Vlasov, Vladimir (Alexandrovich)

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Vlasov, Vladimir (Alexandrovich)

Vlasov, Vladimir (Alexandrovich), Russian conductor, ethnomusicologist, and composer; b. Moscow, Jan. 7, 1903; d. there, Sept. 7, 1986. He studied violin at the Moscow Cons., then was active as a teacher. In 1936 he traveled to Frunze, Kirghizia, where he diligently went about collecting authentic songs of the natives. In collaboration with Vladimir Fere, similarly intentioned, he wrote a number of operas based on Kirghiz national melorhythms supplied by local musicians. These included: Altin kiz (The Golden Girl; Frunze, May 1, 1937); Aychurek (Moon Beauty; Frunze, May 1, 1942); Za schastye naroda (For the People’s Happiness; Frunze, May 1, 1941); Sin naroda (A Son of His People; Frunze, Nov. 8, 1947); Na beregakh Issikhkulya (On the Shores of Lake Issik; Frunze, Feb. 1,1951); Vedma (The Witch; 1961); etc. He also composed two operettas and several ballets, two cello concertos, three string quartets, a Suite for Folk Instruments (1955), and more than 1,000 songs.

Bibliography

V. Vinogradov, A. Maldibayev, V V, Vladimir Fere (Moscow, 1958).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire