Silvestrov: Symphony for Violin & Orchestra "Widmung"

Featuring

Janusz Wawrowski
Christopher Lyndon-Gee
Jurgis Karnavičius
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra
Valentin Silvestrov

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Performer Biography

Janusz Wawrowski, the violinist on this album, plays a 1685 Antonio Stradivari violin and has won the Fryderyk Award twice.

Cultural Impact

Valentin Silvestrov's music was chosen for the Nobel ceremony on December 11, 2023, when the prizes for physics and the Peace Prize were presented.

Historical Context

Following the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Valentin Silvestrov reluctantly left Ukraine and now lives in exile in Berlin.

Compositional Technique

The Symphony for Violin and Orchestra 'Widmung' is essentially a single movement, with its 'officially' three movements played continuously without breaks.

Composer Biography

Valentin Silvestrov, a leading Ukrainian composer, was twice expelled from the Composers' Union for protesting the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and again in 1974.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded from May 2-6, 2022, at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Silvestrov's mature style, which emerged after a period of withdrawal in 1974, is characterized by reflection, inwardness, melancholy, and a panoramic perspective.