Soviet Union on Music Theory Print

Aaron Avshalomov

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Aaron Avshalomov (; 11 November 1894 – 16 April 1965) was a Russian-born Jewish composer. His work included several ballets, two operas, a violin concerto, four symphonies and a flute concerto. Early life Born into a Mountain Jewish family in Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, Russia, Avshalomov was sent for medical studies to Zürich. After the October Revolution in 1917, which made further studies in Europe impossible, his family sent him to the United States. Career Less than a year later, he chose to move to China, Between 1918 and 1947, he worked to create a synthesis of Chinese musical elements and Western techniques of orchestral composition. Among the first works of this type that he created was the opera Kuan Yin, which premiered in Peking in 1925. In the spring of 1935, at the invitation of He Luting, he orchestrated the newly composed March of the Volunteers by Nie Er for the film Children of Troubled Times (1935), making him the first to orchestrate what would become the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China. Avshalomov made his main livelihood at bookstores and libraries. He was the head librarian of the Public Library, Shanghai Municipal Council for 15 years from 1928 un

Abdylas Maldybaev

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Abdylas Maldybaevich Maldybaev (; July 7, 1906 – June 1, 1978) was a Soviet and Kyrgyz composer, actor, and operatic tenor singer. Maldybaev was one of the composers of the state anthem of the Kirghiz SSR and is still renowned for his operatic composition. He helped popularize Kyrgyz music by skillfully using Western European techniques. The Kyrgyz one som banknote pictures him. Maldybayev provided folk melodies and composed music which was organized and prepared by Russian composers Vladimir Vlasov and Vladimir Fere into six Soviet state operas and other works. Their first full opera was Ai-churek. The collective is usually hyphenated as Vlasov-Fere-Maldybayev, which also composed the Kirghiz national anthem. Works * Ai-Churek, opera in four acts after an episode of the “Manas Epos” (1938–1939) Libretto: D. Tursubekov, D. Bokonbaev and K. Malikov. First performance in 1939 in Frunze. * The History of Happiness, cantata after V. Vinnikov (1949) * On the Banks of Issyk-Kula, opera after K. Bayalinov and V. Vinnikov (1950) * Toktogul, opera (1958) His work has been recorded and issued on media including: * Ai-Churek, LP Melodiya D 07269-74: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Kirgh

Airat Ichmouratov

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Airat Rafailovich Ichmouratov (, Tatar Cyrillic: Айрат Рафаил улы Ишмурат, born 28 June 1973) is a Russian-born Canadian composer, conductor and klezmer clarinetist of Volga Tatar descent. He is a founding member and clarinetist of award-winning Montreal-based klezmer group Kleztory and invited professor at Laval University in Quebec, Canada. Early life Ichmouratov was born and raised in Kazan, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. He is the second child of Razima Ichmouratova (Gatina) and Rafail Ichmouratov. Airat Ichmouratov is a representative of a well-known Tatar theatrical dynasty. His grandfather, Riza Fakhrutdinovich Ishmurat (Ishmuratov), was a playwright, publicist, and director. He was an Honored Artist of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic). His grandmother, Rashida Abdulazyanovna Ziganshina, was an actress at the Galiaskar Kamal Tatar Academic Theatre, as well as a playwright and public figure, and was a People’s Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Russian Federation. At the age of seven, Ichmouratov began his musical education at Kazan Children’s Music School No. 3, named after Röstäm Yaxin. There, he initially

Aivars Kalējs

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Aivars Kalējs (April 22, 1951, Riga, Latvian SSR) is a Latvian composer, organist and pianist. Career Aivars Kalējs has written more than 100 opuses of symphonic, organ, piano, chamber and choir music. His works have won several composition awards, e.g. symphonic work “Musica Dolente” - dedicated to the victims of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. His works are included in many CD’s of the great musicians and collectives such as Iveta Apkalna, Andris Nelsons, Maxim Novikov and Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, Vita Kalnciema released retrospective CD Flashes of Aivars Kalējs organ music recorded in Riga Cathedral. Aivars Kalējs is a concert organist at the Dome Cathedral in Riga and chief organist for the New St. Gertrudes Lutheran Church. He has performed solo recitals, included participating in dozens of important international organ festivals, and toured with various ensembles throughout North America, Colombia, almost all European countries, and Asia, including prestigious venues as Notre Dame de Paris (only Latvian who had three recitals there), Musikverein, West Point Military Academy Cadet Chapel with largest pipe organ in the world. Kalējs is known as an

Alakbar Taghiyev

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Alakbar Taghiyev (; April 28, 1924 – April 16, 1981) was an Azerbaijani composer and author of popular Azerbaijani songs. Biography He was born in 1922, in Ganja, into a large, low-income family. At the age of 14, he began to work in case of need in secretariat of judicial trials. Soviet Union Judicial Institute and after graduation began to work in Goychay as an investigator. He worked in Public Procurators’ Office for more than 30 years and worked until he became the chief of investigation department of Public Procurators’ Office of Baku city. He died in Baku. Creativity From Alakbar’s youth people around him noticed his musical talent, but he chose the other way and engaged in jurisprudence. But absence of special musical talent didn’t prevent him from composing his first song called (“Neighbour Girl”) in 1958, which was heard on the air of Azerbaijan State Television performed by Zeynab Khanlarova. The prominent musician Akif Bakikhanov helped Alakbar Taghiyev to become a composer. Later, Alakbar Taghiyev composed more than 2000 songs and many of them are stored in archive of the composer’s son, and only more than 200 of them have been dubbed. There are such well known and popu

Aleksander Läte

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Aleksander Läte (12 January 1860, in Pikasilla, Aakre Parish, Kreis Dorpat – 8 September 1948, in Tartu) was an Estonian composer, conductor and music critic. He is also known as the first Estonian professional music critic. In 1895, he started his education at Dresden Conservatory and graduated it in choir composition speciality. Since 1932, he led the piano factory Sprenk-Läte, located in Tartu. His brother was the piano master Eugen Sprenk-Läte (1871–1932), who ran the J. Moritz piano factory in Tartu, but was later a business manager. Founded his own piano workshop in Tartu in 1926, where he made pianos. Aleksander Läte continued his brother’s work after his death. Works * Five Cantatas * Kalevala (overture) (1901) * Eesti tants (for symphony orchestra, 1904) * Tempo di mazurka (for symphony orchestra, 1904) References

Aleksandr Kasyanov (composer)

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Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Kasyanov (13 February 1982) was a Soviet and Russian composer, conductor, pianist and professor. He studied privately in his youth with Mily Balakirev and Alexander Glazunov before pursuing studies at the Petrograd Conservatory from which he graduated. At that conservatory he studied under Nikolay Sokolov (music composition) and Sergei Lyapunov (piano). Works * Iola «Иола» (1923), * Stepan Razin, «Степан Разин» (1939) on the Cossack Stepan Razin revised 1953, 3rd revision 1977 given at the Bolshoi * Partizantka «Партизанка» (1941) * Foma Gordeyev «Фома Гордеев» (1946) revised 1966 Kromlyovsky Theatre * In the Far North «На дальнем Севере» (1947), * Yermak «Ермак» (1957) on the Cossack Yermak Timofeyevich Notes References

Aleksandr Lokshin

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Aleksandr Lazarevich Lokshin () (1920–1987) was a Soviet composer of classical music. He was born on 19 September 1920 in the town of Biysk, in the Altai Region, Western Siberia, and died in Moscow on 11 June 1987. An admirer of Mahler and Alban Berg, he created his own musical language; he wrote eleven symphonies plus symphonic works including Les Fleurs du Mal (1939, on Baudelaire’s poems), Three Scenes from Goethe’s Faust (1973, 1980), the cantata Mater Dolorosa (1977, on verses from Akhmatova’s Requiem). Only his Symphony No 4 is purely instrumental; all his other symphonies include vocal parts. Symphony No 3 by Lokshin was written on Kipling’s verses, and a ballet Fedra was staged to music from Symphony No 4. Lokshin also wrote a cycle of piano variations for Maria Grinberg (1953) and another one for Yelena Kushnerova (1982). Life Early life The composer’s father, Lazar Lokshin, was an accountant and his mother, Maria Korotkina, a midwife. Lokshin’s sister, Maria, was born in 1914. The family suffered from communist repression, Lokshin’s father having been classified as a capitalist because of their small farm business. Their land and cattle were confiscated, and Maria was exp

Aleksandr Sheremetev

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Count Aleksandr Dmitriyevich Sheremetev (11 March 1859 – 18 May 1931) was a Russian composer, conductor and entrepreneur. He founded his own private symphony orchestra in 1882, and from 1898 organized public concerts in Saint Petersburg that involved the orchestra and a choir he had inherited from his father, Dmitri Sheremetev. He also founded the Musical Historical Society in 1910, which gave free lecture recitals involving his orchestra and choir. Sheremetev conducted the Russian premiere of Richard Wagner’s Parsifal in a series of three concerts in 1906; his conducting on that occasion was described by the press as “primitive”. This was followed by Sheremetev conducting the opera’s first Russian staging on 21 December 1913 (according to the Russian Old Style calendar; 3 January 1914 according to the standard Western calendar), performed at the Hermitage Theatre before the Imperial Family, the diplomatic corps, representative members of the State Duma and senior government officials. After two further performances there, the production transferred to the Theatre of Musical Drama. On 10 June 1883 Sheremetev married Marie Heyden (born 1863 in Reval), daughter of Governor-General of

Aleksandr Varlamov (composer, born 1904)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Alexander Vladimirovich Varlamov (; 19 June 1904 – 20 August 1990) was a Russian Soviet jazz composer and arranger. He was also the conductor of the jazz orchestra with the All-Union Radio Committee, along with being a singer and the leader of the leading Jazz orchestras in the Soviet Union, called the State Jazz Orchestra of the USSR. Additionally, he is accredited with founding the first ever, Soviet group of musician-improvisers called “The Seven” Семерка . He played an instrumental role in popularizing jazz music in Russia during the 1930s and amassed a huge corpus of works during his lifetime, up to 400 compositions include pieces for variety orchestra, songs, and music for films and cartoons. He was the great-grandson of Alexander Egorovich Varlamov. He was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1979. See also * The Russian Jazz Quartet * Russian jazz * Music of the Soviet Union References Future reading * “Варламов Александр Владимирович — Джаз. XX век — Яндекс.Словари”. web.archive.org. 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2021-07-21. * “Исполнитель: Александр Варламов.. любители музыки психо-прог-арт-этно-блюз-рок VK”. vk.com. Retrieved 2021-07-21.

Aleksandr Zatsepin

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Aleksandr Sergeyevich Zatsepin (; born 10 March 1926) is a Russian composer, known for his soundtracks to movies, notably comedies directed by Leonid Gaidai. He received the titles of People’s Artist of Russia (2003) and Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation (2025). Biography Aleksandr was born on 10 March 1926 in Novosibirsk in the family of the surgeon Sergei Dmitriyevich Zatsepin and teacher Valentina Boleslavovna Oksentovich. In 1941, Aleksandr’s father was arrested under Article 58 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. After his release, he did not return to his family. The mother raised her son alone. After graduating from high school number 12, he entered the Novosibirsk Institute of Railway Engineers. In March 1945 he was expelled from the university and drafted into the army. While in the military service, he independently mastered playing several instruments. The platoon commander, where Aleksandr served, was the future artist Yevgeny Matveyev, who invited Aleksandr to participate in the army amateur performances. As a result, he was admitted to the Novosibirsk Army Song and Dance Ensemble. After leaving the reserve in 1947, he worked at the Novosibirsk Philharmonic as

Aleksandre Basilaia

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Aleksandre Aleksandres dze Basilaia (11 March 19423 October 2009) was a Georgian composer and songwriter of popular music and film scores. He led the popular musical group Iveria since its founding in 1968 through the mainstream success in the 1970s and 1980s until his death of a long and severe disease in Germany in 2009. He held the titles of Honored Artist of Georgia and Honored Citizen of Tbilisi. Basilaia was trained as a contrabassist at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire and became active at the Soviet Georgian scene in 1963. In 1968 he founded an ensemble (VIA) which was named Iveria after an ancient Georgian kingdom. Basilaia was a principal composer and an art manager for Iveria which quickly gained popularity for its fusion of pop, rock and jazz with traditional Georgian music and attained to Soviet-wide fame with its musicals The Wedding of Jays (1980) and The Argonauts (1982). Basilaia’s third and the last musical Pirosmani was successfully staged in both Georgia and Russia in 1996. Basilaia’s last work “Something Has Ended” appeared shortly before the composer’s death in October 2009. He was buried at the Didube Pantheon in Tbilisi. Notes References External links *Alexa

Alemdar Karamanov

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Alemdar Sabitovich Karamanov (10 September 19343 May 2007) was a composer. Biography Karamanov was born on September 10, 1934, in Simferopol, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. His father, Sabit Temel Kağırman, of Turkish origin, left Turkey and emigrated to Crimea. His mother, Paulina Sergeyevna, was a Russian singer and librarian and taught him music. In 1992, he composed the anthem of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Karamanov died on 3 May 2007, in Simferopol. Honours The minor planet 4274 Karamanov, discovered in 1980 by Nikolai Chernykh, is named in his honour. Notes References

Alexander Abramsky

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Alexander Abramsky (; 22 January 1898 in Lutsk – 29 August 1985 in Moscow) was a Soviet composer. He was known for his adaptation of folk music within his compositions. Abramsky was born on January 10 (22), 1898 in the city of Lutsk. His father, Savvaty Vasilyevich (Shevel Volfovich) Abramsky (1859 -?), was a Jewish hospital doctor, and was married to Anna Fedorovna Burdo who had two sons, Mikhail and Alexander. By all accounts, Abramsky’s relationship with his father was warm and congenial. Compositions Orchestral * Three symphonies Cantata * “Breath of the Earth” (poems by V. Khlebnikov) * “The stacks are burning” (poems by E. Verhaeren, translated by V. Bryusov) * “Juno’s Lover” (poems by V. Khlebnikov) Oratorio * “Man Walks” (text by V. Kuznetsov and V. .Semernin) * “Round Dances” (text by V. Kuznetsov and V. Semernin) Instrumental * “Five Compressed Messages” for strings and piano Piano * “Sonata laconique” (“Brief Sketch”) * “Pasionaria” (“Pasionary”) * “Spanish Rhapsody” Writings * 1936: “Opera On The Collective Farm.” Mass Musical Movement (5), no. 34. References

Alexander Arutiunian

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Alexander Grigori Arutiunian (23 September 192028 March 2012), was a Soviet and Armenian composer and pianist, widely known for his 1950 Trumpet Concerto. A professor at Yerevan State Conservatory, he was recognized with many awards for his work, including the Stalin Prize in 1949 and People’s Artist of the USSR in 1970, as well as numerous honors from his homeland of Armenia. Biography Arutiunian was born in Yerevan, First Republic of Armenia, in the family of Grigor and Eleonora Arutiunian. His father was a military serviceman. In 1927, Arutiunian became a member of the Yerevan State Conservatory’s children group, then, at age 14, he was admitted to the Conservatory to the studios of Olga Babasyan (piano), and Sergei Barkhudaryan and Vardges Talyan (composition). He graduated from the Music Conservatory of Yerevan on the eve of World War II. After the war he moved to Moscow, where between 1946 and 1948 he participated in the workshops of House of Armenian Culture, and studied composition with Genrikh Litinsky. After graduation he returned to Yerevan to teach at the local Conservatory and in 1954 he was appointed artistic director of the Armenian State Philharmony. He was also a m

Alexander Fridlender

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Alexander Grigoryevitch Fridlender (; 2/15 July 1906 – 13 September 1980) was a Soviet composer, pianist and conductor, as well as professor at the Urals Mussorgsky State Conservatoire. Life Fridlender was born in Saint Petersburg. He studied at the Leningrad Central Music College (1925–1929) and graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory in 1933. and the State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (1943–1947). He taught at the Urals Mussorgsky State Conservatoire. He composed several operas, instrumental music such as suites, music for plays, songs. Selected compositions * 1941: The Mountain Fairy Tale (), a ballet based on “The Mistress of the Copper Mountain”. * 1944: The Stone Flower, a ballet based on the story of the same name. * 1958: Without a Dowry (), a ballet based on the play of the same name. * 1962: Snow (), a ballet * 1966: Zoya (), a choreographic poem * 1967: Petersburgers (), an opera based on the poem by Olga Bergholz. * 1970: The Cake in the Sky (), a comedy opera based on the story by Gianni Rodari La torta in cielo. * 1977: Lieutenant Lermontov (), a choreographic poem References External links * List of compositions

Alexander Glazunov

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Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov (10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 and 1928 and was instrumental in the reorganization of the institute into the Petrograd Conservatory, then the Leningrad Conservatory, following the Bolshevik Revolution. He continued as head of the Conservatory until 1930, though he had left the Soviet Union in 1928 and did not return. Glazunov successfully reconciled nationalism and cosmopolitanism in Russian music. While he was the direct successor to Balakirev’s nationalism, he tended more towards Borodin’s epic grandeur while absorbing a number of other influences. These included Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral virtuosity, Tchaikovsky’s lyricism and Taneyev’s contrapuntal skill. Younger composers such as Prokofiev and Shostakovich eventually considered his music old-fashioned, while also admitting he remained a composer with an imposing reputation, and a stabilizing influence in a time of transition and turmoil. Biography Prodigy Glazunov was born in Saint Petersburg, the son of a wealthy publisher. His father

Alexander Goedicke

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Alexander Fyodorovich Goedicke (; 4 March 18779 July 1957) was a Russian and Soviet composer and pianist. Early life Alexander Goedicke was born in Moscow on 4 March 1877. He was Nikolai Medtner’s first cousin. Alexander’s father Fyodor Goedicke, a minor composer and pianist, was Medtner’s mother’s brother and his first teacher. Career Goedicke was a professor at Moscow Conservatory. With no formal training in composition, he studied piano at the Moscow Conservatory with Galli, Pavel Pabst and Vasily Safonov. He received advice on music theory from Julius Conus, Nikolai Mikhailovich Ladukhin and Anton Arensky. He was also influenced by Sergei Taneyev. Goedicke won the Anton Rubinstein Competition in 1900. Despite his lack of traditional guidance, his compositional efforts were rewarded when he won the Rubinstein Prize for Composition at the young age of 23. Goedicke died at the age of 80 in Moscow on 9 July 1957. Selected works ;Opera * Virineya (Виринея) (1913–1915); libretto by the composer * At the Crossing (У перевоза) (1933); libretto by the composer * Jacquerie (Жакерия) (1933–1937); libretto by the composer * Macbeth (Макбет) (1944); libretto by the composer after William Sh

Alexander Gretchaninov

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Alexander Tikhonovich Gretchaninov (; 25 October 1864 – 3 January 1956) was a Russian Romantic composer. Life Gretchaninov started his musical studies rather late, because his father, a businessman, had expected the boy to take over the family firm. Gretchaninov himself related that he did not see a piano until he was 14 and began his studies at the Moscow Conservatory in 1881 against his father’s wishes and without his knowledge. His main teachers there were Sergei Taneyev and Anton Arensky. In the late 1880s, after a quarrel with Arensky, he moved to St. Petersburg where he studied composition and orchestration with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov until 1893. Rimsky-Korsakov immediately recognized Gretchaninov’s extraordinary musical imagination and talent and gave him much extra time as well as considerable financial help. This allowed the young man, whose parents were not supporting him, to survive. Out of this came an important friendship, which only ended in 1908 with Rimsky’s death. As such, it is not surprising that Rimsky’s influence can be heard in Gretchaninov’s early works, such as his String Quartet No. 1, a prize-winning composition. Around 1896, Gretchaninov returned to Mosc

Alexander Knaifel

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Alexander Knaifel (; also Alexandr Knaifel; 28 November 1943, Tashkent – 27 June 2024, Berlin) was a Soviet and Russian composer, often described as one of the most prominent Russian composers of his generation Music From the very beginning of his composing career he associated himself with the group of so-called “avant-garde” Soviet composers that include Andrey Volkonsky, Edison Denisov, Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, Valentin Silvestrov, Leonid Hrabovsky, Arvo Pärt, Tigran Mansuryan, and others. The works of the 1990s and 2000s were strongly influenced by religious themes and showed dramatic changes in his musical language. He wrote more than 80 compositions in various genres and also more than 40 scores for feature films and documentaries. His music often surprises by its extravagant ideas, strange combination of the instruments or incredibly long duration. For example, his very slow and quiet Agnus Dei (1985) written for four instrumentalists (each of whom plays several instruments including keyboards, percussion, electronics, saxophones and double bass) lasts exactly 120 minutes. Alexander Knaifel had a performance dedicated to his music in Ireland on 1 May 2009 as part

Alexander Kolker

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Alexander Naumovich Kolker (; 28 July 1933 – 1 August 2023) was a Soviet and Russian composer and Honored Artist of the RSFSR, awarded in 1981. Biography Alexander Naumovich Kolker was born in Leningrad. He was evacuated from the city in 1942 and returned in 1944. Since 1958 Alexander Kolker has worked as a professional composer. Kolker died in Saint Petersburg on 1 August 2023, a few days after his 90th birthday. Filmography * 1966 – We Fly to the Ocean * 1966 – White Night * 1967 – Private Life of Kuzyayev Valentin * 1968 – Songs Address - Youth * 1969 – Tomorrow, on April 3rd… * 1969 – Singing Guitars * 1970 – And People Need a Song So… * 1970 – Magic Power * 1971 – Shadowboxing * 1971 – Singing by Maria Pakhomenko * 1972 – The Last Days of Pompeii * 1974 – Krechinsky’s Wedding * 1975 – Love Will Remain * 1976 – Truffaldino from Bergamo * 1978 – Leaving Go Away * 1979 – Travel to Another City * 1979 – Three Men in a Boat * 1980 – Two-voice Melody * 1981 – Three Short Stories about Love * 1981 – Two Voices * 1982 – No One Can Replace You * 1989 – Death of Tarelkin Awards and honours Kolker is Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1981) and winner of the Lenin Komsomol Prize (1968). He

Alexander Krein

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Alexander Abramovich Krein (; 20 October 1883– 25 April 1951) was a Soviet composer. Background Krein was born in Nizhny Novgorod on 20 October 1883. The Krein family was steeped in the klezmer tradition; his father Abram (who moved to Russia from Lithuania in 1870) was a noted violinist. All of the seven Krein brothers received their first musical training from him and became musicians; Alexander and Grigori made names for themselves as composers, David gained a strong reputation as a violinist. Of the three Krein family composers, Alexander, his brother Grigori, and Grigori’s son Julian, it is Alexander who composed the most music and thus to whom the most attention has been paid. After decades of posthumous neglect, however, his very name seems to have disappeared from international reference books. Studies and career In 1896, at the early age of 14, Alexander Krein entered the Moscow Conservatory where his studies included cello classes with Alexander von Glehn and composition lessons with Sergei Taneyev and Boleslav Yavorsky. His first works were published by P. Jurgenson in 1901. During the years immediately prior to the 1917 Revolution, he was on the faculty of the People’s

Alexander Mosolov

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Alexander Vasilyevich Mosolov (; 11 August 1900 – 11 July 1973) was a Soviet-era Russian composer known for his early futurist orchestral music, piano sonatas, and vocal music. A Moscow Conservatory graduate, his piece now called Iron Foundry (1926) gained international fame. Under Stalinism, Mosolov adhered to Soviet realism, composing with Kyrgyz and Turkmen folk music. Conflicts with authorities led to his expulsion from the Union of Soviet Composers (1936), a Gulag term (1937) reduced by professors’ intervention, and lifelong loss of stature. His output includes five piano sonatas (four extant), two piano concertos (the second incomplete), two cello concertos, a harp concerto, four string quartets, twelve orchestral suites, eight symphonies, and many choral and voice pieces. Early life Mosolov was born to an upper-middle-class family in Kiev, in the Russian Empire. His mother, Nina Alexandrovna, was a professional singer at the Bolshoi Theater and a graduate of the Kiev school of music, and she gave Mosolov his first musical lessons. The family moved to Moscow in 1904. Mosolov’s father, Vasiliy Alexandrovich, died a year later when Mosolov was five years old. After his father’s

Alexander Shchetynsky

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Alexander Shchetynsky (Shchetinsky) (; ; Aleksandr Stepanovich Shchetins’kiy) is a Ukrainian composer. Born on 22 June 1960 in Kharkiv, in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union. His work list includes compositions in various forms ranging from solo instrumental to orchestral, choral pieces and operas. Education and influences Shchetynsky graduated from the Kharkiv Art Institute in 1983. Although he studied composition officially with Valentyn Borysov, another Ukrainian composer, Valentyn Bibik, strongly influenced him in those formative years. Another important source of inspiration was so called Soviet musical avant-garde: Edison Denisov, Alfred Schnittke, Arvo Pärt, Sofia Gubaidulina, Valentin Silvestrov. Later Shchetynsky participated in master classes with Edison Denisov and Poul Ruders in Denmark, and summer courses in Poland, where he attended lectures by Louis Andriessen, Witold Lutosławski, Krzysztof Penderecki, Boguslaw Schaeffer, and Magnus Lindberg. Music of the Second Viennese School, Olivier Messiaen, and György Ligeti had a significant impact on Shchetynsky. (for chamber opera Annunciation in frame of the performance Voices of the Invisible – The Bible Triptych at the

Alexander Shenshin

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Alexander Alexeyevich Shenshin (; 1890–1944) was a Russian composer. Shenshin studied music with Boleslav Yavorsky, Alexander Gretchaninov, Reinhold Glière, and Semyon Kruglikov from 1907 to 1915. He received a teacher’s appointment to the Moscow Conservatory in 1922, and by 1940 he was a member of the Academy of Arts and the composer of the Moscow Children’s Theater. Shenshin was a member of the first Presidium of the Moscow Institute of Artistic Culture and a close friend of its president, Wassily Kandinsky, a noted painter who shared an interest in using scientific methods to further a synthesis of the arts. Kandinsky praised Shenshin’s theoretical work, in particular an analysis of two parts of Liszt’s composition Années de Pèlerinage: the “Sposalizio”, inspired by Raphael’s painting The Marriage of the Virgin, and the “Penseroso”, inspired by Michelangelo’s statue atop the tomb of Lorenzo II de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino. Shenshin counted the notes and bars in the music and translated them into graphic form, and he measured the corresponding painting and sculpture, linking them to the same mathematical formula. Works ;Piano *14 Preludes (1910) *17 Preludes (1910) ;Ballet *Ancient

Alexander Shulgin (musician)

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Alexander Valeryevich Shulgin (born August 25, 1964) is a Russian author and composer. He was born in Irkutsk, Russia, and currently lives in Moscow. Music career Shulgin’s career began at the age of 19 in Russian rock band Kruiz. Shulgin wrote compositions for the albums “Anna”, released in 1995, “Famillia, and “The eyes of the sky colour”. Shulgin helped “FM GROUP” to record their debut album, MADE IN RUSSIA and recorded an album of Alexander Byinov. Afterwards Shulgin recorded a solo album for “FM GROUP” lead-singer Alevtina Egorova, and also worked with Tatiana Ovsienko, Nastya Shirokova. In spring of 2005, Shulgin got the suggestion to write music for the new music serial with the tentative title “Primadonna”, the serial made for showing on the Russian TV Channel. For this “Primadonna” serial Alexander wrote 20 original songs, and at the very least three leading themes from the film and all the songs of a composer got into the final variant of “Primadonna”. Shulgin also wrote all the music filling-out for the new socio-political TV Channel “SPAS” (The Festival of the Saviour). Shulgin released his first solo album “Predstavlenie” (The Introduction), and Shulgin signed with The

Alexander Spendiaryan

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Alexander Afanasyevich Spendiarov (, November 1, 1871, Kakhovka, Russian Empire – May 7, 1928, Yerevan, Armenia) was a Russian composer and conductor of Armenian descent, founder of Armenian national symphonic music. Biography Alexander Spendiarov was born on 1 November (as 20 October) 1871 in Kakhovka, province of Tavrik (modern Ukraine). His artistic abilities were formed in early childhood. He inherited his musical abilities from his mother who played piano. When Alexander Spendiarov was seven he wrote a waltz. In 1890 he went to Moscow and studied for one year in the Natural Sciences faculty of Moscow University, and then in 1894 he graduated from the Law faculty. At the same time he continued his violin classes. In 1896 Alexander Spendiarov went to St. Petersburg to show his compositions to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who greatly admired his music and encouraged him to turn deeper into his people’s folklore. From 1896 to 1900 he took private composition lessons with Rimsky-Korsakov. According to Alexander Glazunov, “Rimsky-Korsakov was perfectly satisfied with the results of Alexander Spendiarov’s work and considered him a serious, talented composer with a great flair for composi

Alexander Sukhanov

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Alexander Alekseevich Sukhanov (, 25 May 1952) is a Soviet and Russian poet, composer, bard and mathematician who created more than two hundred songs. Biography Alexander Sukhanov was born on 25 May 1952 in Saratov, Russia, USSR. During childhood he studied music, graduating from music school as a violin major. In 1974 Sukhanov earned an undergraduate degree (with honors) from the Mechanics and Mathematics Department of Moscow State University. He later earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the same institution. He taught mathematics at Gagarin Air Force Academy; since 1981 he has worked at the computational methods laboratory at MSU. In 1969 Sukhanov began writing music to his own lyrics, as well as to the poetry of Samuil Marshak, Iosif Utkin, Percy Shelley, Alexander Vertinsky, Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Rubtsov, and others. He gained wide success as a performer of his songs at concerts and festivals. Sukhanov composed scores for several plays, released a Melodia record as well several CD albums. Selected discography *Green Carriage, 1996 *Oh, you’re my cart …, 1998 *Romance of old age, 2000 *Snowdrops of tenderness, Disk 2, Disk 1, 2002 *Selected songs References Links * Home Pa

Alexander Tcherepnin

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Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (; 21 January 1899 – 29 September 1977) was a Russian-born composer and pianist. His father, Nikolai Tcherepnin (pupil of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov), and his sons, Serge Tcherepnin and Ivan Tcherepnin, as well as two of his grandsons (sons of Ivan), Sergei and Stefan, were composers. His son Serge was involved in the earliest development of electronic music and instruments. His mother was a member of the artistic Benois family, a niece of Alexandre Benois. Biography He was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and played the piano and composed prolifically from a very early age. He was stimulated in this activity by the atmosphere at home, which—thanks to his family’s Benois-Diaghilev connection—was a meeting place for many well-known musicians and artists of the day. By the time he began formal theory and composition studies in his late teens, he had already composed hundreds of pieces, including more than a dozen piano sonatas. Among his teachers in Russia were composer Victor Belyayev (pupil of Anatoly Lyadov and Alexander Glazunov), who prepared Tcherepnin for Saint Petersburg Conservatory; Leokadiya Kashperova (renowned pianist, protégée of Anton Ru

Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov

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Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov (13 April 1883 – 8 July 1946; born Koptelov or Koptelev) was a Soviet and Russian composer and founder of the Alexandrov Ensemble, who wrote the music for the State Anthem of the Soviet Union, which in 2000 became the National Anthem of the Russian Federation (with new lyrics). During his career, he also worked as a professor of the Moscow Conservatory, and became a Doctor of Arts. His work was recognized by the awards of the title of People’s Artist of the USSR and two Stalin Prizes. Background Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov, known as Sasha, was born on 13 April 1883 in Plakhino, a village in Ryazan Governorate south-east of Moscow. As a boy, his singing was so impressive that he traveled to Saint Petersburg to become a chorister at Kazan Cathedral. Career A pupil of Medtner, Alexandrov studied composition at Saint Petersburg and in Moscow, where he eventually became professor of music in 1918 and choirmaster at Christ the Savior from 1918 to 1922. Works In 1942, Stalin commissioned Alexandrov and lyricists Sergey Mikhalkov and Gabriel El-Registan to create a new Soviet national anthem, which was officially adopted on 1 January 1944 and was used

Alexander Veprik

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Alexander Moiseyevich Veprik, also Weprik, (, ; 23 June 1899 – 13 October 1958) was a Russian-(Ukrainian) Soviet composer and music educator. Veprik is considered one of the greatest composers of the “Jewish school” in Soviet music. Life Veprik was born in Balta, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). He grew up in Warsaw and studied piano with Karl Wendling at the Leipzig Conservatory. At the onset of World War I, the family returned to Russia. Veprik studied composition with Alexander Zhitomirsky (1881–1937) in the Saint Petersburg Conservatory (1918–1921) and Nikolai Myaskovsky at the Moscow Conservatory (1921–1923). Veprik was active in the musical life of 1920–1930s. In 1923 he was active in the creation of the Society for Jewish Music, a focal point for Jewish composers in Moscow, and Jewish music flourished as a result of the activities of the Society. He taught at the Moscow Conservatory (1923–1941; professor from 1930; dean from 1938). In 1927 during a business trip in Austria, Germany and France, he met Arnold Schoenberg, Paul Hindemith, Maurice Ravel and Arthur Honegger. His music became well known in Europe and the United States during this time: nearly his

Alexander Vustin

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Alexander Kuzmich Vustin, also Voustin or Wustin (; 24 April 1943 – 19 April 2020) or COVID-19, as other sources report. Works Vustin’s works were published by Hans Sikorski. * Three Poems of Moses Teif for bass and piano, in Russian, translated by Yunna Moritz, (1965) * String Quartet (1966) * Symphony (1969) * Three Toropets songs for piano (1972) * Nocturnes for chamber ensemble and high voice in three movements (1972–1982) * Sonata for six for piccolo, flute, clarinet, viola, cello, and 5 string double bass (1973 * Lamento for piano (1974) * Toropets Songs for ensemble (1975 * The Word for winds and percussions, dedicated. text by Fried (1975) * Capriccio (tunes from the collection of M. Beregovsky) fr voice (mezzo-soprano), male voices and ensemble (1977–1982) * In memory of Boris Klyuzner (1977) for voice, violin, viola, cello and double bass, to the text by Yuri Olesha * Memoria-2, oncerto for percussion, keyboards and strings (1978) * Fairy Tale (Skazka) for oboe solo (1979) * Homecoming for voice and 13 instruments (2 string quartets, 2 pianos, horn, 2 percussion players), verses by Dmitri Shchedrovirsky (1981) * The Leisure Time of Kozma Prutkov (Dosugi Kozmy Prutkova) fo

Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky

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Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky (; born 30 March 1945) is a Russian-born composer, conductor and classical pianist who lives in Switzerland. He is one of the first composers of minimalism (from 1969); “La Belle Musique N.3” (1977) is the first work for orchestra in the minimalist field. He emigrated to Paris from Moscow in 1974, and now lives in Switzerland. He has collaborated with numerous musical artists, notably with the pianist Martha Argerich, with whom he has recorded works by Rachmaninoff and Brahms. Selected works Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky defined his musical conceptions as >. Rabinovitch-Barakovsky’s main works are all part of a global work-in-progress called “Anthology of Archaic Rituals – In Search of the Center”. * “Les mots de Andrei Biely” (1969) cantata * “Le point d’appui trouvé” (1970) chamber music * “Happy end”" (1972) electro-acoustic piece * “La Belle Musique n°2” (1974) chamber music * “Perpetuum mobile?” (1975) amplified violin solo, amplified piano, amplified vibraphone" (+ amplified campanelli) * “Le récit de voyage” (1976) violin, cello, marimba, piano" (dedicated to Alexei Lubimov) * “La Belle Musique n°3” (1977) for orchestra * “Requiem pour une

Alexey Rybnikov

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Alexey Lvovich Rybnikov (; born July 17, 1945) is a modern Russian composer. He is the author of music for Soviet and Russian musicals (rock operas) The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta (, 1976) and Juno and Avos (, 1981, shown more than 700 times), for numerous plays and operas, for more than 80 Russian movies. More than 10 million discs with his music have been sold to 1989. Biography Alexey Rybnikov was born in Moscow on July 17, 1945. In 1962 he graduated from the Central Music School at the Moscow Conservatory. In 1967 he graduated from the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in the composition class of Aram Khachaturian. Alexey composed one of his first works, “The Thief of Baghdad”, being influenced by a very popular at those times trophy film under the same name. In 1969 Rybnikov was admitted to the Union of Soviet Composers. In 1999, by decree of the Moscow Government, the Alexey Rybnikov Theater was established under the Moscow Committee for Culture. Rybnikov is a member of the United Russia party; in 2022, he supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Movie soundtracks Since 1965 Alexey has already started composing movie music. Since 1979 Rybnikov has been a member of the

Alexey Shor

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Alexey Vladimorovich Kononenko (born 1970) is an American composer. He is the Composer-in-Residence for the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and an associate composer at the Yehudi Menuhin School. In 2018 he was awarded an honorary professorship at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. Early life and mathematics career Alexey Vladimorovich Shor was born on 20 May 1970 in the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). In 1991, he left the Soviet Union for Israel with his parents. Subsequently, he moved to the US for his graduate studies and obtained a PhD in mathematics in 1996. He worked as a mathematician until 2016 (in geometry and dynamical systems). From 1999 until 2016 he worked for the Long Island hedge fund Renaissance Technologies. Shor is a citizen of Israel, US, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Malta. His works have been published by several publishers and showcased in many venues. The overture to his ballet “Crystal Palace” was performed at the 40th Gramophone Classical Music Awards event in London. In 2019, a documentary about Alexey Shor was showcased on Medici.tv. An investigation by German Van Magazine showed that Shor built an extensive promotional ecosystem to promote his music, incl

Alfred Schnittke

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Early life#

Schnittke’s father, (1914–1975), was Jewish and born in Frankfurt. He moved to the Soviet Union in 1927 and worked as a journalist and translator from the Russian language into German. His mother, Maria Iosifovna Schnittke (née Vogel, 1910–1972), was a Volga German born in Russia. Schnittke’s paternal grandmother, Tea Abramovna Katz (1889–1970), was a philologist, translator, and editor of German-language literature. Alfred Schnittke was born in Engels in the Volga German ASSR of the Russian SFSR. He began his musical education in 1946 in Vienna, where his father had been posted. It was in Vienna, Schnittke’s biographer Alexander Ivashkin writes, where “he fell in love with music which is part of life, part of history and culture, part of the past which is still alive.” “I felt every moment there,” the composer wrote, “to be a link of the historical chain: all was multi-dimensional; the past represented a world of ever-present ghosts, and I was not a barbarian without any connections, but the conscious bearer of the task in my life.” Schnittke’s experience in Vienna “gave him a certain spiritual experience and discipline for his future professional activities. It was Mozart and Schubert, not Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, whom he kept in mind as a reference point in terms of taste, manner and style. This reference point was essentially Classical … but never too blatant.” In 1948, the family moved to Moscow.

Alfrēds Kalniņš

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Alfrēds Bruno Jānis Kalniņš (23 August 1879, in Cēsis, Governorate of Livonia – 23 December 1951, in Riga, Latvian SSR) was a Latvian composer, organist, pedagogue, music critic and conductor; the founder of national Latvian opera. Kalniņš is primarily remembered for his national opera Baņuta (1920). Life Kalniņš took piano and violin lessons at an early age. He attended the school of music in Riga. He often visited the Riga theatre, where he could listen to operas and concerts. He made acquaintance with Oskars Šepskis (1850-1914), a composer and organist, who gave him private lessons. From 1897 until 1901 he studied organ and composition at Saint Petersburg Conservatory. After a short stay in Riga, which he spent writing a series of songs, he accepted a post as an organist at the Saint Nicholas Church in Pärnu in 1903. At present Pärnu is located in Estonia, but then it belonged to the Russian Governorate of Livonia. Kalniņš also gave music lessons at the local grammar school and conducted the school choir. In Pärnu his son Jānis Kalniņš, who would become a composer too, was born in 1904. Kalniņš stayed in Pärnu until 1911. In that year he took the post of organist at the Church o

Alla Pavlova

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Alla Yevgenyevna Pavlova (born July 13, 1952, in Ukraine) is a Russian composer. Pavlova was born and initially raised in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. She and her family moved to Moscow in 1961, and she then moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1990, where she has settled. She is best known for her symphonic work. Biography Soviet life During the Soviet era, the Pavlova family was transferred to Moscow in 1961. There Alla received her bachelor’s degree in 1975 from the Ippolitov–Ivanov Music Institute, and in 1983 her master’s degree from the Gnessin State Musical College. She studied with Armen Shakhbagyan, a composer with a reputation established in the 1970s, and paid special attention to the works of Anna Akhmatova. This influenced a good part of her output until the 1990s. Following the achievement of her master’s in 1983, Pavlova moved to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, where she worked at the Union of Bulgarian Composers and the Bulgarian National Opera. She returned to Moscow three years later. From 1986, Pavlova worked for the Russian Musical Society Board in Moscow, before relocating in 1990 to New York City. American life Lieder and chamber music Following her arrival in New York, Pavl

Anatoliy Kos-Anatolsky

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Anatoliy Yosypovych Kos-Anatolsky (; 1 December 1909 – 30 November 1983) was a Ukrainian composer, People’s Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1969) and winner of Shevchenko National Prize (1980), and Deputy of Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union from 1970 to 1978. Biography He was born on 1 December 1909 in Kolomyia (now Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast) in the family of the famous Galician doctor Yosyf Kos. In 1934 – 1937 he taught at the Stryi branch of the Mykola Lysenko Higher Music Institute. From 1938 to 1939 he worked as a lawyer in the town of Zaliztsi. The first independent creative work was the music for performances of the Lviv Music and Drama Theater (1941). During the war he was in Western Ukraine. From 1939 he worked as an accompanist of the Lviv House of Pioneers, a teacher at a music school. After the Second World War he became a member and since 1951 chairman of the Lviv regional branch of the Union of Soviet Composers of Ukraine, worked as concertmaster of the Lviv Drama Theater, and from 1952 – a teacher at the Lviv Conservatory (since 1973 – professor). Legacy Anatoliy Kos-Anatolsky is the composer of an opera, three ballets, symphonic works, a number of concertos and popular c

Anatoly Alexandrov (composer)

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Anatoly Nikolayevich Alexandrov (, Moscow – April 16, 1982, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian composer of works for piano and for other instruments, and pianist. His initial works had a mystical element, but he downplayed this to better fit socialist realism. He led a somewhat retiring life, but received several honors. Alexandrov was the son of a Professor of Tomsk State University. He attended the Moscow Conservatory (which he left in 1915), where he was a pupil of Nikolai Zhilyayev, Sergei Taneyev and Sergei Vasilenko (theory), Alexander Ilyinsky (composition) and Konstantin Igumnov (pianoforte). His early music revealed the influence of Nikolai Medtner and Alexander Scriabin. He was appointed Professor at the Moscow Conservatory in 1923. Viktor Belyaev, Alexandrov’s first biographer, wrote in 1926: “If Myaskovsky is a thinker, and Feinberg a psychologist, then Alexandrov is, before anything else, a poet.” Alexandrov was also a strong proponent of Stanchinsky and edited much of his compositions for publication. Works For orchestra *Symphony No. 1 in C, Op. 92 (1965) *Symphony No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 109 (1977/78) *Piano Concerto, Op. 102 (1974) *Overture on Russian folksongs, Op. 29

Anatoly Bogatyrev

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Anatoly Vasilyevich Bogatyrev (, ; 13 August 1913 – 19 September 2003) was a Soviet and Belarusian composer and music teacher, seen as one of the leaders of the national school of Belarusian music. Biography Bogatyrev was born in Vitebsk Russian Empire, the son of a language teacher. He studied at the Vitebsk Music School, the Minsk School of Music, and the Conservatory of Belarus where he was taught composition by Vasily Zolotarev, a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov. He came to prominence while still in his twenties, being appointed chairman of the board of the Belarusian Union of Composers in 1938, and receiving the Stalin Prize in 1941. In 1948 he began teaching composition at the National Conservatory, Minsk, where he later became a deputy director. He joined the CPSU in 1954, and was made a People’s Artist of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1968. Bogatyrev died on 19 September 2003 in Minsk. Music Bogatyrev’s music is tonal with marked nationalist tendencies. His study of Belarusian folklore strongly influenced his music, not just in his folksong arrangements, but also in his choice sometimes to adopt modes and the rhythms of Belarusian folk music. He has been described

Andrei Eshpai

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Andrei Yakovlevich Eshpai (15 May 19258 November 2015) was a Soviet composer. He was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the USSR in 1981. Biography Eshpai was born at Kozmodemyansk, Mari ASSR, Russian SFSR to a Mari father and Russian mother. A Red Army World War II veteran, he studied piano at Moscow Conservatory from 1948 to 1953 under Vladimir Sofronitsky, and composition under Nikolai Rakov, Nikolai Myaskovsky and Evgeny Golubev. He performed his postgraduate study under Aram Khachaturian from 1953 to 1956. Eshpai was the son of the composer Yakov Eshpai, and the father of the filmmaker Andrei Andreyevich Eshpai. On 8 November 2015, Eshpai died in Moscow from a stroke at the age of 90. Notable works Stage * Nobody Is Happier Than Me, operetta (1968–1969); libretto by V. Konstantinov and B. Ratser * Love Is Forbidden, musical (1973) * Angara, ballet (1974–1975) * A Circle, ballet (1979–1980) Orchestral * Symphonic Dances on Mari Themes (1951) * Symphony no. 1 in E minor (1959) * Symphony no. 2 in A major “Praise the Light” (1962) * Symphony no. 3 (1964) * Symphony no. 4 “Symphony-Ballet” (1980–1981) * Simon Bolivar, Symphonic Poem (1982) * Symphony No. 5 (1985) * Symphony N

Andrei Petrov

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Andrei Pavlovich Petrov (; 2 September 1930 – 15 February 2006) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He was named a People’s Artist of the USSR in 1980. Andrey Petrov is known for his music for numerous classic Soviet films such as Walking the Streets of Moscow, Beware of the Car, and Office Romance. Life A native of Leningrad, Petrov was the son of a military doctor; his mother was an artist. He had little interest in music until, at fourteen, he saw The Great Waltz; after this he decided to become a composer. He studied composition at the Leningrad Conservatory under Orest Yevlakhov. Petrov is known for his work in various genres; he wrote a number of operas and ballets, as well as symphonic works, incidental and film music, and various songs. He is especially famous for his ballet Creation of the World (1968), based on drawings by Jean Effel. This was performed around the world, with Mikhail Baryshnikov among its first performers. Petrov also scored over eighty films, including the Soviet-American co-production The Blue Bird (1976). From 1964 until his death Petrov was the head of the St. Petersburg Union of Composers, to which he was introduced by Dmitri Shostakovich. He also fou

