Virko Baley
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Viroslav Petrovych Baley (born October 21, 1938, known by the
diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...
Virko) is a Ukrainian- American composer, conductor, and pianist. He was born in Radekhiv in Poland (now in Ukraine), the only child of Petro (Peter) and Lydia Baley. Petro Baley was sent to
Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...
following the German invasion of Poland in 1939, and he and extended family were relocated to
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
. The family was reunited on a farm in Germany towards the end of the war to work as farm laborers, after which they relocated to
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
. From 1947 to 1949, the family lived in a displaced person's camp in
Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
, Germany. Baley began his formal music training in Germany. He studied at the Los Angeles Conservatory (renamed the
California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...
). He retired from the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...
with the rank of Distinguished Professor of Music Composition after an academic career there lasting 46 years. Baley is the former conductor of the Nevada Symphony Orchestra and was the guest conductor of the Kiev Camerata in Ukraine. He also co-directs Nevada Encounters of New Music, and collaborates with the New Juilliard Ensemble in New York. Baley composed the score to the 1991 Ukrainian film ''Swan Lake, The Zone''. In Spring 2007, Baley was commissioned by the Ukrainian Research Institute at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
to write his opera ''Hunger''.Vegas As a producer, and through his record label TNC, Virko Baley has released a series of
compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...
s containing rare recordings of the pianist
Sviatoslav Richter Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet and Russian classical pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time,Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his interpreta ...
and of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, the latter earning him a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
. Baley has written articles on musical topics and is a contributing editor to ''
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...
'' and ''
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...
''. From 1980 to 1995, He co-founded the Nevada Symphony Orchestra and was its music director from 19711985, and from 1975 to 1987 was the music director of the Las Vegas Chamber Players.


Partial discography

*Jurassic Bird (Cambria CD-1077) *Orpheus Singing (Cambria CD-1087) *Dreamtime (Cambria CD-1090) *Symphony No. 1: Sacred Monuments" (Cambria-1505 CD) *Treny" for two cellos and soprano" (Cambria-1508 CD) *X-Treme Violin" (Cambria CD-1510) *Parables and Reflections; music for bassoon and piano" (Cambria CD) with other composers *20th Century Concert Etudes (Titanic CD-Ti-199); Eugene Gratovich, violin; features the work "Figments for violin solo" *"A Tree in Your Ear" (Cambria CD); Stephen Caplan, oboe; features the work "Orpheus Singing" *"Artyomov/Baley/Silvestrov/Ives: Orchestra Works" (Russian Disc / Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga CD); features the work "Violin Concerto No. 1; quasi una fantasia"; Yuri Mazuekevich, violin **Kiev Camerata, Vol. 2" (Cambria CD); features the work "Adam's Apple" as conductor/performer *Cantatas: Valentin Silvestrov" (Cambria CD); with the Kiev Camerata and Lidia Stovbun *The Body of a House: music of Walter Blanton" (Cambria CD); Kiev Camerata; New World Brass Quintet: Walter Blanton, trumpet; Timothy Bonenfant clarinet; Marcus Reddick, percussion; Miles Anderson, trombone; Erika Sharp, electric violin; Roy James, percussion; "Rite of Passage"; "Locust Dance"; "Bleecker Street Romance"; "Concertino for Trumpet and Small Orchestra"; "Wind Songs"; "Whales"; "The Body of a House" *Dies Irae: Valentin Bibik" (Cambria CD-1405); Kiev Camerata; Grigory Vershavsky, organ; Alexander Shustin, violin; Natalia Bibik, piano; Viktoria Bibik, piano; "Symphony No. 7, op. 50"; "Sonata for violin and piano, op. 111"; "Dies Irae: Thirty-nine variations for piano, op. 97"; *Transfigured Night (Kiev Camerata, Vol. 1)" (Cambria CD); features the works "Verklärte Nacht" by Arnold Schoenberg; "Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201 (K. 186a)" by Wolfgang A. Mozart; "Symphony No. 10 in F sharp minor" by Gustav Mahler *Kiev Camerata, Vol. 2" (Cambria CD); "Concerto for chamber orchestra in E flat major ('Dumbarton Oaks')" by Igor Stravinsky; "Siegfried Idyll" by Richard Wagner; "Concertino for 9 instrumentalists" by Ivan Karabyts; "Intermezzo for violin & orchestra" by Valentin Silvestrov; "Adam's Apple" by Virko Baley *Eclipse-Music of Bernard Rands" (Cambria CD); Kiev Camerata; Thomas Paul, bass; "London Serenade"; "Madrigali (after Monteverdi/Berio)"; "Canti Dell'Eclise" *Mozart's Last Thoughts" (Cambria CD); Kiev Camerata; David Gresham, bassett clarinet; features Mozart's works "Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622"; "Adagio and Fugue for string quartet (or string orchestra) in C minor, K. 546"; "Fugue for 2 pianos in C minor, K. 426": "Symphony No. 41 in C major ('Jupiter'), K. 551" *"Artyomov/Baley/Silvestrov/Ives: Orchestra Works" (Russian Disc / Mezhdunarodnaya Knig;MK 417116 CD); Yuri Mazuekevich, violin; Mykola Suk, piano; Elissa Stutz, piano; "Concert of the Thirteen" by Vyacheslav Artyomov: "The Fourth of July" by Charles Ives: "Postludium for piano and orchestra by Valentin Silvestrov: "Violin Concerto No. 1; quasi una fantasia" by Virko Baley


Partial list of works

*Partita No. 5 for flute and piano (2012) *Hunger Opera in one act (1985; 1995–97; 2004- ) *Persona III (Luisa Triana) for flute and castanets (2008) *Partita No. 4 for clarinets and piano (2005) *Songs Without Words for solo instrument and piano (2004–2012) *Emily Dickinson Songbooks (2001–2008) *Symphony No. 2: "Red Earth" for an orchestra of soloists (2004) *Et lux perpetua... (rest in peace) (2004) *Dreamtime Suite No. 4 for chamber orchestra (1999–2000) *Persona II (after Boris Lyatoshynsky) for clarinet solo (1999–2000) *A Journey After Loves: A song-cycle for baritone and piano (1999) *Symphony No. 1: Sacred Monuments (1985; 1997–1999) *Klytemnestra, a dramatic scene (1997–98) *Persona I for oboe solo (1997) *Treny I - IV for 2 celli & soprano (1996–99; rev. 2002) *Treny II for solo bassoon (or bass clarinet) (1997) *Treny IA for solo contrabassoon (or B♭ contrabass clarinet) (1996) *Orpheus Singing" for solo oboe (or clarinet) and string orchestra (or string quartet or piano) (1994) *Nocturnal No. 6" for piano (198?) *Nocturnal No. 5" for piano (1980) *Sculptured Birds" for clarinets and piano (1979/1989-90) *Nocturnal No. 4" for piano (1976?) *Nocturnal No. 3" for three pianos (197?) *Nocturnal No. 2" for piano (196?) *Nocturnal No. 1" for piano (196?) *Violin Concerto No. I "Quasi una fantasia" (1987) -Yuri Mazurkevich, violin; the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra, Virko Baley (conductor); recording: 1981 by Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga (MK 417116)


See also


Official website
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Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baley, Virko 1938 births Living people Ukrainian classical composers University of Nevada, Las Vegas faculty Soviet emigrants to the United States Soviet expatriates in Germany