Evgeni Orkin (, born 2 October 1977) is a Ukrainian composer, clarinetist, saxophonist, conductor and author, who is based in Germany.

Life and career Born in Lviv, then in the Ukrainian SSR, Orkin studied first at the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music, clarinet with I. Pendischuk and composition with Yevhen Stankovych. He studied further in Utrecht and at the Musikhochschule Mannheim, clarinet with Herman Braune and , conducting with Melvin Margolis and composition with Ulrich Leyendecker and .

Orkin played as principal clarinet in the ensemble of the Kyiv Camerata from 1992 to 1999. He was a co-founder of the project Open-Lift for contemporary music in Utrecht and co-founder, clarinetist and saxophonist of the ensemble Komponistenverschwörung,. a member of the ensemble TEMA in Karlsruhe, and a co-founder and player of the Dorado Quintet.

He has played in world premieres, in works by composers such as , Nuno Corte-Real, , , Valentin Silvestrov, Yevhen Stankovych and Martin Wistinghausen.

Orkin composed ten chamber symphonies, seven symphonies, concertos, among others, for violin, piano, saxophone and clarinet, an opera Magister Ludi after Hermann Hesse, several works of musical theatre, and chamber music. His works were performed at international festivals, including Vienna Festival, Young Euro Classic, , Lucerne Festival, „Un Week-end à l’Est“ in Paris, Kontrasty in Lviv, the Kyiv Music Fest, a festival of new music in Odesa, Heidelberger Frühling, , ZeitGenuss in Karlsruhe, Menuhin Festival Gstaad, Wachenheimer Serenaden, and LvivMozArt. His works are published by Universal Edition, Accolade, Konsid und Are Musikverlag.

His chamber opera Das Märchen der Waldkönigin Ach sets a Ukrainian fairy tale; it was premiered at the small Wartburg stage of the Staatstheater Wiesbaden in October 2023. His Odessa Rhapsody was awarded the European Music Prize from the mayor of Berlin in 2023. It was premiered in Paris, and he received the prize when the German premiere was played at the Konzerthaus Berlin as part of Young Euro Classic by the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine conducted by Oksana Lyniv to whom he had dedicated the work.

In 2010 he founded the label OML. He published an educational book about playing historic clarinets in 2017, Methodische Einführung in das Erlernen und die Anwendung der historischen Klarinette, translated in German, English and Ukrainian.

Orkin lectures at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim.

Awards 1999: Prize from the President of Ukraine (for his First Symphony "Parade of the Planets") 2001: Scholarship from Lions Club Mannheim (for Jüdische Suite for clarinet) 2004: First prize of the second Festival of the Jewish World Congress in composition 2005: First prize of the competition by the Goethe Institute Mannheim, "Schiller vs Goethe" for the best setting of a text by Schiller European Composition Prize 2023 for "Odesa Rhapsody" for two violins and orchestra

