Alexander Lazarevich Lokshin (Russian: Александр Лазаревич Локшин) (1920 – 1987) was a Russian composer of classical music. He was born on September 19, 1920, in the town of Biysk, in the Altai Region, Western Siberia, and died in Moscow on June 11, 1987.
Admirer of Mahler and Alban Berg, he created his own musical language; he wrote eleven symphonies plus symphonic works "Les Fleurs du Mal" (1939) on Baudelaire's poems, "Three Scenes from Goethe's Faust" (1973, 1980), cantata "Mater Dolorosa" (1977) on verses from Akhmatova's "Requiem", etc. Only symphony No.4 is purely instrumental; all other symphonies include vocal parts. Symphony №3 by Lokshin was written on Kipling's verses, a ballet "Fedra" was staged on music of symphony №4. Dmitry Shostakovich and Maria Yudina considered Lokshin's Requiem (symphony №1) as a genial music. Piano output of Lokshin is scarce: He wrote a cycle of piano variations for Maria Grinberg (1953) and another one for Elena Kuschnerova (1982).
Composer's father Lazar Lokshin was an accountant, and his mother Maria Korotkina was a midwife. Lokshin's sister Maria was born in 1914. The family of the composer suffered from communistic repressions, their possessions were confiscated, and Maria was expelled from the Medical School for a joke.
After the family moved to Novosibirsk, young Lokshin was trained at school by excellent teachers banned to Siberia from Moscow and Sankt-Petersburg. Renowned pianist Alexei Stein, former professor of the Saint-Petersburg Conservatory, laid foundations of Lokshin's excellent pianism.
In 1936 Lokshin arrived to Moscow with Alexei Stein's recommendation letter, was examined by Heinrich Neuhaus (Russian: Генрих Нейгауз), Director of the Moscow Conservatory, and accepted as the student of the Moscow Central Music School and after 6 months as a student of the Moscow Conservatory. He studied composition with a great Russian composer Nikolai Myaskovsky (Russian: Николай Мясковский).
In 1941 Lokshin presented his symphonic work "Les Fleurs du Mal" (BIS, 2010[1]) as his diploma work at graduation from the Moscow Conservatory. However, as the lyrics by Charles Baudelaire was considered as contradicting the communistic ideology by the censors, Lokshin was denied the Moscow Conservatory Diploma and was not allowed to take the state examinations. Nevertheless, he already was a member of the Composer's Union.
During the World War II Lokshin was in Moscow and later back in Novosibirsk. In July 1941 Lokshin enters the people's volunteer corps but after a strong bout of stomach ulcher he proves to be unfit for military service. During summer and the beginning of autumn 1941 he puts out incendiary bombs on the roof of Moscow conservatory during air raids; then he evacuates to Novosibirsk. The arrival of the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra in Novosibirsk, with Evgeny Mravinsky conducting the performance of Lokshin's vocal-symphonic poem "Wait for Me" (verses by Konstantin Simonov), and Ivan Sollertinsky highly praising it, helped Lokshin's comeback to Moscow after the end of the war. He was able to take the state examinations, obtained the Conservatory diploma with "Wait for me" as the diploma work and with Nikolai Myaskovsky's support was hired as Assistant Lecturer in Instrumentation at the Moscow Conservatory. In this capacity he worked during 1945-1948, the only working position held by the composer during his entire life.
At the height of the anti-cosmopolitism campaign and music purges of 1948, powered by Andrei Zhdanov, Lokshin was expelled from the Moscow Conservatory for the popularization of ideologically alien music of Mahler, Berg, Stravinsky, and Shostakovich among students.[2] Efforts of Nikolai Myaskovsky, Maria Yudina, and Elena Gnessina to get him another job were in vain. The rest of his life Lokshin supported the life of his family by composing music for films and performances.
