This album is a live recording from Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Munich, captured on June 17, 2011.
Compositional Technique
Silvestrov's Requiem incorporates verses from 'The Dream' by Ukrainian national poet Taras Shevchenko, transforming the Latin mass into a Ukrainian requiem.
Composer Biography
Valentin Silvestrov, born in Kyiv in 1937, is a well-known contemporary Ukrainian composer who initially studied civil engineering before pursuing music.
Composition History
Valentin Silvestrov composed 'Requiem for Larissa' for his wife, Larissa Bondarenko, a music and literature scholar, who died unexpectedly in 1996.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Silvestrov's 'meta-music' is a universal style he describes as a 'semantic overtone above the music' or a 'general dictionary' that anyone can use.
Performer Biography
Andres Mustonen, the conductor, founded the ensemble Hortus Musicus in 1972, known for its repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant to contemporary and non-European traditions.
Compositional Technique
The Requiem uses a synthesiser to create a 'mixture of tuba and trombone' sound, evoking the terror of the Last Judgement, and later a 'quasi Celesta' timbre.
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Mozart: Requiem Mass in D Minor, K.626
Verdi: Messa da Requiem - Sony Classical Masters
Stanford: Requiem
Berlioz: Requiem
Finzi: Requiem da camera, Op. 30 (Organ Reduction): IIa. How Still This Quiet Cornfield Is Tonight!
