{"product_id":"leonid-desyatnikov-the-leaden-echo-169391","title":"Leonid Desyatnikov: The Leaden Echo","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eDESYATNIKOV \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eReturn\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eDu côté de chez Swan\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eVariations on the Obtaining of a Dwelling\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e3.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003e Wie der alte Leiermann\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e4.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003e The Leaden Echo\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e5.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003e Moscow Nights: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eTheme\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e6 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eDmitri Bulgakov (ob); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eAnton Dressler (cl); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1,4,5,6\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eRoman Mints, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1,6\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eAnna Panina (vn);\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e 1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eMaxim Rysanov, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e5\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eSerj Poltavsky (va); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eKristine Blaumane, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e3\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eBoris Andrianov, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e5\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eEvgeny Rumyantsev, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e5\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003ePetr Kondrashin (vc); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2,3\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eAlexei Goribol, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eLeonid Desyatnikov, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e4\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eJacob Katsnelson (pn); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e5\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eWilliam Purefoy (ct); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e5\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003ePavel Stepin (db); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e5\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eFedor Lednev, cond; \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e6\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eHomecoming Strings \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e QUARTZ QTZ 2087 (63:23 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eText and Translation) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eDon’t take this as gospel, but I remember reading some years ago that of all the musicians who ever lived, half are alive now. That must hold true for composers, too, because, despite my having heard music by more than 10,000 of them, here is yet another who is new to me. Leonid Desyatnikov is quite prolific, having written a symphony, four operas, several cantatas, as well as numerous vocal and instrumental compositions. He has also been quite active in the film world, where he has won several awards. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eDesyatnikov seeks the impossible ideal of uniting ages, traditions, and cultures into an integral worldview. To that end, one hears influences from many musical traditions, some as far afield as those of India and Japan. He describes his style as “the emancipation of consonance, the transformation of the banal, minimalism with a human face.” I concur with this assessment, especially if he means by “minimalism with a human face” that his repetition stops well short of the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ead nauseam \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003erepetition that curses most Minimalists. Desyatnikov knows the musically effective limits of repetition, and rarely exceeds those limits. As a consequence, I enjoyed this CD far more than most others that have even a hint of Minimalism attending them. He enjoys contrasting simple melodic lines with more static and dissonant interludes. There is often an icy “northern” feeling to his music that reminds me of the music of certain Finnish composers, such as Rautavaara and Sallinen. At other times, there is a sense of nostalgia, akin to a longing to return home. Indeed, mood-setting seems to be paramount in importance to this composer (surely a \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003esine qua non \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003efor anyone writing film music). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe CD opens with one of Desyatnikov’s more recent (2006) works, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eReturn. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eIt is based upon several ostinati, and meshed with the melancholy that pervades much Russian and Soviet music. In this work, there is an evolution of thematic material toward a final statement based on \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003egagaku\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, the ancient ceremonial music of Japan. This is done through expounding a particular note sequence in the tempered scale (via the Western oboe, clarinet, and strings) that finds its resolution in the untempered \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003egagaku\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e source. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eDu côté de chez Swan \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003efor two pianos is based on “The Swan” from Saint-Saëns’s \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eCarnival of the Animals. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eIt begins with an ostinato in the upper register of one of the pianos, below which a series of rhythmically complex figures is heard. All of this gradually transmogrifies into the well-known tune. Thereafter, fragments of the tune or its accompaniment are heard in various guises, along with new material. The whole effect might be described as what one might obtain if one were to somehow assemble two different jigsaw puzzles together in a random fashion and view the resulting picture. The composer admits to “traces of fascination” with Ligeti, and indeed, the structure of the work does seem to owe something to the Austro-Hungarian master. I hasten to say that the piece works much better than my description might imply. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eVariations on the Obtaining of a Dwelling \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003efor cello and piano is based, according to the notes, on the music of Joseph Haydn, specifically his “Farewell” Symphony. However, I also hear influence of Bach in this piece, especially in its opening, which evokes memories of his cello suites. Part of my perception might derive from the utterly pure sound and intonation produced by cellist Boris Andrianov, who approaches the work’s opening in a “period” performance style. Indeed, I would be delighted to hear this cellist perform the Bach solo suites. The simple, unaffected opening of the work eventually yields to more impassioned lines in the cello, culminating in some impressive climaxes, where the soloist floats on a sea of arpeggios. Along the way, the composer imitates the Indian tabla through pizzicati in the cello. The title of the piece suggests its program, that the composer has a place whence to go out into the world, and a place to come back home. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eWie der alte Leiermann \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003ewas commissioned by Gidon Kremer for the Schubert Today project. Desyatnikov defines the genre of the piece as “not variations, not a fantasia, not a paraphrase. This is a commentary.” The commentary comes on the closing Lied of Schubert’s \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eWinterreise, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e“Der Leiermann,” which is itself a static and rather proto-minimalist piece in its masterly depiction of the chill of winter. The composer invites the auditors of this piece to guess his reference therein “to Kremer’s exclusive repertoire.” I have no idea to what in particular he is referring here, but I can tell you that there are strong overtones of the D-Minor Partita of Bach, even down to the opening triad of its famous Chaconne. However, I cannot imagine that anyone could claim the Bach sonatas and partitas as his “exclusive repertoire.” I certainly don’t believe that Kremer would, despite the fact that his recording of these works ranks among the best. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Leaden Echo \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eis a product of 1991. It is a setting for countertenor and instruments of the eponymous poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, and is dedicated to the St. Petersburg art scholar Arkady Ippolitov. Employing simple melodic lines and static underpinnings, the work maintains a Pre-Raphaelite aestheticism with its cult of beauty. Soloist William Purefoy has a beautiful vocal instrument, although it has more of a mezzo-soprano quality than what I usually envision to be the countertenor sound. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eBalancing the opening work on the CD, the closing main theme from the film \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eMoscow Nights \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eevokes a sense of nostalgia and melancholy throughout its brief duration. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eAll the performances on this disc are exemplary and present the music in splendid fashion. Leonid Desyatnikov has something remarkable to say in his music, and I hope that many will afford themselves the opportunity to hear him say it. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: David DeBoor Canfield \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Quartz Music","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46015604621546,"sku":"880040208723","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1860534.jpg?v=1778333277","url":"https:\/\/arkivmusic.com\/products\/leonid-desyatnikov-the-leaden-echo-169391","provider":"ArkivMusic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}