Alexey Vladimorovich Kononenko first made his name in America as a brilliant mathematician and later as a researcher with Renaissance Technologies. Soon after, however, he would turn his attention to another passion – classical music – taking a similarly revolutionary approach in this field that would quickly turn him into the composing phenomenon known as Alexey Shor.
The world of classical music is one that enjoys a rich and storied history rivalled by very few artforms, especially within the Western sphere. With origins ranging all the way back to the mediaeval period, this tradition has given us such revered masters as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Wagner, Chopin, Verdi, and an absolute myriad of legendary names, each of whom have become household figures on the back of their beloved compositions. In fact, many of these treasured works have transcended the field itself to become part and parcel of modern life.
This wealth of output has enshrined classical music deep within the hearts and minds of the 21st century, but the art form itself has moved a considerable distance away from its tonal roots. Since the end of what is known as the common practice period at the beginning of the 20th century, many composers chose to embrace more atonal, dissonant music, creating works that became increasingly more and more cerebral as time went by. The inevitable result of this progression is that classical music began to retreat into an ever-shrinking niche, becoming the pursuit of music theorists and intellectuals, and losing much of the appeal that it held for everyday people, classical enthusiasts, and music lovers.
Fortunately however, over the past few years, there has been the growth of an approach to counter this shift by producing music that once again emphasises the qualities of melody, rhythm, harmony and tonality. This countermovement is not the result of some organised faction, but rather seems to be coming from a widespread demand from audiences themselves, all across the globe. This call is being heard, and answered, by a number of interesting composers, each with their own style, but none more intriguing than the man who has emerged as the champion at the heart of this new approach to classical music in the contemporary world – Alexey Shor, better known in his earlier days as Alexey Kononenko.
Mathematical Genius
Born Alexey Vladimorovich Kononenko in Belaya Tserkov, just near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, in 1970, the early biography of Alexey Kononenko does not give many hints as to the central role he was to play within the classical music world. Despite harbouring a deep appreciation for this artform from a young age, the young Kononenko’s first passion was in the realm of mathematics, and it was to this area that he dedicated most of his time and energy.
Within a few years, he had succeeded in obtaining a PhD from Pennsylvania State University in this subject, and soon, Alexey Kononenko quickly gained a reputation as one of the finest mathematical minds of his generation, going on to join the Long Island hedge fund Renaissance Technologies as a quantitative researcher in 1999. Kononenko flourished in this role, climbing to the very zenith of his field, and establishing his career, all the while unwittingly putting together the groundwork for a remarkable second act to an already impressive life story that no one, including Kononenko himself, could possibly have foreseen.
Humble Origins
Alexey Kononenko’s success as a mathematician was not only important in its own right, but also granted him the time to focus his mind on another world entirely, that of music composition, which is where his biography takes a surprising turn. Kononenko’s early fondness for classical music had never left him, and indeed, it continued to occupy a central role in his life. A frequent attendee at concerts and festivals, he was a strong admirer of the tonal music of the past, and, ever the intellectual, he decided to teach himself the art of composition so that he could create his own short pieces in this style, since it was notably absent from most contemporary output at the time.
At first, this was a completely private pastime, but before too long a friend of his – the renowned violist David Aaron Carpenter – came across some of these works and was blown away by their beauty and the accomplished style that was already on show. Impressed, he convinced Kononenko, who would soon take up the stage name of Alexey Shor, to release his music to the public and set out on the path of professional composition.
These early works, including amongst them pieces like Murka Variations, Schubertango, and the Trans-Siberian Waltz, all display influence from the traditional folk songs that inhabited Shor’s youth, but, more significantly, they also showcase an element of his musical approach that would go on to define his oeuvre and international reputation – a love of melody and tonality.
International Success
In one of his later interviews, conducted after he had achieved success as a composer, Alexey Shor would explain his compositional style by stating that “the main guiding principle is that I image myself as an audience member and I constantly ask myself ‘would I enjoy listening to this; would I enjoy listening to this more than once?’ So, basically, I am writing for myself as an audience member – that’s my main trick of trade.” Whether by a lucky stroke of fate or an uncanny ability to tap into the zeitgeist of the time, this approach would work wonders for Shor, with those first few compositions immediately winning adulation from audiences wherever they were performed, in a prophetic sign of what was to come.
