Viktor Aleksandrovich Kuznetsov was a Nizhny Novgorod musician, domra player, conductor, and teacher, the founder of the Nizhny Novgorod domra school, the founder and permanent director of the Nizhny Novgorod Russian Folk Orchestra, and a People's Artist of Russia. Viktor Aleksandrovich Kuznetsov was born on June 13, 1937, in Stalingrad; after the evacuation, the family moved to Lipetsk in 1947.[1] The orchestra was founded by Kuznetsov and legally registered as the limited liability company "Nizhny Novgorod Russian Folk Orchestra" on May 28, 1993.[2] Kuznetsov died before October 2021, when a memorial festival was organized in his memory. He died on December 14, 2020, in Nizhny Novgorod.

Kuznetsov's musical talent first showed itself in an amateur folk instrument orchestra at the tractor plant's club, where he began playing the small domra; in 1954 he entered the Voronezh Music College, and in 1958 the Gnessin State Musical Pedagogical Institute, from which he graduated in 1965 in the domra class (professors A. Ya. Aleksandrov and V. S. Chunin) and the conducting class (professors S. S. Sakharov and S. Z. Trubachev), and in 1969 he completed a conducting assistantship-internship at the same institute.

In 1957, Kuznetsov took part in the cultural program of the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow as a domra soloist, performing Budashkin's Concerto for Domra, accompanied by the Lipetsk orchestra, at a qualifying audition chaired by P. I. Nechiporenko. From 1965 to 1974, Kuznetsov taught at the Vladimir Music College, and in 1974, at the invitation of rector A. A. Nesterov, he moved to the Nizhny Novgorod Conservatory, where he later became a professor. Kuznetsov was awarded the title "Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation" (1992), the title "People's Artist of the Russian Federation" (2007), the status of laureate of the City of Nizhny Novgorod Prize (2000 and 2012), and the title "Honorary Citizen of the City of Nizhny Novgorod" (2018).[1][1][1][1][1][3]

The Nizhny Novgorod Domra School and Orchestra

Kuznetsov created a unique domra performance school and founded the Nizhny Novgorod Russian Folk Orchestra, which later came to bear his name. All of the orchestra's performers were his students to one degree or another; according to chief conductor Boris Skhirtladze, Kuznetsov "taught not only music but also life."[3] Among the school's students is the Nizhny Novgorod domra player Kristina Fish, who became one of the initiators of the memorial festival.[3] He was the general director and sole founder of the limited liability company "Nizhny Novgorod Russian Folk Orchestra" (taxpayer ID 5260027518) from its state re-registration in 2002; the legal entity was removed from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities on December 9, 2021.[2]

The "Heritage. Dedication to the Maestro" Festival

From October to December 2021, the festival "Legacy. A Tribute to the Maestro," organized in memory of Kuznetsov, took place in Nizhny Novgorod Region. The opening was held on October 13, 2021, at the Glinka Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory; the festival continued until December 14.[3] Concerts by the Kuznetsov Nizhny Novgorod Russian Folk Orchestra were held in five towns of the region: Nizhny Novgorod, Dzerzhinsk, Pavlovo, and Kstovo.[3] The festival also included concerts by the orchestra of Children's Art School No. 9 named after A. D. Ulybyshev and a solo performance by Kristina Fish with a string quintet, as well as master classes featuring musicians from Moscow and Krasnodar — Efrem Podgayts, Anatoly Vinokur, Andrey Gorbachev, Aleksandr Tsygankov, and others.[3] The idea for the festival came from the singer Maya Balashova; the artistic director was Elena Lupina, Deputy Minister of Culture of Nizhny Novgorod Region.[3]

Sources

  1. wikiprofile.ru — Kuznetsov, Viktor Aleksandrovich (domra player) — Viktor Aleksandrovich Kuznetsov was born on June 13, 1937, in Stalingrad; after evacuation, in 1947 the family moved to Lipetsk. Died… (archive)
  2. checko.ru — NIZHEGORODSKY RUSSIAN FOLK ORCHESTRA LLC — Nizhny Novgorod — TIN 5260027518 — General Director: V. A. Kuznetsov.
  3. Zhivyom v Nizhnem — The music festival "Legacy. A Tribute to the Maestro" begins in Nizhny Novgorod Region on October 13 — Zhivyom v Nizhnem (archive)