Nikolai Kapustin
Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin (Russian: Никола́й Ги́ршевич Капу́стин Russian pronunciation: [kɐˈpustʲɪn]; 22 November 1937 – 2 July 2020) was a Soviet-born, Russian composer and pianist. He trained at the Moscow Conservatory under Alexander Goldenweiser before embarking on a career as a jazz pianist and arranger, playing with early Soviet jazz bands such as the Oleg Lundstrem Orchestra.
In the 1980s, Kapustin transitioned to full-time composition. His musical output includes 161 opus numbers, mainly in a hybrid style combining the rhythmic and harmonic language of jazz with traditional Western classical structures. Despite his music frequently sounding indistinguishable from spontaneous jazz improvisation, Kapustin was meticulous in writing out every note. He historically denied the role of actual improvisation in his compositions and saw himself exclusively as a classical musician.
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