Andrei Pavlovich Petrov (; 2 September 1930, Leningrad – 15 February 2006, Saint Petersburg) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He was named a

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный арти ...

in 1980. Andrey Petrov is known for his music for numerous classic Soviet films such as ''

Walking the Streets of Moscow ''Walking the Streets of Moscow'' (''I Walk Around Moscow'', ) is a 1964 Soviet romantic comedy film directed by Georgiy Daneliya and produced by Mosfilm studios. It stars Nikita Mihalkov, Aleksei Loktev, Yevgeny Steblov and Galina Polskikh. Th ...

'', '' Beware of the Car'', and ''

Office Romance ''Office Romance'' () is a 1977 Soviet comedy film directed by Eldar Ryazanov. The film's plot is based on the stageplay ''Co-workers'' (') written by Ryazanov and Emil Braginsky, and tells the story of Ludmila Kalugina, head of a statistical bur ...

''.

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 The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory () (formerly known as the Petrograd Conservatory and Leningrad Conservatory) is a school of music in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members ...

under Orest Yevlakhov. Petrov is known for his work in various genres; he wrote a number of

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s and

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

s, 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 Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; ; born January 27, 1948) is a Latvian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male ...

among its first performers. Petrov also scored over eighty films, including the Soviet-

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...

. He also founded and served as the general director of a music festival in Saint Petersburg. He won numerous prizes and awards; on May 22, 1998, he was made an honorary citizen of Saint Petersburg. In 1993 a small planet, asteroid 4785 (Petrov) was named after him. Petrov's wife, Natalya Yefimovna, was a well-known

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 ...

; his only daughter, Olga, co-wrote a number of his later works. Andrey Petrov died in Saint Petersburg; he is buried at the

Volkovo Cemetery The Volkovo Cemetery (also Volkovskoe) ( or Во́лково кла́дбище) is one of the largest and oldest non- Orthodox cemeteries in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Until the early 20th century it was one of the main burial grounds for Lutheran ...

Selected works

Film music (selected)

*'' Amphibian Man'' (1961) *''

'' (1964) *''

Thirty Three 33 may refer to: *33 (number) * 33 BC *AD 33 *1933 * 2033 Science * Arsenic, a metalloid in the periodic table * 33 Polyhymnia, an asteroid in the asteroid belt Music * La 33, a Colombian salsa music band Albums * ''33'' (Luis Miguel album) ( ...

'' (1965) *'' Beware of the Car'' (1966) *'' His Name Was Robert'' (1967) *'' Fair Wind, "Blue Bird"!'' (1967) *''

Zigzag of Success ''Zigzag of Success'' (, translit. ''Zigzag udachi'') is a 1968 Soviet comedy film directed by Eldar Ryazanov. The film tells the story of how in a small-town photo studio, a young photographer's scheme to win big in the lottery sparks chaos ...

'' (1968) *''

Vremya ''Vremya'' (, lit. "Time") is the main evening newscast in Russia, airing on Channel One Russia (Russian: , Pervy kanal) and previously on Programme One of the Central Television of the USSR (CT USSR, Russian: ). The programme has been on th ...

'' (1970; TV) *'' Grandads-Robbers'' (1971) *'' Taming of the Fire'' (1972) *'' The Blue Bird'' (1976) *'' White Bim Black Ear'' (1977) *''

'' (1977) *'' Autumn Marathon'' (1979) *'' Say a Word for the Poor Hussar'' (1981) *''

Station for Two ''Station for Two'' () is a 1983 Soviet romantic comedy directed by Eldar Ryazanov. The film became the List of Soviet films of the year by ticket sales, Soviet box office leader of 1983 with a total of 35.8 million ticket sales. It was entered in ...

'' (1982) *'' A Cruel Romance'' (1983) *''

Forgotten Melody for a Flute ''Forgotten Melody for a Flute'' () is a 1987 Soviet romantic comedy-drama film directed by Eldar Ryazanov. The film's plot is based on the stage play of the same name written by Ryazanov and Emil Braginsky. A high-ranking bureaucrat, torn be ...

'' (1987)

Other works

* "Poem" for 4 Trumpets, Organ, Strings, and Timpani * Ballet "The Creation of the World" (1968) * Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1983) * Symphony-Fantasy "

The Master and Margarita ''The Master and Margarita'' () is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, written in the Soviet Union between 1928 and 1940. A censored version, with several chapters cut by editors, was published posthumously in ''Moscow (magazine), Moscow'' magazine in ...

" (1984) * Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1990)

Honours and awards

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree 442. Until the re-establishment of the Order of St. Andrew in 1998, it was the highest order of ...

; **3rd class (2 September 2005) – for outstanding contribution to the development of national musical culture, and many years of creative activity **4th class (29 August 2000) – for his great personal contribution to the development of national musical art *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

(1985) *

State Prize of the Russian Federation The State Prize of the Russian Federation, officially translated in Russia as Russian Federation National Award, is a state honorary prize established in 1992 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. In 2004 the rules for selection of laureates ...

(1995) * Award of the President of the Russian Federation (1999) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

(1967) *

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

(1967 and 1976) *

(1980) *

People's Artist of the RSFSR People's Artist of the RSFSR (, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, actors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achiev ...

(1976) * Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR (1972) * Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg (Resolution of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg № 104 of 22 May 1998)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petrov, Andrey 1930 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Russian male musicians 21st-century Russian male musicians Composers from Saint Petersburg Academicians of the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Russia Academicians of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences "Nika" Honorary members of the Russian Academy of Arts Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni Members of the Central Committee of the 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, 1967–1971 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, 1971–1975 People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Nika Award Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the USSR State Prize State Prize of the Russian Federation laureates Male film score composers Male opera composers Male operetta composers Russian ballet composers Russian film score composers Russian male classical composers Russian opera composers Soviet film score composers Soviet male classical composers Soviet opera composers Burials at Volkovo Cemetery