Viroslav (Virko) Petrovych Baley

October 21, 1938, Radekhiv, Ukraine

 

About

Virko Baley is a Ukrainian-American conductor, pianist, composer, and musician.
Virko was the only son in the family of Petro and Lydia Baley. He was not yet a year old when World War II broke out. The family was resettled to Slovakia, and later they moved to Munich. From 1947 to 1949, they lived in a displaced persons camp in Regensburg, Germany.

Since childhood, Virko loved music. His first teacher was Roman Savytskyi, a Lviv pianist who was in the same camp.

Since 1949, he has lived in the United States. Overseas, Virko continued his education and graduated from the Los Angeles Conservatory in 1962.

He is a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Since 1971, he has been the artistic director of the annual festival of contemporary music, since 1974 - the director of the chamber orchestra, 1976-1978 - the university symphony orchestra, 1983-1988 - the opera house (all in Las Vegas). Since 1988, he has toured Ukraine numerous times. Winner of the Taras Shevchenko State Prize of Ukraine (1996), the first American to receive this award. He is a foreign member of the NSCU.

Balei collaborated with the prominent Ukrainian film director Yuri Ilyenko. The two artists created two films - Swan Lake. The Zone" (1990) based on a script written by Serhiy Parajanov and "Prayer for Hetman Mazepa" (2001/2010). For the first film, Virko not only composed the music, but also served as a producer of the project.

 

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Works by Virko Baley
  • Symphony No. 1 (Sacred Monuments) (1997)
  • Symphony No. 2 (Red Earth) (2004)
  • Piano Concerto No. 1 (1990–93)
  • Violin Concerto No. 1 (Quasi una fantasia) (1987)
  • Violin Concerto No. 1 (Quasi una fantasia, chamber version) (1987)
  • Violin Concerto No. 2 (Favola in musica) (1988, rev. 1989)
  • Adam’s Apple, Prelude for Orchestra (1991)
  • Orpheus Singing, for Oboe and Strings (1995)
  • Woodcuts, for String Orchestra (1971, rev. 1997)
  • Duma, a Soliloquy for Orchestra (1985, rev. 1988)
  • Partita, Concerto Grosso for Trombone, Trumpet, Violect Electronics and Orchestra (1995)
  • Partita No. 1 for Trombones and Three Pianos (1970, 1976)
  • Partita No. 2 for Bassoon and Piano (1991–92)
  • Partita No. 4 for Clarinets and Piano (2005)
  • Partita No. 5 for Flute and Piano (2012)
  • Sculptured Birds, for Clarinet and Piano (1978, 1982–84)
  • Adam’s Apple, for Woodwind Quintet (1989)
  • Adam’s Apple, for String Quartet (1997)
  • Duo Concertante, for Cello and Piano (1971, rev. 1990)
  • Dreamtime Suite No. 1, for Clarinet, Violin and Piano (1993–94)
  • Dreamtime (1993–95)
  • Dreamtime Suite No. 2, for Violin, Cello and Piano (1996)
  • Dreamtime Suite No. 4, for Chamber Orchestra (1999–2000)
  • Orpheus Singing, for Oboe and Piano (1994)
  • Orpheus Singing, for Oboe and String Quartet (1994)
  • Shadows, for Flute and Piano (1996)
  • Treny, for Two Cellos and Soprano (1996–99, rev. 2002)
  • Persona III, for Flute and Castanets (2008)
  • Songs without Words (2004–12)
  • Nocturnal No. 1 (Mirrors), for Piano (1958)
  • Nocturnal No. 2 (Tears), for Piano (1960)
  • Nocturnal No. 3, for Three Pianos (1970)
  • Nocturnal No. 4, for Piano (1971, 1987)
  • Nocturnal No. 5, for Piano (1980)
  • Nocturnal No. 6, for Piano (1988)
  • Two Dumas, for Piano (1959)
  • Figments, for Violin (1981, 1990–92)
  • Stamping Dance, for Bass Clarinet (1995)
  • Lament 1, for Bassoon (1996)
  • Lament 1a, for Contrabassoon (1996)
  • Persona, for Oboe (1997)
  • Persona II, for Clarinet (1999–2000)
  • Treny Ia, for Contrabassoon (1996)
  • Treny II, for Bassoon or Bass Clarinet (1997)
  • Two Songs in Olden Style, for Soprano and Piano (1960)
  • “Edge”, for Mezzo-Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1977, rev. 1997)
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  • Emily Dickinson Songbooks (2001-08)
  • A Journey after Loves, for Baritone and Piano (1999)
  • Hunger, (a.k.a. Holodomor) opera in one act. Libretto by Bohdan Boychuk (1985, 1995-97)
  • Swan Lake: The Zone (1989)