Kamil Tchalaev : String Quartet no. 4 String Quartet - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.1616889

Born in 1962 in Moscow, Kamil received his first musical training at the age of four (violin, solfege and theory) with his grandfather the composer Yakov Kaploun (1907-1985) who was also the Principal Viola of the Bolchoi Theatre. He then studied at the Central School of Music of the Tchaikovski Conservatory, at the Merzliakov Academic School and then at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Moscow, 1969-1984). At the age of 12, Tchalaev decided to study the Double Bass and by 1980 was the Principal Double Bass of the Conservatory Orchestra under the direction of Léonid Nikolaiev.

From 1976, he began playing the Electric Bass, participating in the World Première of Alfred Schnittke’s Requiem, and founded the experimental group “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi”, and then the group “Dissonance”. In 1981 Tchalaev became an instrumentalist (Electric Bass, Cello, Violin) and singer at the Lenkom Theatre, directed by Marc Zakharov. With the group Rock-Atelier, he toured internationally (Cuba, Yugoslavia, France). He left the Lenkom Theater in 1984 to study liturgical singing and choral direction (at the Bulgarian Patriarcat of Moscow). In 1987, he produced recordings of his work as an independant composer.

He began his work with Anatoli Vassiliev’s School of Dramatic Arts in 1987, premièring his First Symphony and conducting his score for the production of “The Possessed" of Dostoïevski. He appeared at the Avignon Festival in 1988 with the actor Gregory Hlady and then represented the Soviet Avant-garde at the Imatra Festival in Finland, where his First String Quartet, Opus 2 was premiered. After the inauguration of of the TheatrePost Alternatif in 1988, Tchalaev presided the Free Academy.

In 1989 Tchalaev left the Soviet Union for Finland and then arrived in France. He was admitted to the ACER-Russie, and received a scholarship for his study in Paris. After three years at the Saint Serge Theological Institute (under Nicolas Ossorguine), Tchalaev reunited with Anatoli Vassiliev at the Comédie Française, creating music for the productions of ”Le Bal Masqué” by Lermontov (1992), “Amphitryon” by Molière in 2002, as well as for "Thérèse philosophe" by Boyer d'Argens at the Théâtre de l'Odéon in 2007.

Since 1995, Kamil Tchalaev has been the Basso Profondo for the chamber choir « Accentus », directed by Laurence Equilbey. He also works regularly with Axe 21, Ensemble Vocale Séquence (Genève), Ensemble Musicatreize (Marseille), and the Ensemble Intercontemporain and under the direction of such conductors as Pierre Boulez, David Robertson, Jonathan Nott etc. He has also been the Musical Advisor for projects involving recrordings of Sacred Russian Music (accentus/Eric Ericson choir, Rachmaninoff, CD Naïve 2010).

Tchalaev has also taught artistic creation, first in Turkey at the Assos and Izmit Festivals (1996-2001) and then at the Cité du Val Fourré at Mantes-la-Jolie, France, where in 2000 he produced the Urban Opera “Les Tours Sonnantes” and founded the “Ecole Sauvage” which is based on his collection of musical instruments and sounding objects. In 2010, this collection contains 260 pieces.

In 1994-95 Tchalaev studied Electronic Music at IRCAM. These studies lead him to study Filmed Ethnology at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes at the Sorbonne, where he met Jean Rouch who encouraged him in the use of filmed images and video in his works. Tchalaev continues this study of Art with the handicaped children at the Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitiation Center in Odessa, Ukrainia where Tchalaev undertakes two projects every year.

His catalog of works, principally published by Musik Fabrik, contains 44 opus numbers, including 5 string quartets, an opera, a requiem, instrumental, vocal and mixed chamber pieces, etudes and choral works.