Among his most popular works were the orch. pieces Baba Yaga, The Enchanted Lake,and Kikimora.

Works

orch.:Scherzo(1879–86); Village Scene by the Inn, mazurka (1887); Polonaise(1899); Polonaise in D major (1902); Baba Yaga(1891–1904; St. Petersburg, March 18, 1904); 8 Russian Folk Songs(1906); The Enchanted Lake(St. Petersburg, March 18,1909); Kikimora(St. Petersburg, Dec. 8,1912); Danse de l’Amazone(1910); From the Apocalypse(1910–12; St. Petersburg, Dec. 8, 1912); Nenie(1914). other: Numerous piano pieces, including études, preludes, intermezzos, mazurkas, bagatelles, etc.; choral works; songs; numerous arrangements of folk songs.

Bibliography

V. Vasina-Grossman, A.K. L.(Moscow and Leningrad, 1945); N. Zaporozhets, A.K. L.: Zhizn i tvorchestvo(Life and Works; Moscow, 1954); M. Mikhailov, A.K. L: Ocherk zhizni i tvorchestva(Life and Works; Leningrad, 1961).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire