Alexander Borisovich Zhurbin (Алекса́ндр Бори́сович Журби́н; born August 7, 1945, in

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) is a prolific Russian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. His first success came in 1975 with a rock-opera, ''

Orpheus and Eurydice In Greek mythology, the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice () concerns the pitiful love of Orpheus of Thrace, located in northeastern Greece, for the beautiful Eurydice. Orpheus was the son of Oeagrus and the Muse Calliope. It may be a late addition ...

,'' which had 2000 consecutive performances in the

former Soviet Union The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

. He has composed scores for over 50 feature films and 40 musicals. He also has worked on multiple musical pieces including opera, musicals, symphonies and movie soundtracks. His songs have been performed by famous artists from

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

, such as Russian pop icon

Alla Pugacheva Alla Borisovna Pugacheva (, ; born 15 April 1949) is a Russian singer and songwriter. Her career began in 1965 and continues to this day, although she retired from performing in 2010 after the international concert tour "Dreams of Love". For her ...

, and Estonian singer Jaak Jola. Zhurbin is a laureate of the

Ovation Award The Ovation Awards were a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They were given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Win ...

in the Living Legend category.

Biography

Alexander Borisovich Zhurbin was born in Middle Asian part of USSR. He graduated from Special Music School in 1963. In 1969 he graduated from

Tashkent Conservatory Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

as a

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

and Gnessin Music College as a composer. He undertook

postgraduate studies Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

as a

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, where he in 1973 completed his

candidate of science A Candidate of Sciences is a PhD-equivalent academic research degree in all the post-Soviet countries with the exception of Ukraine, and until the 1990s it was also awarded in Central and Eastern European countries. It is officially classified ...

dissertation on the Symphonies of

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

. Zhurbin's first big success came in 1975 with his rock-opera ''

''. This work represented a pioneering achievement in the Soviet Union and received widespread acclaim. It achieved over two thousand consecutive performances, with more than two million copies of the associated record sold. Zhurbin was honored with numerous international awards for 'Orpheus and Eurydice', notably receiving the 'Star of the Year' accolade in Great Britain. The musical enjoyed widespread popularity across the Soviet Union, with more than 3,000 concurrent performances. It was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the longest-running musical featuring the original cast. He has composed scores for over 50 feature films, including '' Dead Man's Letters'' and ''

Perestroika ''Perestroika'' ( ; rus, перестройка, r=perestrojka, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg, links=no) was a political reform movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s, widely associ ...

''. His extensive oeuvre includes eight operas and three ballets, which have been performed in premier Russian venues, including the Leningrad National Opera and the Moscow Chamber Opera. His prolific contribution to musical theatre has included more than forty musicals, all of which continue to be staged across the former Soviet Union. Some have exceeded 2,000 performances. Zhurbin and his family have lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

since 1990. He served as a composer-in-residence at the 92nd Street "Y" and a professor at Touro college. In 1992 he founded the Russian-American Theater "Wandering Stars", which became an important cultural force in the Russian-speaking community and produced nine large-scale theatrical productions, six of them with his music. His musical ''How It Was Done in Odessa'' was a critical success at the

Walnut Street Theatre Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1808 at 825 Walnut Street, on the corner of S. 9th Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, is the oldest operating theatre in the United States. The venue is operated by Walnut Str ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, in 1991 and had an eight-week sold-out run with good reviews. Among his compositions written in the USA were Cello Concerto, Violin Concerto, Symphony # 3 and 8, an opera "Good Health, Your Majesty", and a cantata "A Part of Speech", with lyrics by

Joseph Brodsky Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky (; ; 24 May 1940 – 28 January 1996) was a Russian and American poet and essayist. Born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union, Brodsky ran afoul of Soviet authorities and was expelled ("strongly ...

, as well as songs, jingles and commercials. In 1996, an evening of Zhurbin's music was presented in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

(Weill Recital Hall), performed by

Kristjan Järvi Kristjan Järvi (, alternate (U.S.) spelling: Kristian Järvi) (born 13 June 1972) is an Estonian conductor, composer and producer. Born in Tallinn, Estonia, he is the younger son of the conductor Neeme Järvi and brother of conductor Paavo Jär ...

and the Absolute Ensemble. Zhurbin's latest theater works are the musicals "Shalom, America" (after Sholom Asch), "Camera Obscura" (after

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov ( ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Rus ...

), "Wandering Stars" (after Sholom Aleikhem). He has written several major theatrical works, including "Mousetrap" (a musical after

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

);

Humiliated and Insulted ''Humiliated and Insulted'' (, ''Unizhennye i oskorblyonnye'') — also known in English as ''The Insulted and Humiliated'', ''The Insulted and the Injured'' or ''Injury and Insult'' — is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, first published in 1861 i ...

(opera after

Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influenti ...

); and "

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...

"–

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

after

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

. All were produced in Moscow, St Petersburg and another cities. He scored the mini-series "

Moscow Saga ''Moscow Saga'' () is a Russian television series loosely based on the eponymous trilogy Vasily Aksyonov. The shooting took place in the winter and spring of 2004. It aired from 11 October to 12 November 2004 on Channel One Russia. Plot ''Moscow ...

", based on the novel by

Vasily Aksyonov Vasily Pavlovich Aksyonov ( rus, Васи́лий Па́влович Аксёнов, p=vɐˈsʲilʲɪj ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ ɐˈksʲɵnəf; August 20, 1932 – July 6, 2009) was a Soviet and Russian novelist. He became known in the West as the autho ...

. In June of 2013, he was one of the founders of the Russian independent music companies, Gala Records Group, which was transformed into Warner Music Russia later on. In 2015, an extended, two-and-a-half month festival of his works was presented, covering opera, musical, symphony, rock, film, and performances of his first four symphonies. It included the premiere of his Fifth Symphony "Speak, Memory!", and the premiere of his opera "Melkiy Bes" (Petty Demon), based on Sologub. A new opera by Zhurbin, "Love's Metamorphosis", was premiered in May 2017 at the Moscow Musical Theater, Nemirovich-Danchenko. In the 2020-2021 season, a festival "Serious and Light", commemorating Zhurbin's 75th birthday, ran from September 2020 to February 2021. Works performed included the premieres of operas "Anna K." and "Happy Day", the premiere of his Sixth Symphony ("Con Programma Letterale"), and vocal and chamber music works. In 2023, his musical "Dybbuk: Between Two Worlds" received a world premiere in Moscow at the "Estrada" Theatre to critical acclaim. In 2024, he had secured a contract with Warner Chappell Music In 2024, he received the Silver Medal from the Global Music Awards for his Symphony No. 5.

Personal life

Zhurbin is married to the poet, translator and writer Irina Ginzburg. His son, Lev Zhurbin, is a composer and performer living in New York. In response to claims that he is a member of the

United Russia The All-Russian Political Party United Russia (, ) is the Ruling party, ruling List of political parties in Russia, political party of Russia. As the largest party in the Russian Federation, it holds 325 (or 72.22%) of the 450 seats in the St ...

party, in an interview on Radio Liberty dated 21 November 2023, he categorically stated that he had never been a member of any political party, including United Russia.

List of Works

Symphonic and Chamber Works

*Op. 1 – Quartet No. 1 *Op. 2 – "Cactus" – a folk tale for low voice and piano, text by V. Sosnora *Op. 3 – Three Romances for medium voice & piano *Op. 4 – "Fall of 1942" for voice and piano, text by A. Faynberg *Op. 5 – Romance "Music" for high voice and piano, text by William Shakespeare. *Op. 6 – Suite for piano. *Op. 7 – Suite for flute, oboe, clarinet & bassoon. *Op. 8 – Sonatina for viola and piano *Op. 9 – Cantata "Russia, year 1111" for choir, soloists and orchestra, text by V. Sosnora *Op. 10 – Song Cycle "Seven Soldier Songs" for baritone and piano. *Op. 11 – Concertino for Oboe and String Orchestra *Op. 12 -- "Children's Games", suite for string orchestra. *Op. 13 – "In Memory of the Heroes", fantasy for large orchestra. *Op. 14 – "Chorale and Allegro" for bayan *Op. 15 – "Wooden Fair" – Romance for high voice, text by Rudolf Barinsky *Op. 16 – Song Cycle "A Poet's Love", based on poems of R. M. Rilke, translated by T. Silman *Op. 17 – "Improvisation and Toccata" for violin and piano *Op. 18 – Sonata for piano *Op. 19 – "Polyphonic Suite" for three flutes *Op. 20 – Quartet No. 2 *Op. 21 – "Three Picasso Drawings" *Op. 22 – "Prelude, Gavotte and Scherzo" for bayan/accordion *Op. 23 – "Poeme" for French Horn and piano *Op. 24 – "Polyphonic Partita" for string Quartet *Op. 25 – "The Ratcatcher" Cantata, poems by M. Tsvetaeva *Op. 26 – Symphony No. 1 "Sinfonia Concertante" (four movements) *Op. 27 -- "Toccata" for bayan *Op. 28 – Sonata for Double Bass and Piano *Op. 29 – "Meeting with Lenin" – Symphonic-Choral Poem *Op. 30 – Three Sonatas for Bayan *Op. 31 – Symphony No. 2 "Sinfonia Giocosa" *Op. 32 – Concerto for Viola and Orchestra *Op. 33 – Songs for Children, texts by V. Suslov & M.Raykin *Op. 34 – Song Cycle "From German Folk Poetry" *Op. 35 – "The People's Earth" – oratorio *Op. 36 – "Winter Songs" – six duets for mezzo-soprano and baritone, texts by Russian poets *Op. 37 – "Fantasy and Fugue" for bayan *Op. 38 – "Two Friends" – Poem for Orchestra and Vocalists, texts by A. Tvardovsky and R. Gamzatov *Op. 39 – "Velimir" – four songs on poems by V. Khlebnikov *Op. 40 – "Five Poems by Konstantin Batyushkov" – for mezzo-soprano, flute, horn and harp. *Op. 41 – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (3 *Op. 42 – Sonata for Cello and Piano *Op. 43 – Piano Quintet *Op. 44 – "Mashkerad", for choir a capella, texts by A. Sumarokov *Op. 45 – "Marina" – seven songs, poems by M. Tsvetaeva *Op. 46 – "Dithyrambe" for cello and chamber ensemble *Op. 47 – "Three Muses" – suite for viola, double–bass and harpsichord *Op. 48 – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra *Op. 49 – Symphony No. 3 "Sinfonia Romantica" *Op. 50 – "Part of Speech" – Cantata for Choir, poems by J. Brodsky in English & Russian *Op. 51 – "Three Madrigals", poems by W. Shakespeare *Op. 52 – Concerto for Violin and Orchestra *Op. 53/1 "Musica Drammatica" for string orchestra. *Op. 54/20 – "Musica Piccola" for string orchestra *Op. 55/24 – "Musica polyphonica" for string orchestra *Op. 56 – "The Poet" – song cycle, poems by M. Tsvetaeva *Op. 57 – Symphony No. 4, "Sinfonia Tragica" / "City of The Plague" for soloists, mixed choir and large orchestra, in nine movements. *Op. 58 – Symphony No. 5 "Sinfonia bizzarra" ("Speak, Memory!") – for large orchestra and four soloists (violin, viola, cello and piano), in fifteen movements. *Op. 59 – "Love" – song cycle, poems by M. Tsvetaeva and O. Mandelshtam *Fine Fantasy For Fadolín Solo (2020) *Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia con programma letterale" (2020) *Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia semplice" *Three Muses for Fadolín Trio *Symphony No. 8 "Patchwork Symphony" *Three Muses for Woodwind Quartet (unperformed) *Symphony No. 9 "Sinfonia Ludena" (unperformed) *Symphony No. 10 "Divine Tragedy" (unperformed) *Clarinet Quintet (2024) (unperformed)