In addition, three former prisoners of GULAG accused him of being an informer for the Soviet secret police NKVD-KGB.[3] In the absence of formal accusations and legal proofs, composer's reputation was ruined by rumours circulating from mouth to mouth across the Soviet cultural elite. Performances of his music had become rare and were met with resistance from both Communist Party officials and liberally thinking intellectuals. Still, most of Lokshin's works have been performed and recorded at least one time. Among his compositions which were never performed there are Symphony No.6 on the verses by Alexander Blok and "Tarakanishche", a brief comic oratorium (with anti-Soviet implication) on verses by Korney Chukovsky. Rudolf Barshai in collaboration with Viktor Popov have prepared Symphony №6 for execution, however the performance of this composition was prohibited by Communist party for the reason of its being too mournful for soviet public. Among Lokshin's own compositions which he has never heard performed there is cantata "Mater Dolorosa" (1977) on verses from Akhmatova's "Requiem". (As is known, at that time the "Requiem" by Akhmatova was prohibited in the Soviet Union.) In 1981 Lokshin had passed the score of "Mater Dolorosa" to the West (for Rudolf Barshai). However, it turned out impossible for R. Barshai to perform this composition in the West; otherwise the consequences for Lokshin could be inpredictable.
As was shown by his son, Lokshin was calumniated: the real source of defamation (that is of Lokshin’s "being an informer") were not the former GULAG prisoners, but the Stalin’s secret police itself, which had employed a practice of deceiving its victims by redirecting their suspicions. (The aim of these efforts was to defend an acting agent of the secret police.) The arguments and documents obtained by Lokshin's son http://www.lokshin.org/en.htm turned out to be sufficient to persuade Elena Bonner[4] to stand up for Lokshin. The fact that Rudolf Barshai has performed Lokshin’s Requiem on the closing of the IV International conference “The Resistance in GULAG” (Moscow, on May, 29th 2002) was an essential step preceding the posthumous rehabilitation of Lokshin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIfE6KJKgZo.
VICTOR POPOV [1] ABOUT LOKSHIN
(An interview which hasn't entered into Iossif Pasternak's film “Genius of Evil”)
It turns out so that really Lokshin is a prominent phenomenon in our music, in Russian music, a prominent phenomenon. And I have been so lucky that in 1970s [I got acquainted with Lokshin], just thanks to Rudolf Borisovich [Barshai] . During that time we have been actively working, because he had a chamber orchestra, whereas I conducted a boys’ chorus . We often sang music by Bach … And once Rudolf Borisovich has told me that there is such an idea: to perform the Sixth symphony by composer Lokshin. Naturally, I didn't know almost anything about Lokshin. I knew that there is such a composer and that he had turned out to be in quite a difficult situation, because, once, having written a cantata "Tarakanishche", he has got to deep disgrace since there were such kind people who have prompted that tarakanishche is our leader and teacher». And consequently he had quite a difficult destiny and very few people knew his music. And here Rudolf Borisovich has suggested me to perform the Sixth symphony, and the Sixth symphony is written on verses of our great poet of the beginning of the 20th century, [Alexander] Block. And consequently, with great pleasure I have decided to get acquainted with this music. And I have come to his [Lokshin's] home … He lived near to Vernadsky avenue, in a small apartment. It is necessary to tell that his living conditions were, of course, rather mediocre. A terrible piano, but he has sat down, began to play and at once has grasped me. You know, after this listening, with huge pleasure I have worked over this composition with student's chorus of the Gnessin Institute. And we should perform it in an open concert. But I have left with children's chorus of radio and television on tour to Czechoslovakia. When I have returned, the rector told me that this concert is cancelled under the recommendation of a District Committee of [ the Communist] Party which, seemingly, he has informed by himself about the forthcoming concert. The first secretary of the District Committee of Party <…> has told that this composition can't be executed at all and it can't be executed in the [forthcoming] concert. Well, naturally, I had a scandal with the rector and after that I have submitted a resignation from Gnessin Institute where I had been working for 15 years. So, you see, how fate has brought me together with Lokshin … And now [in 2002], when Rudolf Borisovich already dreamed for a long time of that we have sung this composition "Requiem" [by Lokshin], we even wanted to perform this composition with several foreign choruses and to make such a rather big tour: Germany, China and Japan. But for some reasons this plan, unfortunately, hasn't been executed. But here, you see, casually, but all the same we have come to this composition [i.e. to "Requiem" by Lokshin]. And, I hope, that it is its first performance in Russia, but not the last one.
Moscow, 2002
[1] Victor Sergeevich Popov (1934–2008) — the founder, the artistic director and the main conductor of the Big Children's Chorus of the Russian state radio company «the Voice of Russia», the artistic director of Academy of choral art, the National artist of the USSR.
