This composer works successfully in all musical genres. The songs of Alexander Zhurbin are known to radio listeners in all corners of modern Russia. He wrote music for films and theatrical performances.
Starting conditions
The future composer was born on August 7, 1945 in an ordinary Soviet family. Parents lived in the famous city of Tashkent. Father, Boris Markovich Gandelsman, a technician-lieutenant, was engaged in aircraft maintenance at a military airfield. Mother, Ada Aleksandrovna Zhurbina worked as an engineer at an aircraft repair enterprise. The child's musical abilities were manifested at an early age. When it was time to go to school, Alexander was enrolled in a specialized ten-year music school. He studied well. I managed to communicate with peers and play sports.
In 1963, having received a certificate of maturity, the young man entered the Tashkent Conservatory to study cello. As a student, he actively participated in social and cultural events. I tried my hand at composing music. Experienced teachers noted his efforts and advised him to continue education in this vein. After graduating from the conservatory, Alexander went to Moscow and entered the composing department of the Gnessin Music and Pedagogical Institute.
In the creative field
In the early 70s, the graduated composer moved to the cultural capital of the country, the city of Leningrad. He defended his thesis here and changed the surname Gendelsman to a simpler one Zhurbin. During that period, the attention of the entire music world was riveted on Andrew Webber's rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar". An aspiring Soviet composer could not just dismiss this phenomenon. Zhurbin set a specific goal for himself, and in 1975 the premiere of the rock opera Orpheus and Eurydice took place on the stage of the Leningrad Conservatory. The main parts were performed by Albert Asadullin and Irina Ponarovskaya.
Zhurbin has worked effectively in a variety of musical genres. Five symphonies came out from under his pen. His concertos for cello, violin and piano and orchestra became classics. In musical educational institutions, students hone the technique of performance on the works of Zhurbin. For ten years, starting in 1990, Zhurbin lived and worked in America. The outstanding composer was sheltered by the many-sided city of New York. Career in the new place was developing quite successfully, but after the terrorist attack in September 2001, the composer decided to return to his native land.
Recognition and privacy
During his long creative life, Zhurbin wrote more than two hundred pop songs. The composer was actively involved in the creation of musical scores for films and television projects. For his great contribution to the development of Russian culture, Zhurbin was awarded the honorary title "Honored Artist of the Russian Federation".
The maestro's personal life took shape on the second attempt. In the first marriage with a colleague in the workshop Laura Quint, a son, Philip, was born. But this did not save the family from disintegration. The composer still lives with his second wife, Irina Ginzburg. The son of Leo is a musician. Lives and works in New York. Alexander Zhurbin continues to engage in musical creativity.