Compositions for Musical Theater

Thea-opus 1 – “Let’s play Prince and The Pauper!” – musical for children and adults based on the novel by Mark Twain (Libretto by L. Losev with Y. Mikhailov) Thea-opus 2 – “The Twins from Thebes” (“Someone named Heracles”) – Libretto by L. Losev with Y. Mikhailov) Thea-opus 3 – “Orpheus & Eurydice” – rock opera based on a play by Y. Dimitrin Thea-opus 4 – “Broken Mirror, or a New Pauper’s Opera” – opera based on themes of “Threepenny Opera” by B. Brecht. Libretto by V. Verbin Thea-opus 5 – “Three Brothers” – a Russian comedy based on folk tales. Libretto by V. Sinakevich, V. Skvirskiy, lyrics by V. Uflyand Thea-opus 6 – “A Cunning Girl in Love” – musical based on a play by Lope de Vega. Libretto by A. Zhurbin and M. Levshin Thea-opus 7 –– “The Moon and the Detective” – opera based on stories by V. Lipatov. Libretto by Y. Dimitrin Thea-opus 8 – “Zsuzsa from Budapest” – comedy based on a play by L. Zhukhovitsky, libretto by L. Zhukhovitsky and R. Rozhdestvensky, lyrics by R. Rozhdestvensky Thea-opus 9 – “Penelope” – musical based on a play by B. Ratser and V. Konstatnitov. Libretto by B. Ratser and V. Konstatnitov. Thea-opus 10 – “The Red Bird” – ballet for children. Libretto by M. Azov and V. Tixvinsky. Thea-opus 11 – “Captain Fracas” (Le Captaine Fracasse)– musical based on a novel by T. Gautier, libretto by Y. Golyakov Thea-opus 12 – “The Trap” – ballet based on “Threepenny Opera” by B. Brecht. Libretto by I. Gaft Thea-opus 13 – “Agent 00” – musical based on a play by G. Borovik, libretto by G. Borovik Thea-opus 14 – “Wedding in Old Age” – musical based on the play “Retro” by A. Galin, libretto by G. Fere Thea-opus 15 – “The Frump” – musical based on a play by E. Braginsky and E. Ryazanov. Libretto by Y. Ryashentsev Thea-opus 16 – “Impatience” – opera based on a novel by Y. Trifonov. Libretto by Y. Trifonov and O. Trifonov-Miroshnichenko Thea-opus 17 – “Spell out the sum in words” – musical based on stories by O’Henry – Libretto by G. Sapgir and L. Khait Thea-opus 18 – “The Marriage” – ballet based on the play by N. Gogol. Libretto by M. Bergtolz. Thea-opus 19 – “The Drayman and the King / Sunset”) – musical on the play by Isaac Babel. Libretto by A. Eppel. Thea-opus 20 – “Naples Story” – musical based on Lope De Vega’s “The Dog in the Manger”. Libretto by P. Gradov Thea-opus 21 – “Fiorenza” – musical tragedy based on a novel by Thomas Mann. Libretto by P. Grushko Thea-opus 22 – “An Unknown Love of Napoleon” – musical based on the play “The Man of Destiny” by Bernard Shaw. Libretto by G. Fere Thea-opus 23 – “The Glass of Water”—musical based on a play by Eugène Scribe. Libretto by B. Ratser and V. Konstantinov Thea-opus 24 – “Animal Farm” – musical based on a story by George Orwell, libretto by S. Task Thea-opus 25 “Good Health to the Tsar!” – operetta for children based on Russian Fairy Tales. English Libretto by E. Rael Thea-opus 26 – “The Nervous Splendor” – musical after a book by Frederic Morton. Libretto by B. Liss Thea-opus 27 – “Shalom, America!” – musical based on the novel “Uncle Moses” by Sh. Ash. Libretto by B. Ratser Thea-opus 28 – “The Lips (Camera Obscura)” – musical based on the novel by V. Nabokov. Libretto by V. Mishin Thea-opus 29 – “Wandering Stars” – musical based on the novel by Sholom Aleichem. Libretto by B. Ratser Thea-opus 30. “The Farewell Concerto” – musical poem for theater – in memoriam V. Kozin, Libretto by M. Bartenyev and