- Russian guitarist and composer Sergei Ivanovich Rudnev was born in 1955 in Tula (Russia). In 1975 he graduated from the Tula Musical College in accordion and balalajka. Simultaneously with these studies he took guitar lessons from the famous musicians A. Slavsky and P. Panin in Moscow. In 1975 he entered the Higher Artillery School in Tula from which he was later transferred to the Garrison Military Orchestra as an assistant conductor. There he learned to play the flute, percussion instruments, harmonica and was trained in the principals of arrangement for pop orchestras.
- In the 80’s Rudnev worked as a musical director of various rock and jazz groups such as ‘Russians’, ‘Express’, ‘Young Voices’, ‘Slides’. At the same time he mastered the fundamentals of arrangements for symphony orchestras and took lessons in composition from Oscar Feltsman and Mikael Tariverdiev. By the beginning of the 80’s Rudnev became a concert guitarist, building a highly successful career, in Russia and internationally. In 1992 Vladimir Spivakov had Rudnev invited to participate in the Music Festival in Colmar (France), where Sergei had the honor to perform on the same stage with the legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin. He plays a Russian seven-string guitar and published his own methodological guide known as ‘Russian Style of Playing the Classical Guitar’.
- Rudnev’s music is drenched in the folklore and tradition of Russia, assimilating all currents styles of the 20-th century including jazz and pop. This 3-CD set presents his unique works, played by Russian guitarists Ravshan Mamedkuliev, Dimitri Illarionov, Aynur Bergutov, Vladimir Mityakov and Sergei Rudnev himself.