Bruno Bjelinski - Biography

Bruno Bjelinski (November 1, 1909 in Trieste – September 3, 1992 in Zagreb) was a Croatian composer.

Bjelinski was born into a Jewish family. He doctored in law at the University of Zagreb and later studied music at the Zagreb Academy of Music under Blagoje Bersa and Franjo Dugan. Bjelinski started composing in 30's with two sonatas for violin and piano (1933 and 1937). During the World War II he was sent to concentration camp, but in 1943 with the help of a friend he escaped and joined the Partisans on the island of Korčula. End of the war he greeted alternately on island Vis and the Italian city of Bari. He taught at the Academy from 1945 to 1977. Bjelinski's music is described as being direct and optimistic, his fresh style lending itself to both serious music and music for children. Bjelinski composed six operas, three ballets, 15 symphonies, 2 cello concertos, a cantata, piano music, songs, chamber music, and concertos for piano, violin, viola, bassoon, flute, and piano duo. He also composed music for Croatian football movie Plavi 9.

Works

• Concerto for flute and strings, 1955
• Ljetna simfonija (Summer Symphony), Symphony No. 1, 1955
• Serenade for trumpet, piano, strings and percussion, 1957
• Pčelica Maja (Maya the Bee), fairy tale opera after Waldemar Bonsels, 1963
• Sinfonia jubilans, Symphony No. 4, 1965
• Peter Pan, ballet for children, 1966
• Sinfonietta concertante, for piano and orchestra, 1967
• Musica Tonalis for oboe, bassoon and strings, 1968
• Heraklo (Herkules) comic opera, 1971
• Močvara (The Marsh), opera, 1972
• Zvona (The Bells), opera, 1975
• Orfej XX. stoljeca (Orpheus in the Twentieth Century), opera, 1981
• Slavuj (The Nightingale), opera after Hans Christian Andersen, 1984
• Concertino for Horn and Strings