Aleksey Aygi (stylized as Alexei Aigui, born 11 July 1971) is a Russian composer, violinist, and leader of the 4'33" Ensemble.
Biography and career

Aigui is ethnically
Chuvash and the son of Chuvash national poet
Gennadiy Aygi
Gennadiy Nikolaevich Aygi ( rus, Генна́дий Никола́евич Айги́, p=ɡʲɪˈnadʲɪj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ ɐjˈɡʲi, a=Gyennadiy Nikolayevich Aygi.ru.vorb.oga, cv, Геннадий Николаевич Айхи; 21 Augu ...
.
A graduate of Moscow's State Music and Pedagogical Institute, Aigui's work has been noted for its
minimalist
In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Do ...
aesthetics. This investment in minimalism led Aigui to name his band after the
John Cage composition ''
4′33″
''4′33″'' (pronounced "four minutes, thirty-three seconds" or just "four thirty-three") is a three- movement composition by American experimental composer John Cage. It was composed in 1952, for any instrument or combination of instruments ...
'', the score for which instructs performers to refrain from playing their instruments. In 1994, Aigui debuted his 4'33" Ensemble at the Moscow International Festival of Modern Music, with another early performance taking place at the 1996 "European Days in Samara" festival.
Aigui is a prolific composer who has scored dozens of films and television programs, including ''
Country of the Deaf'', which received the
Russian Guild of Film Critics Award for Best Score; ''
Wild Field
: This article can be expanded from the in the Russian Wikipedia
Wild Field ( Russian: Дикое поле) is a 2008 Russian film directed by Mikheil Kalatozishvili from a well-known 1990s script by the late Pyotr Lutsik and Aleksey Samo ...
'', which received a
Nika Award
The Nika Award (sometimes styled NIKA Award) is the main annual national film award in Russia, presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of the Oscars.
History
The award was established ...
,
Golden Eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds ...
Award, and
Kinotavr
Kinotavr (russian: Кинотавр), also known as the Sochi Open Russian Film Festival is an open film festival held in the resort town, resort city of Sochi, Russia annually in June since 1991, until it was cancelled in the wake of the 2022 Ru ...
Award for Best Music, as well as the
White Elephant Award for Best Composer; and the widely-acclaimed ''
I Am Not Your Negro'', which was nominated for a
Cinema Eye Honors
The Cinema Eye Honors are awards recognizing excellence in nonfiction or documentary filmmaking and include awards for the disciplines of directing, producing, cinematography and editing. The awards are presented each January in New York and have b ...
Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score.
Discography
Leader or co-leader
with Ensemble 4'33"
Selected filmography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aigui, Alexei
20th-century composers
21st-century composers
Russian violinists
21st-century violinists
Recipients of the Nika Award
1971 births
Academicians of the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Russia
Russian film score composers
21st-century Russian male musicians
20th-century Russian male musicians
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)