Search - Valentin Silvestrov, Alexei Lubimov, Ivanilova :: Stufen

Moving, unpretentious jewels of song...

Larry L. Looney | Austin, Texas USA | 03/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've only discovered the work of Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov over the course of the past year -- but what treasures I've found! Born in Kiev in 1937, his first works appeared in the early 60s, firmly rooted in what could be referred to as 'Western European modernism' -- but as his career progressed and his compositional abilities and approaches developed, with careful reflection and contemplation on the very nature of music (and poetry), he shifted directions, armed with the confidence and courage of his convictions, and embraced the expressive melodicism eschewed by many advocates of the avant-garde (too many of whom turn their backs on the past completely, rather than have the wisdom to learn from it). Cutting his compositional teeth in the modernist/avant-garde school allowed Silvestrov to eventually move beyond the constraints that it unwittingly created.



The song-cycle STUFEN is very much akin to Silvestrov's SILENT SONGS, and to much of his work since the mid-1970s -- not that they echo each other in a way that reflects a lack of imagination, but in the way in which they merge music and poetry into a cohesive whole. In commenting on the relationship between the two art forms, Silvestrov says, 'Poetry is essentially music that has been transformed into words meant for eternity...When music touches poetry...all that matters is the actual meeting between the two. There is no philosophy, no world view, only the world singing its own praises as a musical testimony to life itself.' (This quote is from the CD booklet notes.)



The poetry Silvestrov places at the heart of this music is from a variety of Russian masters -- Blok, Sologub, Tyuychev, Pushkin, Mandelstam, Baratinski -- as well John Keats. He masterfully constructs the music around the soul of the words -- the two become inseparable: the 'meeting between the two', as he puts it in the quotation above, is perfect. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The piano sings gently, as much as the vocalist -- neither overshadows the other. The music itself seems so moved by the words at the core of these pieces that, as is the case in his SILENT SONGS, it's almost as if the piano cannot stop itself from playing after the words end -- but then, the postlude is a form at the centre of Silvestrov's musical philosophy.



The two 'wordless songs' that end the programme are played by Silvestrov himself -- and they are unbelievably beautiful and expressive. From the soul, heart and mind of the composer, through his hands, the instrument truly finds its voice.



Alexei Lubimov has interpreted Silvestrov on other recordings (His ECM recordings of Silvestrov's METAMUSIK/POSTLUDIUM, and DER BOTE, which includes two Silvestrov piano pieces, are both outstanding.) -- his playing here is nothing short of perfection. Jana Ivanilova's voice holds these songs tenderly and gently, allowing the words to 'sing themselves' (Silvestrov's instructions to potential performers).



This is a hard disc to find -- I went through three distributors and finally found it. It's worth the effort -- it's flawless in all respects. I can absolutely give it my highest recommendation -- pass it up at your peril...!"