Short bio Cesar Cui
Birthday:
1835 in Vilnius, Lithuania
Died:
1918 in Petrograd, Russia
Genre:
Classical
Period:
Post-Romantic
Full biography Cesar Cui
Cesar Cui (1835-1918) was a Russian composer of French and Lithuanian descent. He was one of the prominent members of the ‘Mighty Handful’ or the ‘Five’, a group of nationalist Russian composers who aimed to produce a distinctively Russian style of classical music. While not as well-known as some of his contemporaries, such as Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, Cui was a prolific composer who wrote operas, ballets, songs, and piano music.
In addition to his work as a composer, Cui was also a music critic and military engineer. He contributed almost 800 articles on music to various publications , including the influential journal ‘The Contemporary’, and was known for his acerbic wit and sharp critical insights. As a military engineer, he used his expertise to modernize the Russian army's field telegraphy and radio communications systems.
Cui’s music is marked by a lyrical and melodious style, often influenced by traditional Russian folk melodies. His most famous works include the operas ‘William Ratcliff’ and ‘The Mandarin's Son’, as well as several piano pieces and string quartets. His compositions were praised by fellow composers such as Tchaikovsky and Igor Stravinsky, who declared that Cui's music was "infinitely superior" to that of his more famous contemporaries.
Despite not being as famous as some of his peers, Cui's contributions to Russian music were significant and enduring. His music remains an important part of the Russian classical music repertoire, and his critical writings have been studied and admired for their wit and insight.
Compositions featuring Cesar Cui
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Budrys and His Sons (Budrïs i evo sïnov'ya), for voice & orchestra, Op. 98 | 5:33 min | Vocal Music | 1915 |
| 2 | Presvyatïya bogoroditsi, for soprano voice & chorus, Op. 93 | 10:00 min | Choral | 1914 |
| 3 | Prelude for organ in G minor | 3:59 min | Keyboard | 1913 |
| 4 | Scherzos (3) for orchestra, Op. 82 | 18:51 min | Orchestral | 1910 |
| 5 | Morceaux (3) for piano, Op. 8 | 18:45 min | Keyboard | 1907 |
| 6 | Echoes of War (Otsvuki voynï), for voice & piano, Op. 66 | Vocal Music | 1905 | |
| 7 | Preludes (25) for piano, Op. 64 | 47:48 min | Keyboard | 1903 |
| 8 | A Feast in Time of Plague (Pir vo vremya chumï), opera | 31:51 min | Opera | 1900 |
| 9 | Impromptu-Caprice for piano in E major | 4:01 min | Keyboard | 1896 |
| 10 | Kaleidoscope, pieces (24) for violin & piano, Op. 50 | 47:47 min | Chamber Music | 1893 |
| 11 | Mélodies (5) for voice & piano, Op. 54 | Vocal Music | 1890 | |
| 12 | Poémes (20) de Jean Richepin, Op. 44 | 43:29 min | Vocal Music | 1890 |
| 13 | Les Deux Ménétriers, for voice & piano (or orchestra), Op. 42 | 6:45 min | Vocal Music | 1890 |
| 14 | Le Flibustier, opera | Opera | 1889 | |
| 15 | Suite for orchestra No.2 in E major Op. 38 | 35:30 min | Orchestral | 1887 |
| 16 | Suite for orchestra No. 4, Op. 40 "À Argenteau" | 24:18 min | Orchestral | 1887 |
| 17 | Sérénade for piano, Op. 40/5 (from "À Argenteau") | 2:25 min | Keyboard | 1887 |
| 18 | Far niente, for piano, Op. 10/2 | 5:22 min | Keyboard | 1887 |
| 19 | Causerie, for piano, Op. 40/6 (from "À Argenteau") | 4:48 min | Keyboard | 1887 |
| 20 | Far niente, for piano trio (arrangement of No. 2 from "À Argenteau, Op. 40") | 6:04 min | Chamber Music | 1887 |
| 21 | Valses (3) for piano, Op. 31 | Keyboard | 1886 | |
| 22 | Morceaux (2) for cello and orchestra, Op. 36 | Orchestral | 1886 | |
| 23 | Quasi Scherzo for piano in B minor, Op. 22/4 | 5:31 min | Keyboard | 1883 |
| 24 | Nocturne for piano in F sharp minor, Op. 22/3 | 5:39 min | Keyboard | 1883 |
| 25 | Suite for piano, Op. 21 | 23:25 min | Keyboard | 1883 |
| 26 | Bagatelle italianne, for piano in B major, Op. 22/2 | 1:20 min | Keyboard | 1883 |
| 27 | Prisoner of the Caucasus, opera | Opera | 1859 | |
| 28 | Poems by Nekrasov (21) for voice & piano, Op. 62 | Vocal Music | - | |
