Eugen Buke

Latvian composer. Latvia only gained its independence shortly before this composer died, and he spent his professional career outside the borders of what would eventually be independent Latvia, hence Russian sources claim him as Russian.

He was born in 1877 in Rīga, Latvia, and performed publicly for the first time at the age of seven, on violin, and was considered a child prodigy. He entered the Moscow Conservatory in 1891, graduating in 1899, and then pursued further studies with Sergey Taneyev. His first opera, "Destiny" (or "Fate"), premiered in 1904. However, his second opera, "Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich," was banned from performance by the tsar's censors. He also composed various orchestral and chamber works, though many of those scores are now lost.

From 1904 to 1917 he was active primarily in and around Moscow as a conductor, choirmaster, accompanist, and composer, and also organized concerts in other parts of Russia. Later, he spent time in Kursk pursuing various musical activities and founded the local conservatory.

After Latvia gained its independence in 1918, he was invited to return to Riga and conduct at the Latvian National Opera. In 1920, while preparing to leave Kursk to accept this engagement, he fell victim to the typhoid epidemic and died.

He is a little-known figure in Latvian musical history due to spending his entire musical career outside Latvia, and there has never been a significant revival of his music in Latvia (or anywhere else, really).