The Theremin Page
Bob Moog playing his own commercially-produced Theremin.
Back in 1986, Dave Stewart wrote a song called Mr.Theremin, a tribute to the Russian inventor of that musical instrument. The song (which, we must point out, features no theremin!) appeared on the Stewart/Gaskin album The Big Idea. Subsequently, Dave and Barbara met virtuoso thereminist Lydia Kavina in London, and Dave wrote the following article for Keyboard magazine. Since then we have become aware of some excellent Theremin pages (see links at bottom) which we can recommend to the growing numbers of theremaniacs out there. Anyone interested in following Lydia Kavina's playing career, or discussing the possibility of obtaining a theremin, may do so by contacting UK theremin enthusiast Tony Henk on ahenk@ibm.net
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THEREMIN
Virtuoso Russian thereminist visits Britain
How many professional theremin players are there in the world? Now that the great Clara Rockmore no longer gives public performances, there may be only one - the 27 year old Russian musician Lydia Kavina. Lydia is the great niece of Lev Termen, inventor of this fascinating, ethereal instrument in 1920. She began to study the theremin at the age of 9, under the instruction of Termen himself. Although then in his 80's, the great man was still working a 40 hour week, and Lydia fondly recalls that Termen would always arrive at their Friday evening sessions bearing a gift of some sort for his young apprentice.
After graduating from the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow, where she studied composition with Alexander Perumov, Lydia began giving theremin concerts in Russia, in defiance of pre-Glasnost Soviet disapproval of electronic music. Since then she has played over 350 concerts and TV broadcasts, including tours of the (then) Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal and the USA. In 1994 she flew to England to play theremin on the soundtrack of the film 'Ed Wood', and earlier this year, after resettling in Hamburg, added the other-worldly tones of her 'ethervox' (as the theremin was once called) to a new theatrical production of Alice, based on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland.
In February '95 Lydia Kavina visited Britain for a short holiday. Word of her
arrival spread quickly, and theremin enthusiast Tony
Henk was able to arrange an impromptu concert. An enthralled audience, which
included Bruce Woolley (founder of new theremin-led band Radio
Science Orchestra) , Keyboard columnist Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin, heard
Kavina trip through a mixed programme of classical and contemporary pieces, some
specially written for the theremin. One highlight was 'The Elephant' from Saint-Saens'
Carnival Of The Animals, in which the theremin's earth-shaking sub-bass register
had had seismologists across Southern England worriedly scanning their instruments.
Throughout the performance, Kavina displayed an uncanny precision, and an emotional
depth and subtlety which belied the electronic nature of her instrument. Music
from the air indeed, and music from the spirit.
Kavina's arrival in the UK coincides with a strong upsurge of interest in the theremin in this country. Pop artists such as Shakespeare's Sister, Paul Weller, Bruce Woolley and Portishead
have been experimenting with the instrument, while Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin (who recorded the song Mr.Theremin, a tribute to Lev Termen, on their album The Big Idea in 1986) plan to feature the theremin on their new album. Spearheading the instrument's resurgence is electronics engineer Tony Henk, who designed and built the sweet-toned theremin used by Kavina in her London concert. "My instrument remains true to the original operating principals of the Termen design, but uses modern components. The unit has a large built-in speaker with a good bass response, and also a separate monitor line for the player's benefit".Henk hopes to be able to produce more models of his modern theremin later this year, with a target price of "around £500". For more developments, watch the 'World View' section of Keyboard magazine!
Go back to the Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin main menu.
Or go forward to find out more about Dave and Barb.
pages produced by Creative Pitch