Vorobyov I. Requiem. For soprano, mixed chorus, woodwinds, percussion, piano and six contrabasses (CD)

The Requiem by the Petersburgian composer Igor Vorobyov was completed in 2008. This canvas refers to the traditional trend, i. e. ecclesiastic “guarding” line of modern music culture, revising canonic genres in the modus of “nova musica sacra”. European and Russian musical traditions were interlaced here. 

The author bases on the European model, embodied by the Latin canonic text, however, he continues the subject of the Apocalypse, philosophical-theological contemplations and repenting confessions, elaborated in the requiems by A. Schnittke, V. Silvestrov, V. Artyomov, V. Martynov. Nevertheless, this traditional structure is interpreted rather extraordinary due to the music peculiarities. 

Diversity of stylistic and genre elements (Gregorian chant, renaissance polyphony, baroque arioso thematic system, neo-romantic allusions, neo-folkloristic details, avant-garde structuralism) make for natural synthesis of such paradoxical phenomena as anthropocentrism — conciliarism, protestant rationalism — orthodox cordiality, Bach’s instrumental logos — the Russian songfulness, picturesque effects — symbols of

The interaction between two strata, i. e. the Latin archaic and the Russian folklore-romantic ones is a really unique author’s conception, attracting attention to the problems of spirituality, moral-ethic choice and reintegrated cultural space. 

Stanislav Legkov, conductor, born in 1937. Graduate of the Leningrad Choir College and Leningrad Conservatoire. 1964–1969 — chief choirmaster of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre. Assistant professor, head of the choir-conducting department at the Petrozavodsk Conservatoire (filial of the Leningrad Conservatoire), 1970 — chief conductor of the Leningrad Academic Kapelle, 1975 — art director of the Vepssian Folk Choir, six years later — organizer and director of the Chamber Choir at the Karelia Choir Society, 1987 — chief conductor of the State USSR Choir, 1989 — chief choirmaster of the S. M. Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre, 1991 — professor of the choir department and dean of the choir-conducting faculty at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire, 1992 — organized the State Smolny Cathedral Choir. 

Today Legkov conducts the Chamber Choir of the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. 

Legkov’s tours were held in the USSR, Finland, Germany, Greece. Among the records produced by him at the “Melodiya” record company there are the compositions by G. Sviridov, R. Shchedrin, P. Tchaikovsky (Liturgy). Honoured Artist of Russia and Karelia.  

Contrabassists’ Ensemble “QuattroBass+” Organized in St. Petersburg (1999) by the St. Petersburg Conservatoire students (A. A. Shilo’s class). The quartet enjoyed great popularity from its first concerts in the St. Petersburg halls. Its repertoire during ten years of their practice is considered diverse and comprehensive, including Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Musorgsky, Stravinsky, Shostakovich etc. The CD is also recorded by them. The ensemble has tours all over Russia (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Belgorod, Novyi Urengoy, Novgorod) and Europe (Poland, Germany, Estonia, Switzerland).

Total time: 41'14''