Alexander Kuzmich Vustin a Russian composer died in Moscow on 19 April 2020 from pneumonia, or COVID-19.
His works, including the opera The Devil in Love, were played and recorded internationally.
Vustin studied composition first with Grigory Frid at a regional music college, and later with Vladimir Ferè at the Moscow Conservatory, graduating in 1969. Between 1969 and 1974, Vustin worked as a music editor at USSR Radio. From 1974 he worked as an editor at the Kompozitor publishing house.
Vustin composed from 1963, but regarded only works written since 1972 as valid. His musical language is distinctive by the remarkable organization of its musical texture. Vustin uses the twelve-tone technique, but in his own original way.
His first notable compositions were written in the midst of the 70s: the eight-minute-long The Word (scored for ensemble of woodwinds, brass and percussion (1975)) was dedicated to Grigori Frid; and the three-minute long In Memory of Boris Klyuzner, for baritone and string quartet (1977) was set to the autobiographical text by Yuri Olesha. Another piece, Blessed are the Poor in Spirit for boy-soprano (or counter-tenor) accompanied by a chamber ensemble was composed in 1988 to the text from Matthew 5:3–8.
His opera The Devil in Love, to the Russian libretto by Vladimir Khachaturov after the novel The Devil in Love by Jacques Cazotte, the result of 15 years of labour, (1975–1989) is probably one of the most important of his works. Its musical material nourished the dozens of compositions written in around the same period. The world premiere of the opera took place at the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre on 15 February 2019, conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.
The works of Alexander Vustin are often included in the programmes of major festivals, such as the “Kremerata Musica”, Tage für Neue Musik (Zürich), Holland Festival, the 14th Musik Biennale Berlin, Presènce 93 (Paris), Melos-Ethos (Bratislava), Maraton Soudobe Hudby (Prague), Donaueschinger Musiktage and Deutsche Kammerphilarmonie (Germany), Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus (Austria), Moscow Forum, and Moscow Autumn (Russia). Among performers of his music are the conductors Vladimir Jurowski, Reinbert de Leeuw, Lev Markiz, Eri Klas, Igor Dronov, Alexander Lazarev, Vitaly Kataev, Gidon Kremer, Martyn Brabbins, and Cristoph Hagel. Ensembles include Kremerata Baltica, Amsterdam Wind Orchestra, Schönberg Ensemble, Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam (Netherlands), the Mark Pekasky Percussion Ensemble, Studio New Music, Ensemble of Soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre, the Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.