Andrei Volkonsky

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Prince Andrei Mikhaylovich Volkonsky (also Andrey, André, Mikhailovich, Michailovich, Volkonski, Volkonskiy) (; 14 February 1933 – 16 September 2008) was a Russian composer of classical music and harpsichordist. He was a key figure in Early Music Revival in Russia. Biography A descendant of Volkonsky, Russian aristocratic princely family in exile, he was born in Geneva in 1933. As a child he played his improvisations to Sergei Rachmaninoff. Then he studied piano at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève with Johnny Aubert and with the legendary Dinu Lipatti. The Volkonsky family resettled in Moscow in 1947. From 1950 to 1954 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Yuri Shaporin, but was expelled for breaking some minor disciplinary rules. In 1956 Volkonsky began the career of a harpsichord and organ player. He pioneered performing renaissance and baroque music, which had hitherto not been played in the USSR. In 1965 he founded an ensemble of early music, called “The Ensemble Madrigal”. He was among the first Soviet composers who began experimenting with twelve-tone and serial techniques. An early work in this style was his piano suite “Musica Stricta” (1956). His works greatly

Andrey Gubin

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Andrey Viktorovich Gubin (; born 30 April 1974), born Andrey Valerevich Klementyev () is a Russian pop-singer, poet, composer, hitmaker and record producer. Honored Artists of the Russian Federation (2004). Early years Gubin was born on 30 April 1974 in Ufa. His family moved to Moscow in 1983, where they wandered about because of constant lack of money. Musical career Gubin’s first album I Am A Hobo (), released when he was 15, sold 200 copies. Gubin’s second and third album Ave Maria and Prince and Princess () respectively were the start of his career. His first performance on stage with his first hit Nomad Boy () was in 1994. In the late 2000s, Gubin stopped performing due to serious physical health problems. According to the singer, in the mid-2000s, he was diagnosed with left-sided trigeminal neuralgia of the face, a disease of the nervous system that causes constant facial pain. Gubin also disclosed that he was experiencing heart issues. In 2024, media sources erroneously concluded that Gubin officially announced his retirement from singing while Gubin has clearly stated his intentions to gradually complete and record multiple new songs he has written over the years, as long a

Andria Balanchivadze

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Andria Melitonis dze Balanchivadze (28 April 1992) was a Georgian composer. He was the son of composer Meliton Balanchivadze and brother of ballet choreographer George Balanchine. Biography Born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, he graduated from the Tbilisi State Conservatoire in 1927 and Leningrad Conservatory in 1931, where he studied with Pyotr Ryazanov. Upon his return to Georgia, he became the musical director of several theatres from 1931 to 1934. Having barely survived Joseph Stalin’s purges, he became a professor at the Tbilisi Conservatory in 1942 and served as an artistic director of the Georgian State Symphony from 1941 to 1948. He became a major influence in musical politics as chair (1953), and first secretary (1955–1961, 1968–1972) of the Union of Georgian Composers. Balanchivadze’s numerous symphonies, pianoforte concertos, and compositions for the stage heavily contributed to modern Georgian classical music. He also authored the first Georgian ballet, The Heart of the Mountains (1936). He was granted the titles of the People’s Artist of the Georgian SSR in 1957, People’s Artist of the USSR in 1968, and awarded several prizes, including the Stalin Prize in 1944 a

Andriy Shtoharenko

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Andriy Shtoharenko () (15 October 1902 – 15 November 1992) was a Soviet Ukrainian composer and teacher. Biography Andriy Shtoharenko was born in the Ukrainian village of Novi Kaidaky (now part of the city of Dnipro). He completed his music studies at the Kharkiv Conservatory in 1936 under S. Bohatyriov. From 1921-30 he worked a teacher of singing in Middle schools. In 1926 he became the director of an accordion ensemble. In 1944 he became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. From 1954 he lectured at the Kiev Conservatory. In 1960 he became a professor and in 1968 became the rector of the above-mentioned institution. From 1968 he was the head of the Union of Composers of Ukraine. As a composer, he was well known within the Soviet Union though his music is rarely performed elsewhere. He was awarded the Stalin Prize for his compositions in 1946 and 1952, and was awarded the prestigious title of People’s Artist of the USSR. During his long career, he served in many positions, including Professor of Composition and Director of the Kharkiv Conservatory and later Kiev Conservatory. Originally graduating as a button-accordion player and again as a composer. He composed in n

Anna Drubich

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Anna Drubich (born Anna Solovieva Drubich, 27 June 1984) is a Russian composer, pianist, and actress known for her film scores in horror films and frequently working with the composer Marco Beltrami. She has scored over 35 major film and TV projects across the US, Russia, and Europe. In 2012, she graduated from the University of Southern California’s Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program. Recent projects include Barbarian (2022), Navalny (2024), The Master and Margarita (2024), and Netflix features Sting and Time Cut (2024). * BMI Film Music Awards: Winner for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark * Moscow Beethoven Competition: First Prize * Bremen International Piano Competition: Mozart Prize Selected filmography * Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) * Fear Street Parte Tres: 1666 (2021) * Werewolves Within (2021) * Barbarian (2022) * Sting (2024) * The Master and Margarita (2024) * Time Cut (2024) * Forbidden Fruits (2026) * Corporate Retreat (2026) References External links * * Official profile at Kraft-Engel Management * Instagram

Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan

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Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan (Armenian: Անուշավան Գրիգորի Տեր-Ղևոնդյան; 8 March 1887 – 6 June 1961) was an Armenian composer, pedagogue, and sociocultural activist. His father was the photographer Grigor Ter-Ghevondyan; and his daughter, pianist Heghine Ter-Ghevondyan. Early life Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan received his general education and musical training in Tiflis (now Tbilisi). In 1915 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, as well as the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied with Anatoly Lyadov (harmony), Alexander Glazunov (composition), Vasily Kalafati (counterpoint), Jāzeps Vītols (analysis of form) and Maximilian Steinberg (orchestration). In 1914, in partnership with Armenian composer and conductor Spiridon Melikyan, he undertook a scientific expedition to the Shirak Province, one of the musically most fertile regions. This trip resulted in the compilation of 252 folk melodies that were of great value and have been widely used by Armenian composers and musicologists ever since. Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan himself arranged some of them into a symphonic work named ″Շիրակի էտյուդները″ (Shirak Etudes) (1916). Music Among his works there are two o

Anton Mailyan

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Anton Mayilyan (Armenian: Անտոն Մայիլյան, 1880–1942) was an Armenian Soviet composer, musical and public figure, prose writer, librettist, conductor, teacher, folklorist and Honored art worker of Azerbaijani SSR. Biography He was born on March 28, 1880, in the city of Tbilisi. There he graduated from the Nersisian School and studied at the teacher’s seminary in Tbilisi from Makar Yekmalyan and H. Kara-Murza. Then in 1900–1903 he studied at the Tbilisi Musical College in the composition class of N. D. Nikolaev. He began his career as a composer in 1905. In 1906, he taught singing at the Tbilisi teacher’s seminary. From 1906 he lived and worked in Baku, where in 1908 he created the first working choir here. In 1910-1917, he published in Baku the monthly Armenian magazine Tatron yev yerazhshtutyun (Theatre and Music). On the pages of the magazine, questions of the development of the music of the East were developed. During the World War I he constantly participated in charity evenings organized by Armenians in Baku. So in 1915 he took part in the second Armenian charity evening in favor of refugees called Even or Odd. Armenian folk songs were performed in the evening, the song Kele-ke

Ara Gevorgyan

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Ara Gevorgyan (, born April 19, 1960) is an Armenian musician, composer and musical producer. In 2004 he was awarded the Honorary Artist of Armenia title by the President Robert Kocharyan. Biography Gevorgyan is the son of Armenian folk-singer Valya Samvelyan. He studied at School #31 of Yerevan and at the A. Tigranyan Musical School at the same time. During the two years he studied at Yerevan #8 college of Fine Arts. From 1983 to 1987 he studied at Armenian State Pedagogical University at the faculty of woodwind instruments and pop music department. In 1987-1989 Gevorgyan taught conducting at the same Institute, then he worked at Armenian Television (“3 Alik” TV program). In 1983 he founded the “Rally” Armenian pop-rock band, the participant of “Song-85” festival. He participated in the Opening Ceremony of the Cultural Year of Armenia in Russia hosted at the Moscow Kremlin Music Hall and honored by the presence of the presidents of Armenia and Russia Robert Kocharyan and Vladimir Putin respectively and the famous French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour. Ara Gevorgyan co-operates with Jivan Gasparyan, Ian Gillan, Demis Roussos, Pedro Eustache, Daniel Decker and others. Among his mo

Aram Khachaturian

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Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; 6 June 19031 May 1978) was a Soviet Armenian composer and conductor. He is considered one of the leading Soviet composers. Khachaturian himself said he was born in Kojori. His father, Yeghia (Ilya), was born in the village of Upper Aza near Ordubad in Nakhichevan (present-day Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan) and moved to Tiflis at the age of 13; he owned a bookbinding shop by the age of 25. His mother, Kumash Sarkisovna, was from Lower Aza, also a village near Ordubad. Khachaturian’s parents were betrothed before knowing each other, when Kumash was 9 and Yeghia was 19. They had five children, one daughter and four sons, of whom Aram was the youngest. From 1906 to 1922, Khachaturian lived at 93 Uznadze Street in Tbilisi. Khachaturian received primary education at the commercial school of Tiflis, a school for merchants. He considered a career either in medicine or engineering. Education (1922–1936) In 1921, the eighteen-year-old Khachaturian moved to Moscow to join his oldest brother, Suren, who had settled in Moscow earlier and was a stage director at the Moscow Art Theatre by the time of his arrival. and the Cello Concerto (1946)—are “often co

Aram Satyan

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Awards = Honored Artist of Armenia, Gold Medal of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia, Movses Khorenatsi Medal, Order of 1st degree Merit for the Fatherland Aram Satyan (also Satian) (; born 23 May 1947) is an Armenian classical composer and popular music songwriter. Biography Aram Satyan was born in Yerevan (Armenia) into the second generation of a musical family. His father Aram Satunc (Satyan) and uncle Ashot Satyan were also notable composers. He studied at the Romanos Melikian Music College under Armenian composer and educator Edvard Baghdasaryan and then later at the Armenian State Conservatory with Edvard Mirzoyan and Alexander Arutiunian. In 1970 Satyan went on to postgraduate study at the Moscow Conservatory with Tikhon Khrennikov. At the time, Khrennikov was Chairman of the Union of Soviet Composers. On his advice, Satyan joined the union in 1971. His awards include First Prize in the 1969 Young Composers Review held in Moscow, for his Symphonic Variations. He went on to win national competitions in 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977 and 1979. In 1981, he won the Armenian Communist Union State Award. In addition to his symphonies and concertos, he has also composed over 300 songs, mus

Arkady Filippenko

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Arkady Dmitriyevich Filippenko () (8 January 1912 – 24 August 1983) was a Soviet Ukrainian composer. Biography He was born in the small village of Pushcha-Vodycia, now a suburb of Kyiv. As a pre-schooler, he spent a great deal of time outdoors with his grandfather, a shepherd who played and made pastoral pipes akin to those of the Swiss. The shepherd’s pipe was the first instrument he learned to play. In grammar school, he learned the guitar, mandolin and balalaika and played in the school orchestra. In 1926 at the age of 13, Filippenko began vocational school and completed a course in river transport. After graduation he began working at a shipbuilding factory. In his spare time, he played and directed amateur theatricals and came to the attention of the composer Ilya Vilensky who was director of a local music school. Vilensky invited Filippenko to attend the school, and it was there Filippenko learned to play the piano and studied music theory and composition, all while still working as a metal turner at the shipbuilding factory. As he progressed quickly, Vilensky sent him on to the Lysenko Music Institute, the most important music school in Ukraine and the forerunner of the Kyiv

Arkady Ukupnik

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Arkady Semyonovich Ukupnik (; born February 18, 1953, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ) is a Russian composer, pop singer, actor, and producer. Honoured Artist of Russia (2004). In 2017 he became a member of the jury of 3rd Moscow Jewish Film Festival. Selected filmography *Moths Games (2004) *Kiss through a Wall (2011) *All Inclusive (2011) References External links * Официальный сайт * Аркадий Семёнович Укупник // Народный биографический справочник. Сайт Eternaltown.com.ua

Arno Babajanian

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Arno Harutyuni Babajanian (January 22, 1921 – November 11, 1983) was a Soviet and Armenian composer and pianist. He was made a People’s Artist of the USSR in 1971. Biography Babajanian was born in Yerevan on January 22, 1921. By age 5, his musical talent was apparent, and the composer Aram Khachaturian suggested that the boy be given proper music training. Two years later, in 1928, Babajanian entered the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. In 1938, he continued his studies in Moscow with Vissarion Shebalin. He later returned to Yerevan, where from 1950 to 1956 he taught at the conservatory. In 1952, he wrote the Piano Trio in F-sharp minor. It received immediate acclaim and was regarded as a masterpiece from the time of its premiere. Subsequently, he undertook concert tours throughout the Soviet Union and Europe. In 1971, he was named the People’s Artist of the USSR. Babajanian wrote in various musical genres, including many popular songs in collaboration with leading poets such as Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Robert Rozhdestvensky. Much of his music is rooted in Armenian folk music and folklore, which he generally uses in the virtuosic style of Rachmaninoff and Khachaturian. His later

Arseny Avraamov

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Arseny Mikhailovich Avraamov () (1886, Novocherkassk, Russian Empire - 1944, Moscow, USSR) was an avant-garde Russian composer and music theorist. He studied at the music school of the Moscow Philharmonic Society, with private composition lessons from Sergey Taneyev. An avowed Communist, he refused to fight in World War I, and fled the country to work, among other things, as a circus artist. Returning in 1917, he was appointed Culture Minister for the People’s Commissariat for Education. Symphony of Sirens was attempted just once more, a year later in Moscow, though at a much-reduced scale. His other notable achievements were the invention of graphic-sonic art, produced by drawing directly onto the optical sound track of film, and an “Ultrachromatic” 48-tone microtonal system, presented in his thesis, “The Universal System of Tones,” in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart in 1927. His microtonal system predated the creation of the Petrograd Society for quarter-tone music in 1923, by , also contemporary to Julián Carrillo’s Sonido 13. Avraamov was also the sound designer for the first Soviet sound film, Abram Room’s The Plan for Great Works (1930). Avraamov was friends with Leon Therem

Artur Kapp

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Artur Kapp (28 February 1878 – 14 January 1952) was an Estonian composer. Early life and career Born in Suure-Jaani, Estonia, then part of the Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire, he was the son of Joosep Kapp, who was also a classically trained musician. Kapp began his musical career studying organ at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory as a student of both Louis Homilius and composition with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1891. Kapp graduated from the Conservatory in 1900 as a composer and from 1904 until 1920 worked as a music director in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan, then returning to Estonia as a professor and conductor at the Tallinn Conservatory where he counted among his students such future notable Estonian composers as Evald Aav, Edgar Arro, Gustav Ernesaks, Helen Tobias-Duesberg, Riho Päts and Enn Võrk. He is, along with Rudolf Tobias (1873-1918), generally considered to be one of the founders of Estonian symphonic music. Kapp’s son Eugen (1908–1996) and nephew Villem (1913–1964) became notable composers as well, having studied at the Tallinn Conservatory under direction of the elder Kapp. Some of Kapp’s most enduring works are the 1899 overture Don Carlos and the

Artur Lemba

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Artur Lemba (24 September 1885 – 21 November 1963) was an Estonian composer and piano teacher, and one of the most important figures in Estonian classical music. Artur and his older brother Theodor (1876–1962) were the first professional pianists in Estonia to give concerts abroad. Artur’s 1905 opera Sabina was the first opera composed by an Estonian. His Symphony No. 1 in 1908 was the first symphony composed by an Estonian. Lemba was a finalist in the prestigious Anton Rubinstein Competition and later a professor at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Early life and education Artur Lemba was born in Tallinn on 24 September 1885 as a son of piano tuner Gustav Lemba. Artur Lemba learned piano from his brother Theodor Lemba. In 1899, following in his brother’s footsteps, he enrolled at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. There he studied piano with Carl van Arck, Prof. V. Tolstov and I. Borovka. His composition teacher was Nicolai Soloviev and he studied music theory with Anatoly Lyadov, Alexander Glazunov and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Lemba’s Poéme d’amour (1916) for violin and piano is also popular in the violin repertoire. References External links *List of Compositions by Artur Lemba

Arturs Maskats

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Arturs Maskats (born 20 December 1957 in Valmiera) is a Latvian composer and since 1996 artistic director of the Latvian National Opera. His orchestral composition, Tango, received international exposure as one of the finalist works of the third Masterprize International Composing Competition in 2003. It was also played at the 2022 Summer Night Concert Schönbrunn by the Vienna Philharmonic under Andris Nelsons in Vienna, Austria. Works * Tango for orchestra * Opera Valentina References

Arvo Pärt

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Early life, family and education#

Pärt was born in Paide Järva County Estonia, on 11. September 1935. He was raised by his mother and stepfather in Rakvere in northern Estonia. He began to experiment with the top and bottom notes of the family’s piano as the middle register was damaged. Pärt’s musical education began at the age of seven when he began attending music school in Rakvere. By his early teenage years, Pärt was writing his own compositions. His first serious study came in 1954 at the Tallinn Music Middle School, but less than a year later he temporarily abandoned it to fulfill military service, playing oboe and percussion in the army band. After his military service he attended the Tallinn Conservatory, where he studied composition with Heino Eller and it was said of him, “he just seemed to shake his sleeves and the notes would fall out”. During the 1950s, he also completed his first vocal composition, the cantata Meie aed (‘Our Garden’) for children’s choir and orchestra. He graduated in 1963.

Avet Terterian

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Alfred Roubenovich “Avet” Terterian (also Terteryan) (, July 29, 1929 – December 11, 1994) was an Armenian composer, awarded the Konrad Adenauer Prize. Terterian was a friend and colleague of Giya Kancheli, Konstantin Orbelyan, and Tigran Mansurian. Dmitri Shostakovich praised Terterian as “very talented” and “with great future” in one of his letters, published by his friend Isaak Glikman, having heard a recording of Terterian’s works at Armenia’s “House of Composers” summer resort in Dilijan, Armenia. He studied at the Music Academy in Baku from 1948, and moved to the Romanos-Melikian Music Academy in 1951. He studied composition at the Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan from 1952. He was Executive Secretary of the Armenian Composers’ Union from 1960 to 1963, and Chairman of the Music Department at the Armenian Cultural Ministry from 1970 and 1974. He joined Yerevan Conservatory as a professor in 1985. In 1989, he moved to the village of Ayrivank, located on the western shore of Lake Sevan, Gegharkunik region of Armenia. Terterian’s son, Dr. Ruben Terterian, was a professor of music in Samborondón, Ecuador, until his death in January 2020; and former prorector at the Komitas St

Benjamin Yusupov

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Benjamin Yusupov (; born November 22, 1962, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan) is a classical composer, conductor and pianist. Biography Yusupov was born in Dushanbe, Tajik SSR (today in Tajikistan) in 1962. He studied piano, composition and conducting at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow with Roman Ledeniov, Yuri Fortunatov and Dmitri Kitajenko. He received his PhD degree at Bar-Ilan University. Yusupov works closely with outstanding artists as Maxim Vengerov, Mischa Maisky, Vadim Repin, Alexander Kniazev, Maxim Rysanov, Sergei Nakariakov, Konstantin Lifschitz, Reinhold Friedrich and others. His extensive catalogue, which is published exclusively by Sikorski Musikverlag (Hamburg), has been performed extensively by a wide range of renowned artists and orchestra across the globe the likes of the London Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Bogota Philharmonic, New World Symphony, NDR Radio-Philharmonie Hannover, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Belgrade Philharmonic, to name a few. In 2005, Yusupov’s Viola Tango Rock Concerto - written for the internationally renowned violini

Bidzina Kvernadze

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Bidzina Kvernadze (), (29 July 1928, Sighnaghi, Georgia, – 8 July 2010, Tbilisi), was a famous Georgian composer. Bidzina was born in Sighnaghi, the Kakheti region of former Soviet Georgia to Alexander Kvernadze, a pharmacist, and Nino Nadirashvili, a music teacher. In 1948, Bidzina presented his musical works to Examination Commission, and he was accepted to the Tbilisi State Conservatoire with the highest score. He finished the composition class in 1958, taught by Andria Balanchivadze. In the same year he was accepted as a member of the Union of Soviet Composers. Among his honors are the title of “People’s Artist of the USSR” (1979), the “Z. Paliashvili Prize” (1981, for My Entreaty, Old Georgian Inscriptions and Vocal-Symphonic Poem) and the “Shota Rustaveli State Prize” (1985, Opera “And it was in the eighth year”). He was also named an Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi (1995). Filmography * 2001: Antimoz iverieli * 1996: Qva (Short) * 1995: Tsarsulis achrdilebi * 1991: Premiera (TV Movie) * 1990: Omi kvelastvis omia * 1990: White Banners * 1985: Ert patara qalaqshi * 1985: Christmas tree of Neilon * 1983: Andredzi (Short) * 1983: Tsigni pitsisa (TV Movie) * 1981: Me davbrundebi * 19

Boris Arapov

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Boris Aleksandrovich Arapov (; 12 September 1905 in Saint Petersburg – 27 January 1992 in Saint Petersburg) was a Soviet and Russian composer. People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1976). Life and career Arapov grew up in Poltava, Ukraine, and took his first musical instruction class there. He moved to Petrograd (formerly Saint Petersburg) in 1921, and took piano lessons with Maria Yudina. However, a hand disease later forced him to abandon piano playing. Arapov oriented himself first of all towards the officially desirable composition style and worked primarily with nationalist elements, mainly restricting his subject matter to Russian folklore. However, from around 1960, his compositional style started to become more experimental, introducing a more complicated harmonic, rhythmic and sound colour. As subject matter, he more often selected works of literature. Although this later work is generally tonal, the levels of internal discord are higher than previously. In his very last works, Arapov introduced a religious subject matter. Selected works Orchestral * Symphony No. 1 in C minor (1947) * Symphony No. 2 in D major (1959) * Symphony No. 3 (1963) * Symphony No. 4 for voices, choir and o

Boris Asafyev

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Boris Vladimirovich Asafyev (29 July 188427 January 1949; also known by pseudonym Igor Glebov) was a Russian and Soviet composer, writer, musicologist, musical critic and one of founders of Soviet musicology. He is the dedicatee of Prokofiev’s First Symphony. He was born in Saint Petersburg. Asafyev had a strong influence on Soviet music. His compositions included ballets, operas, symphonies, concertos and chamber music. His ballets included Flames of Paris, based on the French Revolution, and The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, which was first performed in 1934, and was performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in 2006. His writings, under the name Igor Glebov, included The Symphonic etudes , The Book about Stravinsky and Glinka (for which he was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1948). Selected works ;Opera * The Cashier’s Wife * Minin and Pozharsky * The Girl without a Dowry ;Ballets * The Fairy Gift (1910) * White Lily (1911) * Flames of Paris (1931) * The Fountain of Bakhchisarai (1936) * The Prisoner of the Caucasus (1938) * The Rustic Lady * The Stone Guest (1946) ;Orchestra * 5 Symphonies * Concerto for clarinet and orchestra (1939) * Concerto for guitar and chamber orchestr

Boris Kõrver

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Boris Kõrver (12 April 1917 – 17 August 1994) was an Estonian composer. Biography Kõrver was born in Revel 12 April 1917. In 1950, he graduated from Tallinn State Conservatory in composition specialty. During World War II, he belonged to State Artistic Ensembles of the Estonian SSR in Yaroslavl. Since 1944, he was a member of Estonian Composers’ Union. From 1953 to 1966, he was deputy chairman and from 1966 to 1974 chairman of Estonian Composers’ Union. His daughter is director and cinematographer Marianne Kõrver. He died 17 August 1994 in Tallinn. Awards * Two Estonian SSR State Prizes (1949, 1950) * Stalin Prize, 3rd class (1951) * Merited Art Worker of the Estonian SSR (1955) * Two Orders of the Red Banner of Labour (1956, 1971) * People’s Artist of the Estonian SSR (1965) * Order of the Badge of Honour (1967) * Order of Friendship of Peoples Works * Author manuscript “Our school life” (1955) https://www.emic.ee/?sisu=kasikirjad&mid=230&lang=eng&action=view&id=11468&tid=15879 * operette “Ainult unistus” (1955) * operette “Laanelill” (1959) * operette “Teie soov palun?” (1962) * musical “Mees pisuhännaga” (1968) * musical “Kapsad ja kuningad” (1971) References

Boris Krasin (composer)

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Boris Borisovich Krasin (3 (15) April 1884, Tyumen–21 June 1936) was a Russian musician who was politically active in Proletkult and the Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians. Early life Boris was the fifth and youngest son of Boris Ivanovich Krasin, chief of police in Tyumen. Leonid Krasin was one of his brothers. Musical career Krasin was head of the Moscow Proletkult’s Music Department in which capacity he claimed that the music provided in restaurants and cabarets was anti-art. He set poems to music such as Andrei Bely’s “Чающие” (Tea Lovers), “Одиночество” (Loneliness) and “Осень” (Autumn). He is buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow. Texts *1920 “С чего и как начинать работу в области музыкального искусства” (Where and how to start working in the field of musical art) Proletarskaya Kul’tura, No.17-19, August – December, 1920 References

Boris Parsadanian

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Boris Khristoforovich Parsadanian (, ; May 14, 1925 – May 14, 1997) was a Soviet Armenian and Estonian composer, violinist, and arts administrator. Biography Parsadanian was born in Kislovodsk, Russian SFSR, in 1925. He began his musical studies in Ashgabat, Turkmen SSR, studying violin with Anton Gerbler. Later he moved to Moscow and enrolled at the Armenian House of Culture, where he studied with . His studies were interrupted by his military service in World War II, during which he was decorated. After the war Parsadanian enrolled in the Gnessin Institute where he studied composition and violin. He resumed studies with Litinsky and also began studying orchestration with Nikolai Timofeyev. He was well liked by his classmates for his playing and personality, but school staff initially disapproved of his behavior, particularly his constant playing of excerpts from Aram Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto. Parsadanian graduated in 1950. His first work to earn success was his Piano Trio, which was premiered at a student concert; the piano part was played by fellow student Yevgeny Svetlanov. This was followed by his tone poem David of Sassoun, which was based on the eponymous hero from the

Boris Sobinov

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Boris Leonidovich Sobinov (; 1895 in Moscow – 1956 in Klin) was a Russian composer and a son of Leonid Sobinov, Russia’s leading lyric tenor during the first quarter of the 20th Century. Biography Boris was the first child born to Maria Karzhavina, a dramatic actress, and Leonid Sobinov, a famous opera singer, who had met as schoolmates at the Philharmonic Society. Though their union dissolved after only a few years, Leonid remained an active and loving presence in the lives of Boris and his younger brother Yuri (1897-1920). Boris received a military education while obtaining musical training. His younger brother Yuri (1897–1920) was a visual artist and painted the pictured oil portrait of Boris at the piano (1910). Both brothers served in the tsarist army, and then in the White Army during the Civil War. Yuri was killed near Melitopol. Boris, along with army baron Pyotr Wrangel, managed to escape to Germany. He later graduated from Berlin’s High Art School, where he later taught. Throughout his professorial years, he continued to compose his own works. Leonid and Boris reunited as Leonid toured Berlin. In 1931 Boris settled in Riga, where Leonid spent much of a one-year sabbatical

Boris Tchaikovsky

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Boris Alexandrovich Tchaikovsky (; 10 September 1925 – 7 February 1996), PAU, was a Soviet and Russian composer, born in Moscow, whose oeuvre includes orchestral works, chamber music, and film music. He is considered as part of the second generation of Russian composers, following in the steps of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (to whom he was not related ) and especially Mussorgsky. He was admired by Dmitri Shostakovich, with whom he studied, who (according to Per Skans in his notes for a recording) suggested in a letter of 1 February 1969 to Isaak Glikman, that “If Barshai’s orchestra (the Moscow chamber orchestra) makes a guest appearance in Leningrad playing Vainberg’s Tenth Symphony and Boris Tchaikovsky’s Sinfonietta, you really have to hear them”. Of his larger-scale works almost all have been recorded. Boris Tchaikovsky generally wrote in a tonal style, although he made brief forays into serialism. Selected works ;Stage * The Star (Звезда), unfinished opera in three scenes (1949); libretto by David Samoilov after the novel by Emmanuil Kazakevich; Moscow Conservatory diploma-work ; Orchestral * Procession (Шествие) (1946) * Symphony No.1 (1947) * Fantasia on Russian Folk Themes (Фа

Boris Tishchenko

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Boris Ivanovich Tishchenko (Russian Бори́с Ива́нович Ти́щенко; 23 March 1939 – 9 December 2010) was a Russian and Soviet composer and pianist. Life Tishchenko was born in Leningrad. He studied at the Leningrad Musical College from 1954 to 1957. There he learnt composition under Galina Ustvolskaya and piano under Mikhelis. Then from 1957 to 1963 he studied composition with Vadim Salmanov, Victor Voloshinov and Orest Evlakhov, and piano with L. Logovinski at the Leningrad Conservatory. He took a postgraduate course with the composer Dmitri Shostakovich from 1962 to 1965. He subsequently joined the faculty of the Leningrad Conservatory from 1965, and became a professor there in 1986. Tischenko was married three times. His first marriage, to the pianist Anastasia Braudo, produced a son, Dmitri. His second wife was the singer Galina Kulichenko, and the couple had a son, Vsevolod. Both of these marriages ended in divorce. His third wife was the harpist Irina Donskaya, and their marriage produced a son, Andrei. His third wife and all of his sons survived him. Music His output includes eight numbered symphonies, nine unnumbered symphonies, two violin concertos, two cello concertos, a piano

Borys Lyatoshynsky

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Borys Mykolaiovych Lyatoshynsky, also known as Boris Nikolayevich Lyatoshinsky, (3 January 1895 15 April 1968) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor, and teacher. A leading member of the new generation of 20th century Ukrainian composers, he was awarded a number of accolades, including the honorary title of People’s Artist of the Ukrainian SSR and two Stalin Prizes. He received his primary education at home, where Polish literature and history was held in high esteem. After completing school in 1913, he entered the Faculty of Law at Kyiv University, and as a graduate was employed to teach music at the Kyiv Conservatory. During the 1910s, Lyatoshynsky wrote 31 works of various musical genres. During the 1930s he travelled to Tajikistan to study folk music and compose a ballet about the life of local people. From 1935 to 1938, and from 1941 to 1944, he taught orchestration at the Moscow Conservatory. During the war, Lyatoshynsky was evacuated and taught at the Conservatory’s branch in Saratov, where he worked on arrangements of Ukrainian songs, and organised the transportation of Ukrainian musical manuscripts away to safety. Lyatoshynsky’s main works are his operas The Golden Ring (192

Borys Yanovskyi

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Borys Karlovych Yanovskyi or Janowsky () (31 December 1875, Moscow19 January 1933, Kharkiv) was a Russian/Ukrainian composer, music critic, conductor and teacher of German origin. His actual surname was Siegl. Yanovskyi lived and worked in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv and Kharkiv. Biography Borys Karlovych Yanovskyi was born on 19/31 December 1875 in Moscow, the son of a German, Karl Siegl. His initial musical training was undertaken by his father, before he became a student of E. A. Ryb. Yanovskyi lived in Kyiv until 1910, where he graduated from and Kyiv University (1903). He worked as a conductor, teacher, and critic. He lived in St. Petersburg from 1910. Between 1916 and 1917, he was the conductor of the Zimin Opera in Moscow. In 1918, he travelled back to Ukraine, becoming a teacher at the Music Technical College and the Music and Drama Institute in Kharkiv. Member of the editorial board of the journal. “Music”, head of the music department of the newspaper “Communist” in Kharkiv. Member of the Kharkiv branch of MTL. He worked in Kyiv as an employee of periodicals and magazines, at the same time he taught, had conducting practice and wrote critical articles. He was the first e

Bronius Kutavičius

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bronius Kutavičius (13 September 1932 – 29 September 2021) was a Lithuanian composer and academic composition teacher. He wrote numerous oratorios and operas, often inspired by ancient Lithuanian polytheistic beliefs and music. He also composed film scores, orchestral works and chamber music. Kutavičius is regarded as a symbol of Lithuanian cultural identity, both in music and in politics. He studied Western techniques such as random operations, timbre experiments and spatial sound concepts (Zufallsoperationen, Klangfarbenexperimente und Raumklangkonzepte). He worked from 1991 to 1995 on one of his major works, The Gates of Jerusalem, which earned him the Lithuanian State Prize in 1996. He composed his first opera in 2000, Lokys to a libretto by Aušra Marija Sluckaitė-Jurašienė based on the novella by Prosper Mérimée. His music is performed at international festivals, including the Warsaw Autumn, the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Mare Balticum, Wratislavia Cantans, Vale of Glamorgan Festival, Spitalfields Festival, MaerzMusik, ISCM World Music Days in Vilnius. Kutavičius died in Vilnius at age 89. Works Although an element of drama appears in compositions by Kutavičius,

Camilla Kolchinsky

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Camilla Alexandrovna Kolchinsky (Russian: Камилла Александровна Кольчинская; 25 December 1931 – 16 February 2016) was a Jewish conductor who was born in Russia. She was born in Moscow and made her debut as a conductor in Leningrad, now is known as St. Petersburg, while still a student. In 1976 she emigrated to Israel. She had conducted performances of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and according to Gramophone was “one of the few Russian women to have made a successful international career as a conductor.” At the time of her death she was the emeritus director of the El Camino Youth Orchestra. Recordings *Glazunov/Dvorák Violin Concertos – Ilya Kaler (violin), Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Camilla Kolchinsky (conductor). Label: Naxos References External links * (Internet Archive)

Cyrillus Kreek

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Cyrillus Kreek (born Karl Ustav Kreek; 3 December 1889 in Võnnu, Lääne county – 26 March 1962 in Haapsalu) was an Estonian composer. Kreek studied trombone and composition at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory from 1908 to 1916 in the years immediately prior to the Russian Revolution, then worked as music teacher first in his native Haapsalu (in western Estonia), at the Tartu Higher Music College and later at the Tallinn Conservatory. Kreek started collecting religious folksongs in 1911 in the Haapsalu region. He systematically collected the folk music of his native country, and many of his folk melody arrangements have since become part of the permanent repertoire of Estonian choral societies. He was the first Estonian collector to use the phonograph for this purpose and the harmonisations he made became a lifelong preoccupation. His beautiful psalm settings have an unmistakable folk tinge, and yet they are much more than simple folksong arrangements, with their carefully graded choral colouring and passing use of imitation. Kreek’s magnum opus was his Requiem, using an Estonian translation of the text of Mozart’s Requiem, but his essence is perfectly expressed in these choral mini

Daniele Amfitheatrof

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Daniele Alexandrovich Amfitheatrof (, 29 October 1901 – 4 June 1983) was a Russian, American, and Italian composer and conductor. Biography Amfitheatrof was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia on 29 October 1901; his grandfather was Nikolay Sokolov. In his youth, Amfitheatrof studied first with Jāzeps Vītols at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, then Jaroslav Křička in Prague. Most of Amfitheatrof’s studies took place in Rome, where he completed his studies in composition at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia under Ottorino Respighi. Amfitheatrof also graduated in organ playing from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. His career began as a répétiteur at the Teatro Augusteo, where he eventually became assistant conductor to Bernardino Molinari. After obtaining a number of positions in Italy, including house conductor and manager at the EIAR station in Turin, Amfitheatrof left to become associate conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra under music director Dimitri Mitropoulos. In 1939, Amfitheatrof relocated to Hollywood, California, where he established himself as a film composer. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1944. Altogether, Amfitheatrof scored more than

David Roitman

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David Roitman (November 1, 1884 – April 4, 1943) was a Russian-American hazzan and composer. Early in his career he worked as cantor in villages and cities in Russia such as Vilna and Odessa. In 1921 he immigrated to the United States and eventually joined the Congregation Shaare Zedek. Renowned for his lyric tenor compositional recordings and cantorial recitatives, Roitman became known as “the poet of the pulpit”. Biography Roitman was born to Mordecai and Mariom Roitman on November 1, 1884 at the Jusefpol village in the Russian province of Podolia. At the age of 12, he became the choral assistant to a cantor at the nearby town Lidvinke. He was then apprenticed to a series of cantors starting with Yankel Sorover and including Zeidel Rovner. Roitman would remain with Rovner throughout his teenage years. He studied music at Yeshiva College and continued his studies as a post-graduate at the Leningrad Conservatory. Roitman worked as a cantor for five years at the Jewish Temple of Elisavetgrad, starting in 1904. From 1909 to 1912, he worked as cantor at Vilna. He became the chief cantor at the Ginsbourgh Synagogue in Leningrad starting in 1912, until the October Revolution of 1917 des

David Tukhmanov

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David Fyodorovich Tukhmanov PAR (, was born July 20, 1940) is a Soviet and Russian composer. People’s Artist of Russia (2000), State Prize of Russian Federation (2003, 2019). Biography Tukhmanov is a son of an Armenian engineer Fyodor Davidovich Tukhmanov and a Russian music teacher Vera Anatolyevna Karasyova. The Tukhmanovs are the descendants of the Armenian princely house of Tumanyans, the offspring of the princes Mamikonians, Lords of Dsegh. David began to learn music under the direction of his mother at an early age and wrote his first piece of music (Lezginka), when he was four years old. Then he finished Gnesins musical school (1958) and composer’s branch of Gnesins Musical College (1963). His degree’s work was the oratorio for soloists, chorus and an orchestra Distance After Distance, which is based on fragments of the epic poem of the same name by Alexander Tvardovsky. In 1973 Tukhmanov wrote songs and music for a TV film This Merry Planet. In the following year he released soundtrack album, which also included several additional songs. In 1972 Tukhmanov released his first personally authored album How Beautiful the World is (Russian: Как прекрасен мир, lit. ‘Kak prekrasen

Dina Nurpeisova

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Dina Nurpeisova or Nurpeissova (1861 - 31 January 1955) was a composer from the western part of Kazakhstan in the Uralsk area. She was also a noted dombyra player. For her musical accomplishments, she was recognized as the National Artist of Kazakhstan. as well as a small village, Dina Nurpeisova. On the 150th anniversary of her birth, in 2011, a postage stamp was issued to commemorate her. Biography Nurpeisova was born in the village of Beketay-kum, currently in West Kazakhstan Region of Kazakhstan, and her father, a dombyra player, taught her how to play at a young age. As a young girl, she met the composer, Kurmangazy, who became her mentor. In 1885, her first husband died, and she married his younger brother. In April 2021, the country of Kazakhstan celebrated the 160th anniversary of Dina Nurpeisova’s birth. Work Nurpeisova’s interpretations of traditional music created a link between the past and modern dombyra music. The type of traditional Kazakh folk music she worked with was called kyuy or kyui. V. Belyaev, a Soviet musicologist, wrote that she “raised the value of folk musical instruments.” Selected compositions * Ana buirigi * Bulbul * Bayzhuma * Enbek ery * Kogentup *

Djivan Gasparyan

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Djivan Gasparyan (var. Jivan Gasparyan; , ; 12 October 1928 – 6 July 2021) was an Armenian musician and composer. He played the duduk, a double reed woodwind instrument related to the orchestral oboe. Gasparyan is known as the “Master of the duduk”. In 2006 he was nominated for Grammy Awards for the Best Traditional World Music Album. Biography Born in Solak, Armenia, to parents from Mush, Gasparyan started to play duduk when he was six. In 1948, he became a soloist of the Armenian Song and Dance Popular Ensemble and the Yerevan Philharmonic Orchestra. He won four medals at UNESCO worldwide competitions (1959, 1962, 1973, and 1980). In 1973 Gasparyan was awarded the honorary title People’s Artist of Armenia. In 2002, he received the WOMEX (World Music Expo) Lifetime Achievement Award. He is an Honorary citizen of Yerevan. A professor at the Yerevan State Musical Conservatory, Gasparyan played as part of the Armenian entry “Apricot Stone” by Eva Rivas at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo and became the oldest ever person to feature in a Eurovision Song Contest performance, but was not officially listed as a guest artist. Death Gasparyan died on 6 July 2021, aged 92. It was an

Djumshud Ashurov

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Djumshud Shevanyaevich Ashurov (born Shumshul Ashurov; ; ; 1913–1980) was the first Soviet composer of Mountain Jewish origin. In 1961, he was awarded the title of “Honored Artist of the Dagestan ASSR”. On 10 April 1970, on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, he was awarded the Jubilee Medal “In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin”. Djumshud Ashurov was the first Mountain Jewish composer. Biography Djumshud Ashurov was born on 9 May 1913, in Derbent, Dagestan Oblast, an administrative-territorial entity in the Russian Empire. In 1930, he entered the Derbent Pedagogical College, where he tried to write his own musical compositions, composed songs, and created an instrumental piece. A memorial plaque was installed on the wall of the house where Djumshud Ashurov lived. In 2013, Derbent celebrated the centenary of Djumshud Ashurov, the first composer of Mountain Jewish heritage. References Literature * * * External links * Djumshud Shevanyaeviya Ashurov - Soviet composer, Honored Artist of the DASSR

Dmitri Capyrin

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Dmitri Yuryevich Capyrin (born 1960 in Moscow) is a Russian composer of contemporary classical music. He graduated from Lviv Conservatory in 1984. He lives in Moscow and works as a freelance composer. His music “successfully combines a variety of techniques, often using literary sources and motifs in his works.” He won the second prize in the 1994 ICONS competition in Turin and received a scholarship in 1995 from the Berlin Akademie der Künst. In 2010 he was the finalist of the YouTube Online Composers Competition. His compositions have been performed by “numerous prominent ensembles and soloists, and has also been featured in a variety of concert and festival venues, including the Moscow Autumn (1999), the Paris Presences (1993), Warsaw Autumn (2005) and the Music Biennale Zagreb (1993, 2011).” He has become “one of the most prominent composers of the younger generation of Russians.” His style combines modal scales procedures with new tonal and atonal idioms. He prefers polyphonic texture and dense stratification of flexible melodic voices. At the same time he widely uses isolated tones and brief solo phrases surrounded with silence which resembles quasi-Webernian pointillism. His

Dmitri Klebanov

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Dmytry Lvovych Klebanov (; ; 25 July 1907 – 6 June 1987) was a Soviet-era Ukrainian composer. He studied violin and composition at the Kharkiv Institute of Music and Drama. He was a professor at the Kharkiv Conservatory from 1960. Life and career Born in 1907 in Kharkiv, External links * * Dmitri Klebanov classical.net

Dmitri Shostakovich

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Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was born on 25 September 1906 on Podolskaya Street in Saint Petersburg, the Russian Empire’s capital. He was the second of three children born to Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich and Sofiya Vasilievna Kokoulina. Shostakovich’s immediate forebears came from Siberia, but his paternal grandfather, , was of Polish and Lithuanian descent, tracing his family roots to the region of the town of Vileyka in today’s Belarus. A Polish revolutionary in the January Uprising of 1863–1864, Szostakowicz was exiled to Narym in 1866 in the crackdown that followed Dmitry Karakozov’s assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander II. When his term of exile ended, Szostakowicz decided to remain in Siberia. He eventually became a successful banker in Irkutsk and raised a large family. His son Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich, the composer’s father, was born in Narym in 1875 and studied physics and mathematics at Saint Petersburg State University, graduating in 1899. He then went to work as an engineer under Dmitri Mendeleev at the Bureau of Weights and Measures in Saint Petersburg. In 1903, he married another Siberian immigrant to the capital, Sofiya Vasilievna Kokoulina, one of six children born to a Siberian Russian. Shostakovich displayed musical talent after beginning piano lessons with his mother at the age of 9. On several occasions, he displayed a remarkable ability to remember what his mother had played at the previous lesson, and would get “caught in the act” of pretending to read the score in front of him while actually reproducing it from memory. In 1918, he wrote a funeral march in memory of two leaders of the Kadet Party murdered by Bolshevik sailors. In 1919, at age 13, Shostakovich was admitted to the Petrograd Conservatory, then headed by Alexander Glazunov, who monitored his progress closely and promoted him. Shostakovich studied piano with Leonid Nikolayev and Elena Rozanova, composition with Maximilian Steinberg, and counterpoint and fugue with Nikolay Sokolov, who became his friend. He also attended Alexander Ossovsky’s music history classes. In 1925, he enrolled in the conducting classes of Nikolai Malko, where he conducted the conservatory orchestra in a private performance of Beethoven’s First Symphony. According to the recollections of the composer’s classmate, : Shostakovich stood at the podium, played with his hair and jacket cuffs, looked around at the hushed teenagers with instruments at the ready and raised the baton. … He neither stopped the orchestra, nor made any remarks; he focused his entire attention on aspects of tempi and dynamics, which were very clearly displayed in his gestures. The contrasts between the “Adagio molto” of the introduction and “Allegro con brio” first theme were quite striking, as were those between the percussive accents of the chords (woodwinds, French horns, pizzicato strings) and the momentarily extended piano in the introduction following them. In the character given to the pattern of the first theme, I recall, there was both vigorous striving and lightness; in the bass part there was an emphasized pliancy of tenderly threaded articulation…. Moments of these sorts… were discoveries of an improvised order, born from an intuitively refined understanding of the character of a piece and the elements of musical imagery embedded in it. And the players enjoyed it. On 20 March 1925, Shostakovich’s music was played in Moscow for the first time, in a program that also included works by his friend Vissarion Shebalin. To the composer’s disappointment, the critics and public there received his music coolly. During his visit to Moscow, Mikhail Kvadri introduced him to Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who helped the composer find accommodation and work there, and sent a driver to take him to a concert in “a very stylish automobile”. Shostakovich’s musical breakthrough was the First Symphony, written as his graduation piece at the age of 19. Initially Shostakovich aspired to perform it only privately with the conservatory orchestra, and prepared to conduct the scherzo himself. By late 1925, Malko had agreed to conduct its premiere with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra after Steinberg and Shostakovich’s friend Boleslav Yavorsky brought the symphony to his attention. On 12 May 1926, Malko led the premiere of the symphony; the audience received it enthusiastically, demanding an encore of the scherzo. Thereafter, Shostakovich regularly celebrated the date of his symphonic debut.

