Alexander Levine
b. 1955
British
Summary
Alexander Levine was born in Moscow in 1955. From the age of six, he attended the Gnessin School of Music and then studied at the Gnessin Music Academy (1976–1980).
Having immigrated to the UK in 1992, he has been acknowledged as a British composer encompassing diverse classical genres.
In the late 90s, Alexander concentrated on working in the field of instrumental and vocal music, gradually gravitating towards the choral genre.
Levine’s major choral recordings include:
Kolokola (The Choral Cycle), recorded by “The BBC Singers”, conductor James Morgan, Albany Records 2005
Prayers for Mankind (A Symphony of Prayers), recorded by “Tenebrae”, conductor Nigel Short, Signum Classics 2010
The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, recorded by “Tenebrae”, Signum Classics 2013
In the recent years Alexander Levine collaborated with choral artists as diverse as The Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee, Washington National Cathedral Chorus, Clarion Choral Society, Chordiality Ensemble (Hague), Ensemble Perspective (Paris), Mariinsky Opera Choir, The 21st Century Choir, St George’s Cathedral Consort (Perth). The Orlando Consort, The BBC Singers, Tenebrae, VOCES8, King’s Singers, Paul Phoenix and Apollo5.
Biography
Born in Moscow in 1955, Alexander Levine studied piano and clarinet from the age of six at the Gnessin Music School, and later attended the Gnessin Music Academy from 1976 to 1980.
From 1979 he also held the position of Principal Guitarist in the Orchestra of Russian National Radio and Television
In the years that followed, he established himself as a composer, working in collaboration with a variety of highly acclaimed performers in Russia. His compositions won prestigious awards from Russian National Radio and Television in 1989, 1990, and 1991.
Having immigrated to the UK in 1992, he was awarded the Wingate Foundation Scholarship to study in the Postgraduate Composition course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, with Gary Carpenter in 1993 and Simon Bainbridge in 1994, earning a Master of Music in Composition.
He started his UK career working on a number of theatre projects. In the years that followed, Levine collaborated with GSMD Theatre as a composer, arranger, and music director for The Beggar’s Opera and on various productions, including War and Peace (Director Peter Clough) and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Director Di Trevis)
In 1994, he received a commission to write music for the GSMD theatre production of War and Peace. This work was highly acclaimed by the public as well as the press: "It is not often you go to the theatre and get an orchestra thrown in: not providing cues for numbers but underscoring dialogue with a grand swell, like a soundtrack for the big screen", wrote “The Times” observer in their review (Kate Bassett, The Times, October 29, 1994).
In the late 90s, Alexander concentrated on working in the field of instrumental and vocal music, gradually gravitating towards the choral genre.
Levine’s major choral recordings include:
Kolokola (The Choral Cycle), recorded by “The BBC Singers”, conductor James Morgan, Albany Records 2005
Prayers for Mankind (A Symphony of Prayers), recorded by “Tenebrae”, conductor Nigel Short, Signum Classics 2010
The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, recorded by “Tenebrae”, Signum Classics 2013
When St George’s Cathedral Consort gave the Australian premiere of The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Director Joseph Nolan gave the work a big wrap: “It is a modern masterpiece… like Rachmaninov’s Vespers only better!”.
In the recent years Alexander Levine collaborated with choral artists as diverse as The Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee, Washington National Cathedral Chorus, Clarion Choral Society, Chordiality Ensemble (Hague), Ensemble Perspective (Paris), Mariinsky Opera Choir, The 21st Century Choir, St George’s Cathedral Consort (Perth). The Orlando Consort, The BBC Singers, Tenebrae, VOCES8, King’s Singers, Paul Phoenix and Apollo5.