Alexey Zhivotov
Alexey Zhivotov was a Russian composer, instrumentalist, and conductor. He was born in Kazan on 14 November 1904 and died in Leningrad on 27 August 1964.
From 1924 to 1930, he studied at the Leningrad Conservatory with Mikhail Chernov and Vladimir Shcherbachyov. From 1926 to 1930, he taught music theory subjects and instrumentation.
Zhivotov was associated with the Association for Contemporary Music. He made his debut in 1928 with a Suite for Large Orchestra, described as close to musical constructivism. His 1929 work Fragments for Nonet was followed in 1932 by the vocal-symphonic cycle The West, which achieved significant success.
He took an active part in Leningrad’s musical life and chaired the Leningrad branch of the Music Fund from 1961 to 1964. His works also included romances set to poems by Denis Davydov and music for stage productions and films, including Twelfth Night. In 1957, he was awarded the title Honored Artist of the RSFSR.