Dmitri Smirnov (composer)

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Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (; 2 November 1948 – 9 April 2020) was a Russian-British composer and academic teacher, who also published as Dmitri N. Smirnov and D. Smirnov-Sadovsky. He wrote operas, symphonies, string quartets and other chamber music, and vocal music from song to oratorio. Many of his works were inspired by the art of William Blake. Career Smirnov was born in Minsk Works Smirnov’s works were published by Hans Sikorski in Hamburg, and G. Schirmer in New York City. * Piano Sonata No. 1 (1967), No. 2 (1980), No. 3 (1992), No. 4 String of Destiny (2000), * Violin Sonata No. 1 (1969), No. 2 (1979), No. 3 “es ist ..” in memory of Oleg Firsov (1998), Sources *Yuri Kholopov: Russians in England: Dmitri Smirnov, Elena Firsova. Article, in: Music From the Former USSR. Issue 2. Moscow: Composer, 1996, pp. 255–303 (in Russian); also in «Ex oriente…I» Ten Composers from the former USSR. Viktor Suslin, Dmitry Smirnov, Arvo Pärt, Yury Kasparov, Galina Ustvolskaya, Nikolai Sidelnikov, Elena Firsova Vladimir Martynov, Andrei Eshpai, Boris Chaikovsky. Edited by Valeria Tsenova (studia slavica musicologica, Bd. 25), Verlag Ernst Kuhn – Berlin. pp. 207–266 (in English) *Gerard McBurne

Dmitry Kabalevsky

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Dmitry Borisovich Kabalevsky ( ; 30 December 1904 – 14 February 1987) was a Soviet composer, conductor, pianist and pedagogue of Russian gentry descent. He helped set up the Union of Soviet Composers in Moscow and remained one of its leading figures during his lifetime. He was a prolific composer of piano music and chamber music; many of his piano works were performed by Vladimir Horowitz. He is best known in Western Europe for his Second Symphony; the “Comedians’ Galop” from The Comedians Suite, Op. 26; and his Third Piano Concerto. Life Kabalevsky was born in Saint Petersburg in 1904, but moved to Moscow at a young age. His father was a mathematician and encouraged him to study mathematics, but he showed a fascination for the arts. He studied at the Academic Music College in Moscow and graduated in 1922. He then continued his studies with Vasily Selivanov. In 1925, he then went on to study at the Moscow Conservatory where he learned composition with first Georgy Catoire, then Nikolai Myaskovsky and piano with Alexander Goldenweiser. By the age of 26 his list of compositions included the String Quartet, Op. 8, Piano Concerto, Op. 9, Eight Children’s Songs, Op. 17, and various work

Dmitry Malikov

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Dmitry Yurievich Malikov (; born 29 January 1970) is a Russian singer, composer, occasional actor and a recent record producer. Early life Dmitry Malikov, who goes by his nickname Dima, was born in Moscow. His mother, Lyudmila Mikhailovna Vyunkova, was a dancer, and his father, Yuriy Fedorovich Malikov, was part of a band called Samotsvety (Самоцветы). This combination of parental talent had a large influence in his becoming a musician. In the early 70s, Samotsvety became one of the most popular groups in the USSR, selling several million records. His younger sister, Inna Malikova (Инна Маликова), is also a recording artist. As his father was often on tour, Malikov was brought up by his grandparents. Music In 1985 Malikov performed two songs at the Soundtrack Concert (звуковая дорожка / Zvukovaya Dorozhka) organized by the popular Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, which was his first major performance. In 1994 Malikov released his first album, Until Tomorrow (До завтра / Do Zavtra), which had been released twice previously, once in 1993 as With You (С тобой / S Toboy) and in 1992, as Searching Soul (Поиски Души / Poiski Dushi). This was a compilation of his early hits, and t

Dmitry Smolsky

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Dmitry Smolski (July 25, 1937 – September 29, 2017) was a Belarusian composer, Honored Artist of Belorussian SSR (1975), laureate of the State Prize of BSSR (1980), National Artist of the Republic of Belarus (1987), laureate of the Order of Francysk Skaryna (2013), and professor. Dmitry Smolsky was the father of Victor Smolski, best known as the guitarist of the German band Rage. Early life Dmitry Smolski was born on July 25, 1937, in Minsk in the family of a famous Belarusian musicologist Bronislaw Smolski. A musical environment surrounded him from early childhood contributed to an early demonstration of his musical talent (the first musical publication of the young composer refers to the age of 12). At the age of seven, Dmitry began regular music lessons (violin), first in the Moscow Central Music School and then at the Music School of Belarusian State Conservatory, where he also started to learn composition under the leadership of a famous Belarusian composer Evgeniy Tikotski. In 1955, Smolski entered the Moscow Conservatory to the class of prof. Yuri Shaporin, but a year later he had to return to Minsk for health reasons. D. Smolski graduated from the Belarusian State Conservat

Edgar Hovhannisyan

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Edgar Hovhannisyan, Hovhannisian or Oganesian (,; January 14, 1930 – December 28, 1998) was an Armenian composer, Professor of Composition at the Yerevan State Conservatory, People’s Artist of the USSR (1986). He graduated from the Yerevan State Conservatory in 1953, then pursued post-graduate work at the Moscow Conservatory, where he worked under famed Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian. He was the director of the State Opera and Ballet Theater in Yerevan from 1962–1968, and Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Union of Composers of the Armenian SSR from 1956–1973. He was the rector of the Yerevan State Conservatory from 1986 to 1991. Hovhannisyan is widely considered among the most influential Armenian composers of the 20th century. He is the author of ballets, including Joan of Arc, Sulamif (Shulamith) and Marmar. He experimented with various musical styles, including neo-classical, folk-based styles, and even jazz — such as in the Concert Variations for Saxophone and Jazz Orchestra — opera (Journey to Arzrum), various vocal-orchestral works (e.g. the oratorio Grigor Narekatsi, the hymn of Yerevan), and numerous film scores. Awards *State Prize of the USSR (1979) *State Prize of

Edison Denisov

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Edison Vasilievich Denisov (, 6 April 1929 – 24 November 1996) was a Russian composer in the so-called “Underground”, “alternative” or “nonconformist” division of Soviet music. Biography Denisov was born in Tomsk, Siberia. He studied mathematics before deciding to spend his life composing. This decision was enthusiastically supported by Dmitri Shostakovich, who gave him lessons in composition. In 1951–56 Denisov studied at the Moscow Conservatory: composition with Vissarion Shebalin, orchestration with Nikolai Rakov, analysis with Viktor Tsukkerman and piano with Vladimir Belov. In 1956–59 he composed the opera Ivan-Soldat (Soldier Ivan) in three acts based on Russian folk fairy tales. He began his own study of scores that were difficult to obtain in the USSR at that time, including music by composers ranging from Mahler and Debussy to Boulez and Stockhausen. He wrote a series of articles giving a detailed analysis of different aspects of contemporary compositional techniques and at same time actively experimented as a composer, trying to find his own way. After graduating from the Moscow Conservatory, he taught orchestration and later composition there. His pupils included the com

Eduard Lazarev

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Eduard Leonidovich Lazarev (; 19 December 1935 – 10 January 2008) was a Moldovan composer of Russian descent. Lazarev arranged the State Anthem of the Moldavian SSR in 1980, with authorization of The First Secretary of the Moldavian Communist Party Ivan Bodiul. In April 1979, Lazarev received a premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow when he combined music with excerpts from speeches of Vladimir Lenin in the opera “Chemarea Revoluţiei” (The Call of the Revolution; also known as Leniniana), which lasted only nine performances. Between 1974 and 1983 he wrote Master and Margarita, a ballet in 8 acts. His second Piano Trio (1992) has been recorded by the Moscow Piano Trio. Eduard Lazarev died on 10 January 2008, at the age of 72. Works * 1973 Acuzaţii de omor (Allegations of murder) * 1973 Dimitrie Cantemir (Dimitrie Cantemir) * 1976 Nimeni în locul tău (Nobody in your place) * 1976 Pe urmele fire (On the trail of the beast) External links * * Filme Istorice References

Eino Tamberg

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Eino Tamberg (27 May 1930 – 24 December 2010) was an Estonian composer whose works are performed internationally. He composed operas such as Cyrano de Bergerac, four symphonies, and several concertos. He taught composition for decades at the Estonian Academy of Music. Life Tamberg was born in Tallinn. He studied composition with Eugen Kapp at the Tallinn Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1953.

Ekaterina Kozhevnikova

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Ekaterina Kozhevnikova (Russian: Екатерина Кожевникова) is a Russian classical music composer. She was born in Moscow on August 2, 1954. At the Moscow Conservatory, she studied composition with Dmitry Kabalevsky and Tikhon Khrennikov and piano with L. N. Naumov, graduating in 1977. In that year she was awarded the 1st Prize for Symphony at the All-Union Competition for Young Composers. In 1979, Kozhevnikova became a member of the Union of Composers of the USSR. Since 2001, she has been a member of the selection and organizing committees of the Moscow Autumn contemporary music festival, where many of her orchestral and chamber works received their premieres. From 2002 to the present, Kozhevnikova has been a member of the Board of the Union of Moscow Composers. Her works in various genres are often unconventional in structure and instrumentation. She has cited Olivier Messiaen and Krzystof Penderecki as influences. Symphonies and works for large symphony orchestra :::*Symphony No. 1 (1977) :::*Symphony No. 2, “Sinfonia da Requiem.” Dedicated to the memory of my mother. (1979) :::*Symphony No. 3 (2003. Second edition 2018) :::*Chant(1988) :::*Plea(1991) :::*Vision Dedicated to Constan

Elena Firsova

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Elena Olegovna Firsova (; also Yelena or Jelena Firssowa; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian composer living in the UK. Life Firsova was born in Leningrad into the family of physicists Oleg Firsov and Viktoria Lichko. * For Alissa Op. 102 (2002) in: RUSSIAN ÉMIGRÉS: Rachmaninov, Smirnov, E. Firsova, A. Firsova: Alissa Firsova, piano: Vivat 109 DDD ** Homage to Canisy, Op.129 for Cello & Piano ** Lost Vision, Op. 137 for Piano Solo ** A Triple Portrait, Op.132, commissioned by Marsyas Trio (2011) ** Night Songs, Op.125 for Mezzo-Soprano, Flute & Cello ** Spring Sonata, Op.27 for Flute & Piano ** For Slava, Op.120 for Solo Cello ** Meditation in the Japanese Garden, Op.54 for Flute, Cello & Piano ** Three Poems of Osip Mandelstam, Op.23 for Soprano & Piano ** Tender is the Sorrow, Op.130 for Flute, String Trio and Piano in: A Triple Portrait. Chamber Music by Elena Firsova – Marsyas Trio, Meridian: CDE84635 Bibliography * Elena Firsova: On Music; in Sowjetische Musik im Licht der Perestroika, pp. 337–8, Laaber-Verlag, Germany, (German translation by Hannelore Gerlach and Jürgen Köchel) 1990 References Sources *Yuri Kholopov: Russians in England: Dmitri Smirnov, Elena Firsova. Article,

Elena Gnesina

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Elena Fabianovna Gnesina (or Gnessina; ; 30 May 1874 – 4 June 1967) was a Soviet and Russian composer and music educator, a sister of the composer Mikhail Gnesin. Gnesina was born in Rostov-on-Don to Rabbi Fabian Osipovich Gnesin (d. 1891) and his wife Bella Isaevna (née Fletzinger), who was a singer and pianist who had studied with Stanisław Moniuszko. Gnesina received numerous state awards, including two Orders of Lenin, and recognition as an Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1935). External links * Kadja Grönke, Art. “Gnessina, Jewgenia, Maria, Elena und Jelisaweta”, in: Lexikon “Europäische Instrumentalistinnen des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts”, hrsg. von Freia Hoffmann, 2016.

Elena Kats-Chernin

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Elena Davidovna Kats-Chernin (born 4 November 1957) is an Australian composer and pianist, best known for her ballet Wild Swans. Early life and education Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR (now the capital of independent Uzbekistan) and is Jewish. Her early life was spent in the Russian SSR after she moved to Yaroslavl at age 4, where she grew up and studied composition at the Sobinov Conservatory. At age 14, she was admitted to the Gnessin State Musical College, and subsequently moved to Moscow for her studies. She later migrated to Australia in 1975, continuing her studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, under Richard Toop (composition) and Gordon Watson (piano). She graduated from the Conservatorium in 1980. She also participated in the Darlinghurst underground theatre scene, with groups such as Cabaret Conspiracy, Fifi Lamour, Boom Boom La Burn and others, often under the name Elena Kats. After graduating, Kats-Chernin moved to Germany to study under Helmut Lachenmann. She remained in Europe for thirteen years, and became active in theatre and ballet, composing for state theatres in Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg and Bochum. Career Since returning to Australia i

Ella Adayevskaya

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Ella von Schultz-Adaïewsky; (Ella Georgiyevna Adayevskaya) ; 26 July 1926) was a Russian-German composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. Note: “Adayevskaya” is an incorrect appellation. Adaïewsky purposely selected a Russian male pseudonym to hide her identity as a female Protestant composer of German descent in Imperial Russia. She explained that she derived the first letters of her artist name (A-D-A) from the opening motif of the overture to Mikhail Glinka’s opera Ruslan and Lyudmila. Adaïewsky wrote vocal music (including choral works), chamber music, and two operas. She also edited a collection of Italian songs and published writings on folk music and the music of ancient Greece. Life Born in St. Petersburg on 22 February 1846 as Elizaveta/Elisabeth von Schultz, as the daughter of the prominent Estophile of Baltic German heritage Georg Julius von Schultz. Adaïewsky began learning the piano in childhood. Amongst her teachers were Adolf von Henselt, Anton Rubinstein, and Alexander Dreyschock. She studied composition with Alexander Famintsyn and Nikolai Zaremba. Adayevskaya was a pseudonym derived from the notes A, D, and A, played by the kettledrum in Mikhail Glinka’s opera Rus

Emin Sabitoglu

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Emin Sabitoglu (, real name Emin Sabit oghlu Mahmudov (); 2 November 1937 – 18 November 2000) was a Soviet Azerbaijani composer, author of a lot of well-known Azerbaijani songs and music for films. People’s Artist of Azerbaijan. Biography Emin Sabitoglu was born on 2 November 1937, in the family of Azerbaijani writer Sabit Rahman. After graduating from musical school in Baku, he entered Gara Garayev’s class at Baku Conservatoire, in 1954. Two years later he was transferred to the Moscow State Conservatory named after Tchaikovsky (Yuri Shaporin’s class). In 1961, he began to work as a music editor in the film studio “Azerbaijanfilm". In consecutive years he worked as the art director of the State Philarmony, and also taught at State Conservatory named after Uzeyir Hajibeyov. He wrote poems for several pieces of music. However, several music genres have been the major part of his works. He composed more than 600 songs, 9 musical comedies, and pieces of music for nearly 40 films. He has numerous compositions written for plays. The composer himself does not know exactly. Along with theaters in Baku, he composed music for theaters in Sumgayit, Ganja, Lankaran, Mingachevir, and Nakchivan

Erkki-Sven Tüür

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Erkki-Sven Tüür (; born 16 October 1959) is an Estonian composer. Life and career Tüür was born in Kärdla on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa. He studied flute and percussion at the Tallinn Music School from 1976 to 1980 and composition with Jaan Rääts at the Tallinn Academy of Music and privately with Lepo Sumera from 1980 to 1984. From 1979 to 1984 he headed the rock group In Spe, which quickly became one of the most popular in Estonia. The Helsinki Philharmonic, the Hilliard Ensemble, the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra are among those who have commissioned works from him. His Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, entitled ‘“Illuminatio”’, was premiered by violist Lars Anders Tomter and South Jutland Symphony Orchestra in October 2008. Since 1985, Tüür is member of the Estonian Composers’ Union. Style Tüür’s early work is polystylistic. The first pure example is his opus Oxymoron. Tüür developed a vector based voice leading technique. The vectors are sequences of intervals, expressed as numbers. He compares this compositional method with a source code, a germ that grows, Starting point of the composition process is an abstract drawing, that vi

Ester Mägi

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ester Mägi (10 January 1922 – 14 May 2021) was an Estonian composer. She has been called the “first lady of Estonian music.” Education She trained under Mart Saar at the Tallinn Conservatoire, then from 1951 to 1954 at the Moscow Conservatory under Vissarion Shebalin. Much of her work was inspired by Estonian folk music. References External links * Ester Mägi at the Estonian Music Information Centre *

Eta Tyrmand

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Eta Moiseyevna Tyrmand (; ; February 23, 1917 – April 29, 2008 ) was a Belarusian composer. Life and career Eta Tyrmand was born in Warsaw. She graduated from the Warsaw Conservatory in choral performance in 1938, and from the Belarusian State Conservatory in classical piano and composition in 1952. She located in Minsk in 1939, and during World War II lived in Frunze. She taught for nearly 40 years at the Belarusian State Conservatory where she trained several generations of highly accomplished musicians. References

Evgeny Golubev

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Yevgeny Kirillovich Golubev ( ) (16 February 1910 25 December 1988) was a Soviet and Russian composer. Golubev was born and died in Moscow. He was taught by Nikolai Myaskovsky, and his students included Iosif Andriasov from 1958 till 1963, Alfred Schnittke, who studied with him from 1953 until 1958, Asya Sultanova, and Michael L. Geller. His own compositions included at least twenty-four string quartets, seven symphonies, three piano concertos - the last dedicated to and recorded by Tatiana Nikolayeva -, concertos for violin, cello and viola, ten piano sonatas (the sixth dedicated to Myaskovsky), sonatas for violin, cello and for trumpet (1956) (the latter dedicated to Sergei Nikolaevich Yeryomin), and quintets for strings with piano and with harp, among other works. This harp quintet is one of Golubev’s few works that are still occasionally performed. The Soviet state record label Melodiya released several LPs of his music, including the three piano concertos, two of the symphonies, and some chamber works and songs which are no longer easily available. During the last years, some of these old recordings were released on CD. Melodiya has in 2005 reissued Nikolayeva’s recordings of

Faraj Garayev

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Faraj Gara oglu Garayev (); December 19, 1943 in Baku) is an Azerbaijani composer, music instructor, professor, son of the prominent Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev and one of the leading composers of post-Soviet period. In 1966, Garayev graduated from the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire, specialising in music composition, taught by his father Gara Garayev. In 1971, he finished his post-graduate studies. From 1966 to 2003, he taught composition, instrumentation and polyphony at the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire and from 1994 he has been a professor there. From 1991, he has been living in Baku and Moscow. In 1991, he became professor of the faculty of music theory at the Moscow State Conservatoire. In 2003, he became professor of composition, in the faculty of the Kazan State Conservatoire. From 1994 to 1996, Faraj Garayev was vice-president of the Moscow Association of Modern Music and from 1995, he has been the president of the Yeni Musiqi Union of Modern Music established in Baku. Faraj Garayev was art director of BaKaRa-ENSEMBLE (Baku) in 1980-1994. In 1991-1992, he was scholar of A.Krupp cultural Foundation (Essen, Germany). Creativity Compositions by Garayev are performed at

Felix Blumenfeld

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Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld (; 19 April 1863 – 21 January 1931) was a Russian and Soviet composer and conductor of the Imperial Opera St-Petersburg, pianist, and teacher. Early life He was born on 19 April 1863 in Kovalyovka, near the city of Yelisavetgrad, in Kherson Governorate of the Russian Empire (now Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine). He was the son of Mikhail Frantsevich Blumenfeld, of Austrian Jewish origin, and Maria Szymanowska. He was the uncle of Heinrich Neuhaus and first cousin, once removed of Karol Szymanowski (Felix’s mother and Karol’s father, Stanisław Szymanowski, were cousins). Blumenfeld studied with Gustav Neuhaus, who was married to his older sister. Then he studied composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatory under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and piano under Fedor Stein between 1881 and 1885. He then taught piano there himself from 1895 until 1918, whilst also serving as conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre until 1911. Career The Mariinsky saw the premieres of the operas composed by his mentor Rimsky-Korsakov. He was also the conductor at the Russian premiere of Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde. In 1908, he conducted the Paris premiere of Modest Mussorgsky’s opera Bor

Filaret Kolessa

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Filaret Mykhailovych Kolessa (; 17 July 18713 March 1947) was a Ukrainian composer, ethnographer, folklorist, musicologist and literary critic. He was a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society from 1909, from 1929, and the founder of Ukrainian ethnographic musicology. Biography Filaret Mykhailovych Kolessa was born on 17 July 1871 in the Galician village of Tatarske, now the village of Pishchany, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. He studied at the University of Vienna under the composer Anton Bruckner from 1891 to 1892, and completed his studies at the Lviv University in 1896. Filaret taught in high schools in Lviv, Stryi, and Sambir. He worked with the composer Mykola Lysenko, and the writers Ivan Franko and Lesya Ukrainka. In 1918, he defended his dissertation at the University of Vienna and received the title Doctor of Philology. He studied the rhythms of Ukrainian folk songs of Galicia, Volhynia and Lemkivshchyna. From 1939 he was a professor at Lviv University, from 1940 the director of the State museum of Ethnography in Lviv, director of the Lviv section, of the Institute for Art studies, Folklore and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR (from 1940), and a part

Franghiz Ali-Zadeh

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Franghiz Ali Aga Kïzï Ali-Zadeh (born 28 May 1947) is an Azerbaijani composer and pianist of contemporary classical music, and chairperson of the Composers Union of Azerbaijan. Music She is best known for her works that combine the musical tradition of the Azerbaijani mugham and 20th century Western compositional techniques, especially those of Arnold Schoenberg and Gara Garayev. This synthesis-style began in the 1970s, before which she primarily engaged with soly Western European modernism. Among her compositions is the opera Karabakhname (2007). Ali-Zadeh’s works were long published by Hans Sikorski, now a part of Boosey & Hawkes. List of compositions Selective list Selected recordings References Notes Citations Sources : Books * * : Articles * * * * * * : Online * * * * Further reading * Neil Edmunds: Soviet Music and Society Under Lenin and Stalin (2004) * Inna Naroditskaya: Song From the Land of Fire: Azerbaijanian Mugam in the Soviet and Post-Soviet Periods, Routledge (2003) External links * Profile for Franghiz Ali-Zadeh at Boosey & Hawkes * *

Galina Grigorjeva

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Galina Grigorjeva (, born 2 December 1962 in Simferopol, Ukraine) is an Estonian composer of Ukrainian origin. She studied at Odesa Conservatory, and in 1991 she graduated from St. Petersburg Conservatory. Grigorjeva has received a number of awards, including the Heino Eller Music Prize and the Lepo Sumera Composer Prize, and in 2015 her CD “In Paradisum” won the prize for best classical album at the Eesti Muusikaauhinnad (Estonian Music Prize). Musical Style Although a contemporary composer, Grigorjeva’s music uses the subtle and animated melodic styles reflecting influences from early European polyphony and Slavonic sacred music. Choral compositions are deeply rooted in the traditions of the Orthodox Church and ancient Russian and Slavonic folklore. Works * Poly-phonie for piano (1998) * Na ishod (1999) * Con misterio (2001) * Recitativo accompagnato (2003) * There Is a Time for Autumn for 6 percussionists (2004) * Hocetus (2004) * Valge prelüüd (White Prelude: Imitating Monsieur Couperin) for baroque viola (2006) * Aria (2007) * Ad infinitum (2008) * Schwarz-weiß Prelude for piano and cello (2009) * Nox vitae for mixed choir (2010) * In Paradisum References

Galina Ustvolskaya

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Galina Ivanovna Ustvolskaya ( ) (17 June 1919 – 22 December 2006), was a Russian composer of classical music. Known by Dutch critic Elmer Schönberger as “the lady with the hammer”, her music has been described as demanding “everything from the performer”, uncompromising in her trademark textured homophonic blocks of sound. Ustvolskaya created her own unique style, characterized by unusual combinations of instruments that created highly specific tone clusters and textures and by her large dynamic ranges. She was reclusive and rarely accepted to be interviewed as she found it unpleasant to talk about her own music. In her lifetime, she only approved of 21 of her works for performance. Early years Galina Ustvolskaya was born in Petrograd (modern day St. Petersburg). Her mother was a school teacher; her father was a lawyer. Her early childhood took place during the Russian Civil War and the October Revolution. Despite her impoverished childhood and non-musical family, from a young age she developed an interest in music. She was deemed to be gifted when she began musical studies at the age of 7. Middle years Ustvolskaya studied at the Leningrad Conservatory from 1937 to 1939. Her teache

Gavriil Popov (composer)

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Gavriil Nikolayevich Popov (; 12 September 1904 – 17 February 1972) was a Soviet composer. Life and career Popov studied at the Leningrad Conservatory from 1922 until 1930 with Leonid Vladimirovich Nikolayev, Vladimir Shcherbachov, and Maximilian Steinberg. He was considered to have the raw talent of his slightly younger contemporary Dmitri Shostakovich. His early works, in particular the Septet (or Chamber Symphony) (Op. 2, 1927) for flute, trumpet, clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello and bass, and his Symphony No. 1 (Op. 7) are impressively powerful and forward-looking. The symphony had its premiere by the Leningrad Philharmonic in 1935 and was immediately banned by a local censor; Popov was accused of formalism, a terrible stigma at the time. His melodic and instrumental invention was sharp, deeply rooted in Russian folk music. Even pieces adapted from propagandist movies, such as his Symphony No. 2, recorded by Hermann Abendroth (Urania LP), can be profoundly stirring. His sense of the orchestra, brilliant and buoyant, his grasp of large formal patterns, as found in the huge Symphony No. 3 for large string orchestra, are equally outstanding. Symphony No. 6 “Festive” betrays a kind

Gayane Chebotaryan

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Gayane Chebotaryan (8 November 1918, Rostov-on-Don16 January 1998, Moscow) was an Armenian composer and musicologist. She was born in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, and graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory. She studied composition with As a composer, she was praised, along with other Armenian composers, by Dmitri Shostakovich for “working hard and successfully on new compositions.” Works Selected works include: *Piano Concerto *Piano Trio *Suite, for orchestra No. 2 *Six Preludes *Polifonicheskii al’bom dlia iunoshestva. 13 fortepiannykh p’es collection, 1975 Her work has been recorded and issued on CD, including: *Armenian Piano Trios, Audio CD (September 20, 2004) Et’Cetera, ASIN: B0006Z2LEC References External links *Gayane Chebotaryan - Piano Trio at Youtube *Gayane Chebotaryan - Piano prelude no. 3 on Youtube

Gaziza Zhubanova

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Gaziza Akhmetkyzy Zhubanova (, Ǵazıza Ahmetqyzy Jubanova; with middle name “Akhmetovna”; 2 December 1927 – 13 December 1993) was a Soviet and Kazakh composer and pedagogue. She was named People’s Artist of the USSR in 1981. Life Gaziza Zhubanova was born 2 December 1927, in a village in the Jurun District, Aktyubinsk. Zhubanova attended school in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, and graduated with honors. She was the daughter of Akhmet Zhubanov, a university educated musician and composer who was remembered as the first Kazakh composer to embrace Western music, and grew up in a musical environment. In 1945 Gaziza Zhubanova began studying at Gnessin State Musical College in Moscow, where she learned composition with M. Gnesin and L. Shtreiher. Selected works Gaziza Zhubanova uses subjects and images from the Kazakh history and folklore. She has composed in different forms, including piano, violin, voice, chorus, string quartet and popular songs. A ‘significant part’ of her output is large-scale works including opera and ballet, orchestral and choral works. *Aksak Kulan (1953–1954), symphonic poem *Booming in the night (1916), opera *Violin Concerto (1957) *Melody (Мелодия) in C minor for viola

Geghuni Chitchyan

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Geghuni Chitchyan or Chitchian (; ; born 30 August 1929) is an Armenian composer, pianist, and pedagogue. Her parents were veteran teachers; her brother, Henrikh, an established violinist. Biography Chitchyan was born on 30 August 1929 in Leninakan (now Gyumri). While attending the Tigranian Elementary School of Music, she began composing. At the age of ten she had already a published song. In 1940, she entered the Tchaikovsky Music School in Yerevan to study piano and composition. She continued her studies in composition with Grigor Yeghiazaryan from 1947 to 1953 at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. After graduating, Chitchyan became the founding director of the composition department at the Konstantin Sarajev Music School in Yerevan. In 1971 she joined the faculty of the Yerevan Conservatory. In 1982 she was appointed assistant professor, and in 1990 she became a tenured professor. Chitchyan has been active in various musical and social organizations. She joined the Armenian Composers Union in 1955; was an associate of the Women’s Council of Armenia; and a member of the Artistic Forum of State Radio. She is the author of training manuals for music institutes and the co-auth

Gennady Gladkov

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Gennady Igorevich Gladkov (; 18 February 1935 – 16 October 2023) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He composed music for some of the most famous Soviet movies and cartoons, most notably The Bremen Town Musicians. Biography Gladkov was born in Moscow. He was a People’s Artist of Russia (2002). Commander of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” 4th class. From 2019, he had been reissuing his catalogue — for example, he had released soundtracks for the “Til’” performance, for “Separated” cartoon, the An Ordinary Miracle, as well as symphonic pieces, music for theater and cinema, etc. Gladkov died on 16 October 2023, at the age of 88. Personal life He supported the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, even expressing desire to go to the fronts. Filmography Soundtrack Voice acting *On the Trail of the Bremen Town Musicians – The King *Formula of Love – Semyon Farada’s singing voice *The New Bremen Town Musicians – The Cat, the robbers References External links * * Геннадий Гладков — Official Site *

Georgi Conus

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Georgi Eduardovich Conus (Russian: Георгий Эдуардович Конюс; September 30 1862 29 August 1933) was a Russian music theorist and composer of French descent. He is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow. Family and Education He was the eldest of the three Conus brothers, of whom the others were Julius and Lev, and son to Eduard Konstantinovich Conus, a pianist and composer, and Klotilda (sometimes Clothilde in French) Adolfovna, née Tambroni. His father never intended originally for him to become a professional musician but seeing as this was incompatible with his son, in 1881 he successfully gained admission to the Moscow Conservatory. Originally, Conus decided to pursue a career as a professional pianist, studying with Pavel Pabst. However, after an injury he later pursued composition, studying instead with Sergei Taneyev and Anton Arensky. Give his competency, Conus, along with other students, gained the attention of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Moreover, at the age of 14 Conus began teaching, firstly at the Chernavsky Institute (also known as Usachevsko-Chernyavskya School), in 1891 being invited again to teach counterpoint and harmony, being praised by those like Alexander Goldenwe

Georgi Movsesyan

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Georgi Viktorovich Movsesyan (; 2 August 1945 – 7 November 2011) was a Russian composer of Armenian descent. Biography Movsesyan was born in Kharkov, Ukraine, into a family of artists. He graduated from the Gnessin State Musical College in 1964. Movsesyan is Merited Artist of the Russian Federation (1995) and People’s Artist of Russia (2001). The first song, “Roads”, was written in 1965. In 1969, he was an actor of the Mosconcert association, soloist and concertmaster of the music studio. He is mostly known for his songs “Beryoza”, “Moi goda”, “Olympiada”, “Nachalo” performed by Iosif Kobzon, Lev Leshchenko, Anna German, Vakhtang Kikabidze and others. He died at the age of 67 on November 7, 2011 in Moscow, as a result of a heart attack. References External links * Biography

Georgs Pelēcis

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Georgs Pelēcis (also Georges Pélétsis; born 18 June 1947) is a Latvian composer and musicologist. He is currently a professor at the Latvian Academy of Music. Academic and compositional career Pelēcis was born in Riga. He studied under Aram Khachaturian at the Moscow Conservatory, He has worked in a creative capacity at Oxford University and Cambridge University. His style has been described as post-avant-garde, or as “new consonant music”, with an “amazingly clear positive spirit”. The Concertina Bianca for piano and strings, for instance, is described as “in the key of C major” and restricted to the white keys only, with no accidentals. This approach has its critics. Gramophone called the piece as “so mild in its manner that it seems to be aspiring to the status of a backing track to an entry for the Eurovision Song Contest”. His 45 minute orchestral score for Roald Dahl’s Jack and the Beanstalk was premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in December 1996 with Simon Callow, Danny DeVito and Joanna Lumley as co-narrators. More recently, recordings and live performances by (among others) pianists Tamara-Anna Cislowska, Alexei Lubimov and Polina Osetinskaya, and by violinist Gidon Kremer

Georgy Sviridov

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Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov (; 16 December 1915 – 6 January 1998) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He is most widely known for his choral music, strongly influenced by the traditional chant of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as his orchestral works which often celebrate elements of Russian culture. Sviridov employed, especially in his choral music, rich and dense harmonic textures, embracing a romantic-era tonality; his works would come to incorporate not only sacred elements of Russian church music, including vocal work for the basso profundo, but also the influence of Eastern European folk music, 19th-century European romantic composers (especially Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky), and neoromantic contemporaries outside of Russia. He wrote musical settings of Russian Romantic poetry by poets such as Mikhail Lermontov, Fyodor Tyutchev, and Alexander Blok. Sviridov enjoyed critical acclaim for much of his career in the Soviet Union and Russia. Early life and youth Sviridov was born in 1915 in the town of Fatezh in the Kursk Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Kursk Oblast) in a family of Russian ethnicity. His father, Vasily Sviridov, a Bolshevik sympathizer during the R

German Okunev

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German Grigoryevich Okunev (; 12 June 1931, in Leningrad – 12 June 1973, in Leningrad) was a Soviet Russian composer, pianist and teacher. Life Okunev’s father was an engineer; his mother was a dressmaker. From the age of 8 he attended a musical school in Leningrad. He graduated from the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in Leningrad, where he studied with O. Yevlakov and Boris Klyuzner, in 1956. From 1957 to 1960 Okunev taught music at Frunze, (now Bishkek), in Kirghiz SSR. In 1964 he returned to the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory to study with Dmitri Shostakovich as a post-graduate pupil. Shostakovich had a high opinion of Okunev and later assisted him in obtaining performances for his works. In 1968 Okunev narrowly escaped from drowning in an accident on Lake Ladoga. On 27 May 1973 Okunev and his wife were involved in a serious traffic accident from which Okunev died 17 days later, on his 42nd birthday. After his death, an asteroid was named for him (‘10990 Okunev’) by its discoverer, N. S. Chernykh. Music Okunev developed an individual style which became strongly, if indirectly, influenced by the music he became acquainted with in Kirghizia. His early three-act ballet ‘Kuiruchuk’ (196

Ghenadie Ciobanu

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Ghenadie Ciobanu (born 6 April 1957) is a Moldovan composer and politician. He served as the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Moldova from 1997 to 2001 and later as a deputy in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova in the Liberal Democratic Party faction from 2010 to 2014. Ciobanu has composed symphonies, works for chamber ensembles (instrumental), choral compositions, as well as music for theatre and film. Biography Ghenadie Ciobanu was born on 6 April 1957 in Brătușeni, Edineț, Moldavian SSR. He graduated from the “Gnesin” Musical-Pedagogical Institute in Moscow (now the Gnessin State Musical College), faculty of piano (1982), and later from the “Gavriil Muzicescu” Conservatory in Chișinău, Department of Composition (1986). He is the author of more than one hundred musical works across various genres, including opera, musical theatre, symphonic music, vocal-symphonic works, choral compositions, chamber music, and music for theatre and film. His works have been performed in numerous recitals and concerts in the Republic of Moldova, Romania, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Israel, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Estonia, Ukraine, the United States, China, Italy, Bulgaria, Austri

Giya Kancheli

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Gia Kancheli (; 10 August 1935 – 2 October 2019) was a Georgian composer. He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, and resided in Belgium in later life. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kancheli lived first in Berlin, and from 1995 in Antwerp, where he became composer-in-residence for the Royal Flemish Philharmonic. He died in Tbilisi at age 84. Life In his symphonies, Kancheli’s musical language typically consists of slow scraps of minor-mode melody against long, subdued, anguished string discords. Rodion Shchedrin called Kancheli “an ascetic with the temperament of a maximalist; a restrained Vesuvius”. Kancheli wrote seven symphonies, and what he termed a liturgy for viola and orchestra, Mourned by the Wind. The Philadelphia Orchestra under Yuri Temirkanov gave the American premiere of his Fourth Symphony in 1978, not long before the cultural freeze in the United States against Soviet culture. Glasnost allowed Kancheli to regain exposure, and he began to receive frequent commissions, as well as performances in Europe and North America. Championed internationally by Lera Auerbach, Dennis Russell Davies, Jansug Kakhidze, Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Kim Kashkashian, Mstisl

Grigor Yeghiazaryan

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Grigor Yeghiazaryan (), also known as Grigory Ilyich (Yegiayevich) Yegiazaryan (; December 21, 1908 − November 4, 1988), was a Soviet Armenian composer. After a childhood spent amidst the Armenian genocide, Yeghiazaryan joined the Red Army in 1921, playing in regimental bands until 1929. He enrolled in the Moscow Conservatory in 1930, where his teachers included Reinhold Glière and Nikolai Myaskovsky. Upon graduation, he taught and lectured in the Armenian SSR; first in Leninakan, then Yerevan. As composer, teacher, and functionary, he established himself as a crucial figure in Armenian musical culture of the mid-20th century. Biography Early life Yeghiazaryan was born to an Armenian peasant family in the village of Blur, Erivan Governorate, Russian Empire (today Enginalan, Iğdır Province, Turkey), on December 21, 1908. His family fled to Yerevan in 1918 as a result of the Armenian Genocide, in the course of which two of his brothers and three of his sisters died from starvation. While on an expedition foraging for food, he heard the sound of a nearby military band in a regiment of the 11th Red Army. When the bandmaster saw the sight of the young Yeghiazaryan, he took pity and offe

Grigori Gamburg

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Grigori (German) Semyonovich Gamburg (; also Grigorij Gamburg, Grigory Semenovich Hamburg; 22 October 1900 in Warsaw, Vistula Land, Russian Empire – 28 October 1967 in Moscow, Soviet Union) was a Russian (Soviet) violinist, violist, composer and conductor. Gamburg graduated from the Tiflis Conservatory (now the Tbilisi State Conservatoire) in 1922 studying composition with Nikolai Tcherepnin and violin with V.R. Vilshau (В.Р. Вильшау), and graduated in 1927 from the Moscow Conservatory studying composition with Nikolai Myaskovsky, violin with Boris Sibor (Борис Осипович Сибор), and conducting with Nikolai Malko. Gamburg did postgraduate studies in chamber music, and taught chamber music classes at the Moscow Conservatory from 1928 to 1941, becoming Professor of Chamber Music in 1939. From 1924 to 1930 he was violist with the Stradivari Quartet (of Moscow). From the early 1930s, Gamburg was conductor of the Radio Symphony Orchestra, and of the Orchestra of the Ministry of Cinematography of the USSR where he was musical director for many Russian-language films. From 1945 to 1954 Gamburg was professor of conducting at the Institute of Military Conductors (Институт Военных Дирижеров),

Grigoriy Korchmar

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Grigoriy Korchmar (, Grigorij Ovšievič Korčmar; alternately translated Grigori or Grigory) (1947 – 17 November 2025) was a Russian composer and pianist. Although little-known outside his native Russia, Korchmar was a prominent figure in the musical life of Saint Petersburg. He began to study piano and composition in 1958 at the Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in Leningrad (now St Petersburg). In 1996, he was made an “Honoured Art Worker of Russia”. Notable works by Korchmar include the operas Newlyweds (1970), A Story about Boris and Gleb (1981) and Fedra (1984), Dialogues for cello and piano (1976), Tango macabre for violin and piano (1985), White Nights Serenades (1991) for solo guitar and four symphonies, the latest of which was completed in 2003. Korchmar’s brother, Leonid Korchmar is a conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre and a notable conducting pedagogue. Korchmar died on 17 November 2025, at the age of 77. Works * 4 symphonies * Sonata dolorosa for cello and piano * Concerto for trumpet and string orchestra * Dear Sergei Sergeich! Concerto-message to S. S. Prokofiev. For violin with orchestra * “… Whom my soul loves…”. Poem for piano * Goodbye, dear friend. Fantasy o

Grigory Frid

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Grigory Samuilovich Frid, also known as Grigori Fried (, 22 September N.S. 1915 – 22 September 2012), was a Russian composer of music written in many different genres, including chamber opera. Early life and education Born in Petrograd, now St. Petersburg, Frid studied in the Moscow Conservatory with Heinrich Litinsky and Vissarion Shebalin. He was a soldier in the Second World War. Career Frid was a prolific composer. His most notable works are his two chamber operas, both to his own libretti. The Diary of Anne Frank is a monodrama in 21 scenes for soprano and chamber orchestra, lasting about one hour. It was composed in 1968 and given a first performance with piano accompaniment at the All-Union House of Composers in Moscow on either 17 or 18 May 1972. The Letters of Van Gogh is a mono-opera in two parts for baritone and chamber ensemble, based on the letters of Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Theo. The opera was composed in 1975 and given its premiere in concert form at the same venue, on 29 November 1976. He wrote three symphonies (1939, 1955, 1964), a series of instrumental concertos including a Concerto for viola, piano and string orchestra (1981), music for theatre and cinem

Grigory Kompaneyets

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Grigory Isaakovich Kompaneyets (Ukrainian: Григорій Ісакович Компані́єць, Russian: Григорий Исаакович Компанеец) (1881–1959) was an internationally recognized composer, choir conductor, and educator. Biography Grigory Kompaneyets was born in Poltava, Ukraine. During his childhood, his family moved to Rostov, where he received his early musical training in the synagogue choir. In 1904–05, he took voice lessons in Milan, with the Italian tenor Augusto Brogi. He was active in the Society for Jewish Folk Music, and in 1912, he conducted the first performance of the opera Samson and Delilah in a modern Hebrew translation, at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1916, he conducted an orchestra of 83 musicians for a concert organized by Society for Jewish Folk Music in St. Petersburg, the first performance by a large orchestra in this context. In the same year, he graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In the mid-1920s, Kompaneyets moved to Mandatory Palestine, where he served as musical director of Habima. From 1932 to 1934, he taught conducting and score-reading at the Kharkiv National University of Arts, and at the same time headed the music department of the Jewish Theater. In

Gustav Ernesaks

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Gustav Ernesaks (12 December 1908 – 24 January 1993) was an Estonian composer and a choir conductor. Biography Gustav Ernesaks was born on 12 December 1908 in Perila, Estonia. He was educated at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre where he was a pupil of Juhan Aavik and Artur Kapp. After completing his education, he founded the first professional choir in the history of Estonia in 1944, the State Academic Men’s Choir (now the Estonian National Male Choir). Ernesaks played an integral role in the Singing Revolution and was one of the father figures of the Estonian Song Festival tradition. One of his songs, a setting of Lydia Koidula’s poem Mu isamaa on minu arm, became an unofficial national anthem during the years of Estonian SSR. His performance of the song at the XVII Estonian Song Festival was one of the inspirations for Dmitri Shostakovich’s 1970 a capella choral cycle, Loyalty. He dedicated the score to Ernesaks, who also premiered it in Tallinn. He also composed the Estonian SSR anthem used between 1945 and 1990. In 1935, Ernesaks married Stella Merjam. They had three sons: Ott Ernesaks, Jüri Ernesaks and Peep Ernesaks. His wife died in 1973. Ernesaks died in Tallinn on

Gyuli Kambarova

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Gyuli Nizamievna Kambarova (Russian: Гюли Низамиевна Камбарова; 9 May 1982, Makhachkala, Russia) is a Dagestan and Russian composer who is a member of the Union of Composers of Russian Federation, member of the International Alliance for Women in Music, member of the Music Teachers National Association, and member of the Songwriters Guild of America. She authored the music for the documentaries “You Are Not Alone”, “Voice for the Voiceless” and Fine Line directed by Anna Barsukova. She lives and works in United States. Biography Gyuli Kambarova was born on May 9, 1982, in the city of Makhachkala in Republic of Dagestan, Russia. During her early music studies, she won several youth piano competitions, including I. S. Bach competition - II prize, G. Hasanov competition - II prize, and E. Grieg competition - III prize. In 1996, she started to study piano at the Makhachkala College of Music named after Gotfrid Hasanov with Svetlana Papayan. In 1999 she entered the Lyceum of Music at the Rostov State Conservatory named after Sergei Rachmaninoff. She graduated from the Rostov State Conservatory with degrees in piano performance (2005; Professor Natalia Simonova) and composition with hono

Halina Harelava

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Halina Kanstancinaŭna Harełava, also known as Galina Gorelova (; ; born 5 March 1951), is a Belarusian contemporary composer. Biography Harełava was born in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR (now Belarus), and studied music at the National Conservatory in Minsk with Dźmitry Smolski, graduating in 1977. After completing her studies, she took at position teaching theory and composition at the Conservatory. She received the State Prize of Belarus in 1992 for Anno mundis ardentis. Works Harelava’s works incorporate elements of Belarusian folk themes, and she is noted for children’s compositions. Selected works include: *Liryčnaja kantata Lyrical Cantata (traditional Belarusian texts) for female chorus and orchestra, 1979 *Anno mundis ardentis (P. Antokol’sky, G. Appolinaire, L. Aragon, V. Bryusov, S. Kirsanov, A. Rimbault, A. Tarkovsky) for mezzo-soprano, baritone and orchestra, 1989 *Tysiača hadoŭ nadzieji A Thousand Years of Hope (poets of the 10th–20th centuries) for female voice and orchestra, 1990 *Violin Concerto, 1979 *Oboe Concerto, 1984 *Bandaroŭna, symphonic poem, 1986 *Balalaika Concerto, 1991 *Trumpet Concerto, 1992 *Guitar Concerto, 1994 *Concerto for viola, string orchestra and bel

Hanna Havrylets

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Hanna Oleksiivna Havrylets (11 April 195827 February 2022, ) was a Ukrainian composer. Biography She was born in , Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR and received her early music education in her native village from Vasyl Kufliuk. She graduated from the Lviv Conservatory in 1958 where she studied with Volodymyr Flys. She continued her studies at the Kyiv Conservatory with Myroslav Skoryk, which she completed in 1984. In 1985, Havrylets became a member of the Composers’ Union of Ukraine. She worked as a reviewer, and then took a position teaching at the Pyotr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine in 1992. She was awarded the Ukrainian Shevchenko National Prize in 1999 and became a Merited Artist of Ukraine in 2005. Havrylets went on to obtain numerous prizes and win several competitions including the Ivanna and Marian Kots International Competition for Composers (1995), the “Spiritual Psalms of the Third Millennium” Competition (2001), the choral festival “The Gold-Domed Kyiv” (2001), the Vedelart prize “Kyiv” (2005), the Order of Princess Olga (2008), and the St. Volodymyr Order (2005). In 2017, Havrylets was elected as a corresponding member of the National Academy of A

