Janusz Wawrowski, the violinist on this recording, plays a 1685 Stradivarius 'Polonia' violin.
Composer Biography
Valentin Silvestrov, born in Kyiv in 1937, was a leader of the 'Kyiv avant-garde' school by the late 1960s.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Silvestrov's mature style, which emerged after a period of withdrawal in 1974, is characterized by reflection, melancholy, and a sense of panoramic perspective.
Performer Biography
Christopher Lyndon-Gee, the conductor, has received five GRAMMY Award nominations and has recorded the complete orchestral music of Igor Markevitch and Edgard Varèse.
Historical Context
Silvestrov was twice expelled from the Composer's Union for protesting the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and again in 1974.
Compositional Technique
Silvestrov's Symphony No. 8 and Violin Concerto are based on the idea of treating a 'great form' as a chain of moments rather than a dialectical development.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Silvestrov believes music is a form of song, a 'chant' that the world sings about itself, representing a musical testimony of existence.