Works op. 1: Sonatine for clarinet op. 2: Quintet for draughts op. 3: Gamayoune op. 4: Chamber symphony No. 1 „The Harbours“ op. 5: Variations for piano op. 6: Partita da Piazzolla (Versions for solo violine, clarinet, 2 violins, viola, cello and double-bass as well for clarinet, violin, cello and piano) op. 7: The Mirror (chamber concerto for piano and strings) op. 8: Talisman (Poem for soprano and strings on a poem by Alexander Pushkin) op. 9: Symphony/Ballet No. 1 „Parade of the Planets“ for orchestra op. 10: Jewish Suite for solo clarinet op. 11: Suite for string orchestra op. 12: Rhapsody for solo oboe op. 13: Chamber symphony No. 2 for cello und strings op. 14: Mosaiks (Versions for solo piano und for piano four hands) op. 15: Violin concerto op. 16: Chamber symphony No. 3 (Double Concerto for violin und cello with strings, percussion, celesta and harpsichord) op. 17: Konzertstueck for piano with orchestra op. 18: The Rain Songs for soprano, clarinet and piano op. 19: Four Songs on Ossip Mandelstam (versions for sopran and guitar and for sopran and strings) op. 20: String quartet No. 1 op. 21: Die Schatten (Suite for clarinet and guitar) op. 22: Sinfonia brevis No. 1 op. 23: Symphony No. 2 op. 24: Sonatina for piano op. 25: Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano op. 26: Wohin segelt das Schiff? (two poems by Friedrich Schiller) for voice and piano op. 27: Cogito ergo sum (Singspiel after Friedrich Schiller’s Xenien from the „Musen-Almanach für das Jahr 1797“) op. 28: Three Musicians (Hommage to Pablo Picasso) for flute, bassoon and piano op. 29: Symphoniy No. 3 „The Master and Margarita“ (free after Mikhail Bulgakov) op. 30: Chamber symphony No. 4 op. 31: Four Miniatures for french horn and piano op. 32: Six Bagatelles for violin, cello and piano op. 33: Un Ange qui ... for clarinet and organ op. 34: Los Caprichos for bassoon/contrabassoon and piano op. 35: Chamber symphony No. 5 „Le Caprice“ for strings op. 36: Las Meninas for flute and piano op. 37: Eine kleine Hochzeitskantate op. 38: Three Graphics for violin and piano op. 39: Concerto for soprano saxophone and orchestra op. 40: Graphomania 2 for orchestra op. 41: Chamber symphony No. 6 „Winterschlaf“ for mezzo-soprano, choir and chamber orchestra op. 42: Wizzard (versions for clarinet and piano and for clarinet and sound sample) op. 43: Clarinet quintet for clarinet and string quartet op. 44: Meditation for clarinet and sound sample op. 45: Chamber symphony No. 7 for female voice and chamber orchestra op. 46: Escher-Etudes for three grand pianos in room op. 47: Lullaby for mezzo-soprano, clarinet, violin and piano op. 48: Missa Homoptera for clarinet and sound sample op. 49: Ganz im Sinne des Tangos ... for saxophone quartet op. 50: Klanjobox Antique for clarinet, bastard banjo and live electronics op. 51: Hommages à Carl Nielsen, Jean Françaix, Olivier Messiaen, Igor Strawinsky, George Gershwin, Benny Goodman, Astor Piazzolla for solo clarinet (Nos. 1–6) or rather for five clarinets (No. 7) op. 52: Vosaduli for brass quintet op. 53: Symphony No. 4 „Haiku“ for orchestra op. 54: Martini Blue for voice, alto-saxophone, trombone, banjo, bass guitar, piano and live electronics op. 55: Chamber symphony No. 8 „Windrose“ for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, french horn, percussion and strings op. 56: Concerto d’oro (versions for alto-saxophone with big band and for alto-saxophone with concert band) op. 57: Die Neun Musen for solo violin op. 58: Symphony No. 5 „Jewish“ for orchestra op. 59: Tandem-Toccata for two violins op. 60: Two Pieces for shakuhachi and piano op. 61: Quintet for two violins, viola, cello and piano op. 62: Magister Ludi (Opera in six acts after Hermann Hesse) op. 63: Speaking choir A „Kalaschnikow ist tot“ op. 64: Profundus for bass clarinet and sound sample op. 65: Chamber symphony No. 9 „Olimpia“ for two alto-saxophones, flute, violin, cello, percussion and piano op. 66: Symphony No. 6 „Maidan“ op. 67: Songs after poems by Franz Kafka for voice and piano op. 68: „Der Schummeltrompeter“ free on motives from Struwwelpeter for narrator and small ensemble op. 69: Adagio for clarinet (also for soprano-saxophone and wind controller) and orchestra op. 70: „Odem“ (version for two solo violas and strings) op. 71: Chamber symphony No. 10 „Sprich mit mir“ for voice, violin and chamber orchestra op. 72: b.) „Echo“ for clarinet, sound sample and two narrators op. 73: „In Wiederkehr der Masken“ (versions for clarinet and chamber orchestra, for clarinet and wind orchestra) op. 74: „Und wie der Pan gähnt...“ for overtone singer and small ensemble op. 75: „Annes Passion“ Oratorium for narrator, soloists, choir and orchestra after texts by Anne Frank op. 76: Theobald Lieder for voice and piano op. 77: „3 Mahngesänge“ for clarinet and strings op. 78: „3 Valses“ for orchestra op. 79: Violin concerto No. 2 op. 80: String quartet No. 2 op. 81: „Halytska overture“ for orchestra op. 82: „Mizmor“ for klezmer band, cantor and string orchestra op. 83: „Odesa Rhapsody“ for two violins and orchestra op. 84: „Nachtgebet“ for orchestra op. 85: „Tatusewa Knyha“ cantata for narrator, soloists, children choir and orchestra op. 86: „Rechtzeitig“ for chamber ensemble op. 87: Grand Trio Concertant for clarinet, violin and piano op. 88: „Todesfuge“ for violin, narrator and orchestra op. 89: Symphony No. 7 „Das hohe Schloss“ op. 90: „Requiem for a Poet“ for bariton, sampler and orchestra op. 91: „Elegy“ for orchestra op. 92: „Fünf unterbrochene Wiegenlieder“ for orchestra op. 93: „Odradek“ concerto for viola and string orchestra op. 94: „Mendele-Lohengrin“ clezmer singspiel for narrator, soprano and chamber orchestra op. 95: „Radetzkymarsch“ for clarinet (also bass clarinet), narrator and orchestra op. 96: „Briefe aus dem Schatten“ for soloists, choir and orchestra

References

External links

Evgeni Orkin Musikhochschule Mannheim Evgeni Orkin at Universal Edition Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine Young Euro Classic 2023