“Valentin Silvestrov is one of the greatest composers of our time” - Arvo Pärt

 VALENTIN SILVESTROV ‘Bagatellen und Serenaden ‘

Cat No.  4766178   Release date: 24 September 2007   

• Valentin Silvestrov piano

• Alexei Lubimov piano

• Munich Chamber Orchestra

• Christoph Poppen conductor

An album of almost otherworldly beauty, released in time for Silvestrov’s
70th birthday on 30th September

• Five world premiere recordings - music of aching lyricism
• Silvestrov’s playing of his modestly-titled Bagatellen is very touching – and will appeal far beyond the audience for modern composition
• The Munich Chamber Orchestra play three ravishing recent pieces for strings, including Elegie & Stille Musik
• Russian pianist Alexei Lubimov, a superb interpreter of Silvestrov’s music, is the soloist in Der Bote (a version for strings and piano) and Zwei Dialoge mit Nachwort, dedicated to his friend Arvo Pärt
• International press focus on Silvestrov’s 70th birthday will draw attention to this wonderful disc – as will celebratory concerts in Kiev, Moscow, New York, Washington and Munich

• Music/Artist background:  

Bagatellen und Serenaden is the sixth ECM album devoted to Silvestrov’s music since the Grammy-nominated Leggiero, pesante brought the Ukrainian composer to wider attention in 2001. Metamusik/ Postludium, Requiem for Larissa, Silent Songs, and Symphony No 6 followed. Additionally, Alexei Lubimov has championed Silvestrov’s music on his own recital discs Der Bote and Misterioso.

Valentin Silvestrov studied piano at the Kiev Evening Music School, and composition at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He was alert from the outset to new compositional approaches, and an individual lyricism and melodic feeling have been hallmarks of his work through all periods of his artistic development. Producer Manfred Eicher appreciated Silvestrov’s quietly distinctive touch from one piece he performed on Leggiero, pesante, so when the composer approached the piano at the Munich sessions for this disc in February 2006, microphones were ready to record this remarkable improvised cycle of Bagatelles. Stille Musik for string orchestra is dedicated to Manfred Eicher whose interest in Silvestrov was first awakened with the Stille Lieder of the early 1980s. Der Bote, in its 1996 version for strings and piano, is the only piece recorded previously (by Kremerata Baltica), but Lubimov makes it very much his own. Zwei Dialoge mit Nachwort, dedicated to Pärt, also posits dreamlike dialogues with and between Schubert and Wagner – again with shimmering, beautiful playing by Lubimov and the orchestra.

Tracks:

(1) - (13) Bagatellen for piano (2005)   (14) Bagatelle 2 (lontano) 3.02  
(15) Elegie for string orchestra (2000-02) 4.51  Stille Musik for string orchestra (2002)
(16) I Walzer des Augenblicks 4.40 *    (17) II Abendserenade 3.12   
(18) III Augenblicke der Serenade 2.17   Abschiedsserenade for string orchestra (2003) 
(19) I  2.07                    (20) II  2.52 *   
(21) Der Bote for strings and piano (1996) 9.15 * Zwei Dialoge mit Nachwort for strings & piano (2001/02) 
(22) I Hochzeitswalzer 4.54 *    (23) II Postludium 3.16    (24) III Morgenserenade 2.38

Total time: 74.58

Summary:  ECM celebrates the 70^th birthday (on 30 September) of Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov in style with an album of almost otherworldly beauty featuring shimmering, ravishing playing from Russian pianist Alexei Lubimov and the strings of the Munich Chamber Orchestra. Among the five world premieres is one dedicated to his good friend Arvo Pärt, and Silvestrov himself plays his Bagatelles for piano - music of aching lyricism - very touchingly.