Balys Dvarionas

Balys Dvarionas, OldStyleDate|19 June|1904|6 June in Liepaja — 23 August 1972 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian and Soviet composer, pianist, conductor and educationalist. Dvarionas displayed himself as a composer after World War II. His works are abundant with romanticism, and the pieces are based on folk songs.

Biography

Balys Dvarionas was born in a big family of an organist. Along with his ten sisters and brothers, Dvarionas was taught music from his very childhood. Later Dvarionas had private lessons from Alfrēds Kalniņš, the famous Latvian composer. After completing the middle school of commerce, Dvarionas worked as an organist and a conductor of Youth Choir of Lithuanian Society in Liepaja. In 1920, Dvarionas went to Leipzig, where he studied piano under Robert Teichmüller at the Conservatory and attended special music theory and composition courses held by Stephan Krohl and Sigfried Karg - Elert. After graduating from the Conservatory in 1924, Dvarionas came back to Kaunas, Lithuania where he performed his first recital, and afterwards spent two years studying piano in Berlin under Egon Petri, a famous German pianist.

Balys Dvarionas was a synthesis of talents in piano, teaching, conducting and composing. They bloomed almost all at once and B.Dvarionas soon became one of the most famous personalities in Lithuanian music. From 1924 on he performed throughout Lithuania, and in 1928 he began to perform abroad. In 1926 he began teaching at the Kaunas Music School (since 1933 — Lithuanian Conservatory) and in 1949 he started working at the Music Academy in Vilnius, where he continued teaching until the end of his life. Dvarionas was awarded a professor's title in 1947. Over 50 pianists graduated Prof. B.Dvarionas’ class. Dvarionas's pupils: conductor Rimas Geniušas, pianists Liucija Drąsutienė, Aleksandras Jurgelionis, Gražina Ručytė-Landsbergienė, Halina Znaidzilauskaitė.

In 1930s, Dvarionas emerged as a conductor as well. He attended conductors' courses in Salzburg and in 1939 he passed his examinations as an external student at the Conservatory in Leipzig. From 1935 until 1938 Dvarionas was a conductor of Kaunas Radiophone Orchestra. In 1939 he established the Vilnius City Orchestra together with the well-known Lithuanian architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis, and worked as a conductor there until the Lithuanian Philharmonic Orchestra was established, where he occupied a position of a head conductor in 1940-1941 and 1958-1964.

The last time B.Dvarionas appeared on stage, May 12, 1972 with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra at the Philharmonic Hall, he played Mozart’s Concerto and conducted Schubert’s Mass. He was tormented by a harsh illness and died in August 23, 1972. Balys Dvarionas is buried at the cemetery in Palanga, a seaside resort town in western Lithuania, where B.Dvarionas loved to spend summers and composed many pieces at his cottage (address: Birutės al.6).

Works

Dvarionas composed miscellaneous works ranging from opera, ballet, symphony to music for films and theatres. Balys Dvarionas, together with another famous Lithuanian composer Jonas Švedas, was vested in composing music for the Anthem of Lithuanian SSR.

Dvarionas's musical works are distinctive for their melody, emotionality, familiar motives from folk tunes. In spite of developing the musical images, the composer prefers exposition and juxtaposition of various musical ideas. The music by Dvarionas seems extemporaneous but natural, flexible in rhythmics, and makes an impression of clear and colourful mood.

The composer commented his style like this in 1971: "My aesthetic ideals were formed under the influence of 19th century romanticism, and I believe in the musician’s vocational call to spread beauty, good, harmony, to educate people and to raise them above the routine. I believe that people who say this type of view is behind the times are wrong. The ideals of human good have remained unchanged over many thousands of years: love, truth, freedom and friendship. To serve them is not a step backwards".

Most notable works by Balys Dvarionas:
* Ballet "Matchmaking (Piršlybos)", (presented 1933).
* Variations for bassoon and orchestra, 1946.
* Symphony in E minor "I Bow To Native Land (Lenkiuos gimtajai žemei)", 1947.
* Concerto for violin and orchestra, 1949.
* Opera "Dalia", 1957 (presented 1959).
* 2 Concertos for piano and orchestra, 1960 and 1962.
* Concerto for French horn and orchestra, 1963.
* Various piano pieces: "24 pieces in all tonality", "Winter Sketches", "Little Suite", etc.
* Various violin pieces
* Songs for solo voice and accompaniment, choir

External links

* [http://www.mic.lt/09_05.htm Biography]
* [http://www.mic.lt/index2.html Scores by Balys Dvarionas]
* [http://www.dvarionas.lt/competition/index.php International Balys Dvarionas Competition for Young Pianists and Violinists]