Nikita Koshkin

"Koshkin" redirects here. For the Soviet tank designer, see Mikhail Koshkin.
Nikita Koshkin (born February 28, 1956) is a classical guitarist and comoser born in !osco"#
$is early in%luences
included &tra'insky, &hostako'ich and (roko%ie', as "ell as rock
music# Koshkin %irst came to rominence "ith his suite )*he (rince+s
*oys,) comleted in 198, and %irst er%ormed by the -.ech/born
guitarist 0ladimir !ikulka# 1t deicts the %airytale "orld o% a child in
"hich his toys come to li%e and, e'entually, abduct him to some
other dimension# *he suite incororates numerous sound/e%%ects on
the guitar to aint images2 the so/called +snare drum+ e%%ect, %or
e3amle, created by holding do"n crossed 4 and 5 (or lo"/5 and 6)
strings "ith the le%t hand, to imitate the drums o% toy soldiers#
7ther e3tended techni8ues include scraing the strings "ith the
%ingernails9 a large 'ariety o% ercussi'e e%%ects9 +laying+ the strings
bet"een the tuning heads and nut, or the knotted sections o% the
strings on the bridge9 +hammer/ons+, "here the le%t hand %ingers
suddenly deress the string against the %ingerboard "ithout the
inter'ention o% the right hand9 and so on#
Koshkin+s most celebrated guitar "ork is ):sher/;alt.#) a iece
insired by the 5dgar 6llan (oe story The Fall of the House of
Usher, in "hich (oe "rote, )1 listened, as i% in a dream, to the "ild
imro'isations o% his seaking guitar#) Koshkin+s iece "as "ritten
%or the %amed guitarist 0ladisla' 4laha# -ast in a single mo'ement, it
is a motoric "alt. "hose careering harmonic rogression around 6
minor threatens, and ultimately succeeds, in tearing the music aart#
1ts clima3 is an e3traordinarily e%%ecti'e se8uence o% ounded right/
hand chords, +4art<k i..icato+ ("here the strings are deliberately
snaed back against the %ingerboard), and then ghostly harmonics#
=ike much o% Koshkin+s "ork it has an immediate aeal to a "ide
audience "ho are both astonished at the 'isceral imact o% the
iece, and at the range o% sounds coa3ed %rom the guitar, "hich
sounds )bigger than it really is)# 1t "as made %amous by >ohn
;illiams+ er%ormance, in the +&e'ille -oncert+ -?, in 199@#
A1B
7ther
%amous er%ormers o% Koshkin+s "ork include *he 6ssad ?uo and
*he Cagreb and 6msterdam *rios#
A2B
$is set o% 'ariations )*he (orcelain *o"er) is another substantial
and re"arding "ork %or listeners, and %or layers o% good
intermediate or ad'anced standard, as is the )6ndante 8uasi
(assacaglia e *occata2 *he Fall o% 4irds) (comosed in 19D8)#
4esides "riting "orks %or solo guitar, Koshkin has comosed guitar/
ensemble music as "ell9 in addition to numerous ieces %or guitar
duo, he has "ritten t"o "orks %or guitar 8uartet2 Changing the
Guard (199E), and Suite for Four Guitars (comosed %or the Feorgia
Fuitar Guartet, 2,,D)#