| 29 | Why is it so, my darling, for voice & piano | 1:49 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 30 | Prelude for organ in A flat | 5:04 min | Keyboard | - |
| 31 | Ya lyublyu veselyi mir (I Love The Merry World) | 0:52 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 32 | Posledniye tsvety (The Last Flowers), for 2 voices & piano, Op. 19/5 | 1:56 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 33 | Tuchki nebesnyye (Heavenly Wanderers), for 2 voices & piano, Op. 19/6 | 3:18 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 34 | Yearning, for voice & piano | 2:23 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 35 | Poems (7) by Pushkin & Lermantov, for voice & piano, Op. 33 | Vocal Music | - | |
| 36 | Pieces (3) for 2 pianos, Op. 69 | Keyboard | - | |
| 37 | Petites Duos (5), for flute, violin & piano, Op. 56, No. 5, Valse, Op. 56/5 | 2:40 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 38 | Petites Duos (5), for flute, violin & piano, Op. 56, No. 4, Nocturne, Op. 56/4 | 2:28 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 39 | Petites Duos (5), for flute, violin & piano, Op. 56, No. 3, Scherzino, Op. 56/3 | 1:57 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 40 | Petites Duos (5), for flute, violin & piano, Op. 56, No. 2, Berceuse, Op. 56/2 | 1:49 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 41 | Petites Duos (5), for flute, violin & piano, Op. 56, No. 1, Badinage, Op. 56/1 | 1:05 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 42 | Waltz in E minor | 2:00 min | Keyboard | - |
| 43 | Scherzetto for flute & piano | 2:33 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 44 | Tristesse des choses, for voice & piano, Op. 54/1 | 2:20 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 45 | The Waves Are Sleepy, for chorus | 1:26 min | Choral | - |
| 46 | Sonata for violin & piano D major, Op. 86 | 15:28 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 47 | The Statue of Czarskoye-Selo, for voice & piano, Op. 57/17 | 1:18 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 48 | Suite Concertante for violin & orchestra (or piano), Op. 25 | 21:10 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 49 | You and Thou, Op. 57/11 | 1:02 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 50 | The night is still, for voice & piano | 2:01 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 51 | Suite No 3 for orchestra, Op. 43 ("In Modo Populari") | 20:18 min | Orchestral | - |
| 52 | The Lilacs wither here, for voice & piano | 2:35 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 53 | Tak i rvotsya dusha (So a Soul Draws), for 2 voices & piano, Op. 3/3 | 1:46 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 54 | Tarantella, Op. 12, for orchestra | 4:39 min | Orchestral | - |
| 55 | The burnt letter (Sozhzhonnoye pismo), for voice & piano, Op. 33/4 | 2:51 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 56 | The Cloud, for voice & piano | 1:29 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 57 | The Joy of My Wild Years (Bezumnych let ugassheye veslye), for voice & piano, Op. 57/18 | 1:46 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 58 | En mémoire de V. S. Stassov, Op. 86/24 | 2:28 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 59 | Ici bas, for voice & orchestra | 2:08 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 60 | I Touched the Bloom Lightly, Op. 49/1 | 1:50 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 61 | I touched a flower, for voice & piano | 2:25 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 62 | I Remember the Evening for voice & piano | 1:50 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 63 | I loved you, for voice & piano, Op. 33/3 | 2:02 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 64 | Hidden Beauty ("Where sleepy forests are saddened and exhausted by cold"), for chorus | 2:26 min | Choral | - |
| 65 | Four sonnets, Op. 48, for voice & piano | 10:35 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 66 | Feuille d'album, Op. 86/20 | 2:21 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 67 | Everywhere Snow, for chorus | 1:58 min | Choral | - |
