Silvestrov: Melodies of Silence
‘I have called the piano pieces which were created unintentionally and spontaneously between 2003 and 2017 Bagatelles. One disc of Bagatelles, similar to a concert without break, is 70 minutes continuous sound. I strongly recommend that you listen to this disc without interruption: then the metaphorical nature of this music will become more obvious, and that this is not neo-romanticism, no stylisation, but, perhaps, something new, a hidden modernness. We remember Osip Mandelstam's words: "Perhaps the whispher was born before the lips...". I would even go so far and call the Bagatelles "symphonies for piano", in the literal sense of the word "symphony" - consonance. These pieces are "symphonies of moments", and "melodies of silence", consisting not only of music, but also of pauses, which are music as well. Perhaps, one of the functions of music will appear here - to be a consolation." These words were witten by the composer himself, Valentin Silvestrov. Silvestrov was born in 1937 in the Ukraine, and may by counted alongside his contemporaries Arvo Pärt and Giya Kancheli as among the most profoundly spiritual composers of the 20th century. Played with a profound feeling of repose and contemplation by Polish pianist Tomasz Kamieniak, a champion of unjustly forgotten 20th century composers.