Soviet-Russian Composer Gennady Gladkov Dies at 88

Updated: Oct. 16, 2023

Composer Gennady Gladkov. Stanislav Krasilnikov / TASS

Famous Soviet-Russian composer Gennady Gladkov passed away in the Russian capital on Monday aged 88, the state-run TASS news agency reported.

Gladkov is known for composing music for over 100 Soviet and Russian films, cartoons and theatrical plays.

His most famous work was a soundtrack to the 1969 Soviet animated musical "The Bremen Town Musicians." Songs written by Gladkov — which featured traces of then-banned Western rock and roll music — made the film an instant hit across the Soviet Union.

Gladkov also composed the soundtrack for another beloved Soviet classic, the 1968 cartoon "Junior and Karlson" and its 1970 spinoff "Karlson Has Returned."

Among the other famous Soviet films featuring Gladkov’s music are "Gentlemen of Fortune," "The Twelve Chairs" and "The Dog in the Manger."

During his life, Gladkov was named a People's Artist of the Russian Federation, the country's highest artistic honor, and received the Order For Merit to the Fatherland, Fourth Class.

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