Mark Belodubrovsky, a Versatile Contemporary Composer, Violinist and Educator

Abstract

Mark Belodubrovsky is one of the most accomplished contemporary composers living presently in Moscow who has written a substantial amount of solo, chamber and vocal musical compositions of high quality, which are performed in Russia and in a number of other countries. His musical output is especially noted for its versatility of different styles of music: some of his compositions are traditional and romantic in their style and tonal in their harmony, with a strong infl uence of Russian folk music which the composer actively employs in a number of his compositions, while other works follow innovative avant-garde trends and incorporate serialism, including serial rhythm, sonoristics, aleatory technique and a number of other techniques. Some of his compositions are very accessible to a broad audience, containing memorable melodic and rhythmic traits, while others are written in a highly complex language, based on musical experimentation, comprehensible for the most part to a sophisticated audience well-versed in avantgarde trends in music. Some of his works are based on extroversive theatrical gestures and even contain comic elements, while others bear an inner philosophical discourse. Nonetheless, both of these contrasting features combine together to express a highly original style of the composer’s music which cannot be mistaken for that of anybody else. Belodubrovsky is known and highly regarded as a composer, a violinist, an enthusiastic cultural activist who discovered and popularized rare compositions of the early 20th century Russian modernist trend, the long-time director of the Nikolai Roslavetz and Nahum Gabo Festival for the Arts in Bryansk, and simply as a very open musician with a broad-minded approach towards various musical styles and directions. All of this has undoubtedly created an impact on his multifarious musical style which combines opposite stylistic directions. The article describes the life and the musical activities of Mark Belodubrovsky, then proceeds to describe an analyze his musical compositions. It is shown that notwithstanding the fact that his compositions pertain to different styles, they are all united by one individual stylistic trait which defi nes the composer’s artistic individuality.