Rubinstein A. Melody. Mirzoyev A. Humoresque. For Counterbasses Quartette

The contrabassists of the famous orchestras use to perform the solo numbers and even the whole concert programmes. In 1995 four excellent contrabassists from the Honoured Collective of Russia, Academical Symphony Orchestra of St Petersburg Philharmonic Society named after Shostakovich, decided tounite their efforts. Among them — Aleksander Shilo, Rostislav Yakovlev, Aleksey Ivanov and Oleg Kirillov. Their mutual music making occurred to be such a success, that it was quite natural to keep on performing regurlarly and as an ensemble.  

There were prepared several programmes, including the compositions of different epochs and styles. It was Avdey Mirzoyev to assist this ensemble.

Avdey Mirzoyev is the petersburgian composer, the former first concertmaster of the contrabassists in the Mariinsky Theatre orchestra. Being the great master of transcriptions, he composed and arranged the original masterpieces, which have been forming the essential part of the ensemble's repertoire.

Though the ensemble resorts to extraordinary, distinctive timbre and some curious devices, it can't be called eccentric by its music. This is a serious academical group with unique intonational and rhythmical coordination. The members of this wonderful group are overwhelmed with enthusiastic feelings, which seem to splash out directly during the process of playing, staining their art with infectiously vivid, elated tints.

Mikhail Byalik