Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, celebrated for modern ballets such as “Carmen Suite” and “Anna Karenina,” has died at the age of 92, Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre said Friday. The theatre called his passing an “enormous tragedy” and hailed him as “one of the greatest contemporary geniuses.” Born on 16 December 1932 in Moscow, Shchedrin wrote more than 80 works spanning ballet, opera, symphonies and concertos. He gained international recognition in 1967 with “Carmen Suite,” created for his wife, Bolshoi prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya. His catalogue also includes the ballets “The Little Hump-Backed Horse” and “The Seagull,” as well as the opera “Lolita.” Shchedrin received numerous Soviet and Russian state honors and remained a prominent figure on concert stages worldwide for decades. The Bolshoi said his artistic legacy “will continue to resonate with audiences,” underscoring his influence on 20th- and 21st-century classical music.