Hello, friends!
I am certain that since you have visited my website, you are my friends. Or, at the very least, you think well of me and want to learn something new and interesting about me.
If that is the case—come on in! All doors are open to you here! Feel free to visit all the sections, click all the buttons, listen to the music snippets, and read about me and my work. And, of course, write to me. Share anything you want to know or discuss on my Facebook page.
I will try to reply whenever I have the time. Please don’t be offended if I stay silent for long stretches—it just means I am very busy, which is a good thing. If I ever start updating my blog every single day, it means I am no longer needed as a composer.
So, hello once again! And welcome!
Yours, Alexander Zhurbin
Who am I?
Aleksandr Borisovich Zhurbin (known as Gandelsman until 1972) was born on August 7, 1945, in Tashkent to a family of engineers. He graduated from the Tashkent Conservatory in cello performance, then from the Gnesin Institute in composition, and later completed his postgraduate studies at the Leningrad Conservatory, where his dissertation focused on the late symphonies of Gustav Mahler.
Zhurbin authored numerous musicals and the first Soviet rock opera, Orpheus and Eurydice (1975). Following its release, a flood of commissions came his way from television, singers, cinema, and theaters. Zhurbin went on to compose music for nearly 70 films and TV series, including Squadron of Flying Hussars, Moscow Saga, and Heavy Sand.
From 1990 to 2002, the composer lived with his family in New York, where in 1992 he founded the first Russian-American theater, “Wandering Stars.” In 2002, he returned to Russia. In 2003, Zhurbin was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
