Chimes by a prominent Russian composer
Valery Gavrilin is one of the most difficult,
emotionally deep works for choir. Vocal and instrumental music (with the
outwardly apparent paucity of expressive means of the latter) came
together in this monumental composition. Choral "orchestration: made
by Gavrilin is full of bright colours and witty details.
It is absolutely amazing how the composer makes use of the wealth
of the human voice and makes the Chimes truly
symphonic work. Genuine emotional message embedded by the composer
in this work, tells the story of the human soul and one's spiritual
growth.
Gavrilin. Chimes
The Mariinsky Chorus Conductor: Andrei Petrenko
The programme includes: Valery Gavrilin Chimes (on reading Vasily Shukshin) Choral symphonic work for soloists, mixed chorus, oboe, percussion and narrator
One of the most difficult, emotionally deep works for choir, Chimes by a prominent Russian composer Valery Gavrilin will be performed at the Mariinsky Concert Hall. Vocal and instrumental music (with the outwardly apparent paucity of expressive means of the latter) came together in this monumental composition. Choral “orchestration” made by Gavrilin is full of bright colours and witty details. It is absolutely amazing how the composer makes use of the wealth of the human voice and makes the Chimes truly symphonic work. Genuine emotional message embedded by the composer in this work, tells the story of the human soul and one’s spiritual growth.
The epigraph to Chimes composed by Valery Alexandrovich Gavrilin (1939–1999) could come in the form of his own poetic lines: Never was a tale of more affliction Than to live according to one’s convictions… “As I see it,” said the composer, “the work should convey the spiritual life of the people through the fate of one man – from birth, through childhood and youth into maturity. The path to the finish is an endless road travelled by people, generation after generation, images of the road, of the path, of the river of life…” The core of Chimes is the story of the human soul, man’s spiritual growth. From a collective pagan ritual to a man’s prayerful transfiguration. From the merry and riotous conduct of innately pagan amusements to Christian penitence. Gavrilin’s choral symphonic work presupposes elements of theatricality when being performed. It is a monumental work in which music that sings and music that plays are miraculously blended together into an inseparable whole. Gavrilin’s choral “orchestration”, full of vivid colours and witty details, stuns us with its truly genuine symphonism. It was not by chance that Valery Gavrilin gave the most important work of his life the title Chimes. The academic Dmitry Sergeyevich Likhachev recalled an ancient Russian custom in later years: “To ring out the sin – to cast a bell so that its ringing called out to God for forgiveness. Or to cast a bell in someone’s memory.” Iosif Raiskin
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