I have just come across this Russian composer on a disc of arias sung by the Russian tenor Sergei Lemeshev, so thought I would share as (a) I have never heard of him and (b) I rather liked the piece and (c) to ask if anyone else knows anything about him. In Russian - Юрасовский, Александр Иванович.
The piece on the disc is Billy's aria, from his opera "Trilby". I have since found that this is also uploaded to youtube here -
, where there is a note saying:
Billy's Aria from "Trilby" was recorded by Sergei Lemeshev in 1928, while
he was singing with the Opera of Harbin, Manchuria. It is one of a number
of records made by the soloists and chorus of the Harbin company over a
period of two weeks in May of that year. The records were made for the
Victor Company by their travelling engineers, and capture Lemeshev at the
beginning of his career, before he became a leading artist at the Bolshoi.
The opera was composed by A. I. Yurasovsky. In his autobiography Lemeshev
refers to "Trilby" as an "opera-melodrama" which had great popularity in
the '20s. He says the composer died when he was quite young. Apparently
Lemeshev sang in this opera in both Harbin and Tiflis. In Tiflis his
partners were Glafira Zhukovskaya as Trilby and Alexander Pirogov as
Svengali. Lemeshev particularly admired Pirogov's characterization of
Svengali.He is listed on
http://www.russiancomposers.org.uk/page1276.html as "Yuranovsky" but I believe this is a mistake.
On
http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc_music/8906/Юрасовский it says (in Russian):
Russian composer and conductor. Grandson of violinist VZ Salina, the son of opera singer N. Salina. Piano lessons under EP Savina and VN-Demyanova-Shatsky, on musical and theoretical subjects and compositions took lessons from PN Renchitskogo, Grechaninov and PM Glier. Graduated Law Faculty of Moscow University (1913). He made his debut as a conductor in 1912 (Moscow, Sokolniki circle). In 1914-17 was in the ranks of the Russian Army (in Galicia). In 1918-21 he conducted public symphony concerts in Kharkov, Odessa, Rostov-on-Don. In 1919 at the initiative of Yurasovsky a symphony orchestra was created in Smolensk (until 1921 he was its conductor). In 1921 he was the head of the Muzo Glavpolitprosvet Commissariat of the RSFSR. He transcribed for orchestra Rachmaninov's 2nd suite for 2 pianos, and a number of Rachmaninov's preludes (Suite of Preludes, Op. 23 No 3, 4, 10, Op. 32, No 12, 13).
Compositions:
-- opera
Trilby (from the novel by Jean du Maurier, libretto by composer)
-- for orchestra
Spring Symphony (1918)
Symphonic poem Ghosts (1912)
Suite (1922)
Pastel (2 Pictures, 1911)
Symphonic fragment In the Moonlight (1911)
Poem-concerto for piano and orchestra (1918)
-- for chamber-instr. ensembles
Dramatic sonata vlch. and piano. (1911)
PT. Trio (1911)
-- for piano
4 Preludes (1910)
6 improvisations (1915) 3 ensembles for women 's voices with AF. (1913) for voice and piano
6 The way of love songs (lyrics by A. Allyn, 1912)
3 songs (lyrics by Nekrasov, 1913),
14 recitations to music
music for productions of dramas, including "The Prince and the manor" (1914)If anyone knows anything else, please do share.
(an image of the CD where I found this can be seen here -
http://music.tonnel.ru/index.php?l=music&alb=30050 )
