Balasanian, Sergei

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Balasanian, Sergei

Balasanian, Sergei, Tadzhik composer; b. Ashkhabad, Aug. 26, 1902; d. Moscow, June 3, 1982. He studied at the Moscow Cons., graduating with a degree in music history in 1935. From 1936 to 1943 he was mainly active in Tadzhikistan, then was in charge of radio programming there. In 1948 he joined the faculty of the Moscow Cons., serving as chairman of the composition dept. from 1962 to 1971. He was one of the founders of the national school of composition in Tadzhikistan. In his works, he made use of native folk motifs, in ingenious harmonic coloration.

Works

DRAMATIC: Opera: The Revolt of Vose (1939; rev. 1959); The Blacksmith Kova (1941); Bakhtyor and Nisso (1954). ballet:Leyly and Medzhnun (1947); Shakuntala (1963). ORCH.: 4 symphonic suites on Central Asian folk motifs; Armenian Rhapsody (1944); The Islands of Indonesia (1960). OTHER: Numerous choruses, songs, and instrumental pieces.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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