Short bio Osvaldas Balakauskas
Full biography Osvaldas Balakauskas
Osvaldas Balakauskas was a Lithuanian composer, born on January 19, 1937. He is regarded as one of the most significant contemporary Lithuanian composers, with a career spanning over five decades. Balakauskas started his music studies at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) in 1955 and later continued his education at the Moscow Conservatory under the guidance of renowned composers such as Tikhon Khrennikov and Nikolai Rakov.
Throughout his career, Balakauskas experimented with various musical genres, including chamber music, symphonies, concertos, vocal and electronic music, among others. He was particularly interested in exploring the relationship between sound and space, leading him to create works that were often interactive and multimedia installations.
Balakauskas was also an active educator, serving as a professor of composition at the LMTA for over three decades, and mentoring a new generation of Lithuanian composers. His contributions to Lithuanian music were celebrated with numerous awards and honors both locally and internationally, including the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts, the French Order of Arts and Letters, and the Polish Gloria Artis Gold Medal for Cultural Merit.
Balakauskas sadly passed away on July 28th, 2019 at the age of 82, leaving behind a rich and diverse body of work that continues to inspire and influence new generations of composers.
Compositions featuring Osvaldas Balakauskas
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Betsafta 2, for cello solo, 2 violins, viola, cello & piano | 13:48 min | Chamber Music | 2009 |
| 2 | Rex Re, for flute, violin, viola & piano | 12:02 min | Chamber Music | 2000 |
| 3 | Concerto Brio, for violin & orchestra | 23:38 min | Concerto | 1999 |
| 4 | Dal vento, for cello & piano | 10:12 min | Chamber Music | 1999 |
| 5 | Requiem in memoriam Stasys Lozoraitis, for mezzo-soprano, chorus & orchestra | 52:50 min | Choral | 1995 |
| 6 | Retrospective 2, for cello & piano | 16:16 min | Chamber Music | 1994 |
| 7 | Ostrobothnian Symphony | 21:38 min | Symphony | 1990 |
| 8 | Concerto for oboe, harpsichord & strings | 17:36 min | Concerto | 1981 |
| 9 | Ludus modorum, for cello & orchestra | 14:37 min | Concerto | 1972 |
| 10 | Concertino for piano & strings | 9:24 min | Concerto | 1966 |
| 11 | Nine Springs, for violin, cello & piano | 7:32 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 12 | Symphony No. 5 | 30:04 min | Symphony | - |
| 13 | Symphony No. 4 | 33:04 min | Symphony | - |
| 14 | String Quartet No 2 | Chamber Music | - | |
| 15 | Rain for Cracow, for violin & piano | 11:21 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 16 | Maggiore-Minore, for violin & piano | 10:24 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 17 | Like The Touch of a Sea Wave, for violin & piano | 9:24 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 18 | Bop-Art, for cello & piano | 7:55 min | Chamber Music | - |
Albums featuring Osvaldas Balakauskas
| # | Сover | Name album | Year | Music label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Osvaldas Balakauskas, Chordos String Quartet – Styginių Kvartetai = String Quartets(CD, Album, Stereo) | 2020 | NoBusiness Records |
| 2 |  |
Erasmus(CD, Compilation) | 2018 | Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre |
| 3 |  |
Kutavičius, Balakauskas, Martinaitis, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra – Kutavicius︱ Balakauskas ︱Martinaitis(CD, Album) | 2017 | Telos Music |
| 4 |  |
David Geringas, Osvaldas Balakauskas – Retrospective: David Geringas Plays Osvaldas Balakauskas(CD, Album) | 2013 | Profil Edition Günter Hänssler |
| 5 |  |
Musica Humana, Algirdas Vizgirda - Bach / Narbutaitė / Martinaitis / Balakauskas – Untitled(2×CD, ) | 2013 | Prior Records |
| 6 |  |
St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra - Osvaldas Balakauskas – Music By Osvaldas Balakauskas(CD, Album) | 2011 | Not On Label |