| 68 | Evening glow, for Voice & Piano | 2:00 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 69 | If life deceives you (Yesli zhizn tebya obmanet), for voice & piano, Op. 57/2 | 1:01 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 70 | Dream, for voice & piano | 3:34 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 71 | Conjuration, Op. 55/6 | 3:43 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 72 | Confidant, for Voice & Piano, Op. 57/8 | 1:05 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 73 | Christ Has Risen (Khristos voskres), for voice & piano | 2:46 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 74 | Chanson de Mary, Op. 55/2 | 4:42 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 75 | Bolero "O my dear, charming one'" | 2:50 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 76 | Berceuse Op. 20/8 | 16:48 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 77 | Barcarolle for cello & piano, Op. 81 | 3:58 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 78 | Angelo, opera | Opera | - | |
| 79 | Aeolian harps, for voice & piano | 2:04 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 80 | Miniatures (18) for piano, Opp. 20 & 39 | 34:47 min | Keyboard | - |
| 81 | Perpetual Motion | 0:57 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 82 | People say I'm cool, Op. 11/3 | 1:42 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 83 | Pardonne !, Op. 5/5 | 1:49 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 84 | Paraphrases (24 Variations and 15 Petite Pieces) for piano ("Chopsticks," "Tati-Tati") | 29:17 min | Keyboard | - |
| 85 | Orientale, for violin & piano, Op. 50/9 | 2:25 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 86 | Oh, if Mother Volga | 2:17 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 87 | Naguère un songe, Op. 5/3 | 2:11 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 88 | My mischievous girl, for voice & piano | 1:22 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 89 | Musical Pictures, for voice & piano, Op. 15 | Vocal Music | - | |
| 90 | Mne boi znakom (Duel I Know) | 1:12 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 91 | Petites Duos (5), for flute, violin & piano, Op. 56 | 10:32 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 92 | Miniatures (12) for piano, Op. 20 | 14:36 min | Keyboard | - |
| 93 | Le prophète, Op. 55/8 | 3:38 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 94 | Le désir (My Desire), song, Op. 57/25 | 2:16 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 95 | Le chevalier emprisonné, Op. 55/7 | 3:13 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 96 | La tombe et la rose, Op. 32/3 | 2:28 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 97 | L'amour d'un tréspassé, Op. 5/2 | 3:06 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 98 | It's Over | 1:37 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 99 | It was getting dark, for voice & piano | 2:02 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 100 | Impromptu-Caprice | 4:27 min | Keyboard | - |
Albums featuring Cesar Cui
| # | Сover | Name album | Year | Music label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Dmitry Masleev, Tchaikovsky, Balakirev, Mussorgsky, Chernov, Glinka, Cui – The Seasons(17×File, AAC, Album) | 2023 | Mirare |
| 2 |  |
Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui • Borodin, The Brahms Trio – History of the Russian Piano Trio • 3(CD, Album) | 2021 | Naxos |
| 3 |  |
Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, Borodin, The Brahms Trio – History Of The Russian Piano Trio, Vol. 3(8×File, AAC, Album) | 2021 | Naxos |
| 4 |  |
César Cui, Maria Ivanova (2) & Alexander Zagarinskiy – Piano Transcriptions(CD, Album) | 2018 | Hänssler Classic |
| 5 |  |
César Cui, Jean Bermes • Denis Ivanov (2) – César Cui(CD, Album) | 2016 | Klanglogo |
| 6 |  |
Glinka • Mussorgsky • Borodin • Cui • Balakirev • Tchaikovsky • Rimsky-Korsakov • Rachmaninov • Gounod • Verdi • Boito / Boris Christoff – The Mighty Boris(11×CD, Remastered, Stereo, Mono, Box Set, Compilation) | 2013 | EMI Classics |
| 7 |  |
Mussorgsky • Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev, Borodin, Mikhail Svetlov, Pavlina Dokovska – Russian Songs(CD, ) | 2011 | Naxos |