E. Isaeva Thea-opus 31 – “The Mouse Trap” – musical detective tale based on the play by Agatha Christie. Libretto by O. Ivanova and lyrics by L. Gulyakin Thea-opus 32 – “The Insulted and Humiliated” – musical based on a novel by F. Dostoyevsky. Libretto by V. Verbin Thea-opus 33 – “A New Teacher for Fools” – musical based on the play “Fools” by Neil Simon. Libretto by S. Task Thea-opus 34 -- “Eight Women” – musical detective story based on a play by Robert Thomas. Libretto by E. Isaeva Thea-opus 35 – “Learomania” – rock opera based on the play “King Lear” by Shakespeare. Libretto by V. Prokhanov Thea-opus 36 – “The Dybbuk” – musical based on a play by S. An-Sky. Libretto by V. Starchevsky Thea-opus 37 – “Doctor Zhivago” – musical based on the novel by B. Pasternak. Libretto by M. Bartenyev Thea-opus 38 – “A Purely Russian Murder” – musical detective tale based on a play by V. Krasnogorov. Libretto by V. Krasnogorov Thea-opus 39 – “Dead Souls” – musical poem based on the poem by N. Gogol. Libretto by O. Ivanova and A. Butvilovsky, with A. Zhurbin Lyrics by S. Plotov Thea-opus 40 – “The Seagull” – musical based on a play by A. Chekhov. Libretto by V. Zhuk Thea-opus 41 -- “French Marriage” – Libretto by G. Spektor and G. Gelovani Thea-opus 42 – “Caesar and Cleopatra” – musical based on a play by Bernard Shaw. Libretto by Zh. Zherder with A. Zhurbin Thea-opus 43 – “Albert & Giselle” – Libretto by Y. Ryashentsev, G. Pollidi and A. Zhurbin. Lyrics by Y. Ryashentsev Thea-opus 44 – “The Waiting List (A Man and a Woman)” – Libretto by A. Mardan. Lyrics by A. Mardan and S. Plotov. Thea-opus 45 – “The Petty Demon” ¬– opera based on the novel by F. Sologub and a play by V. Semenovsky. Libretto by V. Semenovsky and A. Zhurbin Thea-opus 46 – “The Minor” – musical based on a play by D. Fonvizin. Libretto by L. Yakovlev Thea-opus 47 – “Anna K” – opera based on the novel “Anna Karenina” by L. Tolstoy. Libretto by A. Rodionova, S. Plotov and A. Zhurbin Thea-opus 48 – “The Nutcracker and The Mouse King” – musical on the fable by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Libretto by Zh. Zherder with A. Zhurbin Thea-opus 49 – “The Metamorphosis of Love”. Three one-act operas: “Faithfullness”, “Adultery” and “Erotica”. Libretto by A. Levshin and A. Zhurbin based on historical themes. Thea-opus 50 -- "Happy Day" Libretto by M. Marfin, based on Hans-Christian Andersen, premiered in Moscow in 2021 Thea-opus 51 -- "The Courtesan" Libretto by S. Plotov and V. Starchevsky

Literary works

2021 -- "The Great Tenth" 2020 -- "Backstage Secrets and other tales" 2016 -- "Of Times, Of Music and of Myself" 2014 -- "My History of Music, or a Musical Crossroads" 2011 -- "My Musical Life" 2007 -- "Sounds of Musical" (audiobook) 2006 -- "Orpheus, Eurydice, and I" 2005 -- "A Composer, writing words" 2002 -- "AlexanderZhurbin.composer" 1999 -- "How It Was Done In America -- Autobiographical Notes"

References

External links

Alexander Zhurbin's Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhurbin, Alexander 1945 births 20th-century Russian classical composers Soviet classical composers 21st-century Russian classical composers American people of Russian descent Gnessin State Musical College alumni Living people Musicians from Tashkent Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Russian male classical composers 20th-century Russian male musicians 21st-century Russian male musicians Male musical theatre composers