A gala concert in celebration of Alexander Grigorievich Murin’s centenary will take place at the Mariinsky Theatre main stage on 27 March. The outstanding musician, Alexander Murin (1917–1992) was the Chief Chorus Master at the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre in 1962–1988.
Alexander Murin began his music career at the Leningrad Academic Capella, where he was taught by the patriarchs of the St Petersburg choir school Mikhail Klimov and Pallady Bogdanov. Later Murin studied at the Conservatory under the Chorus Master of the Kirov Theatre Viktor Stepanov.
Since 1933, Murin worked at the Leningrad Radio, then at the MALEGOT Theatre, his first major production being the premiere of Sergei Prokofiev’s War and Peace (1946) staged by Boris Pokrovsky. In 1952 he was invited to the Kirov Theatre to conduct the children’s chorus, then the main chorus, which was in his charge for over quarter of century. He conducted the chorus in all the opera productions of the house, from the classical repertoire to contemporary works (by Rodion Shchedrin, Andrey Petrov and Alexander Kholminov). Murin collaborated with such renowned symphonic conductors as Boris Khaikin, Sergey Eltsyn, Konstantin Simeonov and Yuri Temirkanov, and with such directors as Leonid Baratov, Boris Smolich, Boris Pokrovsky and many others.
Chorus conducted by Murin was especially brilliant in the mass scenes of the classical Russian operas where chorus traditionally plays an important part. Richness of colour, clarity of texture and a great sense of partnership won critical acclaim during Kirov Theatre’s tours abroad. Apart from opera performances Murin’s chorus took part in performing symphonic pieces, such as Mahler’s Second Symphony and Prokofiev’s cantata Alexander Nevsky, alongside the house’s orchestra led by Yuri Temirkanov.
In 1976, Alexander Murin received the USSR State Award and the title of the People’s Artist of the USSR.
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