| 8 |  |
Balakirev • Borodin • Mussorgsky • Rimsky-Korsakov • Cui - Philip Edward Fisher – Piano Works By 'The Mighty Handful'(CD, ) | 2011 | Chandos |
| 9 |  |
César Cui – Christoph Deluze – Pièces Pour Piano(CD, Album) | 2004 | Pavane Records |
| 10 |  |
A Feast In Time Of Plague(CD, ) | 2004 | Chandos |
| 11 |  |
César Cui, Jeffrey Biegel – 25 Preludes, Op. 64(CD, Album, Reissue) | 2002 | Naxos |
| 12 |  |
Arensky · Balakirev · Borodin · Cui · Dargomyzhsky · Glinka · Gretchaninov · Lyatoshinsky · Medtner · Mussorgsky · Rachmaninov · Rimsky-Korsakov · Tchaikovsky - Vassily Savenko · Alexander Blok (2) – Russian Images(CD, Album) | 1999 | Hyperion |
| 13 |  |
César Cui - Alexander Gretchaninov - Alexander Tcherepnin – The Russian Flute | 1997 | Classico |
| 14 |  |
Valentina Sharonova, Vladimir Yurigin-Klevke, Александр Сергеевич Даргомыжский, César Cui – Dargomyzhsky Cui Romances(CD, Album) | 1994 | Russian Disc (3) |
| 15 |  |
Elizaveta Gilels, Leonid Kogan, Emil Gilels, Leclair, Mozart, Cui – Sonata For Two Violins / Sonatas For Piano And Violin / Sonata For Violin And Piano(CD, Compilation) | 1994 | Multisonic |
| 16 |  |
César Cui, Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Robert Stankovsky – Orchestral Suites Nos. 2 and 4(CD, Album) | 1993 | Marco Polo |
| 17 |  |
Rimsky-Korsakov - Balakirev - Moussorgsky - César Cui - Borodine – Les Cinq Russes (Capriccio Espagnol / Ouverture Sur Des Thèmes Russes / La Khovanchtchina / Deux Pièces "In Modo Populari" / Dans Les Steppes De L'Asie Centrale) | 1992 | Disques A Charlin |
| 18 |  |
Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov, Steven Isserlis, John Eliot Gardiner, The Chamber Orchestra Of Europe – Rococo Variations (Original Version) / Andante Cantabile - Pezzo Capriccioso - Nocturne | 1990 | Virgin Classics |
| 19 |  |
Feuermann, Brahms, Reger, Mendelssohn, Cui, Schumann, Drigo – The English Columbias Volume II | 1990 | Pearl |
| 20 |  |
Cesar Cui, Takako Nishizaki, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Kenneth Schermerhorn – Suite Concertante Op. 25 For Violin And Orchestra, Suite Miniature Op. 20 • Suite Op. 43 "In Modo Populari" | 1985 | Marco Polo |
| 21 |  |
М. Глинка, Н. Римский-Корсаков, Ц. Кюи - Валентина Левко – Романсы = Romances(LP, Stereo) | 1983 | Мелодия |
| 22 |  |
А. Рубинштейн / Ц. Кюи / А. Гречанинов, Нина Исакова, Александр Бахчиев – Krylov's Fables = Басни Крылова(LP, Stereo) | 1982 | Мелодия |
| 23 |  |
Glasunow, Karnowitsch, Tanejew, Gretchaninow, Cui, Südfunkchor Stuttgart, Marinus Voorberg – Russische Chormusik(LP) | 1978 | RCA Red Seal |
| 24 |  |
Михаил Безверхний - Ц. Кюи / Р. Бойко / Й. Сук / Ф. Мендельсон / П. Сарасате – Из Пьес Для Скрипки И Фортепиано / Соната Для Скрипки И Фортепиано / Четыре Пьесы Для Скрипки И Фортепиано / На Крыльях Песни / Хабанера(LP) | 1975 | Мелодия |
| 25 |  |
Borodin, Mussorgsky, Cui, Balakirev - Jonel Perlea, Bamberg Symphony – Polovetsian Dances / Night On Bald Mountain / Tarantella / Tamar | 1956 | Phonotapes-Sonore |
| 26 |  |
Ц. Кюи, Галина Баринова – Ориенталь / Колыбельная | 1950 | Государственный Дом Звукозаписи |
| 27 |  |
Mischa Elman, Raymond Bauman, František Drdla, César Cui – Souvenir / Kaleidoscope, Op. 50 No. 9 "Orientale"(Shellac, 10", 78 RPM) | - | "Gramola" Record |
| 28 |  |
César Cui - Boris Christoff – Mélodies (Disque II)(LP, Album) | - | Pathé |
| 29 |  |
David Ward (10), Alexander Borodin, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Modest Mussorgsky, Mily Balakirev, César Cui – Borodin Petite Suite / Borodin And The Kutchka(LP, Compilation, Stereo) | - | Pearl |
Videos featuring Cesar Cui
Russian Classical Music: Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Mussorgsky, Balakirev.. (Ct. rec.: André Charlin)
THE FIVE RUSSIANS.
*Click to activate the English subtitles for the presentation* (00:00-02:30)
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908)
Capriccio espagnol, op. 34 (00:00)
Alborada - Variazioni - Scena e canto gitano - Fandango asturiano
BORODIN (1833-1887)
In the Ste
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