The works in this collection span the career of Nikita Koshkin, beginning with his stylized adaptation of Spanish music in the Hispanic Suite. This is not only the earliest piece in our set, ca. 1973, but it is also one of Koshkin's two earliest surviving compositions, the other being his Three Pieces for Guitar, dated 1972. Pan, the second work in this collection, was composed in 1983 and was the culmination of the pairing of two diverse influences, Greek mythology and the concert waltz. The Greek god Pan, who had the legs, horns, and beard of a goat, was the protector of shepherds and their flocks. In Koshkin's words: "The story is about the ugly god Pan and his sudden unhappy love for the nymph Syrinx. The word 'panic' comes from the name of this god because he was able to throw a kind of horror to those who disturbed him during his rest. According to the myth, Pan saw Syrinx and ran after her, trying to catch her, but she reached the river and begged the god of the river to save her. He did so by turning her into a reed, and Pan therefore could embrace only the reeds. He then took one of them and made a flute from it, which we now call the 'pan flute'. Similarly, Tristan Playing the Lute, also from 1983, evokes the spirit of Tristan from the Arthurian legend of 'Tristan and Isolde', set in a playful adaptation of traditional English lute music, at least initially— According to Koshkin: "Tristan was written as a musical joke. It was a period when I was fond of all the stories about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Tristan was not only a great fighter, but he also played many musical instruments and had a beautiful singing voice. This is why I thought he could be the subject of a piece to suggest the process of improvising in a characteristic early style that then begins to change to futuristic musical ideas. The first section of the piece is clearly ancient in style; the second is more modern; then the third introduces elements of Eastern music as well as some rock riffs. The idea is that Tristan, during his improvising, is building musical bridges to the future." Regarding Romance, written in 1992, Koshkin muses: "A friend from the guitar class at the Russian Academy of Music once told me that the music I wrote for the guitar was fine but it could not compete with the famous [anonymous] Spanish Romance in E minor. I said it would not be difficult to compose a piece like that, but he said I could never manage it. So we made a bet and he gave me one week, and of course I finished the piece at the last moment. When we re-met and I played it for him, he looked very serious and asked me to repeat it several times. So I did. He conceded defeat! Nevertheless, the Spanish Romance is still very famous and my piece is completely unknown." The last work in the present collection, written in 1998 and dedicated to Russian guitarist Vadim Kouznetov, is entitled The Ballads: Suite for Solo Guitar. According to the composer: "I have always felt that the guitar could express itself in many various styles while still remaining a classic instrument. That's why I enjoy turning from one style to another, achieving diversity within my own approach to the instrument. In recent years I have collected impressions from folk and popular music. The Ballads are a reflection of all those impressions, supported by the experiences of my youth when I was a rock guitarist. Notwithstanding the popular style in which it is written, I consider this work to be one of my very best."


Nikita Koshkin was born in 1956 in Moscow. He received his first guitar as a present from his grandfather, along with a recording of Andres Segovia. Koshkin was so impressed by this recording that he made a decision to make music his occupation even though his parents had prophesied a diplomatic career for him. He studied classical guitar with Georgi Emanov at the Moscow College of Music and later with Alexander Frauchi at the Gnessin Institute where he also studied composition with Victor Egorov.
Koshkin's music is deeply dramatic and at the same time witty and playful, forceful and imaginative. Numerous extra-musical references to legends, fairy tales and literary figures, as well as musical forms of other cultures, innovative sound effects, and patterns of popular music, give rise to a rich texture full of surprises. Koshkin offers the distinctive Russian blend of romantic fervor, passionate feeling and verve, and melancholy that, even more than his exquisite craftsmanship, accounts for the appeal of his compositions to audiences everywhere.


An active concert artist himself, Koshkin has toured in Russia, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Poland, and the United States. He recorded his first CD in 1997, The Prince's Toys - Koshkin Plays Koshkin (Soundset Recordings - SR 1011), and he returned to the United States in 1999-2000 to tour and make a second album, The Well-Tempered Koshkin (SR 1015). On January 27, 2000, a Mel Bay live concert video (MB99231VX) of Koshkin performing solos and duos with Frank Koonce was filmed at Hemmle Recital Hall on the campus of Texas Tech University. Mr. Koshkin continues to live in Moscow where he divides his time between composing, performing and teaching.