The Master and Margarita

Simon Nabatov - The Master and Margarita

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Simon Nabatov was born in Moscow, but in 1979, when he was 20 years old, his family emigrated to New York. That's where he studied at the Juilliard School of Music and where his interest for jazz and improvised music started to grow. Since 1989 he lives in Cologne playing as a jazz pianist in different combinations.

In 1997, Simon Nabatov was asked by the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in Hamburg to make a composition based on a work of the classical Russian literature. He chose for The Master and Margarita. The result is a suite in 10 parts following the story line of the novel. The basic structure was defined, but there was room for the musicians to make free associations. It was played by a quintet that made a European tour with it in October 1997. In 1999 it was recorded for the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in Cologne, and in 2001 a double cd was released.