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Yuriy Andreyevich Bol'shiyanov

A Russian Trumpeter

Yuriy Andreyevich Bol'shiyanov

Yuriy Andreyevich Bol'shiyanov, professor at Leningrad Conservatoire together with his students (from S.U. and Norway). Second from the right the permanent piano accompanist of the class.

Yuriy Bol'shiyanov is one of the Soviet Union's greatest trumpeters. His career ranges from being solo trumpet at the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, which he joined forty years ago, to being Rector of the Leningrad Conservatoire. His is still active in both fields.

Bol'shiyanov was born into a non-musical Moscow family in 1922. He became interested in the trumpet at an early age and, when the family moved to Leningrad in 1934, he took lessons with Aleksandr Nikolaevich Schmidt, who was then solo trumpet at the Leningrad Philharmonic and whom Bol'shiyanov would later succeed. His musical studies were interrupted by World War II, during which he played in a military wind band and joined the Communist Party. Upon his demob he joined the Leningrad Philharmonic during its 25th anniversary season, continuing his undergraduate, and later post-graduate, studies with Schmidt at the Leningrad Conservatoire. His master's thesis, "The Soviet trumpet concerto", was published in Leningrad in 1956. In it he examines what he considers to be the most characteristically Soviet works: those of Goedicke (B♭ minor), Sholokhov (no. 2 in E♭) and Arutyunyan for trumpet and orchestra and of Peskin (C minor) for trumpet and piano. He expresses the view that the "coming of age" of the Soviet trumpet concerto as a form was due not only to the genius of composers and the artistry of performers but also to ideological factors in the Soviet Union at that time.

The orchestral years saw several foreign tours, encounters with many internationally famous conductors, Bol'shiyanov's 1st prize at the 1953 Bucharest competition and the founding of his quintet. His chamber music activities included a performance of the Stravinsky "Octet" under the composer's direction. Although he left the Leningrad Philharmonic for health reasons in 1968 (he was made an Honoured Artist of the RSFSR for his work there), he still plays and tours abroad with the orchestra. The quintet, too, still performs. The present members are Messrs. Chirskov (trumpet), Buyanovskiy (horn), Venglovskiy (trombone) and Galuzin (tuba).

From his first teaching job in the secondary school attached to the Conservatoire Bol'shiyanov rose swiftly through the ranks of the Conservatoire's teaching staff, becoming head first of trumpet and chamber music, then of the orchestral and then of the wind department. In 1976 he was appointed Vice-Rector and in 1978 Rector, the first wind player to hold this post, although in 1980, again for health reasons, he had to return to less strenuous teaching activities on the Conservatoire's two campuses in Leningrad and Petrozavodsk. The fruits of this work are twofold. On the one hand, most of the members of the Leningrad Philharmonic (both orchestras!) and the Kirov Theatre trumpet sections are Bol'shiyanov pupils. On the other hand, a collection of teaching material written during his tenure of office is to be published soon and will be of great interest to teachers and students alike.

Brass Bulletin 56, IV / 1986 pages 51–53

All content is protected by copyright © Brass Bulletin 1986–2026

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