Jan Freidlin

Jan Freidlin (Hebrew: יאן פריידלין; Russian: Ян (Яков) Михайлович Фрейдлин; born 12 August 1944) is a Russian composer and pianist. He has composed pieces for solo instruments (primarily piano), chamber groups and orchestras. He has also written music for films and television, such as The Summer has Begun.

Biography

Freidlin was born on 12 August 1944^[1] in Chita, Siberia.^[2] He moved to Odesa and studied piano performance, composition and music theory at the Odesa Music College. Under A. Kogan, Freidlin studied music theory and composition at the Odesa Conservatory, graduating in 1971.^[3]

From 1974 to 1990, Freidlin was head of music theory and composition at the School of Stolyarsky.

Freidlin stayed in Odesa for some time after completing his studies. In 1974, Freidlin joined the USSR's Union of Russian Composers, an organisation created in 1932 by Joseph Stalin. During his time in Odesa, Freidlin also served as the Artistic Director and Principal conductor of the local Odesa Philharmonic Society Jazz Orchestra. From 1974 until his emigration to Israel, Freidlin was the head of the Music Theory and Composition section of the School of Stolyarsky, a music college established by Pyotr Stolyarsky.^[3]

In 1990, Freidlin emigrated to Israel and began teaching at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in Tel Aviv. He continued at this post for three years. From then until the present, Freidlin has been teaching composition at the Levinsky College of Music.^[4][5]

Selected compositions

Freidlin has written for various groups and ensembles. He has composed five symphonies, a ballet, some concertos and many pieces for solo instruments and chamber groups. Freidlin has also composed soundtracks for seven motion pictures, over 25 theatrical shows and several television shows.^[5][4]

• Four Stories – character pieces for piano, used for the ABRSM Grade 7 exam list^[4][6]
• Guernica – a ballet^[3]
• Letters From Arles – in six movements for guitar^[7]
• Mist Over the Lake – for guitar and clarinet^[8]
• Poem of Contrasts – commissioned by the IPO in 2007
• Romantic Concerto for Trombone, Piano and Strings^[9]
• Sonata in 3 visions – written and used especially for the 1998 International Harp Contest.^[10]