A LETTER BY BORIS TISHCHENKO
B.I.Tishchenko to A.A.Lokshin, son of the composer
Dear Sasha! Recently I have received your book «Genius of Evil» [the first edition of the book is meant]. <…> I have always loved Alexander Lazarevich, his music and never trusted any hearings about him. I want to recall once again how Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich and I have come to an execution of the "Requiem" by A[lexander] L[azarevich] in the Tchaikovsky-hall (Latin words have been replaced with the words hastily written by <…> and devoted to victims of war) and D.D. looked around the thin hall and has told: «Really to eight-million Moscow there were no eight hundred persons to hear the great music by Lokshin?» Then I have happened upon Natasha Gutman in the bus and have told her about this episode, and she has told: «Public is right when ignoring this music. » - «Why!?» - «Because …» Then she became somewhat confused and I do not remember in what words has retold me one of the hearings. I have sharply objected and at once have felt, whence the wind blows [откуда ветер дует], and immediately an alienation arose between me and Natasha. And Dmitry Dmitrievich was a man of principle and a very sensitive person in questions of this sort. Somehow I have told him that sometimes I come to a very grounded in the history and the theory of music person to fill up the store of my knowledge. D.D. grew somewhat restive and, after having thought, has told: «On your place I wouldn't associate with the person who serves in the secret police.» I won't name this person, as he has gone abroad long ago and has died there. But in such affairs D.D., as I think, was never mistaken. <…> Yesterday (14.V) I have given, in Conservatory, one more lesson on Alexander Lazarevich Lokshin and have shown to students «Margaret's Songs». The impression was tremendous. In the morning when I had been preparing for this lesson, I heard once more the old gramophone record, presented by you, and nearly haven't burst into tears. At the lesson I showed a CD [with music by Lokshin], with which I had been presented by Rudolf Borisovich Barshai. At the same lesson I have shown the 7th symphony by Alexander Lazarevich, recorded on the mentioned CD, with the score presented by the author with a donative inscription. Music by Lokshin will sound at us henceforth. <…> Your Boris Tishchenko On May, 15th 2001 P.S. Warm greetings to Tatyana Borisovna!
A LETTER BY MARIA YUDINA (on February,28th, 1961). Maria Yudina's letter is addressed to her old friend, a historian of the book V.S.Ljublinsky. It has been written by Yudina just after a meeting with Lokshin and contains such lines about him [1]:«Now I will tell you something majestic, tragical, joyful and to a certain extent secret. Listen: I have written to Lokshin a very little “professional” quasi-letter on a question in connection with Mahler, because Lokshin knows Mahler better than anybody. He has written an answer to me where he intensely asks me to see him. I have agreed. Yesterday he has played to me his “ Requiem ” which he had been writing many years, or, to be more precise, “tried to begin writing” and threw it away and, at last, "all at once" has written it 2 1/2 years ago. On the full text of Requiem, fuller than Mozart has used . What have I told him when has finished playing? – «I have always known that you are a genius». Yes, so it is, and it is stronger than many because of whom I «break spears» and equals now only to Shostakovich (not to the last one) and Stravinsky. This composition cannot be performed neither at us nor abroad, which is clear … It is as Bach, Mozart, Mahler, and the two abovementioned. He is absolutely quiet knowing that so it is and that it won't be executed. Shostakovich now really idolizes him. Only a few people know about it . <…> I am glad that this man has carried out his problem, knowingly lives on Earth, that I wasn't mistaken, having faith in him, and wasn't mistaken, when helping him within usual life, and was a friend for him in unlucky days and hours . That’s what I wish to say. Don't become angry.» The mentioned meeting has occurred after five years after rupture of relations between Lokshin and Maria Yudina (1956) . The rupture has happened because of hearings about Lokshin dismissed with the aid of KGB . It is clear from the Yudina’s letter that she finally believed in Lokshin’s innocence. What has forced her to write to Lokshin her " professional quasi-letter" and hence create an occasion for a meeting? Now, after having read the letter by Boris Tishchenko, it is clear that it was not Mahler, but Shostakovich who really caused her to write the “quasi-letter”. In fact, being the first secretary of the Union of soviet composers he knew all informers acting in the mentioned Union and, consequently, knew that Lokshin did not belong to this sort of public. [1] This letter has been first published by A.M.Kuznetsov (“Zvezda”, №9, 1999, p. 175-176).[2] Yudina M.V. Letters (1959–1961). Moscow, ROSSPEN, 2009, p. 490. [3] Ibid.