Born on November 30, 1937, in Novossibirsk, Siberia, Edouard Artemiev was a pioneer of electronic music. He was also known for his film scores including his work with Russian directors Andrei Tarkovski, Andrei Konchalovski, and Nikita Mikhalkov. He became interested in synthesizers and early electronic music after he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and composed his first electronic work in 1967 working with an ANS instrument developed by engineer Evgueni Mourzine. In 1969, Édouard Artemiev collaborated with Stanislas Kreichi, Alexander Nemtin, and Sándor Kallós on the album ANS. He then began a collaboration with director Andreï Tarkovski and composed music for films such as Solaris (1972), The Mirror (1975), and Stalker (1979). Edouard Artemiev became a popular film composer and wrote scores for films such as Sibériade (1979), Le Cercle des Intimes (1991) and L'Odyssée (1997) for director Andrei Konchalovski as well as Slave of Love (1976). ), Urga (1991), Deceptive Sun (1994) and The Barber of Siberia (1998) for director Nikita Mikhalkov. Outside of his soundtrack work, Edouard Artemiev also released albums under his own name including Métamorphoses (1980), Moods (1984), Ode to the Bearer of Good News (1984), Warmth of the Earth (1986), Three Odes (2002), Invitation to Reminiscences (2010), Connecting Spaces (2011), and The Nutcracker & the Rat King (2012). With a respected body of work, there have been many Edouard Artemiev compilations released over the years including A Book of Impressions (2000), The Harmony of Being (2015), Anthology (2018), and more. Several artists have recorded covers of his music including PPK, DJ Feel, and On Thorns I Lay. Over the course of his career, he has won several awards and honors including four Nika Prizes (1994, 2004, 2008, and 2017), which is Russia’s main national film award. He’s also been honored with the distinction of People's Artist of the Russian Federation (1999), as well five Golden Eagles for best film music (2007, 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2015), the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (2013), the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2017) and the Golden Mask (2017). In 2014, his themes to the films Siberiade and At Home Among Strangers were used as the opening and closing, respectively, of the 2014 Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony. Edouard Artemiev died on 29, 2022, at the age of 85.
