Search - Valery Biktashev, Nikita Koshkin, Sergei Oreknov :: Artyom Dervoed plays Russian Guitar Music

Dark, moody, melancholic and simply sublime

Tebes | Niagara Region, ON | 11/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I found this CD by accident. I was on the Naxos website looking for Spanish classical guitar music and this one happened to 'show up' on the web page.



Needless to say, it is one of the better recordings I have heard, not only for being unique (I knew nothing about modern Russian composers, let alone, Russian guitar compositions), but for being exquisite, haunting. I highly recommend listening to Dervoed's rendition of Sergei Rudnev's 'The Old Lime Tree' - such subtlety, such beauty, one can almost see a wind and rain swept tree in the distance as this piece progresses. It evokes both emotion and dreams.



This is the kind of CD that stimulates a hunger for more of what you are listening to. I want to find another CD like this, with some character, feeling and brooding depth.



Not only 'The Linden Tree' but Biktashev's 'Orpheus - Poem' and Orkehov's 'Troika Variations'. I wasn't nearly as touched by Koshkin's 'The Prince's Toys - Suite' but maybe I still need to open up more. Who knows. In my opinion, 80% of this CD is a 100% wonderful for me and that's all I need sometimes."

Good performer, music selection uninteresting

Ghost(Ghost(M)) | 07/04/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this one for the programme's sakes, to check out what modern Russian music for guitar might be. I am familiar with Koshkin (don't like him much), but the first three pieces come from the names unknown to me, so I was curious.



Unfortunately it's been a disappointment: the music is mediocre, cliched though not without an attempt at modernity, primarily on the harmonic side. Overall boring. The player is very good and it's a shame he didn't pick more interesting music to showcase his talents. One can only hope that this collection is not representative of the overall state of composition for guitar in Russia, which of course one have high hopes for based on the past glories of the Russian music. Oh yeah, Koshkin, well, I'm very familiar with this suite of his; it's a bunch of unmusical hocus-pocus. Koshkin the composer fashioned this stuff according, it seems, to the following formula: "borrow" a few harmonic progressions from Prokofiev and Stravinsky, then add a bunch of creaks, squeaks, knocks, bangs, etc. kinda "prepared guitar" stuff -- just damn noises -- et voila, ready to go. Unlistenable. He is a decent player, but his awkward forays into composition produce things that are derivative, mechanically constructed, and designed to impress; the overall impression his Suite makes on me is that of deadening soullessness.



Bottom line: all in all, this CD is unremarkable -- I know I'm not gonna listen to it again. This really is a two-star record, but I'll give it an extra star for Mr Dervoed's confident playing and in appreciation of Naxos's making these recordings to begin with."