Koshkin came to prominence with his guitar suite The Prince's Toys, which showed his empathy with fellow countrymen Prokofiev and Shostakovich as well as his playful sense of humor and love of parodies and paraphrases. The seven selections on his second CD demonstrate all of the above, with the assistance of (Frank Koonce & Judica‘l Perroy) on some of the pieces. In the Gershwinesque Parade he mimicks some of the instruments of a marching band. In The Ballads suite he reflects on his youthful experiences as a rock guitarist plus his impressions of folk music. Good fun.
- John Sunier
"Refreshing, fun, gratifying, charming are some of the words that come to mind in trying to describe The Well Tempered Koshkin. This CD presents a side of Nikita Koshkin that is generally unknown to a large segment of the guitar world. While the Usher-Waltz and The Prince's Toys are familiar to many, this recording demonstrates Koshkin's wonderful sense of humor and his skill of musical paraphrase and parody. His clever use of new sounds and unusual effects in traditional tonal pieces adds an effective new dimension that many composers have searched for but few have found."
"My personal favorites are Parade, Three Stations on One Road, The Ballads: Suite for Guitar, and Cambridge Suite for Two Guitars. Koshkin shares his wit and clever compositional style without reserve. This recording should be in the collection of every guitar fan, and Koshkin's pieces deserve to be heard by the concert-going public."
My personal favorites are Parade, Three Stations on One Road, The Ballads: Suite for Guitar, and Cambridge Suite for Two Guitars. Koshkin shares his wit and clever compositional style without reserve. This recording should be in the collection of every guitar fan, and Koshkin's pieces deserve to be heard by the concert-going public.
"On the lighter side, Koshkin presents a wonderfully successful parody of the ubiquitous Romanza. This little gem may actually give players an alternative to the worn out guitar society "favorite." "
"Nikita Koshkin's guitar playing is solid throughout the recording. He is ably assisted by Frank Koonce in the duo selections, and Judicaël Perroy joins Koshkin and Koonce in the trio, Let's Play Together. The technical aspects of the recording are excellent. The sense of parody is completed by the cover art featuring Koshkin in a photographic parody of the famous Haussmann Bach portrait."
-Stephen Waechter, Soundboard Fall/Winter 2001/2002
Nikita Koshkin is one of the most innovative guitar composers of twentieth and twenty-first centuries, one who has taken the guitar beyond its traditional sounds and techniques. Most of his works are programmatic, collections of impressions, stories, or nature scenes.
Koshkin was born in Moscow in 1956. From early age he was exposed to the classical music of the Russian masters (e.g. Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Stravinsky). But it wasn’t until he was fourteen years of age that he developed an interest in classical guitar. Koshkin started composing relatively early in his life and by his twenties had several masterpieces in his collection of compositions. At the very young age of twenty-two, one of his compositions saw its first world premier in a prestigious concert hall in London. In the years following this, interest in Koshkin's music grew rapidly world-wide. In his homeland though, critical acceptance of his music was less forthcoming. While local guitarists knew his works, he remained relatively unknown to the wider musical audience. True success and recognition came to him locally only after numerous performances in Europe and USA.
Koshkin's compositions are now widely appreciated and are regularly performed by such guitar virtuosos as John Williams, Elena Papandreou, and Assad Duo. Nikita Koshkin is also a popular performer of his own works.
