Dumka

Valentin Silvestrov composed Requiem for Larissa between 1997 and 1999 as a memorial to his wife, musicologist Larissa Bondarenko, who died in 1996. It is a big and unceasingly somber work, scored for chorus and orchestra. Understandably, this Requiem is to a degree reflective, incorporating musical themes drawn from older works that had special meaning to the couple. While Silvestrov's typically glacial tempos are in evidence here, some of the opening half of the piece has an angular spikiness that recalls serial techniques without actively engaging in them. Instrumentally, Requiem for Larissa is dark, atmospheric, and even a little cinematic; the choral parts are sparse and minimally applied. In the fourth-movement Largo, the voices take over and settle down into an ethereal texture that leavens the gloom somewhat, but by this time 25-and-a-half minutes have gone by and some listeners will have already tuned out owing to the toughness of the opening section.Requiem for Larissa is an intensely personal piece performed with respect and care by the Ukrainian National Chorus and Symphony Orchestra under conductor Vladimir Sirenko.

People will buy this disc primarily for the Seasons, not the free sampler disc, so all I will say about the latter is that it will allow you to hear short excerpts from other discs in OPUS 111 catalogue, celebrating 1000 years of Russian Music. The excerpts include instrumental, choral and orchestral pieces, all of which appear to be complete.

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates said, 'The poor man is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream.' Today, the dream of Ukrainians is one of victory, complete and final! We are approaching it on the cultural front as well, defending our own cultural borders, assets, and values, while also introducing the unique musical history of Ukraine to the world.