Helena Tulve

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Helena Tulve (born 28 April 1972) is an Estonian composer. Born in Tartu, she studied composition at the Tallinn Secondary Music School under Alo Põldmäe and from 1989 to 1992 at the Estonian Academy of Music with Erkki-Sven Tüür, being the latter’s sole student of composition thus far. In 1994 Tulve graduated with the Premier Prix from Jacques Charpentier’s composition class at the Conservatoire Superieur de Paris. Between 1993 and 1996 she furthered her knowledge of Gregorian chant. She has also attended György Ligeti’s and Marco Stroppa’s summer courses. She is married to composer Jaan-Eik Tulve. Selected works *Reyah hadas ´ala for male voices and ancient music instruments (2005, text by Shalom Shabazi) *Lendajad for amplified flutes (2005) fl.in C (fl. picc./ fl. basso) & fl. in C (fl. picc./ fl. in G) *ligne d´horizon for ensemble (2005) 1-1-1-0/ 0-0-0-0/ pno-arpa-mandolino-guit.-1batt./ 1-1-1-1 *lumineux/opaque new version for clarinet, cello, piano and 3 wine glasses (2004) *chamber-opera It Is Getting So Dark (2003/04, text by Sei Shōnagon) 14 female voices & ensemble: flauto-corno-vla-cb.-arpa-batt. *…il neige for harpsichord and kannel (2004) *nec ros, nec pluvia… fo

Hryhoriy Veryovka

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Hryhoriy Huriyovych Veryovka (21 October 1964) was a Soviet and Ukrainian composer and choir director. He is best known for founding the renowned Veryovka Choir in 1943, and leading it for many years, gaining international recognition and winning multiple awards. Veryovka was also a professor of conducting at the Kyiv Conservatory, where he worked alongside faculty including Boleslav Yavorsky, Alexander Koshetz, Mykola Leontovych, and Mykhailo Verykivsky. Career Veryovka was born in an old Cossack town of Berezna (today urban-type settlement). He was the son of a peasant-craftsman who was the regent of a church choir and also played the violin. His mother was also involved in music, and performed many songs in the Ukrainian language. In 1923, he began to work as the choral conductor at his alma mater until 1927, and he also worked at the First Kyiv Music College and at the Ukrainian Republican Philharmonic. Right before the outbreak of World War II, he was working as the conductor of the choir for the Bilshovyk factory in Kyiv and returned to teaching at the Kyiv Conservatory. The first concert of the choir took place in August 1944 following the liberation of Kyiv, and it later ma

Igor Krutogolov

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Igor Krutogolov (; born 1976, Tashkent, Uzbekistan) is an Israeli musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, graphic designer, artist, the founder and the leader of the bands Kruzenshtern & Parohod (KIP) and Igor Krutogolov’s Toy Orchestra. Biography Igor Krutogolov was born in 1976 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. His love for music started at the age of 12, when he first listened to Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8. In 1989, he played drums in a local punk band in Tashkent. After he finished school in 1992, he immigrated with his parents to Israel. Music career Early collaborations Igor Krutogolov started his music career soon after he immigrated to Israel. Beginning in 1997, he took an active part in the Israeli indie music scene under the nickname Igor18 as a composer, bass player, vocalist and an album cover designer. Krutogolov collaborated with a number of Israeli musicians including Ruslan Gross, Vadim Gusis, Vera Agnivolok, Slava Smelovsky, and Anton Weiss. He played bass guitar, drums and experimented with unconventional musical instruments (saw, bow, children’s toys etc.). Together with his friend Ruslan Gross, a clarinetist and bassist with Rabies Cas

Igor Matvienko

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Igor Igorevich Matvienko (; born February 6, 1960) is a Soviet and Russian producer, composer and founder of the bands Lyube, Ivanushki International, Korni, Fabrika, and KuBa. Compositions Igor Matvienko wrote many songs in collaboration with Alexander Shaganov. In 2016, the anthem of the Russian Ground Forces (“Forward, infantry!") was written by Matvienko. A number of songs were written in collaboration with the poet Mikhail Andreev. References External links * Продюсерский центр Игоря Матвиенко *

Igor Nikolayev

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Biography Nikolayev was born in Kholmsk, Sakhalin Oblast, into the family of the Sakhalin marinist poet Yury Nikolayev. He graduated from the pop branch (class of the composer Igor Yakushenko) of the Moscow Institute of Culture. In the early 1980s, he worked in Alla Pugacheva’s ensemble “Recital” as a keyboardist and arranger. In 1983, Pugacheva and Nikolayev recorded the songs “Iceberg” and “Tell, Birds!”, which established him as a celebrated composer. He has a daughter, Yulia Igorevna Nikolaeva, from his first marriage. His second marriage was to the singer Natasha Koroleva. He has a further daughter, Veronika Igorevna Nikolaeva, from his second marriage to the singer Yulia Proskuryakova, who in 2021 attracted public attention after insulting a neighbour who had occupied her parking space. * “Ozero nadezhdy” (, Hope Lake) by Alla Pugacheva * “Ne obijay menya” () by Alla Pugacheva * “Paromshik” () by Alla Pugacheva * “Rasskazhite, ptitsy” () by Alla Pugacheva * “Parahody” () by Valery Leontiev * “Tri minuty” (, Three Minutes) by Valery Leontiev * “Komarovo” () by Igor Sklyar * “Strannik Moy” () by Irina Allegrova * “Zheltye Tyulpani” () by Natasha Koroleva * “Malenkaya strana” (,

Ihor Poklad

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Ihor Dmytrovych Poklad (; 10 December 1941 – 9 July 2025) was a Ukrainian composer. He wrote songs that became classics and have been performed by famous Ukrainian singers, such as “The Magic Violin” performed by Nina Matviienko. He later turned to scores for theatre and films. He was honoured as People’s Artist of Ukraine and Hero of Ukraine, among others. Life and career Born on 10 December 1941 in Frunze, Kirghiz SSR (present-day Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) in the family of a military serviceman, after World War II, Poklad with his family moved to Ternopil where he finished high school and a music school. After 1957 he continued his music studies in Kyiv, at the Glière Institute and Kyiv Conservatory, Poklad started off his career in the Academical Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Internal Troops of Ukraine. Already during his studies, between 1965 and 1968, Poklad worked as artistic director of the all-female Mriya vocal-instrumental ensemble and began to compose songs, He underwent surgery in 2014. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he and his wife lived in a basement in Vorzel for several weeks. Music Poklad’s most prominent compositions combined Ukrainian folk aesthet

Ihor Shamo

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Ihor Naumovich Shamo (, , also romanized Igor; 21 February 1925 – 17 August 1982) was a Ukrainian composer, Shevchenko National Prize laureate. Shamo was born in Kyiv to a family of Jewish origin. He graduated from the Lysenko Music School in Kyiv, where his main subjects were composition and piano, in 1941, and was evacuated in that year to Ufa, where he studied medicine for two years. From 1942 to 1946, he was in the Soviet Army as a medical assistant; when he returned to Kyiv he recommenced his musical studies, graduating from the Kyiv Conservatory in 1951 in the class of Boris Lyatoshinsky. He had joined the Union of Soviet Composers in 1948, and at his graduation played his own Concert-Ballade for piano and orchestra. His popular song Kyieve Mii (My Kyiv) - then regarded as the “unofficial anthem of the Ukrainian capital” - became the city’s official anthem in 2014, and is cited on his memorial on the building where he lived (see picture). His other works include three symphonies, and an opera Yatranskiye Igri, which is unusually scored for a cappella choir and soloists. Selected filmography * Maksimka (1953) * Malva (1957) * E.A. — Extraordinary Accident (1958) *Far from the

Ilya Shatrov

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Ilya Alekseevich Shatrov (Russian: Илья Алексеевич Шатров; April 1, 1879 (or 1885) – May 2, 1952) was a Russian military musician, conductor and composer. He is known for composing the waltz On the Hills of Manchuria in 1906. The waltz recounts his experiences at the Battle of Mukden during the Russo-Japanese War, and he dedicated it to one of his comrades who was killed in the battle. Biography Shatrov was born in Zemlyansk, Semilukskiy, Voronezh Oblast, Russia, on 1 April 1879 to Aleksei Mikhailovich Shatrov, a retired non-commissioned officer of the Lithuanian Life Guards Regiment of the Russian Imperial Guard. In 1905, Shatrov became the bandmaster of the Mokshansky Regimental Orchestra and served in the Russo-Japanese War. In February 1905, the 214th Reserve Mokshan Infantry Regiment took part in the Battle of Mukden and Liaoyang. In one of the battles the regiment was surrounded by the Japanese and was constantly attacked by the enemy. At a critical moment, when the ammunition was already spent, the regiment commander Colonel Pavel Pobyvanets gave the order: “The banner and the orchestra will go ahead!” Kapellmeister Shatrov led the orchestra to the parapet of the trenches, g

Imants Kalniņš

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Imants Kalniņš (born 26 May 1941) is a Latvian composer, musician and politician. Having studied classical and choral music, he has written seven symphonies, several operas (including the first rock opera in the USSR, ), oratorios, cantatas, choir songs, a lot of movie and theater music. However, he is generally best known for his rock songs. In 2021, Kalniņš received the Grand Music Award for lifetime achievement. Furthermore, he served as a member of the 5th, 7th, 8th, and 9th sitting of the Saeima, the parliament of Latvia, from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1998 through 2010, representing the For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK party. Life and career Kalniņš was born 26 May 1941 in Riga, Latvian SSR. During the 1960s, Kalniņš led the Liepāja rock band 2xBBM, which was extremely loved because of its heartfelt songs and hippy-like lifestyle. Kalniņš became the symbol of the spirituality, rebellion and worldview of the generation, and it was emphasized by the fact the band was forced to stop playing because of the pressure from official institutions. However, this did not stop the music of Kalniņš from being played by the extremely popular band , which almost exclusively plays songs wri

Inna Zhvanetskaya

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Inna Abramovna Zhvanetskaya (20 January 1937 – 18 December 2024) was a Soviet composer and musical educator. Born in the Ukrainian SSR, she spent most of her career in Moscow before moving to Germany after the fall of the Soviet Union. She lived in Stuttgart since 1998. Early life Inna Zhvanetskaya was born in Vinnytsia, Ukrainian SSR, in 1937. Her family was of Jewish origin and was forced to flee their home town after the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. She has been described as a holocaust survivor in various media outlets. Musical career Moving to Moscow, she taught piano at music schools in Podolsk, on the outskirts of the Soviet capital, and studied composition under Nikolay Peyko at the Gnessin Musical-Pedagogical Institute, graduating in 1964. In 1964–1965 she taught piano at a vocational school. In 1965 became a lecturer in score-reading and instrumentation at her alma mater. She was released from her position at Gnessin in 1986. Later life After the fall of the Soviet Union Zhvanetskaia moved to Germany, and since 1998 she lived in Stuttgart. During the coronavirus pandemic, Zhvanetskaya was alleged to have been pressured by German authorities into getting vaccinated.

Iraida Yusupova

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Iraida Yusupova (born February 20, 1962) is a Turkmenistani composer of half Russian half Tatar ethnicity who lives in Moscow, Russia. Iraida Yusupova was born in Ashgabat, Turkmen SSR, and graduated from Moscow Conservatory with a degree in composition in 1987. She has written and composed 3 operas, 2 symphonies, 6 cantatas, 3 instrumental concerts, and a great deal of chamber music, electro-acoustic music, and music for cinema and theater spanning over the late eighties to the present day. Her various styles include minimalism, serialism, and several progressive new age styles. Her music has been performed in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, United States, Switzerland, Turkey and Hungary. Festival participation Mrs. Yusupova has been a continual participant in numerous musical festivals such as Alternative, Moscow Autumn, Moscow forum, and has participated in the music festivals Bach - 2000, White Night’s Stars, Gent-Moscow-Gent, Klang och Rubel, Delphi’s Games, Austrian Cultural Forum, David Oistrakh’s Festival, and the Wean Hean festival. Works *Sonata for oboe and piano (1987) *Concerto for harp with orchestra “Arpa-amplificata” (1987) *Octet in memory of Igor

Irina Dubkova

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Irina Dubkova () is a Russian composer, music teacher and an associate professor at the Moscow Conservatory. Life Irina Dubkova was born in Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg). She began composing at the age of five. After finishing music college as a pianist in 1982, she completed the undergraduate course as a composer. She continued the same way her post-graduate studies with professor Roman Ledenyov and in musicology with Yuri Kholopov until 1987. Dubkova has participated in many competitions and festivals. In 1980 she was the winner at the Moscow International Young Composer’s Competition, with Four Romances to the verses of Sergei Yesenin for baritone and piano; in 1982 she won again with her Symphony No. 1 and in 1985 with a vocal cycle for children. In 1987 her «Allegro» for Symphony Orchestra was awarded. From 1982 to 1985 Dubkova worked as a music editor at the USSR State Radio and TV Company. In 1984 she became a member of the Russian Composers’ Union, the International Music Society «Amadeus» and the Russian Association for Piano Duets (Russian Music Society). Teaching From 1996, Dubkova has been teaching at the Composition Department of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. In 20

Iryna Vilinska

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Iryna Mykolaivna Vilinska (; 7 September 1920 – 21 or 31 August 1986) was a Soviet and Ukrainian soprano, composer, and music teacher. She was the daughter of Mykola Vilinsky. Biography Iryna Vilinska was born on 7 September 1920 in Odessa. She showed musical talent at a young age. Vilinska was a student of the Odessa Music and Theater Institute’s Department of Labor in 1933–34 and the Odessa Construction Department in 1936, graduating in 1938. In 1939 she transferred to the Odessa Music School and later, in 1941, the Odessa Conservatory. Her family took refuge in Tashkent due to the Second World War, where she maintained close ties with Kseniya Derzhynska. Vilinska moved to Kiev in 1944, where she continued her studies in the Kiev Conservatory under Dometii Yevtushenko. She graduated in 1946. The singer taught at the Glière Music College until 1948. From 1949 she taught at the Kiev Conservatory. Her students included Volodymyr Bohomaz, Anatolii Ponomarenko, Viktor Titkin, and Anatolii Manyachenko. Vilinska was also a capable pianist. She died on 21 August 1986 in Kiev. Other sources give her death date as 31 August 1986. Vilinska was buried at the Baikove Cemetery. Music Vilinska

Ivan Dzerzhinsky

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Ivan Ivanovich Dzerzhinsky () (April 9, 1909 – January 18, 1978) was a Soviet composer. The work for which he is best known, his opera , was more successful for its political potential than for any musical distinction. Early life Born in Tambov, Dzerzhinsky had an extended formal background in music. He studied piano with Boleslav Yavorsky at the First Music Tekhnikum in Moscow between 1925 and 1929. Afterwards he spent 1930–31 at the Gnesin School as a composition student of Mikhail Gnessin. Two years at the Leningrad Central Music Tekhnikum followed. There he studied composition first with Gavriil Popov, then with Pyotr Ryazanov. He then proceeded to the Leningrad Conservatory for two years of study with Boris Asafyev. This opera was premiered at the Leningrad Maly Opera Theater in October 1935. Joseph Stalin saw the work on January 17, 1936 and immediately recognized its propaganda value. Its subject was heroic and patriotic; it glorified the spirit of the Don Cossacks, whose support would become necessary in the event of war (a war that, incidentally, seemed increasingly inevitable); and its music was both lyrical and immediately appealing. Sholokhov’s novel, whose first editio

Ivan Karabyts

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Ivan Fedorovych Karabyts (; 17 January 1945 – 20 January 2002) was a Ukrainian composer and conductor, and a People’s Artist of Ukraine. O. Beregova considered that Karabyts’ work showed the breadth and universality of creative thinking and an innovative approach to traditional musical genres and forms. Early works by Karabyts are distinguished by the expressiveness of musical language and the search for individual style and the composer’s liberal use of dodecaphony. Most of the early works were chamber works, In the 1970s and 1980s, Karabyts was attracted to large-scale musical productions. Symphonic and vocal-symphonic genres predominate (such as the oratorio “Kyiv Frescoes” and three concerts for orchestra), as well as philosophical and civic themes (including themes of the Motherland, memory, moral duty). The universality of the musical language of the works of his next period was determined by the synthesis of various elements of modern compositional techniques (such as pointillism, aleatorics, sonoristics) in combination with new tonal and new modal pitch organization, intersection of different stylistic tendencies (neoclassicism, neo-baroque, neo-impressionism, jazz). In the

Ivan Nebesnyy

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Ivan Vasylovych Nebesnyy (born July 15, 1971) is a Ukrainian composer and music producer. Graduated from Lviv Conservatory in 1995 (composer class under Myroslav Skoryk). In 1996 Ivan Nebesnyy founded an ensemble “Cluster” which performed music by modern composers from Ukraine and abroad. In 2006 – 2011 Ivan Nebesnyy was a music director of the “Kyiv Music Fest”. Selected works Works by Ivan Nebesny are considered as postmodern. *Mykhailo Verykivsky award (2011)), Notes References Links *Official page *

Ivan Wyschnegradsky

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Ivan Alexandrovich Wyschnegradsky ( ; May 14 1893 – September 29, 1979), was a Russian composer primarily known for his microtonal compositions. For most of his life, from 1920 onwards, Wyschnegradsky lived in Paris. Life Ivan Wyschnegradsky was born in Saint Petersburg on May 4, 1893. His father, Alexander, was a banker, and his mother, Sophie, wrote poems. His grandfather Ivan was a celebrated mathematician who served as the Minister for Finance from 1888 to 1892. After his baccalaureate, Wyschnegradsky entered the School of Mathematics. He studied harmony, composition, and orchestration with Nicolas Sokolov at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Wyschnegradsky moved to Paris in 1920. Three years later, he married Hélène Benois, the daughter of Alexandre Benois. It was her second marriage. Their son Dimitri was born in 1924. He grew up to become an influential blues historian using the pen name Jacques Demêtre. Wyschnegradsky and Benois divorced in 1926. His second wife was Lucile Markov (Gayden). In 1942, Wyschnegradsky was arrested by the Germans and transferred to Royallieu-Compiègne internment camp, where he remained for two months. As an American, Lucile was interned at Vittel.

Jack Shaindlin

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Jack Shaindlin (April 14, 1909 – September 22, 1978) was a Russian-American musician, composer, arranger, conductor, and music director. He was musical director for The March of Time newsreel series. Early life and career Shaindlin was born in Karasubazar, Crimea, Russian Empire on April 14, 1909 to a Jewish family. His parents were Rachel ( Golden) and Chaim Shaindlin. His father owned and operated a coal business and was possibly shot and killed during a robbery of his business. Shaindlin came to North America, via Istanbul, on December 8, 1922 and entered the U.S. under the name Jacob Scheindlin. Shaindlin began his musical career as a pianist in silent movie halls, having relocated to the United States as a young boy (Chicago) along with his mother and brother Leo by winning a music scholarship/piano competition in Russia. He became a naturalized US citizen July 28, 1934. In the late 1940s he was musical director of the Carnegie Pops Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. He was cited by President Truman for his war contributions for his work on the documentary Tanks. He was the founder and President of Triumph Publications, Inc. of New York City, an extensive and progressive commercial s

Jahangir Jahangirov

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Jahangir Shirgasht oglu Jahangirov (Azerbaijani: ; 20 July 1921 – 25 March 1992) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani composer, conductor and choirmaster; he was named People’s Artiste of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1964. Biography Jahangir Jahangirov was born on 20 July 1921 in Balakhany township of Baku, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. He graduated from musical school named after Asaf Zeynally and then from Baku Academy of Music. From 1944 to 1960, he led the choir of Broadcasting Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR. Majority of songs, composed by him for the first time were played by the chorus, which he led. After that he was the artistic director of the Song and Dance Ensemble at Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall. In 1950, Jahangir Jahangirov was awarded the USSR State Prize, and in 1963, he received the status of People’s Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR. Compositions In 1946, Mir Mehdi Etimad wrote the words of the hymn of the Azerbaijan People’s Government, Jahangir Jahangirov composed a song to it. Jahangir Jahangirov is the author of a lot of famous musical compositions. On the other side of Araz (1949) vocal-symphonic poem, A Song about Friendship (1956), Fuzuli (1959), Nasimi (1973) suites,

Jan Freidlin

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Jan Freidlin (Hebrew: יאן פריידלין; Ukrainian: Ян Михайлович Фрейдлін) is a Soviet (Ukrainian SSR) and Israeli composer. He is the author of works for solo instruments, ensembles and orchestras, as well as music for film and television. Biography Jan Freidlin was born on 12 August 1944 in Chita. Already in 1946, at the age of two, he moved with his family to Odesa (Ukraine) — a city that would become Freidlin’s home for the next 44 years of his life. Here he began studying piano at the Glazunov Music School No.2, in the class of Maria Isaakovna Horvits. After graduating, he enrolled in the Odesa Music College (1959–1963), where he studied piano performance, composition, and music theory. Later, under the guidance of A. Kogan, he continued his studies in composition and music theory at the Odesa State Conservatory (1965-1971). From 1974 to 1990, Freidlin was the head of the Music theory department at the School of Stolyarsky, a Special Music School in Odesa established by Pyotr Stolyarsky. He also served as the Artistic director and Principal conductor of the Odesa Philharmonic Theatre Jazz Orchestra. for flute, violin, violoncello and piano. 1982 Chamber music - Theatre of Beranger

Jānis Ivanovs

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Jānis Ivanovs (27 March 1983) was a Latvian composer whose later career took place in the Soviet Union. In 1931, he graduated from the Latvian State Conservatory in Riga. In 1944, he joined the conservatory’s faculty, becoming a full professor in 1955. He is regarded as being the most distinguished Latvian symphonist. His love of melody is evident in each of his compositions, and forms the essence of his works. He often drew inspiration from the native songs of the Latgale district in eastern Latvia. His grasp of orchestral color and musical texture were highly regarded by his colleagues. The Latvian composer and music critic Marģeris Zariņš described Ivanovs’ symphonies as “like ancient Greek tragedies, filled with ecstasy and purification.” He is mostly remembered for his twenty-one symphonies. Nevertheless, he composed in many other fields, including five symphonic poems, concertos for piano, violin and cello, three string quartets, and numerous vocal, piano and various chamber works. He became the People’s Artist of the USSR in 1965, was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1950 and Latvian SSR State Prize in 1959 and 1970. Compositions Symphonies * No. 1 in B-flat minor Poema Sinfonia

Joseph Schillinger

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Joseph Moiseyevich Schillinger (; 1 September 1895 (other sources: 31 August 1895 ) – 23 March 1943) was a composer, music theorist, and composition teacher who originated the Schillinger System of Musical Composition. He was born in Kharkov, in the Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Kharkiv, Ukraine) and died in New York City. He sometimes used the pseudonym “Frank Lynn”. Life and career The unprecedented migration of European knowledge and culture that swept from East to West during the first decades of the 20th century included figures such as Sergei Prokofiev and Sergei Rachmaninoff, composers who were the product of the Russian system of music education. Schillinger came from this background, dedicated to creating professional musicians, having been a student at the St Petersburg Imperial Conservatory of Music. He communicated his musical knowledge in the form of a written theory, using mathematical expressions to describe art, architecture, design and music. In New York, Schillinger flourished, becoming famous as an advisor to many leading American musicians and concert music composers, including George Gershwin, Earle Brown, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, O

Jovdat Hajiyev

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Ahmad Jovdat Ismayil oglu Hajiyev ( / Әһмәд-Ҹөвдәт Исмајыл оғлу Һаҹыјев, , June 18, 1917 - January 18, 2002) was one of the major Azerbaijani composers of the Soviet period. He is remembered for his monumental orchestral works, having been the first Azerbaijani to compose a symphony (1936). He studied under Azerbaijan’s Founder of Composed Music, Uzeyir Hajibeyov and under Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Early life Hajiyev was born in Shaki (then Nukha), a town in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains in northwestern Azerbaijan. From an early age, he was deeply influenced by the traditional music of folk songs, ashug music (folk minstrel) and mugham (modal music). In 1924, his family moved to Baku. In 1935, he enrolled in the theoretical composition faculty at Baku Conservatory, studying under Uzeyir Hajibeyov and the Latvian-born Leopold Rudolf, a student of Sergei Taneyev. The following year, Hajiyev composed his single movement “Symphony No. 1”, the first symphonic piece ever written by an Azerbaijani composer. This work enabled him to enter Moscow Conservatory in 1938. In Moscow, World War II interrupted his studies and he had to return to Baku. Career After the war, Ha

Julia Gomelskaya

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Julia Gomelskaya (, ; 11 March 19644 December 2016) was a Ukrainian composer of contemporary classical music. Biography Gomelskaya graduated from the Simpheropol Tchaikovsky Musical College as a pianist and studied composition under Oleksandr Krasotov at the Odessa National A.V.Nezhdanova Music Academy (Ukraine), where she went on to become a professor of composition. In 1994 Gomelskaya participated at the Gaudeamus Foundation workshop (Amsterdam) with Ton de Leeuw and Nigel Osborne. Later she was awarded a fellowship by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) for postgraduate study under Robert Saxton. In 1996 she received the MMus Degree in Composition with distinction validated from City University of London. She held a PhD in Music Art and composed symphonic, ballet, chamber and vocal music. She was a member of the National Ukrainian Composers’ Union (Національна Спілка Композиторів України) and of the Ukraine section of ISCM. Gomelskaya participated in international festivals in Ukraine and abroad including ISCM World Music Days (Zagreb 2011, Sweden 2009, Switzerland 2004, Hong Kong 2002, Luxembourg 2000), XXVI Festival “Trieste Prima” (Italy, 2012), Festival UNICUM i

Julius Conus

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Julius or Jules Conus (, Yuliy Eduardovich Konyus; 1 February 1869 3 January 1942) was a Russian violinist and composer. Early life and education Conus was born in Moscow, the son of Eduard Conus, a pianist, composer and teacher of French descent born in Saratov. His mother, Klotilda (sometimes Clothilde) Adolfovna, née Tambroni, was of Italian parentage and born in St Petersburg. His brothers were the musicians Georgi Conus and Lev Conus. All three brothers studied in the Moscow Conservatory; among their teachers were Sergei Taneyev and Anton Arensky. Following in the footsteps of his brother Georgi Conus, Julius entered the Moscow Conservatory. Here he studied composition under Sergei Taneyev, Music encyclopediaunder Anton Arensky, and violin under Jan Hřímalý. He graduated in 1888, receiving a gold medal. Within a year, and through the personal recommendation of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, he was sent to Paris to further develop his violin skills at the Conservatoire de Paris under Lambert Massart. Tours and concerts During his time at the Conservatoire de Paris, Conus began a successful career, playing first with the Paris National Academy of Music (Paris Opera) as first chair vi

Karen Khachaturian

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Karen Surenovich Khachaturian (, ; 19 September 1920 – 19 July 2011) was a Soviet and Russian composer of Armenian ethnicity, the nephew of composer Aram Khachaturian. Early life and education Karen Surenovich Khachaturian was born on 19 September 1920 in Moscow, the son of Suren Khachaturian, a theatrical director. His studies under Genrikh Litinsky at the Moscow Conservatory were interrupted by a term of duty in the entertainment division of the Red Army. Resuming his studies in 1945, he worked with Dmitri Shostakovich and Nikolai Myaskovsky. Career and works In addition to a Violin Sonata (1947), his works include a Cello Sonata (1966), a String Quartet (1969), four symphonies (1955, 1968, 1982, 1991) and a ballet, Cipollino (1973), as well as various other orchestral works and music for the theater and films. Rhythmic drive and a careful and idiomatic use of his instrumental forces characterize his compositions. He adopted a primarily tonal approach to composition. His works have been recorded by artists including David Oistrakh, Jascha Heifetz, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Vladimir Yampolsky. A recording of the opening of his first symphony was played in a lecture-demonstration

Karl Rautio

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Karl “Kalle” Rautio (; 20 November 1889 – 15 December 1963) was the composer of the Anthem of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic and one of the founders of professional musical art in Karelia. Biography An ethnic Karelian, Karl Rautio was born into a peasant family in the Vaasa region of the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1889. The Rautios immigrated to the United States in 1903, where he made out a living as a miner, along with studying music. In 1922, he immigrated to the Soviet Union, settling in Karelia. References External links * The first page of Rautio’s First Symphony

Kārlis Lācis

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Kārlis Lācis (born September 21, 1977) is a Latvian contemporary composer. Along with the scores for theatre productions, movies, and musical arrangements, a large part of his work is dedicated to vocal and choral music, symphonic, and instrumental compositions, including “Te Deum” (2014) with the State Choir Latvija, and double concerto for flute, oboe and orchestra “42.195” (2014) with Liepaja symphony orchestra. “Rorate coeli” (2014) for soprano, saxophone and organ and the first symphony “Via Crucis” premiered on April 3, 2015 with Latvian National symphony orchestra. Kārlis was one of the jury members for 2014 World choir games while Latvian capital Riga was the European capital of culture. His creative contribution includes musicals staged in Liepāja theatre and Dailes theatre “Pūt vējiņi” (2011) and “Oņēgins” (2013), both rewarded with the highest annual theater award for the best music author. Upcoming premieres will include “Waltz for double-bass and string quartet” (2017) - collaboration with famous Latvian musicians Vineta Sareika (violin), Gunārs Upatnieks (double - bass) and their colleagues from Berlin Philharmonic orchestra during the festival “Sensus " in Liepāja on

Karmella Tsepkolenko

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Karmella Tsepkolenko (; born 20 February 1955) is a Ukrainian author and composer. Biography Karmella Tsepkolenko was born in Odessa, Ukraine. She studied composition from 1973-79 at the Pyotr Stoliarsky Special Music School in Odessa under Aleksandr Kogan and piano under Grigory Buchynsky and Yelena Pannikova. She continued her studies at the Odessa State A.V. Nezhdanova Music Academy with Aleksandr Krasotov for composition and Lyudmyla Ginzburg for piano. After completing her studies, she took a position teaching composition at the Odessa State A.V. Nezhdanova Music Academy in 1980. She entered the PhD program at Moscow Pedagogic University, where she studied under Gennady Tsypin and graduated in 1990. Tsepkolenko’s music has been performed in Europe, Japan and the United States. She has served as artistic director of the Two Days and Two Nights of New Music festival in Odessa, which she founded in 1995, and also served terms as president of the Association New Music in Odessa and the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) in Ukraine. Tsepkolenko has written professional articles on music and methods of teaching music. In 1990 she co-authored the book Artistic Games

Kirill Molchanov

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Kirill Vladimirovich Molchanov (; 7 September 1922 – 14 March 1982) was a Russian and Soviet composer. He was appointed director of the Bolshoi, at the time political disfavour had fallen on the lead soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. His works are in the Social Realist romantic tradition and were not warmly received when performed abroad. Works Operas Taken from: * The Stone Flower (Каменный цветок) inspired by Pavel Bazhov’s story of the same name, Moscow, 1950 * Dawn (Заря) on the play of Boris Lavrenyov “Rift” «Разлом», Moscow, 1956 * Via del Corno (Улица дель Корно) based on a novel by Vasco Pratolini, own libretto, Moscow, 1960 * Romeo, Juliet and Darkness (Ромео, Джульетта и тьма) based on the novel of Jan Otčenášek, own libretto. Leningrad, 1963 * The Unknown Soldier (Неизвестный солдат) own libretto. Voronezh, 1967 * Russian woman (Русская женщина) (on the novel by Yuri Nagibin “Petticoat Government” «Бабье царство» own libretto. Voronezh, 1969) * The Dawns Here Are Quiet (Зори здесь тихие) on the novel by Boris Vasilyev own libretto, Frunze, 1973 Musicals * Odysseus, Penelope, and others (Одиссей, Пенелопа и другие) inspired by Homer, own libretto, 1970 Works for soloist, choru

Konstantin Eiges

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Konstantin Romanovich Eiges (surname sometimes spelt Eyges; ; 5 June 1875 – 2 December 1950) was a Russian composer, teacher, and pianist. Early life Eiges was born in Bogodukhov (now Bohodukhiv in Kharkiv oblast, Ukraine), to Jewish parents, the doctor Ruvim Manasiyevich (also known as Roman Mikhailovich) Eiges (born Vilnius, 1840) and his wife Sofiya (Shifra) Iosifovna, née Eltsin. He was one of ten children, many of whom went on to artistic or academic careers; Vladimir Eiges (1877-1949) was a professor of mathematics, Aleksandr (1880-1943), also a mathematician, was an authority on Anton Chekhov, Veniamin (1888-1956) was an artist, Yekaterina (1890-1958) was a poet and sometime girlfriend of Sergei Esenin. Career Eiges attended Moscow Conservatory between 1900 and 1905, where his teachers included Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (composition), Sergei Taneyev (counterpoint) and Adolf Yaroshevsky (piano). He was a colleague of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Nikolai Medtner. His pupils included Alexei Stanchinsky. Most of his compositions are for piano solo, though he also wrote songs and chamber works, a cantata The Song of Oleg the Wise, and a symphonic poem, The Snowstorm. Eiges wrote numero

Konstantin Meladze

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Konstantin Shotayevich Meladze (; ; born 11 May 1963) is a Georgian-born Ukrainian and Russian composer and producer. He is the older brother of singer Valery Meladze and co-founder and co-producer of the Ukrainian girl group Nu Virgos (). Biography Early life Meladze was born on 11 May 1963 in Batumi to Shota and Nelly Meladze, who were engineers. He has a brother, Valery (1965) and a sister, Liana (1968). Career He has composed and produced songs for artists such as Valery Meladze, Nu Virgos, Yin-Yang, Vera Brezhneva, Albina Dzhanabaeva, Sofia Rotaru (“Ya zhe yego lyubila” and “Odin na svete”) and Polina Gagarina. He has also composed songs for a number of films, including Lilya 4-ever and a Russian 2003 version of Cinderella () and Hipsters. In 2016 and 2017 he was a judge at Vidbir, Ukraine’s National Selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Music video appearances Personal life Konstantin was married to Jana Meladze in 1994; they have three children: Alice (2000), Liya (2004) and Valery (2005). He married Ukrainian singer Vera Brezhneva in 2015. The couple divorced in 2023. The alleged reason for the split was their disagreement over Meladze continuing to own real estate in

Konstantin Orbelyan

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Konstantin Aghaparonovich Orbelyan (; ; July 29, 1928 – April 24, 2014) was an Armenian pianist, composer, head of the State Estrada Orchestra of Armenia. He was awarded People’s Artist of the USSR in 1979. Other positions held by him included the board member of the Union of Soviet Composers, Armenian Composer’s Union secretary since 1983, and the Vice-President of All-Soviet Musical Society of the USSR. He was the uncle of his namesake Constantine Orbelian. Discography *“Государственный эстрадный оркестр Армении п/у Константина Орбеляна” (1968) As composer *“Birch Whispers” (), sung by Dmitri Hvorostovsky on the 2005 Delos Records compilation “Moscow Nights” (conducted by Constantine Orbelian). References External links * *Orbelyan in Jazz: XXth century Russian encyclopedia *Orbelyan *Orbelyan’s Official Website *Konstantin Orbelyan at All About Armenian Jazz

Konstantin Petrossian

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Konstantin Petrossian (; ; born 12 August 1946 in Yerevan, Armenia) is a composer, pianist and conductor. Petrossian graduated from the Romanos Melikian Music College and then earned a master’s degree in composition and musicology Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan, where he graduated with a master’s degree in composition and musicology. He taught harmony, theory, and chorale arrangement at Romanos Melikian Music College. For many years he was also conductor of the Armenian TV/Radio Orchestra, and director of the Armenian Music Center. Petrossian is an Armenian composer of symphonic, choral, chamber, instrumental, and vocal music, sound tracks, and theater music. His works are performed, recorded and have been published worldwide. He is a member of the Composers Union of Armenia and is co-chair of its foreign relations department. He was on the Sacred Music Council of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern). He is director of the Music Center Department for the Composers Union of Armenia, and the vice president of the Armenian Peace Fund. Since 1995 he has been the cultural and music director of Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church in Providence, Rhode Island. I

Kostiantyn Dankevych

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Kostiantyn Fedorovych Dankevych (December 24, 1905 – February 26, 1984) was a Soviet and Ukrainian composer, conductor, pianist and teacher. He was awarded the People’s Artist of the USSR in 1954. Biography Kostiantyn Dankevych was born in Odesa, in the Russian Empire (in present-day Ukraine). He studied at the Odesa Conservatory with Vasily Zolotarev and Mykola Vilinsky and graduated in 1929. His friendship and collaboration with Vilinsky lasted many years. He was made the director of Songs and Dance of the Red Army Choir in Tbilisi. Kostiantyn wrote his first symphony in 1937. Two years later he wrote his most popular score, the ballet Lileya. Dankevych taught composition at the Odesa Conservatory starting from 1944. In 1953, he was promoted to the staff of the Kyiv Conservatory. Dankevych used many Ukrainian and Russian Folk motifs. One of his notable works was his opera Bohdan Khmelnytsky (premiered January 29, 1951). Following its June premiere in Moscow, Pravda issued some vague and insignificant criticisms of the work, namely that it had not sufficiently portrayed the Polish gentry as enemies, that it did not depict the suffering of the masses, and it lacked a battle scene. The

Leo Zeitlin

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Lev Mordukhovich Tseitlin (, “Leyb Tseytlin”, born 1884, in Pinsk – July 8, 1930, in New York City), known as Leo Zeitlin, was a Russian-Jewish composer. In 1923, he emigrated to the United States. His best-known work is Eli Zion, a paraphrase for piano and cello “on a folk theme and trope of ‘Song of Songs’”. Life Zeitlin was a violinist, violist, conductor and impresario who was active in Saint Petersburg’s Society for Jewish Folk Music. In 1923, shortly after he arrived in New York City with his wife Esther from the Free City of Danzig, he became the violist and arranger for the Capitol Theatre. In 1925, he began arranging orchestral and small ensemble pieces for the Capitol’s radio program on WEAF, which in 1926 became the flagship station of the NBC Red Network. Beginning in 1926, the series of light classical concerts titled Capitol Theatre was broadcast by the NBC Red Network on Sunday evenings from 7:20pm to 9:15pm. This series continued until 1929, not long before Zeitlin’s death. In an article written by Paula Eisenstein Baker and published in Pro Musica Hebraica, Zeitlin is described as “one of the most important Russian Jewish composers to resurface, after decades of ne

Leokadiya Kashperova

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Leokadiya Aleksandrovna Kashperova (; 16 May 1872 – 3 December 1940) was a Russian pianist and Romantic composer. She was the piano teacher of composer Igor Stravinsky. She graduated first in 1893 from the St Petersburg Conservatoire at the culmination of her studies in Anton Rubinstein’s piano class, Professional musical life Over the following years, she composed works which included a symphony, a piano concerto, choral works, chamber music, piano solos and art-songs. In 1907 she undertook concert tours, to Berlin and twice to London. Selected compositions * 2 Sonatas for piano & cello Op 1 (in G, op 1 no 1, and in E minor, op 1 no 2) * Evening & night chorus a cappella * Sredi prirody * Songs of Love: 12 Romances soprano and piano Legacy In January 1910 Kashperova recorded seven piano rolls for the reproducing piano Welte-Mignon, six pieces by Mily Balakirev and one with own piano pieces. In 2002, while doing his Doctor of Philosophy at Oxford, Graham Griffiths found Kaspherova’s name while researching Stravinsky. Soon, she became his main focus of research. Kashperova’s symphony was subsequently published by Boosey & Hawkes. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of her birth day

Leonid Desyatnikov

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Leonid Arkadievich Desyatnikov (, born 16 October 1955) is a composer. He is a member of the St. Petersburg Union of Composers. Desyatnikov is the author of multiple operas, cantatas and compositions. His best known works are The Children of Rosenthal, his score for the ballet Lost Illusions, the opera Poor Liza; Gift, a cantata on poems by Gavriil Derzhavin; Dichterliebe und -leben, a vocal cycle on poems by Daniil Kharms and Nikolay Oleynikov; The Leaden Echo for voice(s) and instruments on the poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins; The Rite of Winter 1949, a symphony for choir, soloists and orchestra; and Songs of Bukovina for piano. Life and career Leonid Desyatnikov was born on October 16, 1955 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. He studied composition and instrumentation at the Leningrad Conservatory in St. Petersburg. He has written four operas, several cantatas and numerous vocal and instrumental compositions. His principal compositions include: The Children of Rosenthal (an opera in two acts; libretto, Vladimir Sorokin), commissioned by the Bolshoi Theatre; Poor Liza (a chamber opera in one act; with libretto by the composer, after the novel by Nikolai Karamzin); Gift (a cantata based on the ver

Leonid Vainshtein

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Leonid Moiseevich Vainshtein (, April 20, 1945, Baku – June 20, 1994, Baku) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani composer, as well as Honored Artist of Azerbaijan of Jewish background. Biography Leonid Vainshtein was born on April 20, 1945, to Moisey Vainshtein and Olga (née Belyavskaya). He graduated from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory in 1968 in the class of Gara Garayev. He worked as a docent at the composition departments of the Azerbaijan State Conservatory and the Azerbaijan National Conservatory Music College, and also as a music composer at the Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theater. He preferred theater-stage and symphonic music. His main works include ballet “Inspiration”, rock opera “White Sun of the Desert”, children’s operas “Puss in Boots”, “Cinderella”, 6 symphonies for large symphony orchestra, Violin Concerto, Concerto for string orchestra, string quartet; “Memorial” triptych for organ (dedication to the Khojaly massacre), “Azerbaijan-60” cantata for BSO with mixed choir; oratorio “I want to return to the sea” for soloist, male choir and BSO (to the poems of Nazim Hikmet), vocal series “Sea, sky and love” (to the poems of Nabi Khazri), music for theater, movies, variety

Lepo Sumera

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Lepo Sumera (8 May 1950 – 2 June 2000) was an Estonian composer and teacher. Life and career He was born in Tallinn and studied with Veljo Tormis in his teens, and from 1968, with Heino Eller at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (then Tallinn State Conservatory). After Heino Eller’s death in 1970, he studied with Heino Jürisalu, graduating in 1973. He then did postgraduate study at the Moscow Conservatory (1979–1982) with the Russian composer Roman Ledenev. Sumera first came to notice in 1972 with In Memoriam, an orchestral tribute to Eller. Legacy He is considered one of Estonia’s most renowned composers along with Heino Eller, Eduard Tubin and Arvo Pärt. He was also his country’s Minister of Culture from 1988 to 1992 during the days of the Singing Revolution. As such he was the last Minister of Culture of the Estonian SSR, and the first Minister of Culture after Estonia re-gained independence. See also *20th-century classical music *Culture of Estonia References External links *Lepo Sumera official web site *Lepo Sumera on IMDb *Lepo Sumera on AllMusic

Lera Auerbach

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Lera Auerbach (, born Valeria Lvovna Averbakh, ; October 21, 1973) is a Soviet-born Austrian-American classical composer, conductor and concert pianist. Early life and education Auerbach was born to a Jewish family in Chelyabinsk, a city in the Ural Mountains. Her mother was a piano teacher, many of whose ancestors had also been musicians. She also studied comparative literature at Columbia University and earned a piano diploma at the Hochschule für Musik Hannover. Performances Auerbach made her Carnegie Hall debut in May 2002, performing her own Suite for Violin, Piano and Orchestra with violinist Gidon Kremer conducting the Kremerata Baltica. She has appeared as solo pianist at such venues as the Great Concert Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Tokyo Opera City, Lincoln Center, Herkulessaal, Oslo konserthus, Chicago’s Theodore Thomas Orchestra Hall and the Kennedy Center. Compositions Auerbach’s compositions have been commissioned and performed by a wide array of artists, orchestras, choirs and ballet companies including Gidon Kremer, the Kremerata Baltica, David Finckel, Wu Han, Vadim Gluzman, the Tokyo, Kuss, Parker and Petersen String Quartets, the SWR and NDR symphony orchestra

Lesia Dychko

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Lesia Vasylivna Dychko (), originally Liudmyla Vasylivna Dychko (born 24 October 1939) is a Ukrainian composer and music educator. Life Early years and education Lesia Vasylivna Dychko was born Liudmyla Vasylivna Dychko in Kyiv on 24 October 1939. She graduated from the Kyiv Lysenko State Music Lyceum in 1959 with a degree in music theory. In 1964 she graduated from the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music in composition, studying with the composers Konstantyn Dankevych and Borys Lyatoshynsky. In 1971 she studied with the Soviet composer Nikolai Peiko. Career After completing her studies, Dychko worked as a music teacher. Her output includes film soundtracks. She composes for orchestral, choral and instrumental performance including flute, violin, organ and piano. Incomplete list of compositions (Information from the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians) * (after paintings by Vasily Surikov, Isaac Levitan, Viktor Vasnetsov, and Ivan Shishkin), chorus and orchestra, 1962 * Fires Before Dawn (ballet), 1966 * Inspiration (ballet, after paintings by Kateryna Bilokur), 1966, revised in 1983 * The Mellifluous Talker (opera), 1995 * The Red Guelder Rose Tree (Ukrainian f

Lev Knipper

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Lev Konstantinovich Knipper (; 3 December 1898 – 30 July 1974) was a Soviet and Russian composer and OGPU/NKVD agent. Life and career Lev Knipper was born in Tiflis to railway engineer Konstantin Leonardovich Knipper and Elena-Luiza Yulyevna Rid. Shortly after his birth, the family relocated to Tsarskoye Selo, then to Yekaterinoslav in 1910, and then Saint Petersburg in 1913. He was greatly influenced by his father’s sister, the actress Olga Knipper (wife of the playwright Anton Chekhov), who encouraged his musical interests. He learned to play clarinet, double bass, various brass instruments, and taught himself to play piano. Knipper enlisted in the White Army in 1916. Following the Russian Civil War of 1917, he became stranded in Turkey, though was eventually able to reunite with his aunt Olga, who was touring abroad. Upon his return to the RSFSR in 1922, he was repeatedly interviewed and ultimately recruited by the OGPU foreign department. At their behest, Knipper travelled to Germany in 1922–23, where he made the acquaintance of composers Alois Hába, Philipp Jarnach, and Paul Hindemith. Hindemith’s music in particular had a strong influence on Knipper’s own compositional langua

Lev Kolodub

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Lev Mykolajovych Kolodub (; 1 May 1930 – 23 February 2019) was a Ukrainian composer and teacher, Honored Artist of Ukraine (1973), People’s Artist of Ukraine (1993), After graduating from the conservatory in 1954 he worked in Kyiv. From 1958 to 1960 he taught music theory at the Kyiv Theater Institute, and from 1966 he taught at the Kyiv Conservatory, from 1985 as professor. In 1997 he headed a recently established Music Information Technology Department of the Kyiv Conservatory. From 1994 to 1997 he was the chairman of the Kyiv branch of the National Union of Composers of Ukraine. He was from 1997 a corresponding member and from 2005 an academic of the Academy of Arts of Ukraine. Lev Kolodub was married to Zhanna Kolodub, a Ukrainian composer and pianist. He died on 23 February 2019 in Kyiv at the age of 88. Legacy The creative legacy of Levko Kolodub includes 4 operas, 4 operettas, 2 ballets, 12 symphonies, numerous concertos for wind instruments with orchestra, as well as chamber music and music for cinema. Pieces for wind instruments hold a special place and have been highly appreciated by Ukrainian musicians. His symphonic music is based in Ukrainian folklore and usually carri

Lev Pulver

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Lev Mikhailovich Pulver (Yiddish pronunciation: Leib Pulver, , European spelling: Leo Pulver, ; 18 December 1883, Verkhnodniprovsk – 18 March 1970, Moscow), was a Soviet and Russian-Jewish composer and musician. Early life He was an offspring of a renowned klezmorim’s family. Pulver studied violin since early childhood, at first with his father; later on, he studied with his brother-in-law, a disciple of Czech violinist Otakar Ševčík. Pulver graduated from Saint Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied violin and composition under Anatoly Lyadov. Initially, he was a violinist and composer in a wandering Ukrainian theatre group. Later on, he was a symphonic concert-master and conductor, a founding member of the Stradivari Quartet. He was the musical director of the State Jewish Theatre in Moscow (the GOSET). Compositions Pulver composed incidental music for works including Shakespeare’s King Lear; Sholem Aleichem’s 200.000 and The Man of the Air; Adventures of Benjamin the Third after Mendele Mocher Sforim; Abraham Goldfaden’s The Sorceress (in collaboration with Joseph Achron); and Zalman Shneyer’s Freylekhs (in collaboration with Maximilian Steinberg). He also composed operettas

Lev Zhurbin

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Lev Zhurbin (born August 18, 1978, in Moscow, Soviet Union) is a composer and violist. Biography Lev Zhurbin immigrated to the United States in the year 1990. He is often credited simply as “Ljova”, the diminutive of his formal name. He is the son of the composer Alexander Zhurbin and the poet/lyricist/writer Irena Ginzburg. He is the author of over 70 original compositions for classical, jazz, and folk music ensembles. He has also contributed musical scores to numerous documentaries, features, shorts and animated films. the City of London Sinfonia, a string quartet for Brooklyn Rider and a commission for Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project; arrangements for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, tenor Javier Camarena, conductor Alondra de la Parra, songwriters Natalia Lafourcade and Ricky Martin, composer/guitarist Gustavo Santaolalla, The Knights, and collaborations with choreographers Aszure Barton, Damian Woetzel, Christopher Wheeldon, Katarzyna Skarpetowska (with Parsons Dance Company), and Eduardo Vilaro (with Ballet Hispanico). In 2018, he was on the faculty of the Atelier program at Princeton University, teaching a course on collaboration with the puppeteer Bas

Lūcija Garūta

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Lūcija Garūta (14 May 1902 – 15 February 1977) was a Latvian pianist, poet and composer. She is mostly known for composing the cantata Dievs, Tava zeme deg! in 1943. Life and career Lūcija Garūta was born in Riga (at the time Russian Empire) in the family of an accountant. From 1919 to 1925, she studied at the Latvian Conservatory with professor Jāzeps Vītols for piano and others including Jānis Mediņš, and . During her studies she was the pianist répétiteur at the Latvian National Opera. After graduation, she worked at Riga Radio from 1925 to 1926. In 1926 she took a position teaching music theory and piano at the . In 1926 she also continued her studies with Alfred Cortot, Isidor Philipp and Paul Le Flem, and in 1928 she studied composition with Paul Dukas at the Paris École Normale de Musique. In 1926 she made her debut in Paris, and afterwards became active as a composer, holding concerts with singers , and Mariss Vētra, violinist Rūdolfs Miķelsons and cellist Atis Teihmanis. In 1939 she served on the Latvian music promotion association’s board of directors. In the 1920s and 1930s, Lūcija Garūta was one of the most active pianists both as a soloist as well as accompanist, perfo

Lydia Axionova

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Lydia Valeryanovna Axionova (; ; 19 July 1923 – 18 September 2019) was a Soviet and Moldovan conductor, music teacher, choral theorist, music writer, the first professor of choral conducting in Moldova, Honoured Artist of the Moldavian SSR. Biography Axionova was born into the family of lawyer Valerian Mikhailovich Axionov (Aksenov) (06.01.1894 – January 26, 1980) and teacher Klavdiya Ivanovna Aksenova (née Zhivaeva) (December 31, 1892 – June 14, 1967). In 1941, she graduated from school with medal for special distinction and during the Eastern Front (World War II) by order of her superiors, she taught German in the senior grades of the comprehensive school in the city of Krasnoarmeysk, Saratov Oblast. From 1942 to 1944, she studied at the Saratov State Medical University and worked as a nurse at the Military hospital. In 1944, she entered the Saratov Conservatory in the vocal class (class of Professor A. M. Paskhalova. From 1945 to 1952, she studied at the Belarusian State Academy of Music in the symphony conducting class with Professor S. L. Ratner and in the choral conducting class with Professor N. F. Maslov. As a conductor, Axionova is the heir to the best Russian conducting a

Lyubov Streicher

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Lyubov Lvovna Streicher (3 March 1888 – 31 March 1958) was a Russian composer, teacher and violinist. She was a founding member of the Society for Jewish Folk Music. Streicher was born in Vladikavkaz. She graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where she studied with Leopold Auer, Mikhail Gnessin, Anatoly Lyadov, and Maximilian Steinberg. In 1908, she joined Gnessin and Lazare Saminsky as founding members of the Society for Jewish Folk Music in St. Petersburg. The Society was part of the Jewish art music movement. It promoted Jewish folk music through research, composition, performance, and publishing. Branches of the Society were established in several Russian cities, and it remained active through 1919. Compositions At least one of Streicher’s compositions, “A Simple Soviet Man,” was recorded commercially by pianist Maria Yudina in 1937. Streicher’s compositions included: Ballet Noch Fialki “Song of Songs” Ten Jewish Work Songs “Ya Lesom Shia” References External links *Hear “Shir Hashirim” by Lyubov Streicher

Lyudmila Lyadova

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Lyudmila Alekseevna Lyadova (; 29 March 1925 – 10 March 2021) was a Russian composer who lived and worked in Moscow. Early life Lyudmila Lyadova was born in Sverdlovsk (modern Yekaterinburg) into a family of professional musicians. Her father was Alexei Ivanovich Lyadov, a tenor soloist and violinist of the Sverdlovsk Opera Theatre, and her mother was Julia Petrovna Lyadova (1902-1980) who sang with the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic. Lyudmila took private piano lessons as a child, studying with Vanda Bernhard-Trzaska. At the age of 10, she entered the Sverdlovsk Conservatory where she studied with Bertha Marants and Victor Trambitsky. At the age of 14 she made her debut with the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic conducted by Mark Paverman. Early career During World War II, Lyadova and her mother became active in concert brigades to entertain the troops, where Lyudmila played and sang popular songs. By November 1943, she had already written a children’s miniature on poems by Agniya Barto and Petrovsky and other works including a piano sonata. She appeared in Moscow in a showcase for young talent, and two years later won a performance prize in Moscow for a duet with Nina Panteleeva. The duo went on

Maksim Dunayevsky

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Maksim Isaakovich Dunayevsky (; born 15 January 1945 in Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian composer. People’s Artist of Russia (2006). He is the artistic director and chairman of the artistic council of the Moscow Regional Philharmonic since 2015. Biography Maksim Dunayevsky was born on 15 January 1945 in Moscow. He is the son of the composer Isaak Dunayevsky and the ballerina of the Alexandrov Ensemble and the Moscow Operetta Theater Zoya Ivanovna Pashkova (1922-1994), born out of wedlock. Maksim’s elder brother on the father’s side, Eugene (1932-2000) was an artist. From 1969 to 1974, Dunayevsky was the conductor of the Vakhtangov Theater. In 1974-1975, he was the chief conductor and music director of the Moscow music hall, in 1985-1987 he was the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the State Pop Orchestra of the RSFSR (he attracted such people as Pavel Smeyan, Irina Ponarovskaya, Boris Oppenheim, Weiland Rodd, Andrey Davidyan and musicians of the rock group SV), In 1994, especially for Nikolai Karachentsov, he wrote 10 songs based on poems by Ilya Reznik, which were later included in the actor’s solo album “My Little Lady”, recorded by him in Los Angeles. He lived in the USA f

Marģeris Zariņš

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Marģeris Zariņš (24 May 1910, Jaunpiebalga – 27 February 1993, Riga) was a Latvian composer and writer. He was an author of symphonic and vocal symphonic music, choir music, vocal chamber music, cantatas, oratories and operas; contemporary picaresque novels and short stories. He is considered to be the first representative of the Postmodern style in Latvian literature. Biography His father was a choir conductor, organist and organ builder. He completed his primary education at , by which time he was already performing as an organist. After 1925, he attended the then, in 1928, studied organ, piano and composition at the Riga Conservatory. He slowly gained recognition as a composer while working as a teacher and a librarian. Following the Soviet Occupation, he was appointed musical director at the Dailes Theatre (1940–1950), and served as chairman of the Latvian Composers’ Union (1951–1952, 1956–1968). He was also the Director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra for the 1951–1952 season. Although he was forced to compose in the acceptable Soviet musical styles, he attempted to experiment whenever possible. Toward the end of the 1960s, he turned to writing. In 1969, the journal

Mark Fradkin

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Mark Grigoryevich Fradkin (May 4, 1914 – April 4, 1990) was a Soviet composer, author of numerous popular songs (many of which were co-written with poet Yevgeny Dolmatovsky) and musical scores for forty films. In 1979, Mark Fradkin received the USSR State Prize and, in 1985, he was granted the status of the People’s Artist of the USSR. Biography Mark Fradkin was born in Vitebsk, Russian Empire (now Belarus), to a family of doctors. In the 1920s, having graduated from the technological secondary school, Mark joined a clothing factory in Vitebsk. After two years there, he joined the Third Belorussian Theatre as an actor (later musical administrator). In 1934, he enrolled in the Leningrad Theatre Institute where he started writing music. In 1938-1939, he studied in the Belorussian Conservatory under the guidance of Professor Aladov while working as an actor in the Minsk Children Theater (ТЮЗ). Family Mark Fradkin’s father, Grigory Konstantinovich Fradkin, a medical doctor in Kursk, was executed by the White Army troops retreating from the city in 1920. His mother, Yevgenya Mironovna Fradkina (née Shagalova), also a medical doctor, was murdered during the Holocaust, along with many other

Mark Kopytman

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Mark Kopytman (; December 6, 1929 – December 16, 2011) was a composer, musicologist and pedagogue. He was a professor and a rector of the Rubin Academy (Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance), and a Laureate of the Serge Koussevitzky Prize for his composition Voices of Memory (1986). Awarded the title “People’s Artist of Moldova” in (1992) by the Moldovan President for the creation of the first Moldovan National Opera «Casa mare» («The Great House»). Biography Kopytman was born in Kamianets-Podilskyi in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union) in 1929. He received his initial training in piano and music theory at Chernivtsi Music College and later went on to study medicine at the Chernivtsi Medical Institute. After graduating from medical college, Kopytman studied composition with Roman Simovych at the Lysenko Academy of Music in Lviv and with S. Bogatirev at Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow. After gaining his second PhD in theory and composition, Kopytman taught at the conservatories of Moscow, Almaty and Chişinău. Several of his compositions won prizes and distinctions in competitions and festivals. Emigration In 1972 Kopytman emigrated to Israel, where he became a Professo

Mark Minkov

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Mark Anatolievich Minkov (; 25 November 1944 – 29 May 2012) was a Soviet and Russian music composer. His music is featured in a number of operas, ballets, stage performances, and films. He composed the scores for more than a hundred cinema and television films, including Investigation Held by ZnaToKi (1985), We Are from Jazz (1983) and Neznayka with Our Court (1983). On May 29, 2012 Mark Minkov died at the age of 68. He was buried at Vostryakovsky cemetery. Early life and career Minkov was born in Moscow, USSR. He attended the Merzlyakovki Conservatory School where he studied composition under Nikolay Sidelnikov. He then studied under Aram Khachaturian at the Moscow Conservatory in 1964. A song by Minkov based on the lyrics Invisible struggle (translit. Nezrimiy Boi - If somebody, somewhere among us, sometimes…) by Anatoly Gorokhov is featured in almost all the series. It became an unofficial hymn of the Soviet Militia. In 2001, he was awarded the MVD Russian Interior Ministry award for the music theme to the Sledstvie vedut znatoki. Awards and honours * 1970 – member of the Composers Union * 1981 – member of the Cinematographers Union * 1989 – Honored Artist of the RSFSR * 1999

Mārtiņš Brauns

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Mārtiņš Brauns (17 September 1951 – 24 November 2021) was a Latvian composer and musician. He composed multiple pieces, most notable of which is Saule, Pērkons, Daugava, a choir song regularly performed at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival. Career Brauns studied at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School from 1958 to 1970, studying piano and choir, before moving on to study conducting and music theory after his voice started changing. From 1975 to 1986, he led the rock band . In addition to film scores, Brauns wrote and composed multiple pieces for various theatre plays. His most famous piece, written in the late 1980s for the Valmiera Drama Theatre, titled Saule, Pērkons, Daugava, of which the lyrics are based on the poem Daugava by Latvian poet Rainis; this song has been performed regularly at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival since 1990, and is even considered the unofficial anthem of the festival. In 2014, an adapted version of the song with lyrics by Catalan poet Miquel Martí i Pol became the official anthem of the Catalan independence movement. Death Brauns was recovering from a heart attack at a hospital when he contracted COVID-19. He died on 24 November 2021, at the age of 70.

Masguda Shamsutdinova

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Masguda Islamovna Shamsutdinova (; born June 1, 1955, in Kshlau-Yelga, Bashkir ASSR) is a Tatar writer and composer. Biography Masguda Shamsutdinova was born in Bashkortostan. She studied music in Kazakhstan and graduated from Kazan State Conservatoire in the Republic of Tatarstan. She continued her studies at the Tatar History Institute and St. Petersburg State University and received a Ph.D. in 2002. The same year Shamsutdinova moved to Seattle, Washington, where she lives and works. Honors and awards *2003 Best Composer, Art-Horde International Theater Festival *2002 Best Composer, Nauruz International Theater Festival *2000 1st Place, Tatar Theater Festival *1994 Best Composer, Tatar Theater Festival *1993 Tatarstan Republican Award for contributions to national music *1983 Diploma, Romanian Drama Festival in the USSR Works Shamsutdinova’s compositions are influenced by Tartar folk music. She composes chamber and symphony music, and for film soundtracks. Selected works include: *Dervish symphonic poem 2006 *Symphony No.3, Genghis-Khan 2004 *Marriage of Geese choral 2001 *Amazons of Tartary 2002 *The Butterfly on the Snow 2002 *Hymn to Prophet Muhammad, Maulid an-Nabi 2006 Shams

Matvey Blanter

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Matvey Isaakovich Blanter (; 10 February 190327 September 1990) was a Soviet composer, and one of the most prominent composers of popular songs and film music in the Soviet Union. Among many other works, he wrote the famous “Katyusha” (1938), performed to this day internationally. He was active as a composer until 1975, producing more than two thousand songs. Childhood and education Blanter, the son of a Jewish craftsman, was born in the town of Pochep, then in the Chernigov Governorate of the Russian Empire. He studied piano and violin at the Kursk Higher Music School. From 1917 to 1919, he continued his education in Moscow, studying violin and composition. Career Blanter’s first songs were composed in the 1920s. At the time, he wrote light dance and jazz music, including “John Gray” (1923), a foxtrot that became a major hit. In the 1930s, as Soviet culture grew more ideologically strict, Blanter shifted toward writing Soviet propaganda songs. He emerged as one of the creators of the Soviet “mass song”. Some of Blanter’s 1930s songs were styled after the Red Army songs of the Russian Civil War (1918–1921) and mythologized the war’s Bolshevik heroes. The most famous among these are

Max Fishman

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Max Shakhnovich Fishman (Polish: Mieczysław (Mietek) Fiszman /Fischman/; Romanian: Max Fișman; Russian: Макс Шахнович Фишман, known as Max Benovich Fishman), (December 12, 1915—September 24, 1985) was a Moldavian Soviet composer, pianist, and teacher. Fishman was raised within Jewish, Polish, and Russian cultural traditions. . Born in Warsaw he studied piano at the Chopin University of Music. He was well-known in the Polish music scene. During the Nazi invasion in Poland in 1939 he fled to the Soviet Union. Later he was arrested by the NKVD and deported. In the 1950s, Fishman lived in Chișinău. He laid the pedagogical foundation of the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts in Chișinău. He composed, including piano concertos, chamber music and orchestral works. His aesthetic reflects blend of Ashkenazi Jewish folk motifs, Slavic Romanticism, and Soviet neoclassicism. Biography Life in Poland Max Fishman was born on December 12, 1915, in Warsaw, in the family of an entrepreneur, philanthropist and the head of the Warsaw synagogue (1870, Opatów – July 1, 1936, Warsaw) and Esther Fishman, née Bleiberg (1880, Ćmielów – according to some sources 1942–1943 in the Warsaw Ghetto or Trebli

Maxim Fadeev

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Maxim “Max” Aleksandrovich Fadeev (; born 6 May 1968) is a Russian singer-songwriter, composer and producer. Biography Early life and career Maxim Fadeev was born on 6 May 1968 in Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. His father, Alexander Ivanovich Fadeev (1941–2016) was a head teacher at a music college. When he was a child, he attended a musical school in Kurgan, and learned how to play bass guitar. He later attended two universities, both musical, when aged only fifteen. Fadeev started working with professional musicians in 1989, such as Larisa Dolina and Valery Leontyev. He was supported by showman and actor Sergei Kirillov, who also presented Fadeev to the world of professional music. 1993–2003: Linda and Star Factory 2 In 1993 Fadeev started managing singer Svetlana Geiman, who would later become famous as Linda. Fadeev wrote, produced and composed her music material. Having been managed by Fadeev, Linda rose to media attention and a quick shot to stardom followed, backed by both her over-the-top music which pleased the critics, and her offbeat, semi-ethnic, Tibet-driven visual persona, epitomised by the “Vo

Maximilian Steinberg

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Maximilian Osseyevich Steinberg (; – 6 December 1946) was a Russian composer of classical music. Though once considered the hope of Russian music, Steinberg is far less well known today than his mentor (and father-in-law) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, his rival Igor Stravinsky, or his student protege Dmitri Shostakovich. In 2014, Steinberg’s choral concerto Passion Week was rediscovered and performed for the first time. It was instantly praised as a masterpiece by both lovers and performers of Classical music. This has triggered a revival of interest in the life and music of Maximilian Steinberg. Life Steinberg was born into a Lithuanian Jewish family in Vilna, Russian Empire (present-day Vilnius, Lithuania). His father, Osey (Hosea) Steinberg (Joshua Steinberg), was a leading scholar of Hebrew. In 1901, he went to Saint Petersburg, to study biology at the university there. He graduated in 1906. In the meantime he also started studying at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He entered Anatoly Lyadov’s harmony class, moving on to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s harmony class and Alexander Glazunov’s counterpoint class. His considerable talent in composition soon became clear, encouraged especia

Mieczysław Weinberg

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Mieczysław Weinberg (December 8, 1919 – February 26, 1996) was a Polish, Soviet, and Russian composer and pianist. Born in Warsaw to parents who worked in the Yiddish theatre in Poland, his early years were surrounded by music. At the age of 12, he began formal music lessons. Later, he studied piano at the Warsaw Conservatory. In 1939, Weinberg fled Warsaw when Germany invaded Poland and started World War II. His family was later murdered at the Trawniki concentration camp. Weinberg found refuge in the Soviet Union. He established himself successfully in Moscow with support from Dmitri Shostakovich and the Committee on the Arts. Postwar changes in Soviet cultural policy led to increased persecution of minority groups, including Jews. Although Weinberg’s music was well regarded and regularly played, he was surveilled and harassed by the MVD. On February 6, 1953, Weinberg was arrested and jailed at Lubyanka Prison. Intercession on his behalf by Shostakovich and Stalin’s death led to Weinberg’s release on April 25. The 1960s were the peak of Weinberg’s professional success. Aside from his concert works, his music for film also became well known. His score for Fyodor Khitruk’s cartoon

Mikael Tariverdiev

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Mikael Leonovich Tariverdiev (also Mikayel Levoni Tariverdian; 15 August 1931 – 25 July 1996) was a Soviet composer of Armenian descent. He headed the Composers’ Guild of the Soviet Cinematographers’ Union from its inception and is most famous for his movie scores, primarily the score to Seventeen Moments of Spring. Biography Mikael Tariverdiev was born in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR to Armenian parents, but lived and worked in Russia. His father, Levon Tariverdiev, was from Baku but a native of Nagorno-Karabakh. Tariverdiev wrote over 100 romances and four operas, including the comic opera Count Cagliostro and the mono-opera “The Waiting”. However, he is mostly known for his scores to many popular Soviet movies (more than 130 in total), including “Seventeen Moments of Spring” and “The Irony of Fate”—see List of film music by Mikael Tariverdiev. He received many awards, including the USSR State Prize in 1977 and the Prize of the American Music Academy in 1975. In 1986 he was awarded the title of People’s Artist of Russia. In 1990, he won three Nika Awards for Best Composer. The Best Music prize at the largest Russian National Film Festival Kinotaur is named after Tariverdiev. On 31 May 1

Mikalay Shchahlou-Kulikovich

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(; 13 October 1896 – 31 March 1969) was a cultural and social activist, composer and musicologist, researcher of Belarusian church and secular music. Biography Kulikovich was born on October 13, 1896, in Moscow (according to other sources his date of birth is April 4 at the Smolensk Oblast). Born in the Orthodox Russian – Belarusian family, father’s family came from the Don Cossacks and the mother from Smolensk. Since childhood, brought up by his maternal aunt, who was Abbess of the Orthodox Monastery in Tula. He sang in the church choir, where he revealed his musical abilities. He graduated from the Moscow Synodal School of Church Music, where he was influenced by the famous reformer of Russian church music Alexander Kastalsky. Prior to 1925 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory as a singer took part in the European tour. In 1930 Kulikovich was engaged in collecting and studying Smolensk song folklore. For a time he lived in the Ukrainian SSR and from 1936 in Minsk. He worked as a music editor at the Belarusian Radio. Since 1937 he was the conductor of a symphony orchestra of the Belarusian Radio Committee. He was one of the organizers of the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belarus. A

Mikhail Gnessin

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Mikhail Fabianovich Gnessin (or Gnesin; ; 2 February 18835 May 1957) was a Russian Jewish composer and teacher. His grandfather Y’shayah was also a famous singer and Badchen (wedding entertainer) in Vilnius. Each of the Gnessin children appears to have possessed musical talent, and Gnessin’s three elder sisters, Evgenia, Elena and Maria, all graduated with distinction from the Moscow Conservatory. His sisters went on to found the Gnessin State Musical College (now the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music), an elite music school in Moscow in 1895. and others, the Society for Jewish Folk Music. During this period Gnessin continued to take part in Socialist activities, teaching music to factory workers at workmen’s clubs. Just prior to the Revolution, Jewish music and musicians in Russia were experiencing a nationalist boom. Figures such as Rimsky-Korsakov and Stasov were actively encouraging the establishment of such a school…both Tsarist and Soviet authorities were not too happy about this development, and gave grudging permission for the folk side of Jewish culture to be established, rather than an openly Jewish nationalist compositional movement. Paradoxically, the number of Jewish

Mikhail Goldstein

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Mikhail Emmanuilovich Goldstein (, also transcribed as Michael Emmanuilowitsch Goldstein, ; pen name: Mykhailo Mykhailovsky; 18 September 19177 September 1989) was a German composer, violinist and violin teacher of Jewish origin, brother of prominent violinist Boris Goldstein. Biography Goldstein was born as Moisey (Moishe) Goldshteyn in Odessa on October 1, 1917, the son of personal distinguished citizen Mendel Abramovich-Geynikhovich Goldshteyn (born 1885 in Odessa) and Sura Iosifovna Goldshteyn (nee Kigel, born 1887 in Orhei), who registered their marriage on July 26, 1909 in Odessa. His paternal grandparents, married in Odessa on August 10, 1876, were Odessa dweller Abram-Geynikh Goldshteyn and Nemyriv dweller Pesya Yudkovna Siminshteyn. Michael Goldstein started studying the violin at age four at the School of Stolyarsky in Odessa with Pyotr Stolyarsky who was also the teacher of David Oistrach and Nathan Milstein. He was the author of the celebrated musical hoax “Ovsianiko-Kulikovsky’s Symphony No. 21” as well as several others, notably “Expromt” by Balakirev", “Albumblatt” (Листок из Альбома) by Glazunov"’ the “Viola Concerto in C Major by Ivan Khandoshkin”, etc. He concentr

Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov

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Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (; born Mikhail Mikhailovich Ivanov; 19 November 185928 January 1935) was a Russian and Soviet composer, conductor and teacher. His music ranged from the late-Romantic era into the 20th century era. Biography Mikhail Mikhailovich Ivanov was born in 1859 at Gatchina, near St. Petersburg, where his father was a mechanic employed at the palace. He later added the name Ippolitov, his mother’s maiden name, to distinguish himself from a composer and music critic with an identical name. He studied music at home and was a choirboy at the cathedral of St. Isaac, where he also had musical instruction, before entering the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1875. In 1882 he completed his studies as a composition pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov, whose influence was to remain strong. Ippolitov-Ivanov’s first appointment was to the position of director of the music academy and conductor of the orchestra in Tiflis, the principal city of Georgia, where he was to spend the next seven years. This period allowed him to develop an interest in the music of the region, a reflection of the general interest taken in the music of non-Slav minorities and more exotic neighbours that

Mikhail Plyatskovsky

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Mikhail Spartakovich Plyatskovsky (; 1935–1991) was a Soviet playwright, poet and songwriter. Biography Born 2 November 1935 in Rykovo (present-day Yenakiyeve). He graduated from the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow. He was a member of the Union of Soviet Writers (1973). He worked in collaboration with Vladimir Shainsky, Serafim Tulikov, Vyacheslav Dobrynin, Yuri Antonov, Arno Babajanian. Plyatskovsky died on 26 January 1991. He was buried in Moscow on Troyekurovskoye Cemetery. Works The first professional song written by composer Semyon Zaslavsky “March of the Astronauts”. Between 1960 and 1970, Plyatskovsky became one of the leading songwriters. Popular songs written using his poems include: * “Take a Guitar” * “Volga Flows into My Heart” * “All the Same, We Will Meet” * “If There Is Love” * “Cuckoo” * “Once Again About Love” * “Redhead Blizzard” * “Slides” * “You Invented Herself” * “If You Are Good” * “I’ll Take You to the Tundra” * “The Girl from Apartment 45” * “Letkajenkka” * “No Wonder the People I Talked” * “The Roof of Your House” * “Do Not Care About Me” * “Do Not Repeat This Ever” Awards * Lenin Komsomol Prize (1986) – for pioneering songs * Order of the Badge

Mikhail Zhukov (conductor)

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Mikhail Nikolayevich Zhukov (; 14 January 1901, Moscow – 8 November 1960, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian conductor and composer. Zhukov graduated 1918 from the National Choral Academy in Moscow. In 1919-22 he was first concert master, then 1922-32 conductor at the Stanislavski Opera Studio. From 1932-35 conductor at the Leningrad Opera) and then again 1935-38 conductor at the Stanislavsky Opera Studio, and having obtained a diploma in the first all-Soviet conductor’s competition in Moscow in 1938, 1939-41 chief conductor there. From 1944-46 he was conductor of Moscow Theatre of Operetta. From 1946-1949 he was conductor of the Latvian Opera and Ballet in Riga with Leonid Vigners. Then from 1951 till his death conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre. Zhukov is particularly noted for his association with Sergei Prokofiev, having conducted the premiere (1940) and first recording (1960) of Semyon Kotko. Awards * Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1941) * Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1950) * Stalin Prize, 2nd class (1950) Compositions Operas: * Triumph (“Триумф” 1924) * The Gadfly (“Овод” 1928) based on The Gadfly by Ethel Voynich. * Thunderstorm (“Гроза” 1941) References

Mikola Ravienski

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Mikola Jakaŭlievič Ravienski (; ; 5 December 1886 – 9 March 1953) was a Belarusian composer, conductor and music critic who authored music for the famous hymn Mahutny Boža (Almighty God). Early life Ravienski was born on 5 December 1886 into the family of a gardener working at the Kaplancy estate in Igumensky Uyezd, Minsk Governorate of the Russian Empire (nowadays the village of Kaplancy in Byerazino District, Minsk Region, Belarus). From the age of five he sang in a local church choir and was later invited to a church choir in Minsk where he received his primary musical education. In 1903 he was posted as a choir conductor to a Minsk monastery and then to Navahrudak where he collected over 500 folk songs. Later life From 1919 Ravienski worked in Minsk as a choir conductor and a school teacher. At this time his first compositions appeared - songs based on poems by Maksim Bahdanovič, Kanstancyja Bujło, an introduction to the poem “Hapon” by Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievič, the song “Oh you, Neman River” based on poetry of Źmicier Žyłunovič. In 1922 a compilation of his music was published. All of Ravienski’s manuscripts and print-outs were destroyed in a fire caused by German bombing of

Moses Milner

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Mikhail “Moshe” Arnoldovich Milner (Мильнер, Михаил “Моше” Арнольдович; 1886–1953) was a Russian Jewish pianist and composer. He is notable as composer, and conductor, of the first Yiddish opera in post-revolution Russia “Die Himlen brenen” (“The Heavens Burn”) in 1923. Biography Moses Milner was born in Rokitno Basilovsky, Kiev Governorate in 1886. He sang in the choir of the Brodsky Choral Synagogue in Kiev, then attended the Kiev Conservatory. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory from 1907 till 1915. While in St Petersburg Milner began to compose Yiddish songs for Susman Kiselgof (Зусман Кисельгоф)’s Society for Jewish Folk Music (Общество еврейской народной музыки). He also wrote incidental music for Jewish theaters. He provided music for the Habima Theater and State Jewish Theater, Moscow (GOSET) (Государственный еврейский театр (ГОСЕТ)), and the Leningrad choir Evokans (Евоканс). He died in Leningrad in 1953. References

Murad Kazhlayev

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Murad Magomedovich Kazhlayev (15 January 193123 December 2023) was a Russian and Lak composer and conductor. He was a People’s Artist of the USSR (1981), (2016), and laureate of international premiums and contests. He was also Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the , a professor and academician at Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. Biography Murad Kajlayev was born on 15 January 1931 in Baku to a Lak family. He graduated from Baku State Conservatoire from the composition class of . He was expelled from there for his ardour for practicing non-academic musical genres but soon he was reclaimed. He worked as a teacher at a musical school named after Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, in Makhachkala, as a chief conductor of the Dagestan Radio Symphonic Orchestra (1957–1958), artistic director of the Dagestan Philharmonic Hall (1963–1964) and secretary of administration of the Union of Soviet Composers (from 1968). Awards * Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation (2021) * Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1960) * People’s Artist of the USSR (1981) * Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1971) * Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” of the III and IV degrees (2008, 1995) * Order of Friendship (201

Muslim Magomayev (composer)

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Abdulmuslim Muhammad oghlu Magomayev (; 18 September 1885 – 28 July 1937), commonly known as Muslim Magomayev (), was an Azerbaijani composer and conductor. He is the paternal grandfather and namesake of Azerbaijani opera singer Muslim Magomayev. Early life He was born Abdulmuslim Magomayev into a family of a blacksmith on the same day another prominent Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov was born. He studied at a primary school in Grozny before being admitted to the Gori Pedagogical Seminary (in present-day Georgia) in 1900. There, Magomayev developed a passion for music and conducting. That was also where he first met Uzeyir Hajibeyov, then his fellow student. However, Magomayev found the musical career financially unpromising and decided to focus on teaching. In 1905, he acquired his teaching certificate at the Tiflis Teachers’ College and was appointed a teacher to the village of Bekovichi (now Kizlyar, Republic of North Ossetia–Alania). In 1906, he was voluntarily reappointed to Lankaran (present-day Azerbaijan). In 1911, he received a license that allowed him to teach in high schools and moved to a Baku suburb, Sabunchu. While teaching at a school, he took up music and cond

Mykhailo Verykivsky

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Mykhailo Verykivsky ( 20 November 189614 June 1962) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor and teacher. He was an Honored Artist of Ukraine in 1944. Biography In early years Mykhailo Verykivsky grows in an atmosphere of love and respect for Ukrainian native folk songs, which influenced his musical work. After graduating from elementary school, Verykivsky entered the city school and was admitted to the bishop’s choir. He continued his musical education at the Kremenets Commercial School (1912–1914), where he conducted the choir and orchestra of folk instruments, played in the school symphony orchestra, studied cello, piano and made his first attempts at composition - he created piano preludes and romances. In 1914 Verykivsky began to study at Kyiv Conservatory as double bass player. From 1922 he works as a teacher at the Mykola Lysenko Institute of Music and Drama and, later, in Kyiv Conservatory (until 1960, with a break in 1941–1944; from 1946 he was its professor). 5 operas (including Taras Shevchenko-based operas The Sotnyk and The Servant Girl); an oratorio on Marusia Bohuslavka; five cantatas; a concerto for piano and orchestra (1950); a number of orchestral works; a large body o

Mykhaylo Chemberzhi

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Mykhaylo Ivanovych Chemberzhi (, 15 July 19445 March 2018) was a Ukrainian composer, teacher, scientist and politician. Director of . Biography He was born on July 15, 1944, in the city of Izmail, Odesa region. In 1967, he graduated from the Odesa State Music College, began his teaching career at the children’s music school in Izmail. Scientific publication Author of about 60 scholarly publications. Composer of works in a variety of genres, including orchestral works, opera and ballet. Notes References External links * Біографія на сайті Національної спілки композиторів України * Біографія на сайті Національної академії мистецтв України * Відійшов у вічність /Сайт Національної академії педагогчних наук, 5.3.2018/ * Раптово помер Михайло Чембержі /День, 5.3.2018/ * Чембержі М.І. /Сайт “Відкрита Україна”/

Näcip Cihanov

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Näcip Ğayaz ulı Cihanov (15 January 19112 June 1988, Russification : Nazib Gayazovich Zhiganov) was a Soviet and Tatar composer, pedagogue and statesman. He was born in Uralsk; and died in Ufa. Cihanov wrote eight operas (notably Altınçäç and Cälil), three ballets, 15 symphonies, other symphonic works (Qırlay, Suite on Tatar Themes, Näfisä, Symphonic novellas, and Symphonic Songs among them), the cantata Republic of Mine (1960), camera-instrumental compositions, and romances and songs. Granted the titles of People’s Artist of the USSR (1957) and Hero of Socialist Labour (1981), Cihanov served as artistic leader of the Tatar Opera and Ballet from 1941 to 1943, chairman of Tatarstan’s Composers Union from 1939 to 1977, and rector of Kazan Conservatory from 1945 to 1988. He was made professor in 1953; Kazan Conservatory was renamed in his honor in 2000. Importantly, Cihanov was one of the founders of the State Symphony Orchestra of Tatarstan. In his capacity as statesman, he served as a deputy in the Supreme Soviet of RSFSR (1951–1959), the Tatar ASSR (1963–1967, 1977–1988), and indeed the Soviet Union (1966–1970). Operas *Qaçqın (1939) *İrek (1940) “Freedom” *Altınçäç (1941) “The gol

Nadezhda Simonyan

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Nadezhda Simonyan (26 February 1922 - 7 June 1997) was a Russian composer, who wrote over 40 film scores for movies, radio, and television, as well as chamber and orchestral works, and music for circus performances. Simonyan was born in Rostov-on-the-Don. She studied composition and piano at Leningrad Conservatory, where she received a diploma in 1950 and earned a medal. Her teachers included Oles Chishko and Venedikt Pushkov. In 1956, Simonyan wrote her first film soundtrack for Old Man Khottabych, a children’s film by Gennadii Kazanskii. Peter Rollberg described Simonyan’s strength as a composer as a “. . . warm melodiousness that equally energizes cheerful, dramatic, and tragic episodes with a pragmatic, flexible approach to instrumentation.” In 1960, Italian film maker Federico Fellini praised her soundtrack for the movie Lady with the Dog. She often used smaller chamber orchestras, sometimes with folk instruments, for her film scores. Chamber *Sonata (violin and piano) *Chief of Chukotka *Day of Happiness *Lyalka-Ruslan and His Friend Sanka Piano *pieces Radio scores *Golden Apples *On the Bank of Sevan *Story of Turkey *Three Bears *Year of My Birth Vocal *Lake Sevan Cantata

Nazim Aliverdibeyov

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Nazim Aghalar oghlu Aliverdibeyov (August 24, 1926, Baku – February 16, 1986, Baku) was an Azerbaijani composer. He was the composer of the music for many famous Azerbaijani films. Life Nazim Aliverdibeyov was born in 1926. He was a composer, as well as a film composer and music editor. He graduated from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory. From 1951 to 1985, he taught at the Bulbul Specialized Secondary School and the Azerbaijan State Conservatory. From 1964 to 1985, he served as the director of the Bulbul Specialized Secondary School. He re-orchestrated Uzeyir Hajibeyov’s operas “Asli and Kerem” and “Leyli and Majnun”. He was also the editor of the published scores of Uzeyir Hajibeyov’s operas “Leyli and Majnun” (1983) and “Koroghlu” (1985). The composer was the cousin of Uzeyir Hajibeyov. He was the son of musicologist Aghalar Aliverdibeyov. He was the brother of violinist Rasim Aliverdibeyov, conductor Kazim Aliverdibeyov, and pianist Nushaba Aliverdibeyova. Nazim Aliverdibeyov died on February 16, 1986, in Baku. Instrumental - “Bayatı Shiraz” for organ Musical Comedy - “Nazkhanim Naz Eleyir” (1974) — co-authored with Maharram Alizadeh Awards Medal “For Distinguished Labour” - 9

Nicolas Nabokov

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Nicolas Nabokov (Николай Дмитриевич Набоков; 17 April 1903 – 6 April 1978) was a Russian-born composer, writer, and cultural figure. He became a U.S. citizen in 1939. Life Nicolas Nabokov, a first cousin of Vladimir Nabokov, and of the baron Eduard von Falz-Fein, was born to a family of landed Russian gentry in the town of Lubcza near Minsk, and was educated by private tutors. In 1918, after his family fled the Bolshevik Revolution to the Crimea, he began his musical education with Vladimir Rebikov. After living briefly in Germany he settled in Paris in 1923, where he studied at the Sorbonne. Nabokov was married five times. His first wife was the Russian princess Nathalie Shakhovskaya (1903–1988). His last (1970–1978) was the French photographer Dominique Nabokov. He had three sons: French publisher Ivan Nabokov, Alexander Nabokov, and anthropologist Peter Nabokov. His close friends included the philosopher and fellow émigré Isaiah Berlin and composer Igor Stravinsky. Career After the years in Paris from 1923 to 1932, in 1933 he moved to the U.S. as a lecturer in music for the Barnes Foundation. He taught music at Wells College in New York from 1936 to 1941, then moved to St. John'

Nikita Koshkin

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Nikita Arnoldovich Koshkin (; born 28 February 1956) is a classical guitarist-composer born in Moscow USSR. His early influences included Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, as well as rock music. Koshkin first came to prominence with his suite The Prince’s Toys, completed in 1980 and first performed by the Czech-born guitarist Vladimir Mikulka. Koshkin’s best-known guitar work is Usher-Waltz (1984), a piece inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe story The Fall of the House of Usher, written for the guitarist Vladislav Blaha. It was made famous by John Williams’ performance in the Seville Concert CD in 1993. Other famous performers of Koshkin’s work include the Assad Duo and the Zagreb and Amsterdam Trios. His other important works include the set of variations The Porcelain Tower and the Andante quasi Passacaglia e Toccata: The Fall of Birds (1978). Besides writing works for solo guitar, Koshkin has composed guitar-ensemble music as well; in addition to numerous pieces for guitar duo, he has written two works for guitar quartet, Changing the Guard (1994) and Suite for Four Guitars (composed for the Georgia Guitar Quartet, 2007). Early life Koshkin received his first guitar from his g

Nikolai Kapustin

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Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin (, 22 November 1937 – 2 July 2020) was a Soviet-born Russian composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant figures in the synthesis of jazz idioms and Western classical structures. A virtuoso of the “Moscow School” of piano playing, Kapustin composed 161 opus numbers, including 20 piano sonatas, six piano concertos, and sets of preludes and fugues, all of which utilize a sophisticated harmonic and rhythmic language derived from bebop, stride piano, and jazz fusion. Born in Horlivka, Ukraine, Kapustin was a student of the legendary pedagogue Alexander Goldenweiser at the Moscow Conservatory. He rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s as a jazz pianist and arranger for the Oleg Lundstrem State Jazz Orchestra and later the “Blue Screen” Orchestra. Despite the improvisational sound of his music, Kapustin was a meticulous composer who wrote out every note, articulation, and nuance. He famously rejected the label of “jazz musician,” insisting that he was a classical composer whose works were meant to be performed exactly as notated, without improvisation. For much of the 20th century, Kapustin’s music remained a well-kept secret

Nikolai Karetnikov

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Nikolai Nikolayevich Karetnikov (; 28 June 1930 in Moscow – 9 October 1994 in Moscow) was a Russian composer of the so-called Underground – alternative or nonconformist group in Soviet music. Biography Karetnikov studied at the Central Musical School (1942–1948) and the Moscow Conservatory (1948–1953) where his teachers were Vissarion Shebalin (composition), Tatiana Nikolayeva (piano), Igor Sposobin and Viktor Tsukkerman (theory). He also studied privately with Philip Herschkowitz, a pupil of Berg and Webern. He was influenced by music of the New Viennese school and was a firm supporter of twelve-tone technique. His ballets Vanina Vannini and The Geologists were performed at the Bolshoi Theatre with choreography by Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasiliev. However, the authorities found the music unacceptable. It was criticized, and then banned from the performances in the Soviet Union for decades. His Symphony No. 4 (1963) received its first performance in 1968 in Prague, just before the Soviet army invasion to suppress the Prague Spring. His third ballet Little Zaches Called Zinnober was performed at the Hanover Opera House (1971) in the composer’s absence, because he was not give

Nikolai Korndorf

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Nikolai Sergeevich Korndorf (, January 23, 1947 – May 30, 2001) was a Russian and Canadian (from 1991) composer and conductor. He was prolific both in Moscow, Russia, and in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Biography Born in Moscow, (Russian SSR,Soviet Union), Korndorf studied composition with Sergey Balasanian at the Moscow Conservatory from 1965 to 1970. During these years, he wrote a one-act opera A tale on… () based on the work of Semyon Kirsanov. In 1973 Korndorf completed post-graduate studies with his opera Feast in the Time of Plague based on the play of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. He studied conducting with Leo Ginsburg from 1967 to 1979 and taught composition and orchestration at the Conservatory from 1972 to 1991. In 1973 he became a member of the Union of Composers and the Moscow Presidium of the Soviet Composers’ Union. He was a co-founder and deputy president of the New Association for Contemporary Music (ACM). His early works were written in a traditional and academic manner until he adopted an atonal post-expressionist style. Later, he turned to a kind of minimalist repetitive aesthetic, notable in his Confessiones (1979) for double bass and twelve win

Nikolai Myaskovsky

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Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky (; ; 20 April 18818 August 1950) was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is sometimes referred to as the “Father of the Soviet Symphony”. Myaskovsky was awarded the Stalin Prize five times. Early years Myaskovsky was born in Nowogieorgiewsk, near Warsaw, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, the son of an engineer officer in the Russian army. After the death of his mother the family was brought up by his father’s sister, Yelikonida Konstantinovna Myaskovskaya, who had been a singer at the Saint Petersburg Opera. The family moved to Saint Petersburg in his teens. Though he learned piano and violin, he was discouraged from pursuing a musical career, and entered the military. However, a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony conducted by Arthur Nikisch in 1896 inspired him to become a composer. In 1902 he completed his training as an engineer, like his father. As a young subaltern with a Sappers Battalion in Moscow, he took some private lessons with Reinhold Glière and when he was posted to Saint Petersburg he studied with Ivan Krizhanovsky as preparation for entry into the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, where he enrolled in 1906 and became a student

Nikolai Peiko

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Nikolai Ivanovich Peiko (; 25 March 1916, Moscow – 1 July 1995, Moscow) was a Russian and Soviet composer and professor of composition. Early life Peiko began his music education at the Academic Music College from 1933 through 1937 where his teachers included Igor Sposobin (harmony) and Genrik Litinsky (composition). This was followed by three years of training at the Moscow Conservatory where his teachers included Nikolai Myaskovsky (composition), Nikolai Rakov (orchestration), and Viktor Zukkerman (analysis). He graduated in 1940. Career Peiko worked in a military hospital during World War II and taught at the Moscow Conservatory from 1942 to 1949. After working in the period 1941–1943 in Ufa at a military hospital, Peiko partly worked with and was influenced by Dmitri Shostakovich. From 1959 until retirement Peiko was professor of composition at the Gnessin State Musical College where his students included Sofia Gubaidulina, Alexander Arutiunian, and Inna Zhvanetskaya. Peiko taught his students twelve-tone technique. Peiko’s first successful work was From the Legends of Yakuta (1940). During World War II he composed several patriotic pieces, including Dramatic Overture (1941) an

Nikolai Rakov

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Nikolai Petrovich Rakov (; 14 March 1908 – 3 November 1990) was a Soviet violinist, composer, conductor, and academic at the Moscow Conservatory where he had studied. He composed mostly instrumental works, for orchestra, chamber music and piano music, especially pedagogic works. In 1946, he received the Stalin Prize for his first violin concerto, which became known internationally. Life Born in Kaluga, Rakov first studied violin at the Rubinstein Music School in his hometown, and later composition at the Moscow Conservatory with Reinhold Glière and Sergei Vasilenko. External links * Catalog of works (in English) * Nikolai Petrovich Rakov musicalics.com * Midi samples of selected works (in Russian) * Broadcast from 1955 of Rakov’s Scherzino for violin and piano (British Library)

Nikolai Roslavets

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Nikolai Andreevich Roslavets ( 23 August 1944, also Mykola Andriiovych Roslavets) was a modernist composer active in the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. Roslavets was a convinced modernist and cosmopolitan thinker; his music was officially suppressed from 1930 onwards. Among his works are five symphonic poems (three of them are lost), two violin concertos, five string quartets, two viola sonatas, two cello sonatas, six violin sonatas, and five piano trios. Life Roslavets was born in Surazh, Chernigov Governorate, Russian Empire. There are three autobiographies by Roslavets that differ considerably from one another. In one of them, published 1924, the composer deliberately misrepresented his biography in order to prevent the attacks by the “Proletarian Musician” faction. There are differing accounts of Roslavets’ birthplace, some indicating that he was born in Dushatyn to a peasant family, In 1902 Roslavets was accepted as a student at the Moscow Conservatory where he studied violin under Jan Hřímalý, free composition under Sergei Vasilenko, and counterpoint, fugue and musical form under Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov and Alexander Ilyinsky. He graduated in 1912 with a silver m

Nikolai Tcherepnin

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Nikolai Nikolayevich Tcherepnin or Cherepnin (; May 15 1873 – 26 June 1945) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He was born in Saint Petersburg and studied under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He conducted for the first Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Life Nikolai Tcherepnin was born in 1873 to a well-known and wealthy physician of the same name. The elder Nikolai moved in elite circles of artists including Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Modest Mussorgsky. Young Nikolai’s mother died when he was a baby, and when his father remarried, was replaced by an ambivalent stepmother. As a child, Nikolai’s father beat him regularly and enforced a general code of strict discipline. At his father’s insistence, Nikolai earned a law degree, though during this time he composed steadily. In 1895 he graduated with his degree in law from the University of Saint Petersburg. In 1898, he earned a degree in composition under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and a degree in piano under Karel van Ark. His talents and high family status earned him a job as the orchestral teacher at the Court Chapel in 1899. For six years he taught there before returning to the S

Nikolay Kedrov Sr.

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Nikolay Nikolayevich Kedrov Sr. (; 28 October 1871 – 2 February 1940) was a Russian composer of liturgical music. His setting of Otche Nash (The Lord’s Prayer) is one of the best-known in the repertoire. Family Kedrov was born in Saint Petersburg, in the Russian Empire, into the family of a Russian Orthodox archpriest. His wife was Sofia Gladkaya (Kedrova; ru: Софья Николаевна Гладкая; 1874–1965), a singer at the Mariinsky Theatre. His elder daughter was soprano Irina Kedrova and his younger daughter was Oscar and Tony Award-winning actress Lila Kedrova. His son was Nikolay Kedrov Jr. Career From 1894 to 1897, he studied singing at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, becoming an operatic baritone who performed at various theaters, including the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky Theatre. In 1897, he organized a men’s vocal quartet (Saint Petersburg Russian vocal quartet). Their first concert was held in 1898 at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The repertoire of the quartet included Russian folk songs, ballads, opera music, then gradually liturgical music appeared. The quartet each year successfully toured Europe, including participation in Diaghilev’s seasons. In 1913-14, Feodor Chaliapin and

Nina Makarova

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Nina Vladimirovna Makarova (; 12 August 1908, Yurino, Nizhny Novgorod Governorate – 15 January 1976, Moscow) was a Russian composer who had great interest in Russian and Mari folksongs. She studied under Nikolai Myaskovsky, like composer Aram Khachaturian, whom she married in 1933. Her nickname was “Gayane” (Гаянэ). She conducted her symphony in Moscow on 12 June 1947. She also co-composed several pieces with her husband, including the music to Margarita Aliger’s play “A Tale of Truth” (1947) and music to ’s play “Spring Stream” (1953). Nina and Aram’s son, Karen, became an art critic. Works *Two Melodies for oboe and piano *Piano Sonatina (1933) *Violin Sonata (1934) *Two Melodies for violin and piano *Symphony in D minor (1938) – revised in 1962. CD Russian Disc RDCD 11382: USSR SO, O. Koch (cond) *Six Etudes for piano (1938) *“Cantata for Molotov” for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1940) *Song Cycle after Pushkin *Song Cycle after Rustaveli *Children Song dedicated to Stalin *Music to the Play “A Tale of Truth” after M. Aliger – composed jointly with Aram Khachaturian. First Performance: 1947, Moscow, Central Theater of the Red Army. Producer: A. Okunchikov. Designer: N. Shifri

Nury Halmammedov

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Nurmammet Halmammedovich Halmammedov (; ; 20 June 1938– 4 August 1983), also known as Nury Halmammedov (; ) or Nury Halmammet (; ), was a prominent Turkmen composer described as one of Turkmenistan’s “Greatest Sons”. His legacy has been commemorated with anniversary events in Turkmenistan and Russia. Early childhood and education Halmammedov was born on 20 June 1938 in Daýna village near Bäherden, Turkmenistan, to Halmammet Bayliyev and Hangul-Eje Mammedaliyeva. He had a cat, which died protecting Nury from a snake when he was an infant. Nury never forgot about him. Nury had a very difficult childhood. According to Jemile Gurbanova’s biography of Halmammedov, his mother died in 1944, and his father moved to Iran with two of the family’s four sons, Begmammet and Ashyrberdi, abandoning Nury, his 17-year-old brother, Bayly, and older sister, Artyk. Nury’s memories of this time were grim. He recounted at one point. : Since in my childhood I drank cloudy water from an irrigation ditch and lived off the grasses growing along its banks, by age 4 or 5 my belly swelled up and was elastic, like a ball. Because of my round stomach I couldn’t see my own feet. Bayly committed Nury to the Garryg

Olav Roots

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Olav Roots (26 February 1910 – 30 January 1974) was an Estonian conductor, pianist and composer. Roots was born in Uderna. He studied at the Music School of Tartu from 1923 to 1928, studying piano with Artur Lemba and composition under Heino Eller with musicians such as Eduard Tubin, Eduard Oja, Alfred Karindi and Karl Leichter. He then studied at the Estonian Music Academy in Tallinn, where he subsequently taught piano and music theory until 1935. In addition, he completed his piano studies with Alfred Cortot in Paris. In 1942 he studied with Clemens Krauss in Salzburg. In 1944, Roots moved to Sigtuna in Sweden. He taught there at the Estonian School and directed the Stockholm Joint Youth Choir. In November 1952 he became conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia, His Symphony dedicated to the Colombia Symphony Orchestra was first performed under his direction 10 November 1967, and he was made an Honorary citizen of Colombia the same year. He died in Bogotá. References

Oleg Gazmanov

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Oleg Mikhaylovich Gazmanov (; born 22 July 1951) is a Russian singer, composer and poet, specializing in patriotic and nationalist songs, as well as songs which cover more conventional pop themes. Gazmanov is the lead singer of the pop group Eskadron (, ). His songs have been covered by others in the Russian chanson style, such as Mikhail Shufutinsky. He is also a Candidate for Master of Sport of the USSR in gymnastics and is well known for his acrobatics performed during live shows, especially at the beginning of his musical career in the early 1990s. On 18 March 2022, Gazmanov sang at Vladimir Putin’s Moscow rally celebrating the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation from Ukraine and justifying the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In April and May 2022, Gazmanov participated in a series of concerts in support of the invasion. “Sdelan v SSSR” In the Soviet-nostalgic song "" (, ), which was originally released in 2005, Gazmanov glorified the past of the Soviet Union, presenting various personalities of the Tsarist and Soviet past as being parts of the nation. The New York Times claims he presented Lenin and Stalin as national heroes. In December 2013, Gazmanov was critici

Oleksandr Bilash

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Oleksandr Ivanovych Bilash, sometimes given as Olexandr Bilash, Anglicisation of names : Alexander Bilash (6 March 19316 May 2003) was a Soviet and Ukrainian composer and the author of popular lyric songs, ballads, operas, operettas, oratorios and music for films. Laureate of the Shevchenko National Prize (1975), People’s Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1977), People’s Artist of the USSR (1990), Hero of Ukraine (2001). Biography Bilash was born on 6 March 1931 in the town of Hradyzk, Ukraine (now Kremenchuk Raion of Poltava Oblast, Ukraine) to a family of skilled amateur musicians. His father, Ivan Panasovych Bilash, played balalaika and guitar; his mother, Yevdokiya Andriyivna, was a solo singer at rural gatherings. After studying for a year in the Kyiv music school for adults, Oleksandr traveled to the city of Zhytomyr where he entered the second year of the Viktor Kosenko Music School. In 1951, Bilash had successfully passed the entrance examinations for entry into the faculty of Composition of the Kyiv Conservatory. He studied composition with the outstanding Ukrainian composer and teaching professor Mykola Vilinsky. Oleksandr Bilash graduated from the Kyiv Conservatory in 1957. F

Oleksandr Krasotov

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Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Krasotov (5 May 19365 October 2007) was a Ukrainian composer and laureate of many national and international prizes. He was born in Odessa and died in Tianjin, China. Education Krasotov studied at Odessa State A. V. Nezhdanova Conservatoire (now Odessa State A. V. Nezhdanova Music Academy). He studied composition (Professor Tamara Maliukova Sidorenko), piano (Professor B. Charkovs’kyi) and musicology (Professor A. Kogan) and graduated in 1959. From 1959 to 1969 he received master-courses from Professor Y.A. Fortunatov and Professor Nikolay Peyko (Ivanovo, Moscow). In 1969 Krasotov received the title Doctor of Arts. Finally he worked as Invited Professor of Composition at the Conservatoire of Music in Tianjin, China, where he was also giving master-courses. He had many pupils in Ukraine and abroad. One of them is a Ukrainian composer Julia Gomelskaya. Works Krasotov’s works comprise symphonies and operas, musicals and theater music, oratorios, cantatas, chamber music, jazz music and songs. He participated in various national and international competitions where his works have been honoured with many prizes: *1967 he was Laureate of the Regional E. E. Bagryts

Oscar Feltsman

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Oscar Borisovich Feltsman (Ukrainian & ; 18 February 1921 – 3 February 2013) was a Ukrainian-born composer. Biography Feltsman was born in Odesa, the son of Boris Osipovich Feltsman, a Jewish orthopedic surgeon who also played the piano professionally. He had musical training from the age of five; learning the violin as a pupil of Pyotr Stolyarsky and the piano with Bertha Reynbald, who also taught Emil Gilels and Tatiana Goldfarb. He produced his first musical composition for the piano “Autumn” when he was six years old. Feltsman graduated from the Pyotr Stolyarsky Music School in Odesa in 1939, where he studied composition with the composer Nikolai Vilinsky. Then Feltsman was admitted to the Moscow Conservatory, studying under Vissarion Shebalin who wrote a letter of thanks on behalf of the Moscow Conservatory to Vilinsky for teaching Feltsman composition. During the Second World War, Feltsman was evacuated to Novosibirsk, becoming at 20 the executive secretary of the Siberian Union of Composers, where he wrote music for the philharmonic, Leningrad Alexandrinsky Theater and the Jewish theater of Belarus. In the same period Feltsman wrote an operetta based on Valentin Kataev’s pla

Ossip Gabrilowitsch

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Ossip Salomonovich Gabrilowitsch (also Gabrilowitsch; ; 7 February 187814 September 1936) was a Russian-American pianist, conductor and composer. Biography Ossip Gabrilowitsch was born into a Jewish family in Saint Petersburg. His parents were Salomon Gabrilowitsch and Rose Segall. Nina, the last known lineal descendant of Mark Twain, died on 16 January 1966 in a Los Angeles hotel. She had been a heavy drinker, and bottles of pills and alcohol were found in her room. Her death was ruled a suicide. From 1910 to 1914, he was conductor of the Munich Konzertverein (later known as the Munich Philharmonic). At the outbreak of World War I, he was arrested as an enemy national. Through the intervention of the nuncio to Bavaria, Archbishop Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII), Gabrilowitsch was freed from jail, and then he headed to the United States via Zürich in August 1914. He settled in the US, and was offered the post of conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In declining, he recommended that the Boston board appoint the recently arrived Sergei Rachmaninoff. In 1918 he was appointed the founding director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, while still maintaining his life as a con

Osvaldas Balakauskas

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Osvaldas Jonas Balakauskas (19 December 1937 – 15 April 2026) was a Lithuanian composer of classical music, academic teacher and diplomat. He taught at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, where he served as head of the composition department from 1988 to 1992 and again from 1995. From 1992 to 1994, he served as Lithuania’s ambassador to France, Spain and Portugal. Balakauskas composed five symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and a Requiem in memory of Stasys Lozoraitis. Life and career Balakauskas was born in and was buried in the city’s Antakalnis Cemetery. Symphony No. 2 (1979), Opera Strumentale (1987) and Symphonies No. 4 (1998) and No. 5 (2001). * Passio Strumentale for string quartet and orchestra (1980) * Concerto for oboe, harpsichord and string orchestra (1981) * Sinfonia Concertante for violin, piano and orchestra (1982) * Concerto RK for violin and chamber orchestra (1997) * Concerto Brio for violin and orchestra (1999) * Capriccio for piano and orchestra (2004) * Concerto for clarinet and string orchestra (2008) * Seasons for two pianos and string orchestra (2009) ; Chamber music * Sonatas for violin and piano (1969; No. 2, 2005; February Sonata, 2012) * Kaip

Otar Taktakishvili

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Otar Vasilisdze Taktakishvili (; ; 27 July 1924 – 21 February 1989) was a prominent Georgian composer, teacher, conductor, and musicologist of the Soviet period. Although in the West Taktakishvili is perhaps best known for his 1968 Sonata for Flute and Piano, his works include two symphonies, four piano concertos, two violin concertos, two cello concertos, and operas (Mindia, First Love, The Abduction of the Moon, Mususi, Three Tales). He also wrote several symphonic poems and oratorios, as well as adaptations of Georgian folk songs and a multitude of compositions for instruments and voice. While still a student at the Tbilisi State Conservatory, Taktakishvili composed the Anthem of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. By 1949 he became a Professor of the Conservatory, as well as the conductor and artistic director of the Georgian State Chorus. In 1951, he received his first Stalin Prize (USSR State Prize) for his First Symphony. In 1962, Taktakishvili became Chairman of the Georgian Composers’ Union; and in 1965, the Minister for Culture of the Georgian Republic, until 1983. He was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the USSR in 1974, the Lenin Prize in 1982, and the USSR S

Pavel Chesnokov

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Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov (Russian: Пáвел Григóрьевич Чеснокóв) (24 October 1877, Voskresensk, Zvenigorodsky Uyezd, Moscow Governorate – 14 March 1944, Moscow, also transliterated Tschesnokoff, Tchesnokov, Tchesnokoff, and Chesnokoff) was an Imperial Russian and Soviet composer, choral conductor and teacher. He composed over five hundred choral works, over four hundred of which are sacred. Today, he is most known for his piece Salvation is Created as well as works such as Do Not Reject Me in Old Age (solo for basso profundo) and movements from various settings of the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom. Life Chesnokov was born in Vladimir, near Moscow, on 24 October 1877. While attending the Moscow Conservatory, he received extensive training in both instrumental and vocal music including nine years of solfège, and seven years training for both the piano and violin. His studies in composition included four years of harmony, counterpoint, and form. During his years at the school, he had the opportunity to study with prominent Russian composers like Sergei Taneyev and Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, who greatly influenced his style of liturgy-driven choral composition. At an early age,

Pavel Singer

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Pavel Singer (Павел Зингер, born September 29, 1962, in Pyatigorsk, USSR) is an Austrian composer, pianist and arrangeur. Biography Pavel (name at birth Paul) Singer was born in Pyatigorsk, to a Russian-German family. In 1987 Pavel Singer graduated from the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory and in 1992 he obtained a postgraduate diploma in musical composition studying under Tikhon Khrennikov’s class and Nikolai Rakov’s class and Concert Pianist (Rudolf Kerer’s class, professor M. S. Petukhov). In 1981-87 he made many concert tours throughout the Soviet Union as piano soloist and with various ensembles. In 1988-1990 he worked as a pianist, harpsichord player with the Amadeus Moscow Chamber Orchestra. In 1990-1992 he worked as an arranger for the “Slava Rossii” (Glory of Russia) Ensemble at the State Central Concert Hall “Rossiya”. In 1990 he participated in the “International Workshop of Composers” in Amsterdam and attended master classes given by Ton de Leeuw, Theo Loevendie and Dimitar Hristov. In 1992-1993 he undertook an Internship at the Vienna Higher School of Music (now the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna), studying composition under Professor Erich Urbanne

Pēteris Barisons

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Pēteris Barisons (Sēlpils, 18 April 1904 — 13 July 1947) was a Latvian late romantic composer noted specially for his vocal output, which remain his most performed works. A disciple of Ernests Vīgners and Jānis Mediņš, in 1945 he was appointed a professor at the Latvian Conservatory, but he died just two years later, leaving a third symphony uncompleted. He was also active in conducting, which he studied under Jāzeps Vītols, briefly taking charge of the Latvian National Symphony for the 1936–37 season, and he premiered his Symphony No. 1 himself. Works Orchestral * Andante cantabile (1933) *Scherzo (1933) *Symphony No. 1 (1935) *Three Preludes (1935) *Tragic Poem (1936) *Līgo (1936) *Flower Wind (or Wreath of Flowers) (symphonic suite) (1937) *Symphony No. 2 Romantic (1939) *Latvian Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra (1945) *Childhood Morning (symphonic suite) (1946) *Formal Overture (unfinished) *Symphony No. 3 (unfinished) Chamber *Cradle Song for violin and piano (1929) *Scherzo for violin and piano (1929) *Evening Song for cello and piano (1931) *String Quartet (1932) *Sunset song for violin and piano (1933) *Melody for violin and piano (1933) *Toy for violin and piano (1933) Pia

Pēteris Plakidis

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Pēteris Plakidis (4 March 1947 – 8 August 2017) was a Latvian composer and pianist. Early life Plakidis was born on 4 March 1947 in Riga, Latvia. He was educated at the Emīls Dārziņš College of Music before studying as an undergraduate in the Composition Department at the Jāzeps Vītols State Conservatory (now the Latvian Academy of Music). He graduated in 1970, having been taught by composers Jānis Ivanovs and Valentīns Utkins. Plakidis undertook further postgraduate study at the conservatory, which he completed in 1975. Career From 1969 to 1974, before he had graduated, Plakidis held the post of musical director for the Latvian National Theatre. From 1975, he was a tutor in the composition department at the Latvian Academy of Music, and in 1991 he became professor of composition. Plakidis has received much recognition as a composer. In 1969 he received a diploma at the All-Union Young Composers’ Competition, for his composition “Music for Piano, String Orchestra and Timpani” and in 1982 was awarded the title of Honoured Artist. He was the recipient of the Jānis Ivanovs Prize in 1987 and in 1990 he was awarded the title of “People’s Artist”. In 1996, Plakidis won the Latvian Grand

Pēteris Vasks

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Pēteris Vasks (born 16 April 1946) is a Latvian composer. Biography Vasks was born in Aizpute, Latvia, into the family of a Baptist pastor. He trained as a violinist at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, as a double-bass player with Vitautas Sereikaan at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and played in several Latvian orchestras before entering the State Conservatory in Vilnius in the neighboring Lithuania to study composition with Valentin Utkin, as he was prevented from doing this in Latvia due to Soviet repressive policy toward Baptists. He started to become known outside Latvia in the 1990s, when Gidon Kremer started championing his works, and he now is one of the most influential and praised European contemporary composers. Vasks’ early style owed much to the aleatoric experiments of Witold Lutosławski, Krzysztof Penderecki and George Crumb. Later works included elements of Latvian folk music, such as his gentle and pastoral cor anglais concerto (1989). His works are generally extremely clear and communicative, with a solid and muscular sense of harmony. Lyrical passages may be followed by agitated dissonances, or interrupted by sombre sections with a march-

Philip Herschkowitz

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Philip Herschkowitz (; Russian: Филипп Гершкович, Filipp Gershkovich) (7 September 1906 – 5 January 1989) was a Romanian-born composer and music theorist, pupil of Alban Berg and Anton Webern, who spent 47 years, from 1940 to 1987, in the Soviet Union. Biography Born to a Jewish family in Iaşi, he graduated from the conservatory in the city in 1927 and entered the Music Academy in Vienna, Austria, where he studied with Joseph Marx. Then he studied privately with Berg (1928–1931), and with Webern (1934–1939). He left Nazi German-occupied Austria and arrived in the Soviet Union in 1940, settling first in Chernovtsy, which he left on 22 June 1941 at the beginning of the German invasion, and then moving to Tashkent (in the Uzbek SSR) where he lived until 1944. He settled in Moscow in 1946, where we began to teach privately, exerting a major influence on several generations of Russian musicians, including leading figures of the so-called “Underground division”. Among these were the composers Andrei Volkonsky, Edison Denisov, Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, Nikolai Karetnikov, Boris Tishchenko, Valentin Silvestrov, Leonid Hrabovsky, Vyacheslav Artyomov, Vladimir Dashkevich, Alexande

Pylyp Kozytskiy

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Pylyp Omelyanovych Kozytskiy (; 23 October 1893 – 27 April 1960) was a Soviet and Ukrainian composer, musicologist, professor, head of the department of history of music at the Kyiv Conservatory, and Honored Art Worker of the Ukrainian SSR (1943). Between 1918 and 1924, he taught at the Lysenko Music and Drama Institute in Kyiv, the Kharkiv Music and Drama Institute from 1925 to 1935, and the Kyiv Conservatory. and president of the Choral Society of the Ukrainian SSR from 1959 up to his death in 1960. Kozytskiy died in Kyiv on 27 April 1960, and is buried in the Baikove Cemetery. Musical works Operas * Unknown Soldier (1934) * Jean Giradin (1937) * For the Fatherland (1943) - For symphony orchestra Cantatas * In memory of the Bolsheviks (1951) - For choir a cappella * Hello, Spring (1952) - For children’s choir Symphony orchestra * Kozak Holota (1925) - Suite * Partisan’s Daughter (1938) - Poem * Variations on a theme of the folk song Kupala (1925) - For String Quartet * Variations on a theme of the Bashkirs (1943) Piano * Pages of Childhood (1913) * 7 Preludes - For voice and piano, with words by P. Tychyna, and R. Tagore Choir * Spring Oratorio (1921) * Eight Preludes Songs (1924

Quddus Khojamyarov

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Quddus Khojamyarov (May 21, 1918 – April 8, 1994) was a Uyghur and Soviet composer from Kazakhstan. He was named a People’s Artist of the USSR. He is best known for his Muqam melodies, often composing in 12 muqams. Notable compositions include Nazugum, regarded as the first Uyghur opera, Zolotyegorye (The Golden Mountains) (1960) and his Taklimakan symphony. Biography Kuzhamyarov was born on May 21, 1918, in the modern village of Kaynazar in Enbekshikazakh District, Almaty Region, Kazakhstan. His father died when he was just 3 months old. From a young age he was distinguished by discipline, commitment, lack of youthful frivolity and common weaknesses. He did not smoke, drink and was innocent of the temptations in life. Kuzhamyarov was admitted to the College of Music and Drama in Alma-Ata (present-day , despite not yet being 16 years old. First, he went to college studying the violin, then switched to the piano, where he began composing music. He passed the examinations for the composition faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. However, due to World War II he had to postpone his studies; he was drafted into the army. In 1943, he joined the Communist Party. After demobilization, he return

Ramiz Mustafayev

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Ramiz Haji oghlu Mustafayev (, October 16, 1926 — April 10, 2008) was an Azerbaijani composer, People’s Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR, Laureate of the Shohrat Order. Biography Ramiz Mustafayev was born on October 16, 1926, in Leninsk. In 1941 he entered the acting faculty of the Theater College. During his education, he worked as an actor at the Azerbaijan State Theatre of Young Spectators, and then at the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre. In 1948, he entered the Hajibeyov Azerbaijan State Conservatoire and studied in the class of Professor Bulbul. In 1952 he successfully graduated from the vocal faculty of the Conservatory. He is the author of the operas “Vaqif”, “Polad”, “Aydın”, “Şirin”, “Xan və əkinçi”, “Tərs keçi”. From 1968 to 1973, R. Mustafayev worked as the secretary of the Composers Union of Azerbaijan. He has been a member of the Board of the Composers Union since 1957. The composer wrote works in large-scale, especially monumental music genres except ballet. R. Mustafayev wrote 6 operas, 6 musical comedies, 9 oratorios, cantatas, 8 symphonies, more than 300 songs and romances, various instrumental works, etc. Ramiz Mustafayev died on April 10, 2008, in Baku. Famil

Reinhold Glière

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Reinhold Moritzevich Glière (born Reinhold Ernest Glier; 23 June 1956) was a Russian and Soviet composer of German and Polish descent. He was awarded the titles of People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1935) and People’s Artist of the USSR (1938). Biography Glière was born in the city of Kiev. He was the second son of the wind instrument maker Ernst Moritz Glier (1834–1896) from Saxony (Klingenthal in the Vogtland region), who emigrated to the Russia and married Józefa (Josephine) Korczak (1849–1935), the daughter of his master, from Warsaw. His original name, as given in his baptism certificate, was Reinhold Ernest Glier. About 1900, he changed the spelling and pronunciation of his surname to Glière, which gave rise to the legend, stated by Leonid Sabaneyev for the first time (1927), of his French or Belgian descent. He entered the Kiev school of music in 1891, where he was taught violin by Otakar Ševčík, among others. In 1894, Glière entered the Moscow Conservatory where he studied with Sergei Taneyev (counterpoint), Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (composition), and Jan Hřímalý (violin; he dedicated his Octet for Strings, Op. 5, to Hřímalý), Anton Arensky and Georgi Conus (both harmony). He gr

Revol Bunin

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Revol Samuilovich Bunin (; 6 April 1924, in Moscow – 4 July 1976, in Moscow) was a Soviet composer. Early life and education Bunin’s father, Samuil Markovich, was a bolshevik, a member of the Communist Party from before the 1917 revolution and worked as a professor of social economics at one of the Moscow Institutes. Bunin was named “Revol” after the October Revolution. Volik (as he was known) was six when he started to write music and he started by writing scores. In the 1930s in Soviet Union score paper was hard to find, so young Bunin would draw lines on plain paper for his compositions. He wrote marches, waltzes, minuets, and polkas. Bunin’s mother was always very ill, and died when he was 14, leaving his upbringing entirely in the hands of his father. When Bunin’s mother was dying, she asked him to play the piano for her. He played Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Mussorgsky through the night. Next morning he had his first attack of asthma, a disease that would in the end kill him. In 1938 Revol started his composition studies at the Music School of the Moscow Conservatory under Ilya Litinsky. During his third year of studies he was admitted to the Conservatory and continued under

Rezo Lagidze

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Revaz Ilias dze Lagidze (; July 10, 1921 – October 16, 1981), known professionally as Rezo Lagidze, was a 20th-century Georgian composer. Recognized as the People’s Artist of the Georgian SSR (1961) and a laureate of the USSR State Prize, he wrote a variety of compositions ranging from opera to symphonic works and film scores. Lagidze’s notable compositions include his 1973 opera “Lela” and the “Song about Tbilisi”, which remains popular in Georgia and Russia to this day. Biography Lagidze was born on July 10, 1921, in the Imereti region of Georgia, which had been occupied by Bolshevik Russia a few months prior. In 1939, he graduated from the 4th Tbilisi Music School, where he studied violin. Throughout the 1940s, he played violin at the Georgian State Symphony Orchestra and then radio. In 1948, Lagidze graduated from the Tbilisi Conservatory, where he studied composition under Andria Balanchivadze. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Lagidze wrote music for more than 30 films. He authored numerous ballads for Georgian pop singers of his time, such as Lily Gegelia. In 1973, Lagidze completed the opera “Lela”, which touched upon Georgian historical themes and earned him the state prize

Robert Amirkhanyan

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Robert Babkeni Amirkhanyan (; born November 16, 1939) is an Armenian composer and songwriter. He is a professor at the Yerevan State Conservatory. He wrote over 300 songs, vocal series, operettas. Career In 1969 Amirkhanyan graduated from the Yerevan State Conservatory, class of Eduard Mirzoyan. From 1969 to 1972 Amirkhanyan was the musical editor of Armenian Radio. From 1991 to 2013, he served as the President of the Union of Composers of Armenia. He is an author of many popular Armenian songs (“Hayreni yerkir”, “Hayi achker”, “Ding-dong”, “Arise!”, “Arevot andzrev”), soundtracks of films, animation cartoons, operettas, as well as the first Armenian musical, entitled “The Oriental Dentist”. He wrote music for 16 feature films and about 30 animated films. His songs were performed by Raisa Mkrtchyan, Muslim Magomayev, Larisa Mondrus. According to Mir TV, “in the Soviet Union, everyone knew him for his music”. Amirkhanyan’s “Variations for String Quartet” won the first prize in the Young Composers’ Competition of the USSR in 1969. In 1973 Amirkhanyan’s song “Where Are You Boys” won the “Best Song” award at the Berlin City World Youth Festival. In 1975 his composition “Autumn Melody”

Roman Simovych

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Roman Apollonovych Simovych (28 February 190130 July 1984) was a Ukrainian composer, educator, and music theorist. Born in Sniatyn, now in Ukraine, Simovych graduated from the Prague Conservatory in 1934 - on piano (Vilém Kurz), and again in 1936 undergoing post graduate studies in composition (Vítězslav Novák). From 1936 to 1939 he was a teacher of piano and theoretical subjects at the Lviv National Music Academy in Drohobych and from 1939 to 1942 at the music school in Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk). From 1951, he was a lecturer and from 1963, a full professor at the Lviv Conservatory. He received the title Honoured Artist of the USSR (1954). He died in 1984 and was buried in Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. Works * Ballet “Sopilka Dovbush” (1948, libretto by A. Herynovycha) * 7 symphonies: ** “Hutsul” (1945), ** “Lemko” (1947), ** “Spring” (1951), ** “Heroic” (1954), ** “Mountain” (1955), ** Sixth (1965), ** Seventh (1972); * Symphonic poems “Sergeant Maxim”, “Dovbush”, “In memory of Ivan Franko” * Symphonic overtures, suites; * Concerto for flute and symphony orchestra (1953); * String quartet, two trios; * Works for piano: * 2 Sonatas, Sonatina In suite, * Variation, * Rond

Röstäm Yaxin

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Röstäm Möxämmätxaci ulı Yaxin (16 August 1921 – 23 November 1993) was a Tatar composer and pianist, People’s Artist of the USSR (1986). Author of more than 300 songs and romances, including the State Anthem of the Republic of Tatarstan. Röstəm Yaxin was a laureate of the Ğabdulla Tuqay Tatar ASSR State Prize in 1959. Notable works His notable works besides the State Anthem of the Republic of Tatarstan include: Legacy In 2025, a children’s art school opened in the Vysokogorsky railway station settlement was named after him (named the Röstäm Yaxin Children’s Art School). In September 2025, the Röstäm Yaxin Art School was opened in the village of Usad, Vysokogorsky District. Awards *Order of the Red Banner of Labour *Order of the Badge of Honour *Medal “Veteran of Labour” *Medal “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945” *Medal “For the Defence of Moscow” *Jubilee Medal “In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary since the Birth of Vladimir Il’ich Lenin” *Jubilee Medal “70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” *People’s Artist of the USSR *People’s Artist of the RSFSR *Honoured Artist of the RSFSR Notes References

Rostislav Boyko

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Rostislav Grigoryevich Boyko (1 August 193118 November 2002) was a Russian composer and conductor. He was principally active in both occupations within the area of choral music. He produced more than 100 choral works; most of which have been published and recorded. He also composed three symphonies, four operas, many art songs for solo voice, and some works for solo piano. Education and career Boyko was born in Leningrad and educated at the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella (1939–1944) and the Moscow Choral School (1944–1950) before he pursued graduate studies at the Moscow Conservatory with Aram Khachaturian and . He graduated from the latter institution in 1957 with degrees in choral conducting and music composition. Boyko died in Moscow at the age of 71. Notes References

Ruben Sargsyan

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Ruben Sargsyan, also seen as Sarkisyan (; November 22, 1945 – April 6, 2013 ), was an Armenian composer, laureate of the State Award of Armenia, professor of the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. Biography Ruben Sargsyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia, in the family of scientist agronome Suren Sargsyan. He first began to study at the Sayat-Nova Music School, then continued his education at the Romanos Melikian Music College. At the second year of college education he has been recommended and transferred to the music composition class of the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, where he studied with professor Ghazaros Saryan. He graduated from the Conservatory in 1972 and became a member of the Composers’ Union. In 1973-1985 Ruben Sargsyan has been teaching Music Theory and Solfege at the Yerevan Music School No.10. In 1987-2013 he has taught Music Composition and Modern Composition Technology at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. In 2004 became a Professor of Music. In 1994 Ruben Sargsyan, along with other modern Armenian composers and musicologists, established the Armenian Musical Assembly, non-governmental, non-for-profit organization, intended to promote and support modern

Samuel Maykapar

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Samuel Moiseyevich Maykapar () (18 December 18678 May 1938) was a Russian romantic composer, pianist, professor of music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and author of a number of piano practice pieces. Life Childhood Samuel Maykapar was born on 18 December 1867 in the city of Kherson, to Karaite parents. Maykapar spent his childhood in the city of Taganrog and in 1885 he graduated from the Boys Gymnasium where he studied with Anton Chekhov. He also took private music lessons from Gaetano Molla, director of the Italian Opera in Taganrog. Education In 1885, he enrolled into St. Petersburg Conservatory while also studying law at Saint Petersburg University, graduating in 1891. A pupil of Beniamino Cesi and Nicolai Soloviev, Maykapar received the St. Petersburg Conservatory’s diploma in 1893 and further improved his piano skills under the direction of Theodor Leschetizky until 1898. During this time he gave numerous concerts in Berlin, Leipzig, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Taganrog and other cities. Career Between 1898 and 1901, he gave concerts with Leopold Auer in Saint Petersburg and Ivan Grzhimali in Moscow. In 1901, he founded his own music school in the city of Tver. From 1903-1

Samuel Pokrass

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Samuel Yakovlevich Pokrass (; 1893 in Kiev , Russian Empire (now Ukraine) – June 15, 1939, in New York City, US) was a Soviet and American composer of Russian-Jewish origin. Life and education Pokrass was born in Kiev in 1893. At the age of 10, he was accepted the Kiev college of music, and wrote his first composition, While in a club Pokrass was asked to play from Jake Shubert, a visiting American theatrical producer, who was overall not impressed by Pokrass’ original music but soon became more focused on him after hearing Pokrass play “All Alone” by Irving Berlin. This led Shubert to giving Pokrass a contract that lead to the creation of “Cyrano de Bergerac”. ** Stage Play: Ziegfeld Follies (1934) ** The Farmer in the Dell (1936) ** Tovarich (1937) ** A Gypsy Told Me (1938) ** Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938) ** The Little Princess (1939) ** The Three Musketeers (1939) One of his many songs, “My Best Wishes”, was used in the opening of the 2000 film The Legend of Bagger Vance. Family and legacy Pokrass had several brothers—Dmitry, Daniil, and Arkady—who were also composers and musicians, and remained in the Soviet Union. As a child, Pokrass’ father, Yakov Pokrass, smashed a viol

Sándor Kallós

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Sándor Kallós (born 23 October 1935) is a composer, a noted proponent of minimal music, an influential pioneer of the early music revival and electronic music in the USSR, lutenist, and a prolific author of incidental music for film, animation, theater, and ballet. Biography Sándor Kallós was born on 23 October 1935 in Chernivtsi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. He matriculated from the Lviv Conservatory in 1961, having studied composition under . His graduate studies were at Moscow Conservatory (class of Yuri Shaporin, 1962–1964). In 1954-1963, he worked as a violinist in various symphony orchestras. From 1971, he appeared as a lutenist (notably as the accompanist to Karina, Ruzanna and Pavel Lisitsian), and from 1975 as a conductor. Kallós is of Hungarian descent. List of works Sacred works * “5 Hymns & Halleluiah from Byzantine Hermologe” (in Classical Greek) for soloists, chorus a capella and tape. * “Credo” for viola d’amore and 6-channell electronics. * “Sacred Chamber Music on Catalan Themes from the 17th century”. * “David’s Psalms” (in Classical Greek) for voice and lute. Secular works Symphonic works * 1st Symphony (1957), * 2nd Symphony (1960), * 3rd Symphony (1961), * 4th

Sandra Droucker

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Sandra Droucker (Drouker or Droucher) (7 May 18751 April 1944) was a Russian concert pianist, composer and music pedagogue. Life and career Sandra Droucker was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, the daughter of a Jewish German father and a mother who was a member of the Russian nobility. She studied music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with Anton Rubinstein, and made her debut in 1894. She toured Europe and Russia, quickly developing her own style as a pianist. In 1896 Droucker made her debut in Berlin to positive reviews. During the 1880s she lived in Berlin, continuing her career as a concert pianist. Between 1904 and 1906 she taught in Berlin at Petersen’s Academy of Music and at the Stern Conservatory. Notable students included the Norwegian composer and pianist Anne-Marie Ørbeck (1911–1996), Hilde Lange, Leni Dilthey, Marie Silbermann, Delli Georges and Gerda Paucksch. In 1905 Droucker taught music to Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia. Droucker married the Austrian pianist Gottfried Galston in 1910 and changed her name to Droucker-Galston. The couple took up residence in Munich, and the marriage lasted until 1918. In 1926 Droucker returned to Berlin; however, after 1933, sh

Sergei Bortkiewicz

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Sergei Eduardovich Bortkiewicz ( – 25 October 1952) was a Romantic composer and pianist. He moved to Vienna in 1922 and became a naturalized Austrian citizen in 1926. Life Early life and origins Sergei Eduardovich Bortkiewicz was born in Kharkov in the Russian Empire (present-day Kharkiv, Ukraine), on 28 February 1877 to parents Edward and Zofia () Bortkiewicz, who were Polish nobility. He spent most of his childhood on the family estate of Artiomovka, near Kharkov. Bortkiewicz received his musical training from Anatoly Lyadov and Karel van Ark at the Imperial Conservatory of Music in Saint Petersburg. In 1900, he left Saint Petersburg and travelled to Leipzig, where he became a student of Alfred Reisenauer and Salomon Jadassohn, both pupils of Franz Liszt. In July 1902, Bortkiewicz completed his studies at the Leipzig Conservatory and was awarded the Schumann Prize on graduation. On his return to the Russian Empire in 1904, he married Elisabeth Geraklitowa, a friend of his sister, and then returned to Germany, where he settled in Berlin. It was there that he started to compose seriously. From 1904 until 1914, Bortkiewicz continued to live in Berlin but spent his summers visiting h

Sergei Prokofiev

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Childhood and first compositions#

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was born on 27 April 1891 at a rural estate in Sontsovka, a village then in the Bakhmut uezd of the Yekaterinoslav Governorate of the Russian Empire and now in the Pokrovsk Raion of the Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine. His father, Sergei Alekseyevich Prokofiev, was an agronomist from a mercantile family in Moscow. Prokofiev’s mother, Maria (), came from a Saint Petersburg family of former serfs who had been owned by the Sheremetev family, under whose patronage serf-children were taught theatre and arts from an early age. She was described by Reinhold Glière, Prokofiev’s first composition teacher, as “a tall woman with beautiful, clever eyes … who knew how to create an atmosphere of warmth and simplicity about her.” After their wedding in the summer of 1877, the Prokofievs moved to a small estate in the Smolensk governorate. Eventually, Sergei Alekseyevich found employment as a soil engineer, employed by one of his former fellow-students, Dmitri Sontsov, to whose estate in the Ukrainian steppes the Prokofievs moved. By the time of Prokofiev’s birth, Maria—having previously lost two daughters—had devoted her life to music; during her son’s early childhood, she spent two months a year in Moscow or St Petersburg taking piano lessons. Sergei Prokofiev was inspired by hearing his mother practicing the piano in the evenings, mostly works by Chopin and Beethoven, and wrote his first piano composition at the age of five, an “Indian Gallop”, which was written down by his mother: it was in the F Lydian mode (a major scale with a raised 4th scale degree), as the young Prokofiev felt “reluctance to tackle the black notes”. By seven, he had also learned to play chess. Chess remained a passion of his, and he became acquainted with world chess champions José Raúl Capablanca, whom he beat in a simultaneous exhibition match in 1914, and Mikhail Botvinnik, with whom he played several matches in the 1930s. At the age of nine, he composed his first opera, The Giant, as well as an overture and various other pieces. Opera remained thereafter as the genre Prokofiev was most fond of working in.

