Osvaldas Jonas Balakauskas (born December 19, 1937 in Miliūnai) is a

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

of classical music and diplomat.

Career

Balakauskas graduated from

Vilnius Pedagogical University Vytautas Magnus University Education Academy ( lt, Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Švietimo akademija or VDU ŠA) – an academical unit of Vytautas Magnus University, which specialized in preparing school teachers and other educators. Located i ...

in 1961. After his mandatory service in the Soviet Army between 1961 and 1964, he studied composition with

Boris Lyatoshinsky Borys Mykolayovych Lyatoshynsky ( uk, Бори́с Миколáйович Лятоши́нський ()), also known as Boris Nikolayevich Lyatoshinsky (russian: Бори́с Николаевич Лятоши́нский), (3 January 189515 Apr ...

and

Myroslav Skoryk Myroslav Mykhailovych Skoryk ( uk, Мирослав Михайлович Скорик; 13 July 1938 – 1 June 2020) was a Ukrainian composer and teacher. His music is contemporary in style and contains idioms from diverse sources including G ...

at the

Kiev Conservatory Pyotr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine ( uk, Національна музична академія України імені Петра Чайковського) or Kyiv Conservatory is a Ukrainian state institution of higher music e ...

until 1969. From 1992 to 1994 he was the ambassador of

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

(resident in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

). In 1996 he was awarded with the Lithuanian National Award, the highest artistic and cultural distinction in Lithuania. He is currently head of the Composition Department of the

Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a state-supported conservatory that trains students in music, theatre, and multimedia arts. History Composer Juozas Naujalis founded a music school in 1919 in Kaunas. This ...

. His output consists of

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

concertos A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typi ...

, chamber and

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

music.

Music

Important works include ''Sonata of the Mountains'' inspired by the paintings of

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis ( pl, Mikołaj Konstanty Czurlanis – ) was a Lithuanian painter, composer and writer. Čiurlionis contributed to symbolism and art nouveau, and was representative of the fin de siècle epoch. He has been ...

(1975), Symphony No. 2 (1979), ''Opera Strumentale'' (1987) and Symphonies No. 4 (1998) and No. 5 (2001), the last two named works having been recently recorded by

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...

Selected works

;Stage *''Komunarų gatvė'' (Street of Communards), chamber opera (1977) *''Zodiakas'' (Zodiac), film-ballet (1984) *''Makbetas'' (Macbeth), ballet (1988) *''La Lointaine'', chamber opera (2002) ;Orchestral *Symphony No. 1 (1973) *Symphony No. 2 (1979) *Symphony No. 3 ''"Ostrobothnian Symphony"'', for string orchestra (1989) *Symphony No. 4 (1998), recorded by

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best abr ...

(8.557605, 2005) *Symphony No. 5 (2001), recorded by

(8.557605, 2005) *''Opera Strumentale'' (1987) ;Concertante *Concertino for piano and string orchestra (1966) *''Ludus Modorum'' for cello and chamber orchestra (1972) *''Kalnų sonata'' (Sonata of the Mountains) for piano and orchestra (1975) *''Passio Strumentale'' for string quartet and orchestra (1980) *Concerto for oboe, harpsichord and string orchestra (1981) *''Sinfonia Concertante'' for violin, piano and orchestra (1982) *''Concerto RK'' for violin and chamber orchestra (1997) *''Concerto Brio'' for violin and orchestra (1999) *''Capriccio'' for piano and orchestra (2004) *Concerto for clarinet and string orchestra (2008) *''Seasons'' for 2 pianos and string orchestra (2009) ;Chamber music *Sonatas for violin and piano (1969; No. 2, 2005; Februar Sonata, 2012) *''Kaip marių bangos prisilietimas'' (Like the touch of a sea wave) for violin and piano (1975) *''Medis ir paukštė'' (The Tree and the Bird) for viola and piano (1976) *''Do nata'' for cello or viola and tape (1982) *''Lietus Krokuvai'' (Rain for Cracow) for violin and piano (1991) *''Maggiore-Minore'' for violin and piano (1994) *''La Valse'' for solo violin (1997), after the concerto for oboe, harpsichord and string orchestra *''Corrente'' for flute, viola and piano (2005) *''Duo concertante'' for viola and piano (2007) *''Trio concertante'' for flute, viola and piano (2008) ;Choral *''Requiem in memoriam Stasys Lozoraitis'' (1995), recorded by

(8.557604, 2004)

Footnotes

References

Osvaldas Balakauskas
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre.
List of works - Osvaldas Balakauskas
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre. {{DEFAULTSORT:Balakauskas, Osvaldas 1937 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Lithuanian classical composers Recipients of the Lithuanian National Prize Ambassadors of Lithuania to France Ambassadors of Lithuania to Spain Ambassadors of Lithuania to Portugal Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences alumni Academic staff of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre Musicians from Vilnius Male classical composers Twelve-tone and serial composers 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians NoBusiness Records artists