| 7 |  |
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Juozas Domarkas, Petras Geniušas - Alexander Scriabin / Osvaldas Balakauskas / John Adams – Le Divin Poème / Tetra / Harmonielehre / Century Rolls(2×CD, Album) | 2010 | Prior Records |
| 8 |  |
Balys Dvarionas / Vytautas Bacevičius / Osvaldas Balakauskas - Birutė Vainiūnaitė, Lietuvos Valstybinis Simfoninis Orkestras, Lietuvos Nacionalinis Simfoninis Orkestras, Julius Geniušas, Alvydas Šulčys, Juozas Domarkas – Koncertas Fortepijonui Ir Orkestru | 2008 | Lietuvos Radijas |
| 9 |  |
Anatolijus Šenderovas, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Arvo Pärt, Tõnu Kõrvits, Osvaldas Balakauskas - Reinbert Evers, Robert Aitken (2), St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, Donatas Katkus – Mirage: Baltic Compositions For Guitar And Orchestra(CD, ) | 2007 | ambitus |
| 10 |  |
Andrius Vasiliauskas - J. Švedas, V. Montvila, F. Bajoras, B. V. Kutavičius, O. Balakauskas – Lietuvių Kompozitorių Fortepijono Muzika(CD, Album) | 2007 | Aurea |
| 11 |  |
Osvaldas Balakauskas - Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Juozas Domarkas – Symphonies Nos. 4 And 5 | 2005 | Naxos |
| 12 |  |
Kutavičius, Narbutaitė, Merkelys, Balakauskas, Urbaitis – Vėl (Lithuanian Chamber Music 1991 - 2001)(CD, Album) | 2004 | Guild |
| 13 |  |
Osvaldas Balakauskas, Judita Leitaitė, Vilnius Municipal Choir, Christopher Chamber Orchestra Of Vilnius, Donatas Katkus – Requiem (In Memoriam Stasys Lozoraitis) | 2004 | Naxos |
| 14 |  |
Osvaldas Balakauskas / St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, Vilnius, Donatas Katkus – Concertos For Violin, Cello, Piano, Oboe & Harpsichord(CD, Album) | 2000 | BIS |
| 15 |  |
Chamber Music: As If Floating Within The Blue Space(CD, Album) | 1999 | ASV |
| 16 |  |
Andrius Vasiliauskas - Jonas Švedas, Vytautas Montvila, Feliksas Bajoras, Bronius Kutavičius, Osvaldas Balakauskas – Piano Music By Contemporary Lithuanian Composers(Cassette, Album) | 1996 | Tembras |
| 17 |  |
Peteris Vasks, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas, Balakauskas, Narbutaite – Stimmen And Other Baltic Works For String Orchestra Vol. 1(CD, Album, Stereo) | 1995 | Finlandia Records |
| 18 |  |
Schnittke / Balakauskas / Barkauskas / Pärt - Rusné Mataityté, Margrit Julia Zimmermann – Sonata No 1(CD, ) | 1995 | Proudsound Records |
| 19 |  |
Works By Osvaldas Balakauskas(CD, Compilation) | 1995 | 33 Records (2) |
| 20 |  |
The Vilnius Chamber Orchestra , Conductor Donatas Katkus - A. Corelli / A. Jasenka / T. Albinoni / O. Balakauskas – Classical Music And Contemporary Lithuanian Music(Cassette, Album) | 1994 | Tembras |
| 21 |  |
Antroji Simfonija. Orgija. Katarsis. Koncertas Obojui, Klavesinui Ir Styginiams | 1986 | Мелодия |
| 22 |  |
Birutė Vainiūnaitė - V. Laurušas / B. Kutavičius / F. Bajoras / O. Balakauskas – Kūriniai Fortepijonui(LP) | 1985 | Мелодия |
| 23 |  |
Osvaldo Balakausko Kūriniai | 1980 | Мелодия |
| 24 |  |
O. Balakauskas, A. Rekašius, J. Domarkas – Simfonija / Diafonija / Kapričio(LP) | 1978 | Мелодия |
Videos featuring Osvaldas Balakauskas
Osvaldas Balakauskas - Simfonija
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Osvaldas Balakauskas - Kūriniai / Compositions
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Lithuanian classical composers – Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra
BRONIUS KUTAVIČIUS – Dzūkian Variations for chamber orchestra
OSVALDAS BALAKAUSKAS – Concerto for oboe, harpsichord and strings
JURGIS JUOZAPAITIS – Concerto for viola and strings - Viola vs Violence
ALGIRDAS MARTINAITIS – „Musikalisches Opfer“ for tenor,
Osvaldas Balakauskas - Gaida
BIRUTĖ VAINIŪNAITĖ [LTU] - Lietuvių kompozitorių kūriniai fortepijonui (1985)
Melodiya, C10-22333-006
http://progresyvusisrokas.blogspot.com
Osvaldas Balakauskas - Orgija
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