Valentin Silvestrov

Composer Valentin Silvestrov evolved stylistically from modernist techniques to a unique postmodernist mix and to a spiritual language in his later works. He is one of Ukraine's most prominent composers. Silvestrov was born in Kyiv, then part of the Soviet Union, on September 30, 1937. His first name is variously transliterated as Valentin or Valentyn. World War II disrupted his childhood, and he was not able to begin music lessons until he was 15. From 1955 to 1958, he attended the Kyiv Evening Music School. Silvestrov then enrolled in a university program in construction en...