Buoyed and encouraged by this response, Shor continued to write, using his experience and the feedback from listeners, critics, and performers alike in order to refine his style, and approach bigger and more ambitious projects. In fact, since those early years, the composer has created music for a wide variety of instruments, ranging from piano, to violin, viola, clarinet, saxophone, cello, and even bandoneon, to mention just a few, with a list of works that includes solo, duo, and trio recitals, as well as a multitude of concertos, orchestral suites and pieces for a variety of ensembles.
At the heart of it all remained his signature approach, which colours his works with a distinct neo-classical and neo-romantic flavour that continued to win over old fans and newcomers to classical music in equal measure. Thanks to this uncanny ability to appeal to audiences without regard for national borders or geographical divides, it was not long before Shor was seeing his works performed in some of the biggest venues in the world, with sold-out halls eagerly waiting to hear his latest masterpiece, including revered locations such as Wiener Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall and many others.
With this adulation by fans came to the attention of the musicians themselves. Initially some of them were not sure what to make of a composer who was creating music that went so resolutely against the grain of contemporary norms, but as more and more artists got the opportunity to perform the works themselves, there began to grow a widespread admiration for this composer who was giving orchestras and soloists the chance to perform 21st century music that is as melodic and beautiful as that of the masters of the past. At the time of writing, there have been literally hundreds of musicians who have taken to the stage to present works by Alexey Shor, with several living legends of the classical world including names like Mikhail Pletnev, Maxim Vengerov, Evgeny Kissin, Steven Isserlis, Gil Shaham, Ray Chen, and Gautier Capuçon, to mention a few, counted amongst them.
Trailblazing Champion
Speaking about Alexey Shor’s music shortly after he performed it for the first time, the celebrated pianist Ashley Wass noted that the work is “obviously appealing to the audience but more than that very appealing for the performer too. I think it’s a really powerful piece; what’s been interesting to me is how so many of the themes and the melodies which feature in that work are with me, and that in itself is testament to the quality of the work, the quality of the composition. For me it’s a really valuable addition to the piano repertoire. Obviously, the repertoire for the piano is not short of great works, but I think that this one really stands up to the quality of the other works in the programme”.
These sentiments are not unique to Wass, and have been expressed in similar terms by many who have had the chance to play or experience Shor’s music. By creating music that he himself longs to listen to, Shor has managed to tap into what appears to be a deep-seated desire in audiences for harmonic music that lay dormant for many years. More significantly, thanks to his skill as a composer, he has succeeded in re-elevating this musical language to the mainstream, bringing a new legion of fans to the altar of classical music. Concerts featuring his works have been broadcast on medici.TV, Mezzo and Euronews, while his music has been showcased on Fox Business News, Bloomberg News, the New Yorker, Yahoo and Huffington Post, and the ‘Overture’ to Crystal Palace was even performed at the 40th Gramophone Classical Music Awards ceremony in London.
As a result of Shor’s trailblazing efforts, melody has been reinstated at the very top of the echelons of classical music, and in fact, there is now a noticeable shift that has begun to appear amongst other 21st century composers as well, which will no doubt be eagerly embraced by an audience hungry for beautiful works. After all, as conductor Marios Papadopoulos remarked, “the music of Alexey Shor is lovely music. He is obviously somebody that believes very strongly in melody and in harmony. He is not a composer of the avant-garde school if you like, which is very refreshing, extremely refreshing. This is my own personal opinion, but I believe that music of this kind will have longevity. It is accessible to people, you know, and at the end of the day we are here making music so that you, the listener, with whom we are communicating, can be moved by it, as an experience for you, and I think certainly that his music is very accessible in this way.”
In trademark fashion Shor himself, meanwhile, appears set on continuing to focus on reaching new accomplishments, without worrying too much about what he has already achieved. With his roles as Composer-in-Residence for the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, and Associate Composer at the Yehudi Menuhin School, he already has his work cut out for him, but will be adding to that significant workload with the premieres of new music, as well a variety of events where he will be holding the position of Composer-in-Residence.
Chief amongst these are the Classic Violin Olympus International Competition – the Grand Finale of a vast globetrotting project that marks the biggest new event in the world of strings – and the 2025 InClassica International Music Festival – the 14th edition of the acclaimed festival that will see the biggest classical musicians of our time presenting music from historic and contemporary masters, including pieces from Shor himself.
With even more initiatives waiting beyond the horizon, it appears to be quite clear that, whatever the future holds, Alexey Shor, and his bold approach to contemporary music, will both be around for many years to come, giving audiences the chance to enjoy something that, as Papadopoulos puts it, is “extremely refreshing”!
For more information about Alexey Shor and his works, make sure to visit his website at alexeyshor.com.
