Anton Batagov

Anton Batagov (born October 10, 1965) is a Russian pianist and post-minimalist composer.

Heralded as "one of the most significant and unusual figures of Russian contemporary music" (Newsweek, Russian edition, 1997) and "the greatest pianist of our time" (Crescendo magazine, Germany, 2017) Anton Batagov is one of the most influential Russian composers and performers of our time.[1]

Biography

A graduate of the Gnessin School and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and prize-winner at the International Tchaikovsky Competition (1986) and other competitions, Batagov introduced the music by John Cage, Morton Feldman, Steve Reich and Philip Glass to Russian audiences. His debut CD was a 160-minute recording of Olivier Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'Enfant Jesus (Melodiya, 1990, 3-CD set). Three years later a well-known American musicologist Richard Kostelanetz characterized Batagov's 1993 recording of Bach's "The Art of the Fugue" as "the most stunning interpretation of Bach since Glenn Gould".

His interpretations include those of Bach, Schubert, Beethoven, Messiaen, Ravel, composers of the Russian avant-garde and those of the post avant-garde.

Batagov was also artistic director of the festival of contemporary music "Alternativa" (1989–1996).

In 1997 Batagov stopped performing live, and became focused instead on composition and studio recordings.

As a composer, Batagov began in the traditions of minimalism. The post-minimalist language of Batagov’s compositions is rooted in the harmonic and rhythmic patterns of Russian church bells and folk songs mixed with the spirit of Buddhist philosophy, early Soviet avant-garde, and progressive rock music.

He is the author of several movie soundtracks and over 3000 tunes for the major Russian TV channels.

Since the late 1990s some of his works have been influenced by Buddhist philosophy and practice. He has composed a number of works based on ancient Buddhist texts chanted by Tibetan lamas, as well as several large-scale instrumental compositions inspired by Buddhist teachings.

In 2009 Anton Batagov received the national Steppenwolf Award in the Best Music category.

In 2009, after twelve years, he returned to live performances. Since then, he has been performing a series of solo piano recital programs.

Batagov paints whole worlds on the piano. (Time Out New York)
Batagov shakes up our notion of what a solo piano recital can sound like. (The Gathering Note, Seattle)
Batagov somehow managed to bring the atmosphere of confidence back to the classical concert hall. It had been lost long time ago. It's a tremendous victory no one has expected. It's a unique chance for classical music. The next one will not happen again soon. (Novaya Gazeta, Russia)

In 2013 WNYC radio named his album Tayatha (with Yungchen Lhamo) among the top 10 contemporary classical releases of the year.

In 2015 his album I Fear No More, a symphonic/rock vocal cycle performed by the Russian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, was nominated for International Classical Music Awards.

The premieres of Batagov's three recent{[when}} evening-length works include:

  • A piano cycle Selected Letters of Sergei Rachmaninoff (2013): "The most significant musical event on the year; a landmark work that changed the coordinate system of the classical music scene" (Vedomosti, Russia).
  • A rock cantata The One Thus Gone (2016): "The most outstanding premiere of the year" (Colta).
  • A piano cycle Where We Are Not. Letters of Mother Seraphima (2017): "Tremendous success" (Trud).

Discography
MUSIC BY ANTON BATAGOV
  • I was looking at the green trees for a long time (1994)
  • Music for December (1998)
  • Best Before 02.2000 (2000)
  • Prayers and Dances (2-CD set) (2001)
  • Music for the 35 Buddhas (2001)
  • The Wheel of the Law (3-CD set) (2002)
  • Music for Piano (2003)
  • Save Changes Before Closing? (2003)
  • Symphony.ru (2003)
  • From the Beginning up to the End (2004)
  • Tetractys (2004)
  • Music for Films (2-CD set) (2005)
  • Passionate Desire to Be an Angel (2006)
  • Breathing In Breathing Out (original motion picture soundtrack) (2007)
  • The Monk Thogmey's Thirty-Seven Precepts (2007)
  • The Musicmaker's Contract (NTV/NTV+ channels greatest hits) (2007)
  • ab & xmz. The Piano And Other Sounds (2008)
  • Lama Sonam Dorje & Anton Batagov. Daily Practice (2008)
  • Bodhicharyavatara (2009)
  • ab & xmz II (2009)
  • Tayatha (Yungchen Lhamo & Anton Batagov ) (2013)
  • Selected Letters of Sergei Rachmaninoff (2013)
  • Post Production (2014)
  • I Fear No More. Selected songs and meditations of John Donne (2015)
  • The One Thus Gone (2017)
  • Where We Are Not. Letters of Mother Seraphima (2017)
  • 16+ (Female poetry through the ages) (Nadine Koutcher / Anton Batagov) (2019)
  • Disquiet (Music for Ivan Vyrypaev's drama) (2019)
  • Made in 1993: The Art of Sampling (2020)
  • Lamrim. A Prayer to the Gurus (EP, 2020)
MUSIC BY VARIOUS COMPOSERS PERFORMED BY ANTON BATAGOV
  • Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus (3-CD set) (1990)
  • Rails (Russian avant-garde piano music) (1991)
  • Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge (2-CD set)(1993)
  • Ravel: Piano works (1994)
  • Alexandre Rabinovitch: Oeuvres pour piano (1994)
  • The New Ravel (Ravel: Piano works) (1996)
  • Yesterday (Russian post-minimalist piano music) (1998)
  • Vladimir Martynov: Opus posth (1998)
  • Sergei Zagny: Sonata (2000)
  • Remix (Beethoven, Schubert, Bach) (2002)
  • Morton Feldman: Triadic Memories (2003)
  • The Battell (music of William Byrd and Johann Pachelbel) (2014)
  • Alle Menschen Müssen Sterben (music of Johann Pachelbel) (2015)
  • Prophecies (Music by Philip Glass from Einstein on the Beach and Koyaanisqatsi arranged for piano solo and performed by Anton Batagov) (2016)
  • Tchaikovsky Competition 1986 (2016)
  • BACH (Johann Sebastian Bach: Partitas No.4 & 6, Jesus bleibet meine Freude) (2017)
  • Philip Glass: The Complete Etudes (2017)
  • An Evening Hymn (Early English Music) (2018)
  • Big My Secret (Piano recital: Rameau, Bach, Mozart, Nyman, Bull) (2018)
  • Philip Glass: The Hours / Distant Figure (2018)

References
  1. "RUSSIAN COMPOSER/ PIANIST ANTON BATAGOV PERFORMS DROWNED CATHEDRAL: THREE NIGHTS OF PIANO MUSIC". Double Sharp.com. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
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