Vyacheslav Ganelin
- Composer
- Music Department
Vyacheslav (Slava) Ganelin was born on December 17, 1944, in Kraskovo,
near Moscow, Russia. In 1948 his family moved to Lithuania. There he
studied piano at the school of music, then at the Lithuanian
Conservatory in Vilnius. Ganelin grew up in the times when jazz was
officially denounced in the Soviet Union as the anti-soviet art form.
He found freedom in improvisational jazz.
Ganelin debuted as a concert jazz pianist in 1961, when he was just a
17-year-old student. The cultural "Thaw" under Nikita Khrushchev provided the
window of opportunity for jazz artists and Ganelin became the one, who
went on exploring the free-jazz. He found his audience at the modern
jazz concerts at the Lithuanian National Conservatory, where he studied
piano and composition, and graduated in 1968. In 1960's Vilnius,
Lithuania was more westernized culturally than most of the Russian
cities. Baltic States in general practiced more tolerance and
encouraged the freedom of artistic expression, thus providing the
environment conducive to Ganelin's creativity and experiments, both on
stage and in his music scores.
Bold innovations in music were made by Ganelin in the times when every
note and every word was under the rigid control of the Soviet
censorship. By the mid 60's Ganelin fronted his own band and played
gigs with various jazz musicians of the former Soviet Union. Tallinn
Jazz Festivals in Estonia were the most popular among the jazz
musicians for their special atmosphere of freedom and comfort, with
visiting foreign stars like Keith Jarrett and Oscar Peterson. There Ganelin made his
famous appearances in 1966 and 1967, showing his own compositions in a
bold and developed free-jazz style. Spontaneous improvisations by
Vyacheslav Ganelin became a sensation, and made a strong impression on
both the local public and the critics from Moscow and Leningrad.
Vyacheslav Ganelin developed such an advanced and unusual individual
style, that it became hard for him to find matching musical partners on
his level. His compositional freedom and technical fluency came with
the intellect of a chess-player and the imagination of a free artist.
Ganelin first formed a duo with the symphonic percussionist turned jazz
drummer Vladimir Tarasov, who left his home in the Russian city of
Arkhangelsk and moved to Vilnius, Lithuania, in the late 1960's. They
have been working in a duo setting for quite a while, until at a
concert in the Russian city of Sverdlovsk the two met a local reed-man,
the rebellious and wildly ecstatic saxophonist Vladimir Chekasin, who joined them
and moved to Vilnius, Lithuania. The lucky developments happened in
1970-71, and with that trio Ganelin became famous beyond the jazz
circles in the Soviet Union, and abroad. They had such followers as
Sergei Kuryokhin, Anatoliy Vapirov and Vladimir Rezitsky, with whom Ganelin also
collaborated. The Ganelin-Tarasov-Chekasin trio performed at many
festivals and recorded their music until 1987.
Ganelin emigrated to Israel in 1987 and continued his career as a
composer. His music scores for the films made in Israel and in other
countries were internationally acclaimed. He collaborated with such
film directors as Vadim Abdrashitov, Arunas Zebrunas, Konstantin Khudyakov, and
Raymondas Vabalas. Ganelin also continues solo stage performances in
Israel, in Europe and in the countries of the former Soviet Union,
especially in Lithuania. His collaboration with the Lithuanian
saxophonist Petras Vysniauskas was particularly notable in a trio with the
percussionist Arkadi Goetsman, ex-Lithuanian now living in Israel.
Ganelin is currently working in a trio with Petras Vysniauskas and the German
drummer Klaus Kugel. Vyacheslav Ganelin is living and working in
Israel.
near Moscow, Russia. In 1948 his family moved to Lithuania. There he
studied piano at the school of music, then at the Lithuanian
Conservatory in Vilnius. Ganelin grew up in the times when jazz was
officially denounced in the Soviet Union as the anti-soviet art form.
He found freedom in improvisational jazz.
Ganelin debuted as a concert jazz pianist in 1961, when he was just a
17-year-old student. The cultural "Thaw" under Nikita Khrushchev provided the
window of opportunity for jazz artists and Ganelin became the one, who
went on exploring the free-jazz. He found his audience at the modern
jazz concerts at the Lithuanian National Conservatory, where he studied
piano and composition, and graduated in 1968. In 1960's Vilnius,
Lithuania was more westernized culturally than most of the Russian
cities. Baltic States in general practiced more tolerance and
encouraged the freedom of artistic expression, thus providing the
environment conducive to Ganelin's creativity and experiments, both on
stage and in his music scores.
Bold innovations in music were made by Ganelin in the times when every
note and every word was under the rigid control of the Soviet
censorship. By the mid 60's Ganelin fronted his own band and played
gigs with various jazz musicians of the former Soviet Union. Tallinn
Jazz Festivals in Estonia were the most popular among the jazz
musicians for their special atmosphere of freedom and comfort, with
visiting foreign stars like Keith Jarrett and Oscar Peterson. There Ganelin made his
famous appearances in 1966 and 1967, showing his own compositions in a
bold and developed free-jazz style. Spontaneous improvisations by
Vyacheslav Ganelin became a sensation, and made a strong impression on
both the local public and the critics from Moscow and Leningrad.
Vyacheslav Ganelin developed such an advanced and unusual individual
style, that it became hard for him to find matching musical partners on
his level. His compositional freedom and technical fluency came with
the intellect of a chess-player and the imagination of a free artist.
Ganelin first formed a duo with the symphonic percussionist turned jazz
drummer Vladimir Tarasov, who left his home in the Russian city of
Arkhangelsk and moved to Vilnius, Lithuania, in the late 1960's. They
have been working in a duo setting for quite a while, until at a
concert in the Russian city of Sverdlovsk the two met a local reed-man,
the rebellious and wildly ecstatic saxophonist Vladimir Chekasin, who joined them
and moved to Vilnius, Lithuania. The lucky developments happened in
1970-71, and with that trio Ganelin became famous beyond the jazz
circles in the Soviet Union, and abroad. They had such followers as
Sergei Kuryokhin, Anatoliy Vapirov and Vladimir Rezitsky, with whom Ganelin also
collaborated. The Ganelin-Tarasov-Chekasin trio performed at many
festivals and recorded their music until 1987.
Ganelin emigrated to Israel in 1987 and continued his career as a
composer. His music scores for the films made in Israel and in other
countries were internationally acclaimed. He collaborated with such
film directors as Vadim Abdrashitov, Arunas Zebrunas, Konstantin Khudyakov, and
Raymondas Vabalas. Ganelin also continues solo stage performances in
Israel, in Europe and in the countries of the former Soviet Union,
especially in Lithuania. His collaboration with the Lithuanian
saxophonist Petras Vysniauskas was particularly notable in a trio with the
percussionist Arkadi Goetsman, ex-Lithuanian now living in Israel.
Ganelin is currently working in a trio with Petras Vysniauskas and the German
drummer Klaus Kugel. Vyacheslav Ganelin is living and working in
Israel.