Maxim Shalygin

Maxim Shalygin
Максим Шалигін
Background information
Born (1985-01-30) January 30, 1985 (age 41)
Kamianske, Ukraine
GenreContemporary classical
OccupationsComposer, conductor, performer
Years active2001–present
Websitemaximshalygin.com Edit this at Wikidata

Maxim Shalygin (born January 30, 1985) is a Ukrainian–Dutch composer, conductor, and performer known for his innovative compositions that blend a wide range of techniques.

Early life and education

Shalygin began studying composition at the age of sixteen with Iryna Ivashenko in his hometown of Kamianske (then Dniprodzerzhynsk). In 2004, he studied for one year with Boris Tishchenko at the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory. He received his first master's degree in 2010 from the Ukrainian National Academy of Music in Kyiv, where he studied under Ihor Shcherbakov and was influenced by composer Svyatoslav Lunyov. In 2011, he completed a second master's degree at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, studying with Cornelis de Bondt and Diderik Wagenaar.

Career

Shalygin moved to the Netherlands in 2010. Since then, he has composed more than 40 works in genres including chamber music, vocal music, orchestral music, electroacoustic music, and music for theatre, ballet, opera, and film. His work has been described as combining extended instrumental techniques with a tonal musical language while avoiding avant-garde radicalism.

His compositions have been performed at international festivals and venues, including Gaudeamus Muziekweek in the Netherlands and Klarafestival in Belgium. They have been performed by ensembles including Asko/Schönberg, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, and Slagwerk Den Haag, as well as by soloists including Antonii Baryshevskyi, Anna Fedorova, Maya Fridman, Natalia Gordeyeva, Tomoko Mukaiyama, Emmy Storms, and Diana Tishchenko.

Music

Works

In 2016, Shalygin founded the Shapeshift Ensemble in the Netherlands and initiated the S I M I L A R project, a multi-part cycle of works written for different instrumental ensembles. Each chapter is scored for a specific combination of instruments.

To date, the project includes:

  1. Lacrimosa or 13 Magic Songs (2017) – for seven violins. The first chapter of the cycle, written for seven violinists.
  2. Todos los fuegos el fuego (2019) – for eight saxophones. A cycle for saxophone octet inspired by the relationship between music and literature.
  3. Severade (2021) – for nine cellos.
  4. Delirium (2023) – for four grand pianos.
  5. Bleeding (2024) – for thirteen brass players. The work reinterprets material from Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 in a contemporary musical context.

Amandante is Shalygin's first opera. It premiered on 2 October 2024 at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam. Inspired by Plato's Symposium, the opera explores themes of love and desire. Reviews in the Dutch press were mixed. NRC praised its "masterful dramaturgy" and "triumph of musical imagination", describing the performance as a "rollercoaster of emotions". de Volkskrant described the opera as a "pompous potpourri of over-familiar musical styles" and considered the scenes disjointed. Theaterkrant compared the music to "a kind of Philip Glass in overdrive", noting its repetitive motifs and climactic structure. The production was performed by the Ukrainian ensemble Nova Opera and incorporated visual elements, including Edith Dekyndt's video work Ombre indigène.

Fetus Études is a cycle of piano études:

Other notable works

Discography

The following list consists of studio albums of compositions by Maxim Shalygin.

Year Title Other artists Notes / Accolades
2012 When Everything Ends, We Start to Sing Our Songs
2018 Shalygin: Lacrimosa or 13 Magic Songs Shapeshift Ensemble
2018 Shalygin: Blessing Babylon Quartet, Georgi Sztojanov Single
2019 Shalygin: Canti d'inizio e fine Maya Fridman #33 best album of 2019 (De Volkskrant)
2019 Shalygin: Todos Los Fuegos El Fuego Amstel Quartet, Keuris Quartet
2020 Maze of Pleasures
2022 Satarsa EP
2022 Maxim Shalygin: Six Bagatelles & Suite-Homage to Alfred Schnittke Ihor Zavhorodnii, Andrii Pavlov, Irina Kozlova, Sergey Kozakov, Igor Patsovsky
2025 Maxim Shalygin: TO ALL ALIVE Antonii Baryshevskyi – piano Contains 9 Preludes (2004) and Fetus Études (2019–2024)

Recent activities

As of 2024, Shalygin continues to reside and work in the Netherlands, actively composing and participating in various musical projects and festivals worldwide.

References

  1. 1 2 "Maxim Shalygin". donemus.nl. Donemus. 14 June 2016. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  2. ↑ "Maxim Shalygin: Whispers from nowhere". eye-to-eye.online. European Festivals Association. 9 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 Tukova, Iryna (2018). "The Development of Western European Trends in the Kyiv Composition School (2010–2017)" (PDF). Lietuvos muzikologija (19): 52–61. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  4. ↑ Stefan Beyst (September 2012). "Review of 'Letters to Anna'. Symphony for violin solo (2009–2010) by Maxim Shalygin". d-sites.net. Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "Maxim Shalygin". trptk.com. TRPTK. 16 July 2023. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  6. ↑ "Shalygin: Lacrimosa or 13 Magic Songs". trptk.com. TRPTK. 1 April 2018. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  7. ↑ "Maxim Shalygin – Todos los fuegos el fuego". donemus.nl. Donemus. 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "November Music 2021: Severade (Engelstalig)". vpro.nl (in Dutch). VPRO. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  9. ↑ "Delirium – Maxim Shalygin". theater.nl (in Dutch). 1 February 2024. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "Openbare repetitie wereldpremière Bleeding". muziekgebouw.nl (in Dutch). Muziekgebouw. 26 March 2024. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  11. ↑ Stapel, Joep (4 October 2024). "Shalygin maakt van Plato's Symposium een meesterlijke soort-van-opera over de liefde". nrc.nl (in Dutch). NRC. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ↑ Stokkers, Maartje (3 October 2024). "Er gaat te veel verloren, helaas, in de onsamenhangende opera 'Amandante'". volkskrant.nl (in Dutch). de Volkskrant. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ↑ Derks, Thea (3 October 2024). "Eerste opera van Shalygin klinkt als een soort Philip Glass in overdrive". theaterkrant.nl (in Dutch). Theaterkrant. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Blanke, Suus (5 February 2025). "To All Alive: Het magische verjaardagsfeest van componist Maxim Shalygin". denieuwemuze.nl (in Dutch). De Nieuwe Muze. Archived from the original on 17 February 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  15. 1 2 Van Gijssel, Robbert (11 December 2019). "Dit zijn de 40 beste albums van 2019". volkskrant.nl (in Dutch). de Volkskrant. Retrieved 1 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ↑ "Diana Tishchenko & José Gallardo – ECHO Rising Stars". barbican.org.uk. Barbican Centre. 1 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  17. ↑ "Angel". maximshalygin.com. 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  18. ↑ "The Riot Ensemble performs 'drop after drop' by Maxim Shalygin". thestrad.com. Newsquest Media Group Limited. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  19. ↑ Tonnaer, Henny (14 January 2024). "De taal van muziek". hermitageblog.wordpress.com (in Dutch). De Hermitage. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  20. ↑ "Repertoire". dianatishchenko.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  21. ↑ Apple Music
  22. ↑ Deezer
  23. ↑ Spotify