Alla Pavlova facts for kids

Alla Pavlova is a famous Russian composer born on July 13, 1952, in Ukraine. She grew up in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, and later moved to Moscow, Russia, with her family in 1961. In 1990, she moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she lives now. Alla Pavlova is most known for her large orchestral pieces called symphonies.

Biography

Early Life and Music Studies

Alla Pavlova's family moved to Moscow in 1961. There, she studied music and earned her Bachelor's Degree in 1975 from the Ippolitov–Ivanov Music Institute. She then got her Master's Degree in 1983 from the Gnessin State Musical College. She learned from a composer named Armen Shakhbagyan. Pavlova was also very interested in the works of a poet named Anna Akhmatova. This interest influenced many of her musical pieces until the 1990s.

After finishing her Master's in 1983, Pavlova moved to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. She worked there at the Union of Bulgarian Composers and the Bulgarian National Opera. Three years later, she returned to Moscow. From 1986, Pavlova worked for the Russian Musical Society Board in Moscow. In 1990, she moved to New York City.

Life in America

Early Compositions

When Alla Pavlova arrived in New York, she created a collection of simple piano pieces for her daughter, Irene. These pieces were inspired by the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. In the early 1990s, she wrote many songs (called lieder) and small pieces for piano.

In 1994, Pavlova wrote her first big work, Symphony No. 1 "Farewell Russia". This symphony was for a small orchestra. It expresses the sad feelings she had when she left her home country. The music is played by two violins, a cello, a piano, a flute, and a piccolo. It was recorded in Russia by musicians from the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra.

Four years later, in 1998, Pavlova composed a short piece called Elegy. It was for piano and string orchestra and was written after her teacher, Armen Shakhbagyan, passed away.

Symphonies and Other Works

In 1998, Pavlova wrote her most ambitious work at that time, Symphony No. 2 "For the New Millennium". This symphony was even recorded on a CD. She also returned to writing songs, like Miss me... but let me go in September 2001. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which shocked her deeply as she lived close to Ground Zero, she decided to dedicate this song to the victims.

Alla Pavlova is a member of the New York Women Composers, Inc..

After her Second Symphony, Pavlova started focusing on larger orchestral pieces instead of smaller chamber music. In 2000, she wrote her huge Symphony No. 3. This symphony was inspired by a monument to Joan of Arc in New York. She later added a guitar to a new version of this symphony, which was first performed in 2004.

Her Symphony No. 4 was written in 2002. She also wrote a piece called Monolog for solo violin and string orchestra. From 2003 to 2005, Pavlova worked on her first music for a ballet called Sulamith. This ballet was based on a story by Aleksandr Kuprin about the Biblical story of King Solomon. A long suite of music was taken from this ballet.

Pavlova has continued to write many symphonies, with her Symphony No. 11 appearing in 2021. Other works include the Thumbelina Ballet Suite (2008/2009), a Concertino for violin, piano, and string orchestra (2012), and Night Music for violin and strings (2014).

Musical Works

Alla Pavlova's music is inspired by great Russian composers of the 20th century, like Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Rachmaninov. Many of her works explore themes of leaving home and being in a new place.

Here are some of her notable works:

• "Lullaby for Irene" for piano, violin (or flute) and vibraphone (1972)
• Two Songs to Verses by Anna Akhmatova for soprano and piano (1974)
• Impressions after Fairy-Tales by H. C. Andersen for piano (1990)
• Symphony No. 1 "Farewell, Russia" for chamber orchestra (1994)
• Elegy for piano and string orchestra (1998)
• Symphony No. 2 "For the New Millennium" (1998)
• Symphony No. 3 (2000)
• Symphony No. 4 (2002)
• Monolog for violin and string orchestra (2002)
• Suite from "Sulamith" (2003-2004)
• "Sulamith", ballet (2003-2005)
• Symphony No. 5 (2006)
• Symphony No. 6 (2008)
• Suite from "Thumbelina" (2008-2009)
• Symphony No. 7 (2011)
• Symphony No. 8 (2011)
• Concertino for violin, piano and string orchestra (2012)
• "Night Music" for violin and strings (2014)
• Symphony No.9 "Violin Concerto" (2016)
• Symphony No.10 (2017)
• Symphony No.11 (2021)

See also

In Spanish: Ala Pávlova para niños