Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov

Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Ovchinnikov (Russian: Вячесла́в Алекса́ндрович Овчи́нников) (born 29 May 1936 in Voronezh) is a Soviet and Russian composer. He has composed for various ensembles, including works for chamber, solo instruments and the symphony orchestra. He began composing at age 9 and entered the Moscow Conservatory at 15. Later he studied with Tikhon Khrennikov and Lev Ginzburg. He has composed symphonies and symphonic poems. Outside his native country he is best known as a composer of music for such films as War and Peace, the 1968 film directed by Sergei Bondarchuk, Ivan's Childhood and Andrei Rublev for Andrei Tarkovsky. He has composed for some 40 films in total. Tarkovsky is said to have been so impressed by Ovchinnikov that he stated “I cannot imagine a better composer for myself than Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov.”

Ovchinnikov also had a successful career as a touring conductor from the 1970s. He has recorded of Melodiya, the Russian record company. He was also a professor at the University of Kansas from 1990 to 1991.

In 1995 Ovchinnikov composed a commissioned work “Bouquet for the Queen,” ordered for the 60th birthday of Queen Sirikit of Thailand, . For his composition, he was awarded an Order of the White Elephant by the King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej.

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