Dina Smorgonskaya

Dina Smorgonskaya (Vitebsk, 1947) is one of Israel’s most prominent composers.

Immigrating to Israel in 1989 from the former USSR, she brought with her her mastery of a broad spectrum of styles and genres, together with her own music personality – both featuring the rich artistic tradition of St. Petersburg, whose school she proudly represents. Her major works from her Russian period include Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra (1980) and the ballet suite Peter Pan and Wendy for woodwind and strings (1987), as well as song cycles on poems by Russian poets, film and incidental music. During a period of almost three decades since her arrival in Israel, she wrote several major works, including a chamber opera The Stationmaster (1999, after A. Pushkin’s story), Concerto for Piano and Strings (1999), Triptych for Clarinet, Violin and Piano (1997, versions for various ensembles 2002, 2003), Pentastych – five poems in five languages for soprano and piano (1995), and Spanish Lace, a suite for strings based on Ladino songs (2011).

Finding an appreciative audience in her new/ancient homeland, Dina Smorgonskaya was awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Composers in 2005. Greatly valued also in Russia, her music is still performed there, as well as in the USA, Canada and other countries.

Her compositions are distinguished by a classical clarity of musical ideas, refined associative metaphors and a strict perfection of form. Not restrained to any of the “modern” techniques, she offers artistic designs in whatever musical expression they require.

Her recently released album, Sing, My Lyre! represents mostly a chamber music selection from Smorgonskaya’s legacy, both instrumental and vocal, as well as including one of her choral compositions. Smorgonskaya creates an emotional, personal, artistic dialogue with the poetry and arts of the past, from which she seems to draw inspiration. A positive and warm aura colors her tones and conveys a meditative quiet wisdom that seems to offer a companion to the arts, existing whether in reality or in our memory.