This release features two works commissioned by the Mark Pekarsky Percussion Ensemble, performed by that ensemble. The earliest work, Totem is a marvelous study in instrumental potential.
The work begins with swirling clouds of sound that coalesces into a rhythmic section before dissolving into another ethereal cloud. Arytomov uses 69 instruments, creating interesting combinations of wood, metal, leather.
In A Sonata of Meditiations (1978) Artyomov adds another dimension to his mix of tonal and indefinite pitch percussion. Each of the four movements -- or meditations -- add a player. So the first movement has one performer, the second, two and so on.
What I admired was how diverse the collection of sounds Artyomov uses even with just a single player.
A Garland of Recitations is a study in contrasts. Composed in conjunction with Meditations, it uses four performers in an entirely different fashion. Strings provide a continual, slowly evolving sound cloud. Four wind instruments -- oboe, clarinet, saxophone, flute -- each perform individually over this swirling sound.
Atryomov pushes the wind instruments to their limits -- and it pays off. The stark contrast between the energy and intensity of the soloists with the self-effacing string sound creates a work of exceptional beauty.
These recordings were originally issued on Melodyia in the early 1990s. There's a slight softness to the sound, but overall I heard an exceptional amount of detail. And hearing that fine detail is essential to fully appreciate these performances.
Highly recommended.
Vyacheslav Artyomov: A Sonata of Meditations; A Garland of Recitations; Totem
Mark Pekarsky Percussion Ensemble
Vladimir Pakulichev, flute; Anatoli Liubimovm, oboe; Lev Mikhailov, saxophones; Valeriy Popov, bassoon
Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow State Philharmonic; Virko Baley, conductor
Divine Art
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