Russia 2024

Yuri Zhislin's upcoming album of music by Bartok is a celebration of musical universality. This collection, featuring Zhislin performing on both violin and viola, transcends boundaries, reflecting an unwavering commitment to sharing music across cultures. Recorded at Moscow's iconic Mosfilm Studios in June 2021, the album captures a moment of artistic unity before unforeseen global events unfolded. The repertoire includes Béla Bartók's Viola Concerto, a posthumous gem completed by Tibor Serly. This poignant work, born amid Bartók's struggles with illness and exile, explores the emotional spectrum with the solo viola's versatility, offering a profound reflection on the human spirit. Elsewhere, Bartók's Violin Concerto No. 1 showcases the composer's early fusion of folk influences and modernist innovation.

The titles of the musical movements of “Actus tragicus” are taken from various passages of the Bible, as well as texts by Martin Luther, used in the cantata of the same name by Johann Sebastian Bach (BWV 106, also known as “Actus tragicus”). This is one of his earliest cantatas, written when Bach was only 22 years old. The bright, almost joyful nature of the music delights me, as well as the attitude to death it expresses, hence I decided to write my “own” Actus tragicus.