Silvestrov: Melodies of Silence Tomasz Kamieniak

• Valentin Silvestrov (b. 1937): 3 Waltzes, Op. 62:
• 1 3 Waltzes, Op. 62: I. Allegretto 01:52
• 2 3 Waltzes, Op. 62: II. Moderato 02:07
• 3 3 Waltzes, Op. 62: III. Allegretto 03:30
• 2 Waltzes, Op. 74:
• 4 2 Waltzes, Op. 74: I. Allegro 02:09
• 5 2 Waltzes, Op. 74: II. Con moto 03:01
• 5 Elegies, Op. 35:
• 6 5 Elegies, Op. 35: I. Grave 02:49
• 7 5 Elegies, Op. 35: II. Andante 02:33
• 8 5 Elegies, Op. 35: III. Allegro 01:02
• 9 5 Elegies, Op. 35: IV. Adagio 03:16
• 10 5 Elegies, Op. 35: V. Allegretto 02:00
• 4 Pieces, Op. 63:
• 11 4 Pieces, Op. 63: I. Pastoral 02:24
• 12 4 Pieces, Op. 63: II. Serenade 04:37
• 13 4 Pieces, Op. 63: III. Intermezzo 02:57
• 14 4 Pieces, Op. 63: IV. Waltz 02:10
• 3 Pieces, Op. 80:
• 15 3 Pieces, Op. 80: I. Intermezzo 01:20
• 16 3 Pieces, Op. 80: II. Pastoral 02:05
• 17 3 Pieces, Op. 80: III. Waltz 02:17
• 4 Pieces, Op. 97:
• 18 4 Pieces, Op. 97: I. Animato 01:19
• 19 4 Pieces, Op. 97: II. Pastoral 02:21
• 20 4 Pieces, Op. 97: III. Intermezzo 01:51
• 21 4 Pieces, Op. 97: IV. Serenade 01:37
• Melodies of the Moments, Op. 145:
• 22 Melodies of the Moments, Op. 145: I. Lullaby 03:19
• 23 Melodies of the Moments, Op. 145: II. Barcarole 02:19
• 24 Melodies of the Moments, Op. 145: III. Menuet 02:17
• 3 Pieces, Op. 9:
• 25 3 Pieces, Op. 9: I. Moments of Mozart (I) 03:59
• 26 3 Pieces, Op. 9: II. Moments of Mozart (II) 03:37
• 27 3 Pieces, Op. 9: III. Moments of Autumn 03:18
• Total Runtime 01:08:06

Info for Silvestrov: Melodies of Silence

In his own booklet note for this valuable new recording, Valentin Silvestrov outlines how these pieces arose ‘unintentionally and spontaneously’. Between 2003 and 2017 he composed around 30 hours of short pieces for solo piano, grouped them into cycles of 2-10 pieces and then organised them into ‘super-cycles’ of Bagatelles designed to be played continuously, ‘forming a long chain of musical moments.’

The Polish pianist Tomasz Kamieniak presents one of those super-cycles on this album. ‘I strongly recommend that you listen to this disc without interruption,’ writes Silvestrov. ‘Then the metaphorical nature of this music will become more obvious this is not neo-romanticism, there is no stylisation, but, perhaps, something new, a hidden modernness.’

It was indeed this quality of hidden modernity, something recovered from the past and made new again, that gained Silvestrov a cult following once the Melodiya recording of his Fifth Symphony reached Europe in the 1980s. Since then his output has embraced instrumental music of almost every genre as well as a painfully beautiful Requiem written to honour the memory of his late wife Larissa Bondarenko. Silvestrov’s aim in nearly all his music is to offer peace and consolation.

In a second note for the album, Tomasz Kamieniak explains how this music is trickier to perform than it may sound. On a single page, sometimes within a single line, the scores are meticulously inflected by a wide range of dynamic and phrasing marks, nearly all within a soft spectrum and encouraging the performer to play lightly, sweetly, as if from far away, evoking a mood of remembrance and gentle elegy.

‘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.

Tomasz Kamieniak, piano

Tomasz Kamieniak
was born in Dobrodzien. He studied piano at the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice and at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar piano. Tomasz has a wide ranging repertoire extending from classical to contemporary music, with a particular interest in virtuoso music of the 19th century, including Liszt, Alkan, and many lesser-known composers. In 2003 he was awarded a special prize at the 4th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Weimar, as the most talented participant from Eastern Europe. In 2007 Tomasz won the Grand Prix of the 4th "Acte Préalable" Competition in Warsaw for his project of recording the complete piano works of Józef Wieniawski. He has performed throughout Poland, and also in Germany (where his recitals in Bayreuth of Liszt’s Wagner transcriptions gained exceptional reviews), Italy, Ukraine, Switzerland, Slovakia and the Netherlands. His first London recitals are to be given in April 2010. Tomasz Kamieniak also has a special interest in film music and worked with students at the Faculty of Radio and Television at the University of Silesia, Katowice. He also composed the music for several short films. In 2006 he was artistic adviser to the summer music festivals of Rybna / Poland. In 2008 he received a scholarship from the Marshal's Office in Katowice for recording a new CD with his own compositions for piano. Tomasz is a recipient of awards from the Wagner Foundation.

Booklet for Silvestrov: Melodies of Silence