Sergei Slonimsky

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Sergei Mikhailovich Slonimsky (; 12 August 1932 – 9 February 2020) was a Russian and Soviet composer, pianist and musicologist. Biography He was the son of the Soviet writer Mikhail Slonimsky and nephew of the Russian-American composer Nicolas Slonimsky. He studied at the Musical College in Moscow from 1943 until 1950. From 1950 Slonimsky was at the Leningrad Conservatory. He studied composition under Boris Arapov, Vissarion Shebalin and Orest Yevlakhov, polyphony under Nicolai Uspensky and piano under Anna Artobolevskaya, Samari Savshinsky and Vladimir Nielsen. Slonimsky was a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. While the majority of his students were Russian, Slonimsky taught a large percentage of the international composition students at the Conservatory from countries including: Colombia, Korea, China, Italy, Germany, Israel, Iran and the United States. Among Slonimsky’s notable students is Daniel Kidane. Slonimsky died in Saint Petersburg on 9 February 2020 after a long illness. Music and style Sergei Slonimsky composed more than a hundred pieces: 5 operas, 2 ballets, 34 symphonies and works in all genres of chamber, vocal, choral, theatre and cinema music, including

Sergei Vasilenko

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Sergei Nikiforovich Vasilenko (; 30 March 1872 – 11 March 1956) was a Russian and Soviet composer, conductor and music teacher whose compositions showed a strong tendency towards mysticism. Vasilenko was born in Moscow and originally studied law at Moscow State University, but then changed direction and studied at the Moscow Conservatory from 1896 to 1901 as a pupil of Sergei Taneyev and Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. From 1903 to 1904 he was the conductor of a private opera house in Moscow. For several years he was the organiser and conductor of the Historic Concerts of the Russian Musical Society. He then became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory, where his students included Aram Khachaturian, Nikolai Roslavets, Nikolai Rakov and Aarre Merikanto. Vasilenko was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner of Labour as well as the title People’s Artist of the RSFSR. In 1947, he was awarded the Stalin Prize. He died in Moscow in 1956. Selected works Opera *Skazaniye o grade velikom Kitezhe i tikhom ozere Svetoyare (Tale of the Great City of Kitezh and the Quiet Lake Svetoyar) (1902; originally a cantata, Op. 5) *Sïn solntsa (The Son of the Sun), Op. 63 (1929) *Khristofor Kolumb (Christopher

Sergey Balasanian

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Sergey Artemyevich Balasanian (; 26 August 1902 3 June 1982) was a Soviet Armenian composer. Life and career Sergey Artemyevich Balasanian was born on 26 August 1902 in Ashgabat, Russian Empire. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory (MC) where he graduated with a degree in music history in 1935. One of his teachers at the MC was Dmitry Kabalevsky with whom he studied music composition. (first staged in 1939). It was debuted in Moscow in 1941 as part of a 10-day exhibition of Tajik art. Sergey Balasanian was awarded the Stalin Prize (1949) and five orders. In 1964 he was named an Honored Art Worker of the Russian SFSR, and in 1970 he was decorated as People’s Artist of the Tajik SSR. * The Uprising at Vosse (opera,1939) * Blacksmith Kova (opera, 1941) * Song of Anger (musical drama, 1942) * Armenian Rhapsody (orchestral suite, 1944) * Leyli and Majnun (ballet, 1947) * Bakhtior and Nisso (opera, 1954) * Afghan Pictures (symphonic cycle, 1959) * Four Folk Songs of Africa (song cycle, 1961) * Cello Sonata (1976) * Across Armenia (1978) References

Sergey Kuryokhin

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Sergey Anatolyevich Kuryokhin (16 June 19549 July 1996, nicknamed The Captain) was a Russian composer, pianist, music director, experimental artist, film actor and writer, based in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was an influential figure in the Saint Petersburg music scene of the 1980s and early 1990s. He was the former keyboardist for the rock band Aquarium. Biography Early life Sergey Kuryokhin was born in Murmansk into a military family. He began piano lessons at the age of 4. His school years were spent in Evpatoria, Crimea. His family moved to Leningrad in 1971 following his high-school graduation. He was admitted to the Mussorgsky Music School at the Leningrad Conservatory, but was expelled soon after for chronic absenteeism. Career Kuryokhin began his performing career as a piano and keyboard player with a school band in Leningrad. After playing with professional jazz bands, as well as popular rock musicians, Kuryokhin went through several stages in his career and eventually became one of the most recognisable names and faces in Russia during the 1980s and 1990s. By the end of his life, he had emerged as an avant-garde film composer, performance artist, and film actor. Outside R

Shafiga Akhundova

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Shafiga Akhundova (; 21 January 1924 – 26 July 2013) was a prominent Azerbaijani composer, the first professional female author of an opera in the East and People’s Artist of Azerbaijan. Akhundova was born into a family of an eminent cultural figure Gulam Akhundov in Shaki in 1924. Gulam Bagir oglu Akhundov, who was a public servant and intellectual of his time, worked as the first secretary of Shaki between 1917 and 1920, while her mother was a housewife. In 1943–1944, Shafiga received her primary education at Baku Musical School named after Asaf Zeynally, where she was taught by Uzeyir Hajibeyov. Then, in 1956, she continued her education at Azerbaijan State Conservatoire named after Uzeyir Hajibeyov, where she graduated from the class of B. Zeydman. In 1998, Shafiga Akhundova was conferred a title of People’s Artist of Azerbaijan and in 2004 she was awarded the Shohrat Order. Creative works In 1972, Shafiga Akhundova composed her first opera “Galin gayasi” (Bride’s rock) So that she became the first woman in East history who composed an opera. She also composed such works as “Ev bizim, sirr bizim” operetta (1965), 600 songs such as “Leyla”, “Bəxtiyar ellər”, “Victory Anthem”, “V

Sofia Gubaidulina

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Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina (24 October 1931 – 13 March 2025) was a Soviet and Russian composer of modernist sacred music. She was highly prolific, producing numerous chamber, orchestral and choral works. Her output has been described as exploring the tensions between Western and Eastern music, and has been characterised by “innovative use of microtonality and chromaticism, rhythm over form and use of contrasting tonalities. Her compositions have been praised for their “emotional intensity”, while she described her music as bringing legato, that is, a sense of “connected flow into the fragmented staccato of life.” Career Gubaidulina studied composition and piano at the Kazan Conservatory, graduating in 1954. During her early career, Western contemporary music was almost entirely banned from study, an exception being the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. Raids took place in the dormitory halls, where searches were conducted for banned scores, with those by Stravinsky being the most infamous and sought after. Gubaidulina and her peers procured and studied modern Western scores nonetheless, and she later said that “we knew Ives, Cage, we actually knew everything on the sly.” She later s

Sofia Levkovskaya

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Sofia Sergeevna Levkovskaya (, 25 November 1965 – 20 June 2011) was a Russian composer. She has worked with several conductors, including Alexander Titov, Fedor Lednev, Anatoly Rybalko, and ; violinists Matvey Lapin and Ilya Ioff, the singer Nadezhda Khadzheva, the flutist Georgy Dolgov, the clarinetist Ilya Gindin, the saxophonist Serafima Verholat, a violinist and composer Artur Zobnin and the pianist Nikolai Mazhara. Levkovskaya has used musical citations in her compositions. Musical critic Alexander Kharkovsky noted the highly theatrical form in her music, the use of catchy slogans as titles of her works, as well as the detailed thoughtfulness of the ideas. References Bibliography * Khazdan, E. V. “Instrumental Theater of Sofia Levkovskaya”, Opera Musicologica. 2012. No 4 (14). pp. 97–114. * Sofia Levkovskaya, KinoPoisk * Levkovskaya, S. S. “Instrumental Theater: visual and sound dictate of the scene”, Musicus. 2008. No. 1 (10). * Levkovskaya, S. S. “Words. Sounds. Movements”, Musicus. 2010. Nos. 1–2 (20–21). * Levkovskaya, S. S.; Kharkovsky A.Z. “Free Electron of Anatoly Korolev”, Musicus. 2009. No. 3 (16). * Levkovskaya, S. S.; Vladimir Martynov “Casus Vita Nova”, Opera Music

Stanislav Lyudkevych

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Stanislav Pylypovych Lyudkevych (, , ; 24 January 1879 – 10 September 1979 ) was a Ukrainian and Soviet composer, theorist, teacher and musical activist. He was a People’s Artist of the USSR (1969) and Hero of Socialist Labour (1979). Biography Lyudkevych was born in 1879 in Jarosław, Austria-Hungary (now Poland). From 1897 to 1901 Lyudkevych studied philosophy at Lviv University. During this time he also studied on his own at the Conservatory of Galician Music Society in Lviv under Mieczysław Sołtys. Starting in 1901, Lyudkevych worked as a teacher in Lviv and Przemyśl. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in musicology in Vienna in 1908, learning from O. Tsemlinsky and H. Hredener. and from 1919, teacher of theoretical disciplines and inspector of legal entities. He worked with the choirs Boyan, Bandurist, Surma. In 1936, Lyudkevych became head of the musicological commission of the Shevchenko Scientific Society. From 1939 until 1972, he was a professor in the institute named after Mykola Lysenko. He died on September 10, 1979, in Lviv, aged 100. * 1949 – Order of the Red Banner of Labour * Lviv Art College is named after S. Ludkevych as well as streets in Lviv, Stryi, Pustomyty and

Ștefan Neaga

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Ștefan Neaga (7 December 1900 – 30 May 1951) was a Moldovan and Soviet composer. He was the son of the Moldovan “Lăutar” folk musician Timofei Neaga. Biography From an early age he was a pianist in his father’s orchestra. At the age of 18, he graduated with high distinction the School of Music in Chișinău in the class of piano of the prominent teacher and pianist from Odesa Iuliu Guz. By that time he met the Romanian virtuoso Grigoraș Dinicu who invited him in his ensemble as a concert pianist, accompagnateur and arranger. In 1920 he entered the class of piano at the National University of Music Bucharest. He did not finish his course in composition due to his concert tours as a virtuoso pianist whose repertoire included works of Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Ravel, R. Strauss, etc. In 1926 he entered again the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine arts in the class of composition of Dimitrie Cuclin. There he was absorbed by the enthusiasm of composing, and, after graduating the Academy (in 1931), he decided to go to Paris where he met again Grigoraș Dinicu. There he was advised to enter École Normale de Musique de Paris in the class of composition of Nadia Bou

Stepan Hiha

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Stepan Petrovych Hiha (sometimes Giga; ; 16 November 1959 – 12 December 2025) was a Ukrainian composer, singer, associate professor and a People’s Artist of Ukraine (2002). Being one of the most influential representatives of Ukrainian pop music in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries, Hiha combined academic vocal singing with a pop-musical repertoire. Among his most popular songs are “Zoloto Karpat”, “Tsei son” and “Yavoryna”. Hiha was among the few Ukrainian singers of the same era who have never performed in the Russian language. Hiha was a member of the National Union of Composers of Ukraine and was the first person to be awarded the Golden Disc in independent Ukraine. As an associate professor, he was researching higher art education in Zakarpattia Oblast and the development of Transcarpathian pop music in the second half of the 20th century. Biography Early life and education Stepan Petrovych Hiha was born on 16 November 1959 in the village of Bilky, Zakarpattia Oblast. He was raised in a family of modest means, with parents who were ordinary labour workers. In addition to attending a secondary school, he also took vocal and bayan classes. After completing ten

Sulkhan Tsintsadze

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Sulkhan Tevdores dze Tsintsadze (; ; August 23, 1925 – September 15, 1991) was a Georgian composer known for his chamber music and his film scores. Early life and education Tsintsadze was born in Gori, Georgia, in 1925. When he was seven years old, the family moved to Tbilisi, where his father, Fyodor, was appointed chief inspector of the Transcaucasus for sheep breeding. There, Tsintsadze began taking cello lessons with First Musical Gymnasium professor E. N. Kapelnitsky, though on the basis of his talent, he was soon transferred to the Tbilisi State Conservatory’s new department for gifted children to continue studies with Kapelnitsky. In 1937, Fyodor Tsintsadze was arrested as part of the Great Purge. In 1942, Tsintsadze began formal studies in the orchestra department of the Tbilisi State Conservatory with cellist Konstantin Minyar-Beloruchev, who died in January 1944. While enrolled at the conservatory, Tsintsadze also played in the GSSR State Symphony Orchestra. He was also the founding cellist of the original State String Quartet of Georgia, of which he was a member from 1944 to 1946. From 1945 to 1953, Tsintsadze attended the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where he

Svitlana Azarova

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Svitlana Azarova (; born 9 January 1976) is a Ukrainian-Dutch composer of contemporary classical music, originally from the Ukrainian SSR. Early years Svitlana Azarova was born on 9 January 1976, in Izmail, then in the Ukrainian SSR, now in Ukraine. After having graduated in music from Odesa Pedagogical Institute as in 1996, Azarova entered Odesa Conservatory, where she studied musical composition, first under the Ukrainian composer Oleksandr Krasotov, and later (until 2000) under the Ukrainian author and composer Karmella Tsepkolenko. In 2003 Azarova participated for six months in the scholarship program, at the Frédéric Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, under Marcin Blazewicz. Later that year, the invited Azarova to participate in the Scholarship project pass_ПОРТ within the . This project met again at the 8th musica viva in Munich in 2007. In 2005 With a grant of the society KulturKontakt Austria she elected to participate in the 9th International Academy for New Composition and Audio-Art, Avantgarde Tirol with Professor Boguslaw Schaeffer and Dr. Richard Boulanger (Seefeld, Tirol, Austria). After this academy, she took up permanent residency of The Hague and in 2006 began post

Svyatoslav Lunyov

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Svyatoslav Ihorovych Lunyov (born April 19, 1964), is a Ukrainian composer. He is the author of symphonic, chamber, choral, piano and electroacoustic music. Among his works are operas (“Moscow - Petushki”, “Bad Tempered Songs”) and music for movies. In 2017, he received the Bronze Cannes Lion, for Witness. He is member of the National Union of Composers of Ukraine. He was born in Kyiv and graduated from the Kyiv Conservatory where he studied with Lev Kolodub. Since 2000, he has been a lecturer at the Kyiv Conservatory. The 2020 Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival, featured his work New Russian Dances. One of the most representative compositions is Panta Rhei– a utopia for a big symphony orchestra. This piece – is a hymn to elements of live and non-living nature. In addition to that, it is a look at the idea of the emergence and evolution of life through the idea of detuning an unison. Panta Rhei consists of three parts and lasts 53 minutes. For his entire career, Lunyov encompassed all genres of serious music, including chamber, choral, vocal, piano, electroacoustic, and film music. In the last years, Lunyov has explored writing electroacoustic, symphonic, and ensemble works. Als

Tamara Vakhvakhishvili

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Composer Tamara Nikolayevna Vakhvakhishvili (23 December 1893 – 10 October 1976) was born in Warsaw, but lived much of her life in Georgia, where she was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. Vakhvakhishvili studied piano and composition at the music school in Tbilisi, Georgia (today the Tbilisi State Conservatoire). From 1921 to 1923, she served as the director of the school. From 1922 to 1926, she headed the music department of the Rustaveli Theatre in Tbilisi. In 1927, Vakhvakhishvili studied composition with Paul Vidal at the Paris Conservatoire. She met artist and set designer David Kakabadze while she was in Paris, and later worked with him at the Kutaisi-Batumi State Drama Theater. She worked at the Marjanishvili Theatre from 1928 to 1933, then moved to Moscow. In 1940, she was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. included: Ballet *Bacchus’ Holiday *Herb of Love Theatre *Don Khil (musical comedy) Vocal *Cantata (solo voice, choir and orchestra; text by B. Bronevsky and Nikolai Tikhonov) *Citation (solo voice and orchestra; text by Shota Rustaveli; Russian translation by Konstantin Balmont) *Ge

Tanya Anisimova

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Tanya Anisimova (born February 15, 1966) is an American cellist and composer of Russian descent. Tanya Anisimova was born in the Chechen city of Grozny into a family of scientists: her father Dr. Mikhail Anisimov is a well-known physicist. Her mother was a chemist and an accomplished piano player and singer who died in 1981. Tanya Anisimova became a naturalised American citizen in 1994. Tanya began to study cello at 7 with Zoia Kamisheva and gave her first public performance the same year. After graduating with honors from the Moscow Conservatory (1989), where she studied with Igor Gavrysh, Anisimova continued her cello studies with George Neikrug at Boston University (Artist Diploma, 1992). While in Boston, she appeared regularly on WGBH Public Radio. In 1992, Anisimova was invited by Aldo Parisot to work on her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at Yale. She graduated from Yale School of Music in 1995. In her doctoral thesis she focused on J.S. Bach’s works for solo violin and solo cello and their interconnectedness. Also in 1995, Anisimova and her husband artist Alexander Anufriev spent four months at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts by an invitation of the VCCA’s director W

Tatyana Chudova

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Tatyana Alexeyevna Chudova (; 16 June 1944 – 23 November 2021) was a Russian composer. Life and career She was born in Moscow and studied at the Central Music School in Moscow and then at the Moscow Conservatory. After completing her studies, she took a teaching position at the Conservatory. On 21 June 2007, she was awarded the title of Honored Master of Arts of the Russian Federation. Works Selected works include: *Symphony Ab. 1, ‘Timur and his team *O myorvoy tsaverne i semi bojatiryakh, opera, 1966-7 *Na derevnyu dedushke, opera, 1978 *Bible Suite for organ *Last lullaby with oboe solo *Three Circles for solo cello *Trombone sonata *From Russian Fairytales Suite for orchestra *Concerto for piano and orchestra No.1 *Concerto for piano and orchestra No.2 *Concerto for Orchestra *Violin sonata *Suite for organ *The Warriors Cantata *Cantata about Moscow *The Architects for chorus and orchestra *Concert Toccata for piano *Symphony No.1 *Symphony No.2 *Symphony No.3 Her music has been recorded and issued on CD, including: *Organ Music by Moscow Composers - Pedagogues of Moscow Conservatory - From the Sources to the Present - Anthology Vol. 1 References External links *

Tigran Mansurian

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Tigran Yeghiayi Mansurian (; born January 27, 1939) is a leading Armenian composer of classical and film music, People’s Artist of the Armenian SSR (1990), and Honored Art Worker of the Armenian SSR (1984). He is the author of orchestral, chamber, choir, and vocal works which have been played across the world. Biography Mansurian was born in Beirut, Greater Lebanon on January 27, 1939. His family moved to the Armenian SSR in 1947 and settled in Yerevan in 1956, where he continued his education. He studied first at the Romanos Melikian Music School under the Armenian composer Edvard Baghdasaryan and later at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. During his years of study, he wrote different works of varied genres and was awarded for some of them. He taught modern music theory at the Conservatory from 1967 to 1986. He was the Rector of the Conservatory from 1992 to 1995. An ECM album of Mansurian’s music, Monodia, was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for “Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)” and “Best Classical Contemporary Composition”. In 2017, ECM’s recording of Mansurian’s Requiem was nominated for two Grammys. The Requiem received the Presidential Awar

Tikhon Khrennikov

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Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov (; 10 June 1913 – 14 August 2007) was a Russian and Soviet composer, pianist, and General Secretary of the Union of Soviet Composers (1948–1991), who was also known for his political activities. He wrote three symphonies, four piano concertos, two violin concertos, two cello concertos, operas, operettas, ballets, chamber music, incidental music and film music. During the 1930s, Khrennikov was already being hailed as a leading Soviet composer. In 1948, Andrei Zhdanov, the leader of the anti-formalism campaign, nominated Khrennikov as Secretary of the Union of Soviet Composers. He held this influential post until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Biography Early years Tikhon Khrennikov was the youngest of ten children, born into a family of horse traders in the town of Yelets, Oryol Governorate, Russian Empire (now in Lipetsk Oblast in central Russia). He learned guitar and mandolin from members of his family and sang in a local choir in Yelets. There he also played in a local orchestra and learned the piano. As a teenager he moved to Moscow. From 1929 to 1932, he studied composition at the Gnessin State Musical College under Mikhail Gnessin and

Tofig Bakikhanov

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Tofig Ahmed-agha oglu Bakikhanov () is a composer. He was awarded the title People’s Artiste of the Azerbaijan SSR (1990). Biography Tofig Bakikhanov, a descendant of Baku khans, was born on 8 December 1930 in Baku, in the family of Ahmed–agha Bakikhanov, People’s Artist of Azerbaijan. He began his musical activity as a violinist. In 1953, Bakikhanov graduated from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory specializing in violin, where Fikret Amirov was his teacher. In 1957, he majored in music composing, where his teacher was another prominent Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev. In 1950–1953, Bakikhanov worked as a violinist in the trio of the Azerbaijan Philharmonic Society. In 1953, he was the teacher and head of the string department of the Zeynally Baku College of Music. In 1966, he managed the department of arts edition and from 1968, the department of note-music literature of the Azernashr publishing house. From 1970, Bakikhanov began to work as the senior teacher of the department of chamber music and as the dean of the performing program of the Azerbaijan Conservatory. Creativity Bakikhanov is the author of concerts for violin, violoncello, flute, oboe, dual concerts, musical comed

Tolib Sodiqov

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Tolib Sodiqov (12 March 1907 – 5 September 1957) was among the founders of professional music in Uzbekistan, as well as the composer of musical dramas, quartets, operas, and romances. Sodiqov was born in Tashkent. From 1924 to 1928, he studied at the Institute of Music and Choreography in Samarkand, where his teachers included leading Uzbek poets and composers, such as Sadriddun Ayni, Sergey Mironov and Viktor Uspensky. He then studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow from 1934 to 1941, where he graduated as a composer and conductor in the class of Reinhold Glière. His many honors included the People’s Artist of the Uzbek SSR and the Stalin Prize. Sodiqov also founded the Uzbek Composers Union in 1934 and served as its director for the following 14 years. In 1939, he wrote the first Uzbek opera, Leili and Mejnun, based on the poem by Alisher Navoi and libretto by Khurshid. The opera was given its first performance by the Alisher Navoi State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Opera and Ballet in 1940. Among his other operas are Gulsara, Zainab and Omon. His more than 100 songs include Bul-bul (Song-bird), Bakhor (Spring), Sarvi-Gul (Flower), and Johon kurnur (I see such beauty). H

Uģis Prauliņš

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Uģis Prauliņš (; born 17 June 1957) is a Latvian composer whose choral work Missa Rigensis (Riga Mass) was recorded by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, the Riga Cathedral Boys Choir, Youth Choir BALSIS and has been performed in several locations around the world, amongst those Canada, France, England. Background Uģis Prauliņš was born in Riga and studied at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School from 1963 to 1974. Later, he studied conducting and pedagogy at the Latvian Academy of Music from 1977 to 1982, where he also studied composition with Jānis Ivanovs in 1982–83 and Ģederts Ramans from 1984 to 1989 and piano with Valda Kalnina from 1977 to 1982 and 1984–89. As a keyboardist, he was active as a rock musician in the progressive rock group Salve in the 1970s and in the folk-/progressive-rock group Vecās mājas in the 1980s. Selected works His album Pagānu gadagrāmata (Pagan Yearbook), was recorded with the band Iļģi with guest appearances by Latvian folk musicians in 1998. It contains a seasonal cycle of mostly traditional songs and instrumental pieces with an emphasis on the natural progression of the year. Missa Rigensis (2002) was written for and first recorded by the Riga Cat

Uladzimir Karyzna

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Uladzimir Ivanavich Karyzna (, ; 25 May 1938 – 5 March 2026) was a Belarusian poet. He co-wrote the lyrics of the current national anthem of Belarus, My Belarusy. Background Karyzna was born in Zakruzhka, Minsk District on 25 May 1938. He finished the Belarusian State University in the name of Vladimir Lenin (1961), and worked as a teacher of the Belarusian and Russian languages and literature in a village school in Opsa, Braslaw District of the Vitsebsk Region. During this time, Karyzna headed literary association in the regional newspaper Braslaw star. In 1967, he became an employee of Republican radio, where he worked for 13 years as an editor, senior editor, and in the head division of Belarusian music. He was an editor of the division of knowledge and arts in the magazine Polimya (1980–1981), senior editor, head of the editing of the edition Youth (1981–2001), and deputy of the main editor in the edition Well (2002). Karyzna died in Minsk on 5 March 2026, at the age of 87. Works and activity Karyzna was the author of more than 200 songs, written in sponsorship with well-known Belarusian composers. He is the author of the hymn of Nesvizh and co-wrote the lyrics of the Belarusia

Ulviyya Hajibeyova

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Ulviyya Vagif gizi Hajibeyova (; born June 9, 1960) is an Azerbaijani pianist and composer, Professor of Baku Music Academy, People’s Artiste of Azerbaijan. Biography Ulviyya Hajibeyova was born on June 9, 1960, in Baku. She started playing the piano at the age of 3. Ulviyya Hajibeyova received her primary education at Bulbul Secondary Music School, in the class of Y. L. Filatova. In 1983 she graduated from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory with a degree in piano, and in 1986 she graduated as an assistant trainee in the class of People’s Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR Rauf Atakishiyev and she studied and practiced with professors of the Moscow Conservatory Jakob Milstein and Lev Naumov. Ulviyya Hajibeyova began her pedagogical activity in 1983 as a teacher at the Hajibeyov Azerbaijan State Conservatoire. She is currently a professor at the piano department of the Baku Music Academy. Career Ulviyya Hajibeyova has been performing with Yegana Akhundova since 1985 as a piano duo in Azerbaijan and other countries. She has also performed successfully at a number of international festivals and competitions. Ulviyya Hajibeyova edited the works of Jovdat Hajiyev, Soltan Hajibeyov, Niyazi and

Uno Naissoo

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Uno Naissoo (born 25 March 1928, Viljandi – 5 January 1980, Tallinn) was an Estonian composer and jazz musician. In 1952, he graduated from Tallinn State Conservatory. Naissoo then taught music theory subjects at Georg Ots Tallinn Music School from 1952 to 1980. He has also directed several ensembles, including Swing Club (1947–1957), Rütmikud (1948–1950). Naissoo Unn has been a member of Estonian Composers’ Union since 1954. His son is pianist and composer Tõnu Naissoo. Awards * 1965 Estonian SSR Merited Art Worker * 1976 Annual Music Award of Estonian SSR * 1978 Estonian SSR People’s Artist Selected works Context & Composition Insight Uno Naissoo was a pioneering figure in post-war Estonian jazz, known for blending classical structure with improvisational elements. His compositions often integrated Estonian folk motifs with Western swing rhythms. Several of his jazz suites and choral works became staples in the Soviet-era Baltic repertoire, performed by school ensembles and national symphonies alike. * 7 jazz suites * song “My home” * song “When it’s Midsummer Day” * song “The May began in March” * choral song “The Woodpecker’s Warning” (original “Metsa telegramm”) References

Václav Suk

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Václav Suk (16 November 186112 January 1933) was an Austrian-born violinist, conductor and composer who operated in the Russian Empire. He was also known as Váša Suk, Vyacheslav Suk, Vyacheslav Ivanovich (Вячеслав Иванович Сук) and Vjačeslav Ivanovič Suk. Biography Suk was born in Kladno, Bohemia, Austrian Empire. He is said to have been related to the composer Joseph Suk. From 1873 to 1879 Suk studied violin at the Prague Conservatory as a pupil of Antonín Bennewitz. Concurrently he studied also counterpoint with Josef Krejčí, and, privately, composition with Zdeněk Fibich. In 1880 he went to Warsaw as a violinist in the Warsaw Philharmonic, but a short while later he was already engaged as a concert master in the Imperial Orchestra of Kiev (from 1880 to 1882). In 1885 his career as an opera conductor began with the Philharmonic Society in Moscow, where from 1882 he had served as a violinist with the Bolshoi orchestra, but he proved his abilities as kapellmeister of the opera in Kharkiv (1885–1886). Tchaikovsky recommended him to Saint Petersburg, but Suk went to Taganrog instead, where he began to also conduct symphonic works. His later employment with a private opera orchestra i

Vadim Baykov

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Vadim Gennadiyevich Baykov (Baikov; ; born 18 March 1965 in Volgograd, RSFSR, USSR) is a Soviet and Russian composer, singer, songwriter and producer. Biography In 1970, Vadim Baykov and his mother moved from Volgograd to Klimovsk, Moscow Oblast. In 1972, he entered to the Moscow State Choir Specialized School. Since 1978, Vadim Baykov participated in various VIA bands such as “Rhythm”, “Impulse” etc., where he played on keyboards. In 1985, Vadim Baykov finished 2nd Moscow Regional School of Music in piano and jazz. Has a second specialty – choir conductor. From 1982 to 1984, Vadim Baykov participated as a pianist in various jazz festivals. From 1985 to 1987, Vadim Baykov worked in VIA bands such as “Marie”, “August”, “Leysya, Pesnya”. In 1987, he became the lead singer of the band “Spectr” under the guidance of Lev Leshchenko. In 1990, when Lev Leshchenko created the theater “Music Agency”, Vadim Baykov became a soloist of the theater. In 1993, he left the theater and began a solo career. From 1993 to 2000, Vadim Baykov released four solo albums: “Russian Roulette” (; 1993), “Arithmetic of Love” (; 1995), “Queen of My Dreams” (; 1997), songs which were written specifically for Vad

Vadim Salmanov

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Vadim Nikolayevich Salmanov (4 November 1912, in Saint Petersburg – 27 February 1978, in Leningrad) was a Soviet composer and pedagogue. Salmanov learned to play the piano as a child from his father who was a professional metallurgical engineer. Exposed to composers from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods, Salmanov quickly grew fond of music and was quickly enrolled in music theory courses at the age of six. However, following the passing Salmanov’s father, he went to work at a factory and soon became interested in the topic of hydrogeology. At 18, he was about to attend the Leningrad Conservatory when he decided to study hydrogeology instead, eventually working as a geologist until 1935 when he finally decided to attend the Conservatory where he studied composition with Mikhail Gnesin following his attendance at a piano concert by Soviet pianist Emil Gilels. After the war, he returned to his pedagogical work, teaching at the Leningrad Conservatory from 1946 to 1951, as well as creative work and began to set poems by Blok and Yesenin relating to the war. Later on in his life, Salmanov set poems by Federico García Lorca and Pablo Neruda as well as by Soviet poets. Salmanov

Vakhtang Kakhidze

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Vakhtang (Vato) Kakhidze (; ; born 23 March 1959 in Tbilisi) is a Georgian composer and conductor. He is the son of conductor Jansug Kakhidze. He graduated and postgraduated from the Moscow State Conservatory. He studied composition with Nikolai Sidelnikov and orchestration with Edison Denisov. Kakhidze is the conductor of Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra since 1993. Biography Vakhtang Kakhidze was born into a family of Jansug Kakhidze in 1959 in Tbilisi, Georgia. He began to study music when he was 6 years old, as a pianist. In 1975 he finished choir conducting department of Music High School. In 1981 he graduated from Moscow State Conservatory as a composer, and in 1983 he finished the post graduate courses of the same institute. His teachers were such famous musicians as Nikolai Sidelnikov - composition, Edison Denisov - art of instrumentation and others. In 1988-89 he studied conducting with his father, world-famous Georgian conductor Jansug Kakhidze. In 1989, Vakhtang Kakhidze began conducting. His debut took place in Georgian National Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi, where he has conducted several performances of his ballet “Amazons”. From 1993 he worked as conductor of Tbilisi

Valentina Serova (composer)

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Valentina Semyonova Serova (maiden name Bergman) (1846 – June 26, 1924) was a Russian composer of Jewish descent. Her family had converted to Reformed Protestantism before she was born. Early life Serova’s father Simon Bergman was a German-Jewish merchant who lived in Warsaw and operated a jewelry shop; her mother Augusta Hudschon (Augustina Hudson) was a German-Jew as well born in Amsterdam. They moved to Saint-Petersburg from Warsaw in the late 1830-s. She studied briefly at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with Anton Rubinstein but left to study with the composer and critic Alexander Serov, known both for his writings and his successful first opera Judith. Introduced through a shared friend, she married Serov in 1863 and in January 1865 their son Valentin Serov was born. Valentin would grow up to become a famous painter, renowned for his portraits. The Power of the Fiend Alexander Serov died of a heart attack in January 1871, and Valentina completed the last act of his third and final opera, The Power of the Fiend. She used his sketches and her memory of what Alexander had played to her to finish the work. The composer N.F. Solovyov helped her with some of the instrumentation and

Valentyn Silvestrov

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Valentin Vasylyovych Silvestrov (; born 30 September 1937) is a Ukrainian composer and pianist who plays and writes contemporary classical music. He is a laureate of Shevchenko National Prize. Biography Valentin Vasylyovych Silvestrov was born on 30 September 1937 in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, then part of the Soviet Union. Silvestrov began private music lessons at 15. After first teaching himself, he studied piano at the Kyiv Evening Music School from 1955 to 1958 whilst training to become a civil engineer. He attended the Kyiv Conservatory from 1958 to 1964, where he studied musical composition with Borys Lyatoshynsky and harmony and counterpoint with Levko Revutsky. He then taught at a music studio in Kyiv. In 1974, pressured to conform to socialist realism and trends of modernism, and to apologise for his composers’ meeting walkout protesting the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, Silvestrov withdrew from the spotlight and began to reject his earlier modernist style, composing the Silent Songs (Тихі Пісні, 1977) cycle for private performance. After the Soviet Union’s fall, he composed spiritual and religious works influenced by Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox liturgical music. He

Valery Zhelobinsky

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Valery Viktorovich Zhelobinsky (; November 9, 1913, Tambov – August 13, 1946, Leningrad) was a Soviet and Russian composer, pianist and pedagogue. Life and works Zhelobinsky studied music firstly at Tambov and then from 1928 to 1932 at the Leningrad Conservatory with Vladimir Shcherbachov. He performed across the Soviet Union as a soloist. He returned to Tambov in 1942 where he taught at the College of Music and was Chairman of the Composers’ Union. For his short career, Zhelobinsky’s output was large. His four operas, which include The Peasant of Komarino (Комаринский мужик), produced in Leningrad in 1933, and Mother (Мать, 1939, based on the novel by Maxim Gorky), were well received. He also wrote orchestral music including six symphonies, and three piano concertos. His Romantic Poem for violin and orchestra was premiered in Leningrad together with the first performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Sixth Symphony in November 1939. From his numerous piano works, the ‘Six short études’ were introduced to the United States by Vladimir Horowitz and were published there in 1946. Two of these études were recorded by Oscar Levant. In addition, a selection from his opera Mother (“Hobo Song”

Vano Muradeli

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Vano Muradeli (; ; 6 April 1908 – 14 August 1970), was a Soviet Georgian composer. Biography He was born in Gori, Georgia (then part of Imperial Russia) to Georgian -Armenian parents. He graduated from Tbilisi State Conservatoire in 1931; then studied with Nikolai Myaskovsky at the Moscow Conservatory. From 1934 to 1938, he worked there. From 1942 to 1944, he served as a principal and artistic director of the Central Ensemble of the Soviet Navy. In 1946, he was awarded the Stalin Prize. In 1948, his opera The Great Friendship was censured by the resolution of the Communist Party Central Committee. After Joseph Stalin’s death, he was restored to favor and granted the title of the People’s Artist of the USSR in 1968. Works Opera: *“The Great Friendship” (1947; premiere, Moscow, 7 November 1947) *“October” (1950; revised 1962; premiere, Moscow, 22 April 1964) Operetta: *“Moscow-Paris-Moscow” (1968) Orchestra: *Symphony No. 1 “To the Memory of Kirov” (1938; premiere Moscow, 28 November 1938) *Symphony No. 2 (1945; received Stalin Prize) *Georgian Dance Suite for symphony orchestra (1939) *Festive Overture for symphony orchestra (1940) *Symphonic poem, “The Path of Victory” for chorus a

Varvara Adrianovna Gaigerova

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Varvara Adrianovna Gaigerova (; 17 October 1903 in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Russian Empire – 6 April 1944 in Moscow) was a Soviet composer and pianist. Life Gaigerova studied composition under Georgy Catoire and Nikolai Myaskovsky and piano under Heinrich Neuhaus at Moscow Conservatory, where she graduated in 1927. At the Bolshoi Theatre she worked as “concertmistress” from 1936 to 1944. Gaigerova was interested in the musical folklore of the southeastern people of Soviet Russia. In her compositions she uses folk music of various regions like Kalmykia, Buryatia, Kazakhstan, Turkestan, and Uzbekistan. Selected works * Fortress near Kamenny Brod Крепость у Каменного Брода , Op.30 (opera based on Lermontov and some Caucasian poets; 1937–40); Pechorin’s Aria “И скучно, и грустно”; Тучки небесные * Symphony No. 1 (1928) * Symphony No. 2 on Kalmyk Themes (1934) * Symphony No. 3 (1936) * Symphonic Suite on Caucasian Themes * Suite on Udmurt Themes Сюита на темы удмуртских (вотских) народных песен , for domra orchestra (pub. 1933) * Two Suites on Kazakh Themes (domra orch) * String Quartet No. 1 (1925-26) * String Quartet No. 2 in G Major on Yakuts Themes, Op. 17 (pub. 1947) * Sonata for viola and

Vasily Lobanov

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Vasily Pavlovich Lobanov (Васи́лий Па́влович Лоба́нов, born 2 January 1947) is a Russian composer and pianist. He has been a Duo-Partner of Sviatoslav Richter. Biography Vasily Pavlovich Lobanov was born in Moscow. He studied piano with Heinrich Neuhaus and Lev Naumov and composition with Sergey Balasanian and Alfred Schnittke. Selected works Operas *Antigone, opera after Sophocles, Op. 51 (1985–1987) *Father Sergius (Отец Сергий – Otets Sergiy), opera in one act after the story by Leo Tolstoy (1990–1995) Oratories and cantatas *Lieutenant Schmidt, oratorio, Op. 31 (1979) *God-Nightingale, cantata after Osip Mandelstam for baritone and chamber ensemble, Op. 61 (1991) Orchestral music *Aria for violin and string orchestra (1986) *Chamber Symphony, Op. 92 (“Painters”), (2018) *Concerto for cello and orchestra, Op. 42 (1984–1985) *Concerto No.1 for piano and chamber orchestra, Op. 35 (1981) *Concerto for trumpet, percussion and string orchestra, Op. 70 (1997) *Concerto No.1 for viola and string orchestra, Op. 53 (1989) *Concerto No.2 for viola and string orchestra, Op. 71 (1998) *Double Concerto for clarinet, violin and chamber orchestra, Op. 65 (1995) *Sinfonietta for chamber orchest

Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy

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Vasily Pavlovich Solovyov-Sedoy (; 25 April 1907 – 2 December 1979) was a Soviet classical composer and songwriter who was born and died in Leningrad. Originally named Solovyov, when he entered the Union of Soviet Composers he added the suffix “Sedoy”, meaning grey-haired, to avoid confusion with another composer with the same surname. He also wrote music for numerous films. Filmography * Heavenly Slug (1945) * The First Glove (1946) * World Champion (1954) * Good Morning (1955) * Maksim Perepelitsa (1955) * Be Careful, Grandma! (1960) * Don Tale (1964) * The Salvos of the Aurora Cruiser (1965) * Virineya (1968) * Fitil (1975) * Sweet Woman (1976) * A Taiga Story (1979) References External links * Short biography

Vasily Zolotarev

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Vasily Andreyevich Zolotarev, also romanized as Zolotaryov (; February 24, 1872 in Taganrog – May 25, 1964 in Moscow), was a Russian (Soviet) composer and music teacher of Greek ancestry. Biography Vasily Zolotarev was born to a Greek family named Kuyumzhi (Куюмжи) or Kouyoumtzis in the city of Taganrog in 1872. The family name was later changed to the more Russian Zolotarev. He studied music at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory under direction of Mily Balakirev (1893–1898) in the class of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1898–1900), graduating in 1900. Zolotarev lectured at Moscow Conservatory (1909–1918), at the Belarus State Academy of Music (Белорусская государственная консерватория им. А. В. Луначарского) in 1933–1941, and other conservatories. Among his students in Minsk was Mieczysław Weinberg. Zolotaryov was a prolific composer and left behind a large body of works: three operas, ballets, seven symphonies (1902-1962), three concerti, cantatas, romances, six string quartets, and other works. Among his stage works are: The Decembrists, revised as Kondraty Ryleyev, libretto by Yasinovsky,1957 (presented in a concert performance on 29.08.1857, Moscow), Khvestko Andyber, 1928 (written d

Vassily Brandt

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Karl Wilhelm (Vasily Georgievich) Brandt (Willy Brandt) (1869 – 2 February 1923) was a German-Russian trumpeter, pedagogue, and composer. He is the founder of the Russian trumpet school. Life Karl Wilhelm Brandt was born and educated in Coburg, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now part of Germany. Between 1887 and 1890, he worked alternatively in the spa orchestra in Bad Oeynhausen and in Helsinki. He was active in the Helsinki Philharmonic Society, now the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, under Robert Kajanus. In 1890, he changed his name to Vassily Georgyevich and moved to Moscow, Russia. The opening of the Saratov Conservatory in September 1912 drew Vassily Brandt to Saratov for the remainder of his life. He spoke Russian quite poorly, often relying on demonstration for musical instruction. He died on 2 February 1923, purportedly as the result of a vaccination. Career Vassily Brandt became principal trumpet of the Bolshoi Theatre in 1890 and became first cornet in 1903. He succeeded Theodor Richter (1826–1901) as the second ever trumpet professor of the Moscow Conservatory in 1900, and also taught band orchestration there. In Moscow, he was part of the Russian Musical Society and toured a

Veljo Tormis

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Veljo Tormis (7 August 1930 – 21 January 2017) was an Estonian composer, regarded as one of the great contemporary choral composers and one of the most important composers of the 20th century in Estonia. Internationally, his fame arises chiefly from his extensive body of choral music, which exceeds 500 individual choral songs, most of it a cappella. The great majority of these pieces are based on traditional ancient Estonian folksongs (regilaulud), either textually, melodically, or merely stylistically. His composition most often performed outside Estonia, Curse Upon Iron (Raua needmine, 1972), invokes ancient Shamanistic traditions to construct an allegory about the evils of war. Some of his works were banned by the Soviet government, but because folk music was fundamental to his style most of his compositions were accepted by the censors. More recently, Tormis’ works have been performed and recorded by Tõnu Kaljuste with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and others. In the 1990s, Tormis began to receive commissions from some a cappella groups as the King’s Singers and the Hilliard Ensemble. Tormis famously said of his settings of traditional melodies and verse: “It is not

Veniamin Basner

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Veniamin Efimovich Basner (, 1 January 1925 in Yaroslavl – 3 September 1996 in St Petersburg) was a Russian composer. He was recognized by the Soviet Union as a People’s Artist of Russia and a State prize-winner. An asteroid called 4267 Basner, discovered in 1971, was named in his honour. He was a member of the St Petersburg Union of Composers. Early life and initial success Veniamin Basner had been playing the violin from the age of six and graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory in 1949 with the violin as his principal instrument. Basner made his first experiments in composition at the age of fifteen. In 1955 he was a prize-winner, for his Second String Quartet, at the International Composers’ Competition in Warsaw. Basner and Shostakovich Veniamin Basner, while still a student, met Dmitri Shostakovich, under whose advice his formation as a professional composer was furthered. They became personal friends. Much later, Basner and Weinberg were amongst the six friends of Shostakovich (the others being Kara Karayev, Yury Levitin, Karen Khachaturian, and Boris Tishchenko) who rejected the controversial Testimony (Свидетельство), said to be the “authenticated memoirs of Dmitri Shost

Victor Dolidze (composer)

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Victor Isidores dze Dolidze (Georgian: ვიქტორ ისიდორეს ძე დოლიძე, 30 July 1890 – 24 May 1933) was a Georgian classical composer. Practically unknown in the West, in his home country Dolidze is best remembered for his opera Keto and Kote, which premiered in 1919 during the First Republic. The composition, which remains popular to this day, follows the story of forbidden love between an impoverished prince and a wealthy commoner’s daughter. Biography Victor Dolidze was born on 30 July 1890 in the city of Ozurgeti, Kutais Governorate, in what is now Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire. He came from a poor peasant family. In 1902 Dolidze’s family moved to Tiflis, where entered a commercial school. In 1910, he won his first prize at a local mandolin contest. Victor Dolidze died on 24 May 1933 in Tiflis and is buried at the Didube Pantheon. See also *Heraclius Djabadary *Zacharia Paliashvili *Dimitri Arakishvili References

Viktor Chaika

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Viktor Chaika (); real name Viktor Grigorievich Sigal (); (born December 11, 1958, Odessa, USSR) is a Soviet and Russian pop composer, songwriter, singer and musician. Known for dozens of songs for Aleksey Glyzin (Winter Garden, You’re Not an Angel), Tatyana Ovsiyenko (Captain, Beautiful Girl), Irina Allegrova (Transit Passenger, Drafts, Imagined) and many other pop stars. Some time singing solo (Mona Lisa, Where Are You Going Anywhere). He worked as a music producer on the show Boris Moiseev, and the manager of tours of foreign performers. Pesnya Goda Multiple nominee and winner of the festival. He wrote the music for several films. Family The first wife was Irina Borisova. The son is Alexey. The second wife was Tatyana Agurbash (2003-2009). in 2016, his chosen one became Polina Solovyova. In 2023, the second child was born. * 1991 — The Mannequin in Love (composer) * 2010 — Wirth: The Game is Not Childish (composer) * 2010 — The Last Secret of the Master (composer, actor) * 2016 — Svetoforov’s Family (composer, actor) * 2017 — The Tale of Peter and Fevronia (composer) * 2020 — She Abandoned the Bunny… (composer) References External links * Виктор Чайка на сайте Blatata.com * Ви

Viktor Kalinnikov

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Viktor Sergeevich Kalinnikov, also Victor (; 2 March 1870 – 23 February 1927), was a Soviet choral composer, conductor and pedagogue. He was the younger brother of the better-known symphonic composer Vasily Kalinnikov (1866–1901). He studied at the seminary in Oryol, then at the Moscow Philharmonic School, taking oboe and music theory. He played in various theatre orchestras, and taught singing at schools in Moscow. From 1899 to 1901 he headed the orchestra of the Moscow Art Theatre. Victor attended then taught at the Moscow Synodal School of Russian Orthodox Church music, where he composed 24 sacred choral settings for the Russian Orthodox All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy. From 1922 to 1926 he taught at the Moscow Conservatory. His compositions were popular and well received by critics. He died in Saltykovka, a suburb of Balashikha near Moscow. Selected works References External links *

Viktor Kosenko

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Viktor Stepanovych Kosenko (; 23 November 1896 – 3 October 1938) was a Ukrainian composer, pianist, and educator. He was regarded by his contemporaries as a master of lyricism. Kosenko’s life is conclusively divided into three distinct phases, in Warsaw, where he studied with renowned teacher Aleksander Michałowski, in Zhytomyr, where he began teaching piano and music theory at the Music Technicum, later becoming director of the Zhytomyr Music School, and finally in Kyiv, where he devoted more time to symphonic compositions such as his Heroic Overture, which brought him due recognition in the world of Soviet music. Kosenko’s music combines a post-romantic idiom with intonations of Slavic folk songs and Western-European influences. His vocal, chamber and symphonic works are among the most important pieces of that time in USSR. Life and career Early life and education Viktor Stepanovych Kosenko was born on 23 November 1896 in Saint Petersburg, into the large family of a major general, Stepan Kosenko. Viktor’s family moved from Saint Petersburg to Warsaw in 1898, From 1908, he studied under Aleksander Michałowski, a professor at the Warsaw Conservatory. Kosenko continued studying comp

Viktor Pleshak

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Viktor Vasilyevich Pleshak (; born 13 November 1946) is a Soviet and Russian composer. He is known for his work in academic and popular music, including symphonic compositions, songs, and musical works for theatre. Pleshak was awarded the title of in 2004 and has received the Prize of the Government of Saint Petersburg. Biography Pleshak was born in Leningrad on 13 November 1946. He graduated from the in 1964 and later from the Leningrad Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in 1970, where he studied choral conducting under E. P. Kudryavtseva. He completed further studies in composition in 1981 under professors V. V. Pushkov, A. D. Mnatsakanyan, and Boris Tishchenko. Pleshak has also written numerous popular songs performed by artists. He lives and works in Saint Petersburg. Personal life Pleshak is married to Irina Anatolyevna Pleshak, a concertmaster at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. They have two sons, both of whom are composers. Selected works Oratorio * Leningradki (2020), an oratorio for reader, mezzo-soprano, baritone, children’s and women’s choirs, and piano. Honours and awards * (20 May 2004), for services in the field of the arts. * Medal of the Order “For Merit to the F

Viktor Suslin

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Viktor Yevseyevich Suslin (; 13 June 1942 – 10 July 2012) was a Russian composer. An associate of Sofia Gubaidulina’s, together with her and Vyacheslav Artyomov he formed the improvisatory ensemble ‘Astraea’ in 1975. He emigrated to Germany in 1981. Biography At the age of four (1946) Suslin began to study piano and made his first attempts at composition. From 1950 to 1961 he attended Kharkiv Music High School, and from 1961 to 1962 the Kharkiv Conservatory where he studied composition with Dimitri Klebanov and piano with V. Topilin. From 1962 to 1966 he studied composition with Nikolay Peyko and piano with Anatoly Vedernikov at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow. He worked as an editor at the publishing house Muzyka in Moscow (1966–1980). Suslin became a member of the Union of Soviet Composers in 1967. In 1969 his piano sonata was given an award at the Young Composers Competition. In 1971 his music was performed outside of Russia for the first time at the Festival de Royan, France. Suslin taught instrumentation at the Moscow Conservatory (1972–1975). In 1975 he founded the ‘Astraea’ improvisation ensemble together with Vyacheslav Artyomov and Sofia Gubaidulina. In November 1979 after

Vissarion Shebalin

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Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (; 11 June 190229 May 1963) was a Soviet composer and music pedagogue. He was Rector of the Moscow Conservatory (1942-1948) and People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1947). Biography Shebalin was born in Omsk, where his parents were school teachers. He studied in the musical college in Omsk, and was also enrolled in the Institute of Agriculture. He was 20 years old when, following the advice of his professor, he went to Moscow to show his first compositions to Reinhold Glière and Nikolai Myaskovsky. Both composers thought very highly of his compositions. Shebalin graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1928. His diploma work was the 1st Symphony, which the author dedicated to his professor Nikolai Myaskovsky. Many years later his fifth and last symphony was dedicated to Myaskovsky’s memory. In the 1920s Shebalin was a member of the Association for Contemporary Music (ACM); he was a participant of the informal circle of Moscow musicians known as “Lamm’s group”, which gathered in the apartment of Pavel Lamm, a professor from the Moscow Conservatory. After graduating from Moscow Conservatory, he worked there as a professor, and in 1935 became also a head of th

Vitaliy Kyreiko

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Vitaliy Dmytrovych Kyreyko (23 December 192619 October 2016) was a Ukrainian composer. He graduated from the Kyiv Conservatory with a degree in composition from L. Revutsky (1944-1949), where he also completed his postgraduate studies (1952). His other accomplishments include: 1949-88 - Lecturer, Associate Professor (1961), Professor (1978) of the Kyiv Conservatory, and Candidate of Art History (1953). Selected works Operas: *The Forest Song, an adaptation of the play by Lesia Ukrainka (1957), *On Sunday Morning She Gathered Herbs, an adaptation of the novelette by Olha Kobylianska (1966), *Marko in Hell (1966) *The Boyar Woman (2003) Ballets: *Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, an adaptation of the novella by Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky (1960), *The Witch (1967), *The Orgy (1977), based on the play by Lesia Ukrainka Further reading * * * * *. Notes References External links *Kyreiko, Vitaliy, Internet encyclopedia of Ukraine *Kyreiko, Vitaliy, encyclopedia of Ukrainian history in Ukrainian

Vladimir Bakaleinikov

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Vladimir Romanovich Bakaleinikov, also Bakaleynikov and Bakaleinikoff (; 3 October 1885 in Moscow – 5 November 1953 in Pittsburgh) was a Russian-American violist, music educator, conductor and composer. Life and career Bakaleinikov, the son of a noted clarinetist, was from a large musical family who lived in poverty. His elder brother was flautist, composer and conductor Nikolai Bakaleinikov (1881–1957), his younger brothers, both composers, were Mikhail (Mischa) Bakaleinikov (1890–1960) and Constantin Bakaleinikoff (1898–1966). :“My father earned very little. We children helped him by playing at weddings, in restaurants, giving lessons, and later concertizing. We did not refuse any type of work. It was shameful not to be working, seeing as our mother did all of the washing, cooking, sewing, and waited on us all.” :::— Vladimir Bakaleinikov: Notes of a Musician :«Мой отец зарабатывал очень мало. Мы, дети, помогали ему зарабатывать игрой на свадьбах, в ресторанах, давая уроки, впоследствии концертируя. Никакими видами труда мы, дети, не гнушались. Стыдно было не работать, видя, как наша мать на всех стирала, на всех готовила, всех обшивала и всем прислуживала.» :::— Владимир Бакалей

Vladimir Dashkevich

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Vladimir Sergeevich Dashkevich () (born 20 January 1934) is a Russian composer, known mainly for his film music. Originally, he studied chemical technology at Moscow State University of Fine Chemical Technologies, but he later studied music under Aram Khachaturian. He achieved prominence in Russia for his music for the series of films The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, as well as numerous other films. His longtime collaboration with famous singer Elena Kamburova has resulted in a number of vocal cycles based on the lyrics by the Russian Silver Age poets, including Requiem of Anna Akhmatova. Biography His works include symphonies, operas and musicals, as well as chamber and vocal music. Thus, in 1996, the musical Bumbarash, to which Dashkevich wrote the music, was shown in three performances at the Salzburg Festival in Salzburg as a guest performance of Oleg Tabakov’s Studio Theatre. Main works * Symphony No. 1 (1964) * Faustus, oratorio (1964) * Concerto for cello and orchestra (1973) * Bumbarash, musical (1974) * Classified city (1974) * The Bedbug, opera (1980) * Pippi Longstocking, musical (1980) * Along Unknown Paths (1982) * How to Become Happy (1986) * Symphony

Vladimir Fere

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Vladimir Georgievich Fere (; 20 May 1902 in Kamyshin – 2 September 1971 in Moscow) was a Russian composer. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory in 1925 and later taught there. He was a member of a Kirghiz Republic collective assigned by the Soviet government under a plan to integrate national cultures into the arts. Kyrgyz composer Abdylas Maldybaev provided folk melodies and composed music which was organized and prepared by Fere and Russian composer Vladimir Vlasov into six Soviet state opera and other works. Their first full opera was Ai-churek. The collective is usually hypenated as Vlasov-Fere-Maldi’bayev and also composed the Kirghiz national anthem. Works Works include: *Sonata, for violin and piano, op. 4 (1924–25) *Suite, for piano, op. 6 (1927) *Poems (2) by S. Yesenin, for voice and piano, op. 7 (1928) *Sonata, for piano (1928) *Sonatina Alla barbara, for piano (1928) *Our Children, piano pieces (6) for children, op. 12 (1933) *Ai-Churek, opera in four acts after an episode of the “Manas Epos” (1938–1939) Libretto: D. Tursubekov, D. Bokonbaev and K. Malikov. First performance in 1939 in Frunse. *String Quartet on Kirghiz Themes, op. 27 (1946) *Manas, opera (1947, 2nd ve

Vladimir Martynov

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Vladimir Ivanovich Martynov (Russian: Владимир Иванович Мартынов) (Moscow, 20 February 1946) is a Russian composer, known for his compositions in the concerto, orchestral music, chamber music, and choral music genres. Life Vladimir Martynov studied piano as a child. Gaining an interest in composition, he enrolled in the Moscow Conservatory where he studied piano under Mikhail Mezhlumov and composition under Nikolai Sidelnikov, graduating in 1971. In his early works, such as the String Quartet (1966), the Concerto for Oboe and Flute (1968), Hexagramme for Piano (1971), and Violin Sonata (1973), Vladimir Martynov used serial music (or twelve-tone) technique. In 1973 he got a job at the studio for electronic music of the Alexander Scriabin Museum. For Soviet composers of this era, this studio had much the same meaning as the RAI Electronic Music Studio in Milan, the West German Radio studio, and the ORTF Studio in Paris, providing a meeting ground for the avant-garde musicians. Sofia Gubaidulina, Sergei Nemtin, Alfred Schnittke, and Edison Denisov were among the composers regularly working and meeting there. Martynov helped to form a rock group called Boomerang at the Scriabin Studio.

