Alexei Aigui
Aleksey Aygi (stylized as Alexei Aigui, born 11 July 1971) is a Russian composer, violinist, and leader of the 4'33" Ensemble.[1]
Alexei Aigui | |
|---|---|
 Alexei Aigui in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 11 July 1971 |
| Origin | Russia |
| Genres | minimalist music |
| Occupation(s) | musician, composer |
| Instrument(s) | violin |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | SoLyd, Music Box, Lakeshore, Leo Records |
| Member of | 4'33" Ensemble |
| Website | www |
Biography and career
Aigui is ethnically Chuvash and the son of Chuvash national poet Gennadiy Aygi.[2]
A graduate of Moscow's State Music and Pedagogical Institute,[3] Aigui's work has been noted for its minimalist aesthetics. This investment in minimalism led Aigui to name his band after the John Cage composition 4′33″, the score for which instructs performers to refrain from playing their instruments. In 1994, Aigui debuted his 4'33" Ensemble at the Moscow International Festival of Modern Music,[4] with another early performance taking place at the 1996 "European Days in Samara" festival.
Aigui is a prolific composer who has scored dozens of films and television programs, including Country of the Deaf, which received the Russian Guild of Film Critics Award for Best Score;[5] Wild Field, which received a Nika Award,[6] Golden Eagle Award,[7] and Kinotavr Award for Best Music, as well as the White Elephant Award for Best Composer; and the widely-acclaimed I Am Not Your Negro, which was nominated for a Cinema Eye Honors Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score.[8]
Discography
Leader or co-leader
| Release year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Musique Cyrillique | SoLyd | with Pierre Bastien |
| 2002 | Aigui & Bonnen Play the Music of Jimi Hendrix: Up From The Skies | SoLyd | with Dietmar Bonnen |
| 2003 | Aigui & Bonnen Play The Music Of Frank Zappa: Black Water | SoLyd | with Dietmar Bonnen |
| 2008 | The Closer | SoLyd | solo |
| 2009 | Aigui & Bonnen Play the Music of Kurt Weill: Nightshift | SoLyd | with Dietmar Bonnen |
with Ensemble 4'33"
| Release year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Sisters Grimm Tales | SoLyd Records | ft. the NeTe |
| 1997 | Falls | Long Arms Records | |
| 1998 | Hearts (Сердца) | SoLyd | |
| 1999 | Taxidermy | SoLyd | |
| 1999 | One Second Hand (Music For Kinetic Theatre) | SoLyd | |
| 2001 | Equus | SoLyd | |
| 2002 | Happiness, Fame And Fortune | SoLyd | |
| 2003 | Mix | SoLyd | ft. Mina Agossi |
| 2005 | Live @ Loft | SoLyd | |
| 2012 | Hard Disc | SoLyd | |
| 2016 | Sergey Kuryokhin: The Spirit Lives | Leo Records |
Selected filmography
| Release year | Film | Soundtrack Label | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Country of the Deaf (soundtrack: Les Silencieuses) | Sergent Major Recording | Golden Aries Award for best score; Nika Award nominee |
| 1998 | Retro vtroyom | ||
| 1998 | Chastnye kroniki. Monolog | ||
| 2000 | Kamenskaya: Chuzhaya maska | ||
| 2002 | The Lover[9] | Golden Aries nominee; Nika nominee | |
| 2004 | My Step Brother Frankenstein | ||
| 2004 | Kvartirka (TV series) | ||
| 2004 | Mars | ||
| 2004 | Ragin | ||
| 2005 | The Fall of the Empire (TV series) | ||
| 2005 | The Wedding Chest | Golden Aries nominee | |
| 2006 | Charell | ||
| 2006 | Mans virs Andrejs Saharovs | ||
| 2006 | Made in Paris (Je pense à vous) | ||
| 2007 | Sishik Poutilin (TV series) | ||
| 2008 | The Great Alibi[10] | ||
| 2008 | Snezhnyy angel | ||
| 2008 | Wild Field | Music Box Records | Golden Eagle, Nika, and Kinotavr Awards for Best Music; White Elephant Award for Best Composer |
| 2008 | Ochen russkiy detektiv | ||
| 2009 | L'école du pouvoir | ||
| 2009 | Can't Say No (Je ne dis pas non) | ||
| 2009 | Moloch Tropical | ||
| 2011 | Hop-o'-My-Thumb (Le petit poucet) | ||
| 2012 | The Horde | SoLyd Records | |
| 2012 | Rondo | ||
| 2012 | Looking for Hortense[11] | ||
| 2014 | Vychislitel | ||
| 2015 | Orlean | Nika Nominee; White Elephant for Best Composer | |
| 2015 | V dalyokom sorok pyatom... Vstrechi na Elbe | Nika for Best Music | |
| 2015 | Krasnaya koroleva (TV series) | ||
| 2016 | I Am Not Your Negro | Music Box Records / Lakeshore Records | Cinema Eye Honors Award Nominee |
| 2016 | Mata Hari (TV series) | APKiT nominee for Best Music in a TV Movie/Series | |
| 2017 | The Young Karl Marx | ||
| 2017 | André | ||
| 2017 | Doktor Rikhter (TV series) | ||
| 2017 | Our Little Secret | ||
| 2018 | Assia | ||
| 2019 | Good as New | ||
| 2019 | The Truth (La vérité) | Music Box Records |
References
- "Alexei Aigui on Scoring the Breakthrough Documentary I am Not Your Negro". Score It Magazine. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- France, Peter (24 February 2006). "Gennady Aygi: Avant garde Russian poet and friend of Pasternak, his career blossomed with the advent of perestroika". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- "Concert-presentation at the State Musical Pedagogical Institute named after M.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, Russia". European Foundation for Support of Culture. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- "The Jubilee Neoclassism of Alexei Aygi". Erarta Museum. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- "1998". KINOPRESSA. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- Hercules, Olia (6 April 2009). "Russian musical Hipsters scoops best film at Nika Awards". Screen International. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- Holdsworth, Nick (26 January 2009). "'Wild Field' wins Russian Eagle". Variety. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- Erbland, Kate (11 January 2017). "Cinema Eye Honors 2017 Winners List". IndieWire. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- Cockrell, Eddie (1 October 2002). "The Lover". Variety. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- Mintzer, Jordan (11 May 2008). "The Great Alibi". Variety. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- van Hoeij, Boyd (31 August 2012). "Cherchez Hortense". Variety. Retrieved 6 January 2021.