Alexander Sevastian - Russian Favourites '2011

Tracks list

Tracklist

01. Russian Dance
02. Impromptu on the Russian song “Oi ty Rozh”
03. Fantasia on the Russian song “Oi moroz moroz”
04. Vocalise
05. Barcarolle
06. Pictures at an Exhibition / II. Gnomus
07. Pictures at an Exhibition / IX. Ballett der nicht ausgeschlüpften
Küchlein
08. Don Rhapsody No.1
09. The Seasons, Op. 37a / October: Autumn Song, Op. 37a No.10
10. The Seasons, Op. 37a / November: Troika, Op. 37a No. 11
11. Variation II Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
12. Oi Da Snowball Tree
13. Chamber Suite / Evening Prelude
14. Chamber Suite / Moonlight Spurting Outdoors
15. Chamber Suite / Snowfall at Night
16. Chamber Suite / Mysterious Visions
17. Chamber Suite / I am Calling Instances of Gloomy Sorrow
18. Chamber Suite / An Old Fairy-Tale


A history of the accordion would not be complete if it didn’t include a
substantial chapter dedicated to Russia, which, when it comes to crafting as
well as perfecting technique, the creation of specific compositions and the key
role played by performers on the international scene, has greatly contributed to
the development of the instrument.

In the mid-seventeenth century Johann Wilde had already popularized the sheng
(mouth organ, dating from 3000 B.C.) at court, but it took only one year after
the Viennese Cyrill Demian deposited his patent for the accordion to bowl over
the Russian public at the Nijni-Novgorod Fair in 1830. Rebuilt, improved and
Russified, its production began in the city of Toula and soon the instrument was
included among those associated with folk music repertoire. In 1870, Beloborodov
perfected a chromatic instrument with two rows of buttons. The instrument
attracted composers, who began to dedicate their works to it. Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), for example, used four accordions in his Second Suite
for Symphonic Orchestra in 1883. This recording offers “Troika” and
“October”, from his Seasons for piano, which exquisitely call to
mind landscapes and events typical of each month of the year, as well as an
excerpt from the popular Nutcracker Suite.

In 1907, Khegstrem founded the First Russian Society for Harmonica Lovers
(harmonica and accordion are interchangeable in Russian). The instrument, which
from then on bore the name bayan, after the bard and magician Boyan, who sang
historical and fanciful tales (that are notably found in Pushkin’s Ruslan
and Ludmila), allowed performers to exploit the most difficult works in the
Classical repertoire. Here Alexander Sevastian performs excerpts from Pictures
at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881), a cornerstone of Romantic
piano literature, and two lyrical pieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
– including his famous Vocalise – which highlight the
instrument’s rich timbre.

As of 1926, conservatories and universities began to welcome the accordion in
St. Petersburg (and the following year in Moscow and Kiev) and soon after that,
specific competitions, publications and an extensive literature made their
appearance.

A vital bridge between traditional folk and Classical repertoire, the bayan long
remained synonymous with national pride. Indeed, the Soviet government did not
hesitate to include the Jupiter factory in the Ex perimental Department of the
Red Army. In 1966 the Soviets started to participate in international
competitions, notably in Klingenthal (in the (former) German Democratic
Republic), for decades winning all the first prizes. They continue to push back
the technical boundaries of the instrument, while magnifying its expressive
possibilities.

Born in 1946, Vyacheslav Semionov remains an icon of the accordion. A virtuoso
and renowned teacher, his compositions are regularly chosen among the imposed
repertoire for the most prestigious contests. The author of two sonatas, the
concerto “Frescoes”, caprices, suites and fantasies based on
folkloric themes, his Don Rhapsody No. 1, a true signature piece, has met with
great success the world over. Inspired by Cossack folklore, this particularly
virtuosic work draws attention to the various facets of the instrument.

Born blind, Ivan Panitsky (1906-1990) was known for his gifts as a performer.
Contagiously simple, his compositions always take on a particularly expressive
register. “Oi, da ty, Kalinushka” (Snowball Tree) remains one of his
most cherished works.

Vladislav Zolotaryov (1942-1975) gave the accordion its reputation as a
classical instrument. Consisting of six movements, his Chamber Suite is meant to
be representative of his style and offers magnificent music, lyrical and
melancholy, void of any painful drama, but rather imbued with light sadness. The
work leads the listener into a meditative state, with only silence to greet the
last notes. Dedicated to his wife, it communicates the depth of the
composer’s feelings toward his muse.

Georgy Shenderyov (1937-1984) champions an authentic national style. His Russian
Dance is made up of two different dances, a calm and reasonable rondo throwing
it self into the other one, energetic and overflowing with joy.

Born in 1976, Vyacheslav Korolyov composed several fantasies based on Russian
folkloric melodies. His Impromptu on “Oy ti, Rozh” was inspired by a
song by Alexander Doloukhanyan, as well as the sudden death of the well-known
Vyacheslav Chernikov in 1994. In honour of the latter, Korolyov wished to
instill a typical color into “Oy ti, Rozh”, emphasizing a
particularly lyrical theme, developed all along the piece until it reaches
symphonic density. In the cadence, the com poser uses a three-note motif, C-H(b
natural)-E, stemming from Chernikov. Unexpectedly, you hear a click from the
converter switch of the left-hand keyboard interrupting the music, a gesture
evoking Chernikov’s death on stage from a heart attack. After several se
conds of stifling silence, the last variation is ex pressed, desperate yet
bearing hope: life goes on…

The Russian folk song “Oi, Moroz, Moroz” serves as a basis for a
complex fantasy that brings out the enormous virtuosic possibilities of the
instrument.

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