The Music of Nikolai Kapustin: Virtuosic Jazz in Classical Form - Evan Chow, pianist

Presentation on the unique music of Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin given by Evan Chow, age 17, on July 2, 2011 to music teachers attending the 101st Annual Convention of the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC), held July 1-5, 2011 in Oakland, CA. Born in the Ukraine in 1937, Nikolai Kapustin was a child piano prodigy who graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with a degree in classical piano performance. However, during his studies he became fascinated by jazz, learned to improvise, and joined a jazz band upon graduation. Being both a classical and jazz pianist allowed Kapustin to survive the persecution of jazz musicians by the Stalinist state and subsequent regimes. Eventually tiring of performance, Kapustin switched from improvisation to composition, an activity he has continued in prolific measure to this day. With his dual perspective on classical and jazz music, Kapustin has blended both forms to produce fully notated virtuosic jazz pieces that give classical pianists who are new to improvisational jazz an understanding of some of the characteristics of the genre. © 2011 Evan Chow.