Call him the Shostaconvict!
Page Six hears that a renowned New York composer — whose works have been performed at both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center — is wanted in Russia, accused of defrauding a massive titanium company out of tens of millions of dollars.
But the maestro of metal says he’s innocent, and that the Russian government is retaliating against him.
It turns out Leningrad Conservatory graduate Igor Raykhelson — whose Adagio for Viola and Strings has been especially celebrated by the Big Apple’s classical connoisseurs — runs a tidy little sideline selling scrap titanium to supply the Russian military, among others.
According to court papers seen by Page Six, the former president of Russian metal firm AVISMA allegedly colluded with Raykhelson — who was born in the USSR and emigrated to the US in 1979 — and two Russian suppliers to overcharge AVISMA for recycled titanium. (Two men have already been detained in Russia over the matter, and there’s a warrant out for Raykhelson’s arrest).
But Raykhelson says in court papers that AVISMA is unfairly comparing his “aerospace grade” product to much cheaper “retail grade,” and that the price he charged for the high-quality material was standard.
The composer — who’s known for his interplay between American jazz and the 20th century Russian classical cannon — claims “the Russian criminal proceedings… is part of a much broader attack, smear campaign, and abuse of process against [him]” in retaliation for his own firm, Interlink, suing AVISMA.
“[AVISMA] is a key part of the Russian industrial infrastructure” and “plays a critical role in the Russian military-industrial complex,” he claims in court papers, adding that a Russian-state owned company owns 25% of AVISMA.
Raykhelson’s work has been a favorite of famed Russian conductor Yuri Bashmet, who has conducted Raykhelson’s Jazz Suite, Adagio for Viola and Strings, and the Viola Concerto to considerable acclaim.
Bashmet and the Moscow Soloist Orchestra performed the Adagio at Carnegie Hall in 2003, and performed Rakyhelson’s work at Lincoln Center in 2006.
When we reached Raykhelson’s son at Interlink for comment, he hung up on us.
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