Alaxey Sioumak

born in 1976, he graduated from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow in 2002 and is now a postgraduate student there in the class of Alexander Tchaikovsky. He is a prizewinner of the First All-Russian Young Composers’ Competition (1999), and of the International Jur-genson Competition for Young Composers (2001, 2003). Sioumak’s works have been featured in many contemporary music festivals including Moscow Forum, Moscow Autumn, Youth Academies of Russia, ‘Alternative’ (Moscow), Oxford Contemporary Music Series, Young Euro Classic, Berliner Festspiele, Young Composers Mee-ting, loosmanifestatie, the Gaudeamus Music Week, and the iscm World Music Days in 2003 (Slovenia).
The music of Alexei Sioumak has attracted such ensembles as the Studio for New Music (Moscow), the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the St Peters-burg Conservatory, de Ereprijs (Netherlands), and the Center for New Music (usa). It has been broadcast by the bbc.

Selected works: Cl. air for clarinet (1999), Rhymes for flute, oboe, clari-net, horn, bassoon, violin, cello and piano (2001), Letters without Words for chamber ensemble (2001), Diploma for symphony orchestra (2002), Polka for violin, clarinet, cello and piano (2002), Cadenza for string quartet (2003), Aria for chamber ensemble (2003), Mutations for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano (2004).

Polka
Polka is one of the most popular Czech dances, vivid and simple in its form. There is a view that the name of the dance originates from the Czech pulka – ‘half step’. So, in this composition, on the one hand, one can notice a quick, accentuated dance, and, on the other hand, an imitation of the performers’ ‘half steps’. In terms of music this is attained through random procedures and associated ‘chaotic’ accentuation, first of sounds and then of foot stamping (creating a feeling of a quick dance which leaves one breathless). The simple strophic structure of the composition where every strophe ends with an uncertain ‘hanging in mid-air’, stresses the folk nature of the dance. Thus, an image of ‘jibbing’ is created – a step is made only at the end, when all performers for the first time stamp simultaneously. The whole composition is an overcoming of the half step.

Alexei Sioumak