Pianist and composer Arseniy Gusev, born in St. Petersburg in 1998, has had his compositions performed in major venues like the Mariinsky Theater and Carnegie Hall.
Performer Biography
Shannon Lee, after completing a Bachelor's degree in computer science from Columbia University, studied at prestigious music institutions and also explored baroque violin and composition.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album's program reflects the psychological and aesthetic tension in Eastern Europe between the two world wars, where composers reconstructed a changed musical reality from shattered older values.
Performer Biography
Arseniy Gusev has an exclusive contract with 'Kompozitor' publisher house, which has published his works including 24 Postludes (2018) and 3 Toccatas (2020).
Performer Biography
Violinist Shannon Lee has been praised for her 'remarkable fire, impeccable intonation, and big, vibrant tone' by Gramophone and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras worldwide.
Historical Context
The album brings together musical images created by Eastern European composers during the Interbellum period, with a renewed sense of importance due to the current Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Album & Artwork
The album title, Witraż (Stained-Glass Window from Polish), is inspired by the idea of shattered images being reassembled, much like the medieval stained-glass windows of Winchester Cathedral that were destroyed in 1642.
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