Vladimir Matetsky

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Vladimir Leonardovich Matetsky (; born 14 May 1952 in Moscow ) is a Russian and Soviet composer, producer, and radio presenter. Personal Life and Career Matetsky is a member of the Russian Authors’ Society. He is married and has one daughter, Maria (born 1987) and son, Leonid (born 2001). Matetsky started to take music classes under the direction of Sofija Moisseevna Karpilovskaya, a student of Elena Fabianovna Gnesina. Vladimir learned to play guitar just as piano. He was particularly influenced by The Beatles. At the end of the 1960s, Matetsky started to play in various rock bands, piano, guitar, bass-guitar. Around the same time he first started writing songs–unusually, in English rather than Russian. His major success is considered to be his song Lavanda, which was written for Sofia Rotaru. It was awarded a golden disc by Melodiya. Currently he lives and works in Moscow. Popular Songs * “Lavanda” (“Лаванда”) by Sofia Rotaru and Jaak Joala * “Hutoryanka” (“Хуторянка”) by Sofia Rotaru * “Luna, luna” (“Луна, луна”) by Sofia Rotaru * “Bilo, No proshlo’” (“Было, но прошло”) by Sofia Rotaru * “Tolko etogo malo’” (“Только этого мало”) by Sofia Rotaru * “Lunnaya raduga’” (“Лунная радуг

Vladimir Migulya

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Vladimir Georgievich Migulya (; August 18, 1945 – February 16, 1996) was a Soviet and Russian musician, singer and composer. He authored many popular songs in the 1970s and the 1990s. He collaborated with the group Zemlyane. In 1988 he was named Migulya wrote the music of the first Hymn of Cosmonautics of Russia Grass by the Home. He was a 14-times laureate of the festival Pesnya Goda. Biography Vladimir Migulya was born on August 18, 1945, in Stalingrad (today’s Volgograd). His father Georgy Fyodorovich Migulya was a military pilot, while his mother Lyudmila Aleksandrovna was a medical statistician and lieutenant of medical service during the World War II. He graduated from a music school in Volgograd. From 1965 to 1968, Migulya studied at the Volgograd School of Arts at the Department of Music Theory. In 1963 he entered the Volgograd State Medical University. In 1968 he graduated from both educational institutions and entered the Leningrad State Conservatory (composition class of Sergei Slonimsky). After graduating from the conservatoire, in 1974 he moved to Moscow. Migulya collaborated with Simon Osiashvili and Larisa Rubalskaya. Vladimir Migulya’s songs are included in the repe

Vladimir Nazarov (composer)

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Vladimir Vasilievich Nazarov (; born February 24, 1952) is a Russian composer, singer, actor, film director, artistic director of the Music Theatre of National Arts, Professor Gnessin State Musical College and R. Glier Kyiv Institute of Music. Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1987). People’s Artist of Russia (2004). Member of the Union of Theatre Workers of the Russian Federation and Union of Cinematographers the Russian Federation. Biography Vladimir Nazarov was born February 24, 1952, in the town of Novomoskovsk Dnipropetrovsk region in the family chauffeur. His mother worked in a hospital. The future composer was the middle of three brothers. He graduated with honors from high school and music class school bayan (pedagogue Pyotr Martynovich Kostev) Then he entered the Dnipropetrovsk cultural-educational school specialty Manager of the orchestra of folk instruments. He graduated from the Moscow State Art and Cultural University After serving in the Army, he moved to Moscow. Career Founder and director of the ensemble of Russian folk wind instruments Zhaleika (1975–1982), Ensemble of Folk Music (1982–2002) and the State Music Theater of National Art (2002). Since 1984, Vladimir Nazaro

Vladimir Shainsky

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Vladimir Yakovlevich Shainsky (, ; 12 December 1925 – 25 December 2017) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He was a recipient of the People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1986). Biography Shainsky was born in Kiev to a Jewish family. He first studied violin at the music school in Kiev. His studies there were interrupted in 1941 by World War II, when his family was evacuated to Tashkent in the Uzbek SSR. He continued his musical education at the , until he was enlisted in the Red Army. After the war he entered Moscow Conservatory, where he graduated as a violinist. In the 1950s, Shainsky played in Leonid Utyosov’s orchestra, taught students, and worked as a music manager at various dance orchestras. He later studied composition at the Baku Conservatory. His first compositional works were a string quartet, created in 1963 during his studies at the Baku Conservatory, and a symphony, written in 1965. During his career as a composer, Shainsky wrote a large number of works for children. He created music and songs for cartoons such as Cheburashka, Katerok, Mamontenok and Kroshka Enot; also for films including Breakfast on the Grass, Aniskin and Fantomas, Aniskin Again, School Waltz, Finist, the B

Vladimir Shcherbachov

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Vladimir Vladimirovich Shcherbachov (Shcherbachyov, Shcherbachev) (; 25 January 1889, in Warsaw – 5 March 1952, in Leningrad) was a Soviet composer. He studied with Maximilian Steinberg, Anatoly Lyadov, and Jāzeps Vītols (Joseph Wihtol) at the St. Petersburg Conservatory from 1908 to 1914. While there he also worked as a pianist for Sergey Diaghilev and taught theory. He served in World War I and then worked in Soviet government music positions. In 1918-1923 he worked as a lecturer and ran the musical department of the Narkompros. He later became a professor at the Leningrad Conservatory (1923-1931 and 1944-1948) and the Tbilisi Conservatory. He counted Boris Arapov, Vasily Velikanov, Evgeny Mravinsky, Valery Zhelobinsky, Gavriil Popov, Valerian Bogdanov-Berezovsky, Pyotr Ryazanov, and Mikhail Chulaki among his pupils, as well as various others. Works *Anna Kolossova, opera (1939, unfinished); *Tabachny Kapitan, operetta (1943); * Five symphonies: **No. 1 (1914); **No. 2 (“Blokovskaya” or “Blok”, with soloists and chorus, 1925); **No. 3 (Symphony-Suite, 1931); **No. 4 (“Izhorskaya”, with soloists and chorus, 1935); **No. 5 (“Russkaya”, 1948, 2nd version in 1950); *Nonet for 7 instr

Vladimir Tarnopolsky

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Vladimir Grigoryevich Tarnopolsky (, born April 30, 1955, in Dnipro, Ukrainian SSR) is a Russian-Ukrainian composer. Biography The composer has written music since childhood, having mastered the bases of composition independently. After his studies at the Dnepropetrovsk Glinka Music College (1970–1973) majoring in piano (studying with Mikaela Alexandrova) and music theory, he studied composition at the Moscow State Conservatory with Nikolai Sidelnikov and the theoretical disciplines of harmony, form and counterpoint with Yuri Kholopov (1973–1980). A special role in Tarnopolsky’s compositional development has been played by Edison Denisov, who gave him the first professional advice and recommendations, first by correspondence, and then at the Conservatory he became his teacher of orchestration, at the same time, having preserved a certain amount of influence in the sphere of musical composition, as well. During his student years, Tarnopolsky entered the so-called “Denisov circle” of composers, who assumed an alternative position in regard to the official standards of the Soviet ideology and in the late 1980s formed the active core of the artistic group of the Association of Contempo

Vladimir Vavilov (composer)

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Vladimir Fyodorovich Vavilov (; 5 May 1925 – 11 March 1973) References External links *Complete bio in Russian *“Vladimir F. Vavilov” in Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedic Dictionary * *“Ave Maria” Giulio Caccini. By Vavilov. (Musical hoaxes)

Vladimir Vlasov

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Vladimir Aleksandrovich Vlasov (; 7 January 1903, Moscow – 7 September 1986, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian composer and conductor. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory from 1924 to 1931 under such teachers as Georgy Catoire, Abram Yampolsky, and Nikolai Zhilyayev. In 1936 he founded the Music and Drama Theatre in Frunze, working as the company’s artistic director until 1942. He worked as the artistic director of the Moscow PO from 1942 to 1949. He was made a People’s Artist of the RSFSR and of the Kirghiz SSR. As a composer, Vlasov is known for his numerous operas, six of which were written in a Soviet government assigned collaboration with Vladimir Fere and Abdylas Maldybaev. The collective is usually hyphenated as Vlasov-Fere-Maldybaev, which also composed the Kirghiz national anthem. Discography His work has been recorded and issued on media including: * Ai-Churek (1938) LP Melodiya D 07269-74: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Khirgiz State Theatre Opera & Ballet, DZhumakhmatov (conductor) * Five Pieces for violin and piano 1. Romance; 2. Waltz; 3. Folk Dance; 4. Nocturne; 5. Scherzo CD Russia Revelation RV 10071: Leonid Kogan (violin), Alexander Marakov (piano) (Rec: 1

Vladislav Kazenin

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Vladislav Igorevich Kazenin (; May 21, 1937, Kirov – February 17, 2014, Moscow) was Soviet and Russian composer and musician. Chairman of the Union of Russian Composers (since 1990), Deputy Minister of Culture of the USSR (1987–1990), member of the Commission under the President of the Russian Federation on State Prizes of the Russian Federation in Literature and Art, member of the Board of the Ministry of Culture of Russia and the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for Culture and Art (1996–2001). People’s Artist of the Russian Federation (1996), laureate of the State Prize of Russia (2003), Honorary Citizen of the city of Kirov (2009). Biography He was born on May 21, 1937 in Kirov in the family of musician Igor Vikentyevich Kazenin. His father worked as the director of the Kirov Children’s Music School and the Kirov College of Music. He gave his son his first piano lessons. His mother, Valentina Nikolaevna, worked as a track service engineer on the railroad. During the Great Patriotic War, creative evenings were often held in the Kazenin house with the participation of cultural and art figures evacuated to Kirov. Among them were Emil Gilels, Lev Oborin, David

Vladislav Shoot

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Vladislav Shoot (, Vladislav Alekseyevich Shut’ (also spelled Chout, Schut, Sciut, Shut or Szut); 3 March 1941 – 9 March 2022) was a Russian-British composer of contemporary classical music. Born in Voznesensk, Soviet Union, now Ukraine, he moved to the United Kingdom in the early 1990s, settling on the artists’ estate of Dartington Hall. Biography He was born Vladislav Shut in Voznesensk, Soviet Union, to Valentina (née Nizovaya) and Alexei Shut, an officer in the navy. He was raised in Sevastopol, where he attended School N14. Shoot’s music is published by M.P. Belaieff – Edition Peters (Frankfurt-am-Main)/Schott (Mainz). He married the artist Irina Karpey in 1970. Shoot died on 9 March 2022. Music Shoot’s works met with much admiration in the West from the 1980s onward. He preferred smaller ensembles, up to a chamber orchestra, which he tied into sound compositions or groups of overlapping sound layers. Even his symphonies, excepting the High Cross Symphony (1998), are chamber symphonies. He retained serial processes, used post-Romantic elements, and quoted composers of the past, with Alban Berg as the clearest influence. His music has been performed at numerous venues and festi

Vladislav Soyfer

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Vladislav Soyfer (, 16 July 1961 — 31 July 2021) was a composer, music teacher, arranger, and translator. Biography Born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR (present-day Ukraine), Soyfer spent his childhood in Tashkent before moving to Moscow. He initially enrolled at the Moscow Land Development Institute but later followed his passion for music by entering the October Revolution Music School. There, he studied under Vasily Gorbatov, a blind musician and music theorist. Concurrently, Soyfer served in a military band. From 1984 to 1989, Soyfer studied composition at the Moscow Conservatory under Edison Denisov, Nikolai Sidelnikov, and others. His most significant musical development, however, came through private lessons with the Romanian-born composer Philip Herschkowitz between 1986 and 1989. A student of Alban Berg and Anton Webern, Herschkowitz had a profound influence on Soyfer, who dedicated his work to continuing the traditions of the Second Viennese School. From 1989 to 1996, Soyfer also attended lectures as a non-degree student in the philosophy and philology faculties at Moscow State University. These included lectures by Mikhail Gasparov, Sergey Averintsev, and Alexander Dobrokhoto

Volodymyr Melnykov

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Volodymyr Melnykov (; born September 14, 1951) is a Ukrainian poet, writer, songwriter, author of lyrics and music for songs, inventor, mathematician, composer and public figure, Merited Figure of Arts of Ukraine. Biography Volodymyr Melnykov was born on September 14, 1951 in the city of Chernivtsi. In 1974 – graduated from Minsk Higher Air Defense Anti-aircraft Missile Academy (Faculty of Radio Engineering). In 1982 – graduated with honors (gold medal) from Kiev Military Academy of Air Defense of the Land Forces (Faculty of Engineering Management). In 1987 – graduated from Kiev Military Academy of Air Defense of the Land Forces (he graduated from the postgraduate course and defended the dissertation of the candidate of technical sciences). In 1969–1991 – served in the Armed Forces of the USSR (Moscow Air Defense District; Northern Group of Forces, Legnica, Poland; Turkestan Military District, Mary). In 1991 he was awarded the military rank “Colonel” and the scientific title “Associate Professor”. Before the collapse of the USSR, he was a senior lecturer of the Kiev Military Air Defense Academy of the Land Forces. In 1992–1995 – served in the Verification Center of the General Staf

Vsevolod Zaderatsky

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Vsevolod Petrovich Zaderatsky (; 21 December 1891, Rivne, Ukraine 1 February 1953, Lviv, USSR) was a Ukrainian composer, pianist and teacher. His life was marked by continuous persecution by the Soviet government. Despite his talents as a composer and pianist, his early service as a piano teacher to the Tsar’s heir and his enlistment in the White Army made him a political target. Arrested multiple times, he faced execution, imprisonment, and exile, with his compositions repeatedly destroyed. Even as he attempted to integrate into Soviet musical institutions, he was denounced and sent to a labor camp in 1937. Though later released, he remained under state suspicion, forced to spend his final years away from major cultural centers. Despite repression by Soviet authorities, Zaderatsky created a diverse body of musical work, especially for piano. Today, he is recognized as a pioneering figure in the Russian and Ukrainian musical avant-garde. Life In 1891, Zaderatsky was born in Rivne (Volhynian Governorate, Ukraine) into the family of a railway official. His family relocated several times during his early years, however, he spent most of his childhood and youth in Kursk. Zaderatsky con

Vyacheslav Artyomov

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Vyacheslav Petrovich Artyomov (; born 29 June 1940) is a Russian composer. Early life and education Vyacheslav Artyomov was born on 29 June 1940 in Moscow, Soviet Union. He initially pursued studies in physics while also receiving formal musical training. He attended the musical college affiliated with the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied composition with Nikolai Sidelnikov and piano with Tovi Logovinsky. Artyomov became a member of the Union of Soviet Composers and the Association for Contemporary Music (ACM). He also worked as an editor at the Moscow publishing house Musyka and graduated in 1968. Career In 1975, he joined the improvisation group “Astreya” alongside the composers Sofia Gubaidulina and Viktor Suslin. In 1979, he was blacklisted as one of Khrennikov’s Seven at the Sixth Congress for unapproved participation in several Soviet music festivals in the Western world. His music has been performed by conductors and musicians including Rostropovich, Rozhdestvensky, Fedoseyev, Spivakov, Pletnyov, Currentzis, Virko Baley, Bunin, Kopachevsky, Isakadze, Grindenko, Yo-Yo Ma, Rudin, Yanchenko, and Ashkenazy. He has participated in European musical performances since the 1970

Vyacheslav Ganelin

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Vyacheslav (Slava) Ganelin (, , ; born 17 December 1944) is a Soviet, Lithuanian and Israeli jazz pianist, composer, and pedagogue. Primarily a pianist, he also plays other keyboards (organ and synthesizer) as well as bass, guitar, and percussions. He was the leader of the Ganelin Trio, described by critic Chris Kelsey as “arguably the world’s greatest free jazz ensemble” of the 1970s and ’80s. He was a founder of Lithuanian jazz (Soviet jazz, when Lithuania was controlled by the Soviet Union). Early career Ganelin was born in Kraskovo, near Moscow. In 1948 his family moved to Lithuania, where he learned to play piano in the music school. Later he studied piano and composition at the Vilnius Conservatory where he graduated in 1968. For many years, Ganelin taught composition at the Vilnius Conservatory, and was music director of the Vilnius Russian Drama Theatre. Ganelin trio In 1968, Ganelin formed a trio with percussionist Vladimir Tarasov and saxophonist Vladimir Rezitsky. Rezitsky left the trio in 1971, and was replaced with Vladimir Chekasin. and in 1986, in the US. In 1999 he founded the Ganelin Trio Priority with soprano saxophonist Petras Vyšniauskas and percussionist Klaus

Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov

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Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Ovchinnikov (; 29 May 1936 in Voronezh, Soviet Union – 4 February 2019 in Moscow, Russia) was a Soviet and Russian composer. Biography He began composing at age 9 and entered the Moscow Conservatory at 15. Later he studied with Tikhon Khrennikov and Leo Ginzburg. He composed symphonies, symphonic poems, as well as works for chamber orchestra, small ensembles and solo instruments. Outside his native country he is best known as a composer of music for such films as War and Peace, the 1966–67 film directed by Sergei Bondarchuk, Ivan’s Childhood and Andrei Rublev for Andrei Tarkovsky. He has composed for some 40 films in total. Tarkovsky is said to have been so impressed by Ovchinnikov that he stated: “I cannot imagine a better composer for myself than Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov.” Ovchinnikov also had a successful career as a touring conductor from the 1970s. He has recorded for Melodiya, the Russian record company. His Symphony No. 2 was released on the Melodiya label. Ovchinnikov was named a People’s Artist of the RSFSR in 1986. For the 60th birthday (1992) of Queen Sirikit of Thailand, he was commissioned to compose The Bouquet for the Queen. For that work he w

Vyacheslav Tyurin

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Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Tyurin (; born 16 May 1967, in Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk Oblast) is a Russian composer, producer, music video maker, director. President of Reflexmusic и VIVITI. He is the author of songs by Irene Nelson and the musical groups REFLEX, Litsey, Non Stop, Electroversia, by singers Natalia Gulkina, Shura, Irina Saltykova, Sasha Project, Slava, Kristina Orbakaitė, Elvira T, and Alyona Sviridova. Biography Electroversia In 1989, in Novosibirsk, he formed the group Electroversia, the keyboardist of which was Pavel Yesenin, the future composer and producer of the Hi-Fi group. At the same time, Tyurin met the soloist of the jazz big band Irina Tereshina (better known under the pseudonym Irina Nelson) and began to collaborate with her. Diana In 1992, he moved to Moscow, where he became a producer of the TV-show Autograph on Saturdays on Channel One, and also worked in the TV-show Up to 16 and older. In 1993 he created the project Diana, positioning Irina as a solo performer. The name was chosen in tribute to the singer Diana Ross. Over the years of the project’s existence, six records, a remix album and a compilation album The Best of Diana were released In 2002, Vyac

Weli Muhadow

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Velimuhammet Muhadov or Welimuhammet Muhadow (Turkmen Cyrillic: Велимухаммет Мухадов; ; 5 May 1916 – 6 January 2005), also known as Veli Muhadov or Weli Muhadow (Turkmen Cyrillic: Вели Мухадов; ), was a Turkmen composer. He composed numerous works, including several film scores, the regional anthem of the Turkmen SSR (which was used in the 1990s as the Turkmen national anthem), and the current national anthem of Turkmenistan. He was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the USSR in 1965, the Stalin Prize in 1951 and 1952, and the Order of Lenin twice. He was also twice a member of the Supreme Soviet. Biography Muhadow studied music from 1929 to 1933 at a boarding school in Ashgabat. Beginning in 1936 he began studies in the Turkmen Department of the Moscow Conservatory. Muhadow’s studies were interrupted in 1941 by the outbreak of World War II in the Soviet Union. Muhadow returned to Ashgabat and joined the Red Army, assigned to the 99th Rifle Division, which saw combat in the Don River basin. He was demobilized in 1943 and returned to Ashgabat to the position of choir director of the Opera and Ballet Theater. This period was marked by composition of a series of patriotic songs.

Yaya Sherfedinov

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Yaya Sherfedinov (, ; 16 March 1894 — 29 January 1975) was a Soviet-Crimean Tatar composer, musician, and poet. Born to a poor family in Feodosia, he began playing the violin at a young age. He was a graduate of the prestigious Moscow Conservatory. Before exile from Crimea, he worked in Crimea for the Crimean Radio Committee, the Crimean Tatar State Drama Theater, and the State Song and Dance Ensemble of the Crimean Tatars. When he was not composing new music, he wrote down compilations of many Crimean Tatar folksongs. In exile in Uzbekistan, he continued his musical work, and expanded to writing music for an Uzbek play, working with Uzbek composer Toʻxtasin Jalilov; however, most of his work centered around Crimean Tatar folksongs. His works spanned many themes. See also * Enver Sherfedinov References Literature * * External links * Biography at gasprinskylibrary.ru

Yekaterina Chemberdzhi

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Yekaterina Chemberdzhi (), also Katia Tchemberdji (nickname) or Jekaterina Wladimirowna Tschemberdschi (German form) (born 6 May 1960), is a Russian pianist and composer. Life and career The daughter of Vladimir Posner and Valentina Chemberdzhi and granddaughter of the composers Zara Levina and Nikolai Chemberdzhi, Katia Chemberdzhi was born in Moscow and began her study of music at age 7. In 1978 she studied composition and piano at the Moscow Conservatory with Nikolai Korndorf and Yuri Kholopov. After ending her studies, Chemberdzhi took a position from 1984 to 1990 teaching at the Moscow Gnessin State Musical College. In 1990 she moved to West Berlin. She has been active in international festivals as a pianist and as a composer. Her compositions were commissioned by such festivals as Berliner Festspiele, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Tage Neuer Musik Zürich, and performed and commissioned by such soloists and ensembles as The Hilliard Ensamble, Charoun Ensemble, Sibelius Quartet, Staats- und Domchor Berlin, Singakademie zu Berlin, Münchner Kammerorchester, Boris Pergamenschikow, Natalia Gutman, Eduard Brunner, Charles Neidich etc. She has composed film music for several Russian

Yevgeny Brusilovsky

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Yevgeny Grigoryevich Brusilovsky (; 12 November 1905 – 9 May 1981) was a Soviet and Russian composer who settled in Kazakhstan. He wrote the first Kazakh opera, co-wrote the music for the anthem of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, and was a People’s Artist of the Kazakh SSR. Early life and education Brusilovsky was born in Rostov-on-Don in 1905. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory and later at the Leningrad Conservatory, under Maximilian Steinberg. Career In 1933, he was sent to Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan (then the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic) to study the folk music of the region, and stayed there for the rest of his life. From 1934 to 1936 he was the music director of the Kazakh National Theatre, and from 1949 to 1951 the artistic director of the Philharmonic. Brusilovsky taught at the Alma-Ata Conservatory (now the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory) from 1944, becoming Professor of Composition in 1955. His students included A. Zatsepin, B. Baikadamov, M. Tulebaev, B. Yerzakovich, K. Kuzhamyarov, E. Rakhmadiyev and S. Mukhamedzhanov. Death He died in Moscow in 1981, aged 75. He was buried at the Kuntsevo Cemetery. Works Yevgeny Brusilovsky frequently used the music an

Yevgeny Krylatov

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Yevgeny Pavlovich Krylatov (; 23 February 1934 – 8 May 2019) was a Soviet and Russian composer who wrote songs for over 120 Soviet and Russian movies and animated films. Biography Krylatov was born on 23 February 1934 in Lysva in the working class family of Pavel Krylatov and his wife Zoya. After graduating he found himself impoverished, lacking work or a permit to reside in Moscow. He would go on to compose music for more than 150 feature and animated films. He died in Moscow on May 8, 2019, survived by his daughter Maria. Filmography (selection) #1961: Absolutely Seriously (Совершенно серьезно) with Anatoly Lepin and Nikita Bogoslovsky #1968: Film, Film, Film (Фильм, фильм, фильм) with Aleksandr Zatsepin #1969: Umka (Умка) #1970: Umka is Looking for a Friend (Умка ищет друга) #1970: About Love (О любви) #1971: Oh, That Nastya! (Ох уж эта Настя!) #1972: Property of the Republic (Достояние республики) #1973: Looking for a Man (Ищу человека) #1974: Woodpeckers Don’t Get Headaches (Не болит голова у дятла) #1976: The Little Mermaid (Русалочка) #1978: Three from Prostokvashino (Трое из Простоквашино) #1979: The Adventures of the Elektronic (Приключения Электроника) #1979: Aquanauts (А

Yulia Tsibulskaya

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Yulia Tsibulskaya (, , , born 15 June 1933) is a Moldovan-Russian composer. Biography Yulia Tsibulskaya was born in Leova, Romania. She graduated from the Chișinău musical school (1954), the faculty of the theory and composition of the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Leningrad Conservatory (1960). She studied folklore themes in the works of Karol Szymanowski and Frédéric Chopin. The teachers of the conservatory who determined Yulia Tsibulskaya’s further creative way were V. N. Salmanov (orchestration, composition), Alla Petrovna Maslakovets (Maria Yudina’s disciple, piano), Theodosius Antonovich Rubtsov (folklore), Alexander Naumovich Dolzhanskiy (polyphony). From 1960 till 1974, Yulia Tsibulskaya was a teacher at the Chișinău conservatory (the G. Musicescu College of Arts), from 1974 till 1977 — a scientific collaborator at the department of ethnography and art studies, attached to the Academy of Sciences of the Moldavian SSR. From 1977 till 1988, she was a musical editor in the “Literatura artistică” publishing house. At present she resides in Nuremberg, Germany. Decorations and titles * A member of the USSR Union of Composers (1977). * The N. K. Krupskaya prize from the Ministry of Educat

Yuliy Meitus

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Yuliy Serhiyovych Meitus (; 28 January 1903 – 2 April 1997, Kyiv), was a Soviet and Ukrainian composer, considered the founder of the Ukrainian Soviet opera. His early style was modernistic, later he used more traditional neo-Romantic idioms. Meitus was born in Yelysavethrad to a Jewish family. In 1919 he graduated from the School of Music in piano from Heinrich Neuhaus, and from the Kharkiv Institute of Music and Drama in the composition class of C. Bogatyrenko in 1931. During World War II he was evacuated to the Turkmen SSR. Meitus made his debut in film in 1932. He is famous for his 18 operas, a number of orchestral works and about 300 songs on Ukrainian and Russian classical poems, among them Stolen Happiness, the epic Yaroslav the Wise, Daughter of the Wind, Leila and Majnun, The Young Guard and Abakan. He was buried in the Baikove Cemetery. Awards and honors * Honored Art Worker of the Turkmen SSR (1944) * Honored Art Worker of the Ukrainian SSR (1948) * Stalin Prize, 2nd class (1951) * Two Orders of the Red Banner of Labour (1960, 1971) * People’s Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1973) * Order of Friendship of Peoples (1983) * Shevchenko National Prize (1991) * Medal “For Labour

Yuliya Veysberg

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Yuliya Lazarevna Veysberg (Yuliya Rimskaya-Korsakova) (Julia Weissberg) (b. 6 January 1880 , d. March 1, 1942) was a music critic and composer. Life and career Yuliya Veysberg was born in Orenburg, Russian Empire. She studied at the Women’s University, and in 1912 graduated from St. Petersburg Conservatory where she studied composition under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. From 1912 to 1914 she continued her studies in Berlin with Engelbert Humperdinck and Max Reger. She returned to St. Petersburg and subsequently married Andrey Rimsky-Korsakov, musicologist and son of Rimsky-Korsakov, and from 1915 to 1917 served on the editorial board of, and contributed reviews to, the first Russian music magazine, Muzïkal’nïy sovremennik, which the couple founded. She and her son, Vsevolod Rimsky-Korsakov, died in World War II during the Siege of Leningrad conducted by Nazi German troops. Works Veysberg’s compositions included vocal works, a symphony, a scherzo, and a fantasia. Selected works include: *At Night (symphonic poem for orchestra) *Chinese songs *Chanson d’automne: Les sanglots longs, op. 2 (Zwei Lieder) no. 1 (Text: Paul Verlaine) *Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit, op. 2 (Zwei Lieder) no. 1

Yuno Avshalumov

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Yuno Zakharyevich Avshalumov ( ; 1934–1981) was a Soviet composer, conductor, and teacher of Mountain Jewish descent. In recognition of his contributions to Soviet culture, he was honored with the titles of “Honored Worker of Culture of the Dagestan ASSR” (1967) and “Honoured Cultural Worker of the RSFSR” (1981). Biography Yuno Avshalumov was born in Derbent, Dagestan ASSR, into the family of Zakharyo Avshalumov, the director of the Judeo-Tat Theatre. When the Great Patriotic War began, Yuno Avshalumov was seven years old. His house grew quiet and empty as his father and friends left for the front. Life became very difficult. In Derbent, as in the rest of the country, hunger prevailed. Zakharyo Avshalumov, Yuno Avshalumov’s father, died during the war. Despite the hardships of war and famine, Yuno Avshalumov dreamed of learning to play a musical instrument. In 1943, his mother sent him to study under the talented clarinetist Mukhoil, who taught him to play the tar. In 1952, he enrolled in the Makhachkala Music College, specializing in choral singing and conducting. During his third year, Yuno Avshalumov was called up for service in the Soviet Army, where he served in a musical plat

Yuri Falik

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Yuri (Yury ) Alexandrovich Falik (; July 30, 1936, Odessa, USSR – January 23. 2009, Saint-Petersburg, Russia) was a Russian composer, orchestral conductor, cellist, a board member of the Leningrad (Saint-Petersburg) branch of the Composers’ Union, and People’s Artist of Russia. Biography Childhood and youth Yuri Falik was born into a family of orchestral musicians. His father Alexander Efimovich Falik played percussion in the Odessa Opera’s orchestra and his mother Yevgenia Mikhailovna worked at the Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre. During his early childhood, Falik was often present at orchestra rehearsals and opera productions, easily memorising and humming the music he heard. He and his mother were evacuated to Kyrgyzstan during World War II, while his father volunteered on the front lines of the war until he was killed in 1942. The family tragedy and traumatic experiences of his early childhood strongly influenced not only Falik’s personality but also his art. After returning to Odessa in 1944, he started his cello studies under the guidance of David Abramovich Mevzhinsky, his late father’s friend from the Odessa Opera House symphony orchestra. The following year, Falik entered h

Yuri Kasparov

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Yuri Sergeyevich Kasparov (born 8 June 1955, in Moscow, —his name is variously transliterated) is a Russian composer, music teacher and a professor at the Moscow Conservatory where he had studied for his doctorate under Edison Denisov. Under the patronage of Denisov, he founded the Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble in 1990 and is its artistic director. He is the chairman of the Russian section of the International Society for Contemporary Music. Life In 1978, Kasparov graduated from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute with a degree in engineering. He graduated with a second degree in music from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory (usually called simply the Moscow Conservatory) in 1984 and went on to complete his post-graduate studies there in 1991. Between 1985 and 1989, he worked for the Russian State Central Studio of Documentary Films as editor-in-chief for music. His music has been recorded by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the National Radio Orchestra of Romania, and Ensemble Contrechamps of Switzerland, and has featured on CDs released on the Olympia and Harmonia Mundi labels. In 2007, Kasparov was awarded Honored Art Worker of Russia by order of the Russian Preside

Yuri Khanon

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Yuri Khanon is a pen name of Yuri Feliksovich Soloviev-Savoyarov (), a Russian composer. Prior to 1993, he wrote under a pen name Yuri Khanin, but later transformed it into Yuri Khanon, spelling it in a pre-1918 Russian style as ХанонЪ. Khanon was born on June 16, 1965, in Leningrad. In 1988, he became a laureate of the European Film Awards (Felix Award), and in 1989, he won the Nika Award, a Russian cinematographic award. Due to his numerous concerts throughout Russia, as well as to TV and cinema appearances, Khanon reached the peak of his popularity in 1988–1992, but in 1993, decided to stop performing in public. Yuri Khanon is not just a composer; he is also a writer, a philosopher, a painter, a studio pianist, and a botanist-selectionist. Khanon is author of libretto and texts of almost all his works. His grandfather was Mikhail Savoyarov, a comic actor and composer, who was very famous in St.Petersburg (Petrograd) on the eve of the Revolution of 1917. Khanon became famous in 1988–1991. During this period he composed soundtracks to three films, gave numerous concerts, had several appearances on TV and published a series of articles and interviews. Many of his performances yield

Yuri Shaporin

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Yuri Alexandrovich Shaporin () (8 November 1887 – 9 December 1966), PAU, was a Soviet composer. Two Stalin Prizes first degree (1941, 1946). Stalin Prize second degree (1952). Biography Shaporin was born in Glukhov in the Russian Empire (now in Ukraine). His father was a painter and his mother a pianist. He received his secondary education in Saint Petersburg. He first studied philology at Kiev University and went on to study law at Saint Petersburg University. He then turned to music, starting his studies at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1913. His teachers there included Nikolay Sokolov (composition), Maximilian Steinberg (orchestration), and Nikolai Tcherepnin (conducting). He graduated as a composer and conductor in 1918. After the Bolshoi Drama Theater was established in 1919, he served as its musical director until 1928. He then worked with the Russian State Pushkin Academy Drama Theater — also known as the Alexandrinsky Theater — until 1934. During this period he composed a significant amount of theater music. He was a founding member of the Association for Contemporary Music in 1923. During the 1930s Shaporin turned his attention to large scale works. His opera Dekabr

Yury Chernavsky

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Yury Alexandrovich Chernavsky (; March 17, 1947 – 29 September 2025) was a Russian producer, composer and songwriter. Chernavsky was a member of performance rights organisations such as GEMA, BMI, and RAO, and had also been recognized as an Honored Artist of the RSFSR. Education While living in Russia, he obtained professional musical education in the First Music College in Tambov city, the Rachmaninov Tambov State Academy of Music (class of violin), and the Tambov Branch of the Moscow State University of Culture and Arts (composition, arrangement). After relocation to the United States, he took master classes, SE-Hollywood (composer, producer, audio-movie business). He demonstrated a virtuosity in arrangement and in playing violin, saxophone, keyboards, flute and East Asian exotic instruments. Professional career Work in the USSR From 1969 to 1983, Chernavsky was fully involved in concert activities. In 1969–1973, Yury performed in jazz orchestras of Boris Rensky, Oleg Lundstrem, Leonid Utyosov, etc. In 1973–1975, he was a lead saxophone and arranger in the State Orchestra of Azerbaijan, which at that time was compiled of the best jazz stars in the Soviet Union. Since 1976, a new

Zacharia Paliashvili

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Zacharia Petres dze Paliashvili (), also known by his Russian name Zachary Petrovich Paliashvili (; 3 August 1871 – 6 October 1933), was a Georgian composer. Regarded as one of the founders of Georgian classical music, his work is known for its eclectic fusion of folk songs and stories with 19th-century Romantic classical themes. He was the founder of the Georgian Philharmonic Society and later, the head of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. The Georgian National Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi was named in his honor in 1937. Notably, Paliashvili’s music serves as the basis of the National Anthem of Georgia. Although Paliashvili has composed works for symphony orchestra (e.g., Georgian Suite on Folk Themes), he is probably best known for his vocal music, which includes operas Abesalom da Eteri (based on a folk tale “Eteriani”), Daisi (Twilight), and Latavra. Biography Family and youth Paliashvili was born on 16 August 1871 in Kutaisi in the family of Petre Ivanes dze Paliashvili (1838–1913), an elder at the Kutaisi Georgian Catholic Church, who was said to be a model father and husband. Zacharia’s mother was Maria Pavles asuli Mesarkishvili (1851–1916). Zacharia was the third chi

Zagir Ismagilov

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Zagir Gharif uly Ismagilov (January 8, 1917 – May 30, 2003) was a Soviet Bashkir composer and pedagogue. He was granted the title People’s Artist of the USSR in 1982, and was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union since 1943. The performing arts center in Ufa, Russia is named after him. The first rector and founder of the Ufa Institute of arts (1968–1988) (associate professor since 1973, professor since 1977). Biography The son of a woodcutter, the composer was born January 8, 1917, in the village of Sermenevo. In 1932 he went to study at the Inzer wood-chemical school. He graduated early and began working in Beloretsk lespromhoz appraiser. In 1935, Arslan Mubaryakov invited him to take part in the Bashkir Academic Drama Theatre, Ufa, where he played in the evenings as a quray player (musician). During the days he studied at the music studio, which opened in Ufa (1936). In 1937, Ismagilov went to study at the Bashkir studio of the Moscow Conservatory. After the war, he finished training in the studio in 1948, then became part of the music composition faculty at the Moscow Conservatory. Ismagilov became chairman of the Union of Composers of the Bashkir Republic in 1958. An

Zakir Baghirov (composer)

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Zakir Javad oghlu Baghirov (, March 16, 1916–January 8, 1996) was an Azerbaijani composer, professor, and Honored Art Worker of the Azerbaijan SSR. Biography Zakir Baghirov was born on March 16, 1916, in Shusha. After graduating from the Moscow State Conservatory in 1949, he worked as a teacher at the Hajibeyov Azerbaijan State Conservatoire. From 1970 he was the head of the department of music theory. He has been a member of the Composers Union of Azerbaijan since 1950, as well as a member of the Board of this union. In different years, he worked as the art director of the Muslim Magomayev Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall, the art director of the Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of the Republic, the chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Music Foundation. For the first time in 1935, Zakir Bagirov, together with composer Tofig Guliyev, wrote and published mughams “Rast”, “Dugah” and “Zabul” performed by tar player Mirza Mansur Mansurov. He is also one of the authors of the collection “Azerbaijani folk dances” (1951). Z. Baghirov died on January 8, 1996, in Baku. Awards and honorary titles * Honored Art Worker of the Azerbaijan SSR — May 24, 1960 * Order of the Bad

Zara Levina

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Zara Aleksandrovna Levina (27 June 1976) was a Soviet pianist and composer. Levina was born in Simferopol on 5 February 1906 and was raised under a Jewish family. She studied piano in the Odessa Conservatory, which she passed with a gold medal. She graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1932, where she studied piano and composition. Levina mainly wrote choral works (mostly romances and children’s songs) among other vocal music, as well as two piano concertos and solo piano works. Motifs can be heard throughout her works from famous composers – Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Beethoven and Schumann – composers whom she had admired since young. Both of her piano concertos have been recorded, as has her 1928 first violin sonata (by David Oistrakh). She was married to the composer (1903–1948). She died on 27 June 1976 in Moscow, aged 70. Recordings * 2017 Zara Levina: The Piano Concertos, Capriccio C5269 ** Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Ariane Matiakh, conductor; Maria Lettberg, piano soloist * 2019 Zara Levina: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; Violin Sonata; Poeme; Canzonetta; Hebrew Rhapsody, Capriccio C5356 ** Maria Lettberg, piano; Yury Revich, violin; Gernot Adrion, viola; Rin

Zhanna Kolodub

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Zhanna Yukhymivna Kolodub (; 1 January 1930 – 28 August 2025) was a Ukrainian composer and teacher, beginning as lecturer at the Kyiv Conservatory in 1952 and as professor from 1997. Her major compositions are ballets and orchestral works; she also wrote vocal compositions, chamber music, piano works and film scores. Her work has been described as having “fearless emotionalism and melodic clarity”. In 2010 she received the gold medal from the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine. Work Kolodub’s major compositions are the ballets Snow Queen and Adventures of Vesnianka, the orchestral piece Lyrical Scenes of Kiev, Pictures of Nature for chamber orchestra, works for string orchestra, piano music, a wind quartet and other chamber music especially for winds. Vocal compositions include choral music, musicals, songs and film scores. Further reading * Алексеева С. Наша Жанна Колодуб Our Zhanna Kolodub . // Розповіді про музику Stories About Music .— К., 1980. * Клин В Klyn, B . Фортепіанні концерти Piano Concerts // Музика Music .— 1974.— No. 3. * Черкашина-Губаренко М. Cherkashina-Gubarenko, M. Творчі дебюти Жанни Колодуб Creative Debuts of Zhanna Kolodub .— К., 1999. * Муха, Антон. Композ

Zhanna Pliyeva

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Zhanna Vasil’yevna Pliyeva (; 10 February 1949 – 22 January 2023) was a Soviet and Russian composer and pianist. Life Zhanna Pliyeva was born in Tskhinvali, Southern Ossetia. She studied music at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, Leningrad, with Dmitry Svetozarov for piano and with Orest Yevlakhov and Alexander Mnatsakanian for composition. In 1979 she worked as an assistant to Sergey Slonimsky, and later as an orchestra musician, researcher, and teacher, and from 1979 to 1985 as director of the Tskhinvali School of Music. After 1990 she became a full-time composer. Honors and awards *Prize-winner in the All-Union Composers ‘Competition in 1977 *Prize-winner in the Tokyo International Composers’ Competition, 1993 *Honoured Artist of Republic of Northern Ossetia-Alania, 1993 *President of the Presidium of the Georgian Music Society, 1989-90 Works Pliyeva’s works are often based on the folklore of the Mountain People of the northern Caucasus. She has composed for stage, orchestra, and choral, instrumental and vocal solo performance. Selected works include: *Children of the Sun (children’s opera, 2, Georgy Dzugayev), 1981 *Fatima (ballet), 1982-84 *The Passion of Adam (passion p

Zlata Tkach

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Zlata Moiseyevna Tkach (née Zlata Beyrihman; Russian: ; ; ; 16 May 19281 January 2006) was a Moldovan composer and music educator. She was the first woman to become a professional composer in Moldova. Biography Zlata Beyrihman was born in the Bessarabian village of Lozova to Moisey Bentsionovich Beyrihman and his wife Freida Mendelevna Koifman. When Zlata was still a young child the family moved to Chișinău, where she went to the Romanian primary school for girls and studied violin from her father. After finishing elementary school, Zlata went to the grammar school ‘Regina Maria’ in Chișinău. During World War II, Zlata was evacuated with her mother to Central Asia, but was separated from her in transit and ended up in the city of Namangan in Uzbekistan, where there was typhus and typhoid fever. Zlata stayed in a Drogobycha orphanage and went to secondary school. During this time, she composed her first song, “Sailors”. In 1943 she was reunited with her family after the liberation of the city, and returned to Chișinău. In 1949, Zlata married the Moldovan musicologist Efim Markovich Tkach (1926–2003), who was an author and editor of books in Russian and Moldovan. In 1953, their son L