Yevgeny Brusilovsky


Yevgeny Grigorievich Brusilovsky was a Soviet and Russian composer who settled in Kazakhstan. He wrote the first Kazakh opera, co-wrote the music for the Anthem of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, and was a People's Artist of the Kazakh SSR.

Early life and education

Brusilovsky was born in Rostov-on-Don, Russia in 1905. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory and later at the Leningrad Conservatory, under Maximilian Steinberg.

Career

In 1933 he was sent to Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan to study the folk music of the region, and stayed there for the rest of his life. From 1934 to 1936 he was the Music Director of the Kazakh National Theatre, and from 1949 to 1951 the Artistic Director of the Philharmonic. He founded the Abay Opera House in 1934.
Brusilovsky taught at the Alma-Ata Conservatory from 1944, becoming Professor of Composition in 1955. His students included A. Zatsepin, B. Baikadamov, M. Tulebaev, B. Yerzakovich, K. Kuzhamyarov, E. Rakhmadiyev and S. Mukhamedzhanov.

Death

He died in Moscow in 1981, aged 75. He was buried at the Kuntsevo Cemetery.

Works

Yevgeny Brusilovsky frequently used the music and legends of Kazakhstan in his compositions. They include: