Nikita Koshkin

Nikita Koshkin (born February 28, 1956) is a classical guitarist and comoser born in !osco"#
His early influences
included Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, as well as rock
music. Koshkin first came to prominence with his suite "The
Prince's Toys," completed in 1!" and first performed #y the
$%ech&#orn 'uitarist (ladimir )ikulka. *t depicts the fairytale
world of a child in which his toys come to life and, eventually,
a#duct him to some other dimension. The suite incorporates
numerous sound&effects on the 'uitar to paint ima'es+ the so&
called 'snare drum' effect, for e,ample, created #y holdin' down
crossed - and . /or low&. and 01 strin's with the left hand, to
imitate the drums of toy soldiers. 2ther e,tended
techni3ues include scrapin' the strin's with the fin'ernails4 a
lar'e variety of percussive effects4 'playin'' the strin's #etween
the tunin' heads and nut, or the knotted sections of the strin's on
the #rid'e4 'hammer&ons', where the left hand fin'ers suddenly
depress the strin' a'ainst the fin'er#oard without the
intervention of the ri'ht hand4 and so on.
Koshkin's most cele#rated 'uitar work is "5sher&6alt%." a piece
inspired #y the .d'ar 0llan Poe story The Fall of the House of
Usher, in which Poe wrote, "* listened, as if in a dream, to the wild
improvisations of his speakin' 'uitar." Koshkin's piece was
written for the famed 'uitarist (ladislav -laha. $ast in a sin'le
movement, it is a motoric walt% whose careerin' harmonic
pro'ression around 0 minor threatens, and ultimately succeeds,
in tearin' the music apart. *ts clima, is an e,traordinarily
effective se3uence of pounded ri'ht&hand chords,
'-art7k pi%%icato' /where the strin's are deli#erately snapped
#ack a'ainst the fin'er#oard1, and then 'hostly harmonics. 8ike
much of Koshkin's work it has an immediate appeal to a wide
audience who are #oth astonished at the visceral impact of the
piece, and at the ran'e of sounds coa,ed from the 'uitar, which
sounds "#i''er than it really is". *t was made famous #y 9ohn
6illiams' performance, in the 'Seville $oncert' $:, in 1;.
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2ther famous performers of Koshkin's work include The 0ssad
:uo and The >a're# and 0msterdam Trios.
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His set of variations "The Porcelain Tower" is another su#stantial
and rewardin' work for listeners, and for players of 'ood
intermediate or advanced standard, as is the "0ndante 3uasi
Passaca'lia e Toccata+ The @all of -irds" /composed in 1A!1.
-esides writin' works for solo 'uitar, Koshkin has composed
'uitar&ensem#le music as well4 in addition to numerous pieces for
'uitar duo, he has written two works for 'uitar 3uartet+ Changing
the Guard /1B1, and Suite for Four Guitars /composed for
the Ceor'ia Cuitar Duartet, ?""A1.