Petrov A. Defile. 5 concert pieces. For violin, cello, double-bass and string orchestra. Score

The pieces, which are published in this collection, were created by Andrey Petrov at different times, for different purposes and in different stylistic manners.

“Gypsy Rhapsody” is a work of a young composer, written for a violin and piano. (A. Petrov began his professional education as a violinist.) This vivid composition inherits the rich traditions of popular “gypsy” violin pieces by P. Sarasate, F. Kreisler, M. Ravel, and is firmly established in the practice of concert performers and in educational repertoire.

The piece for contrabass and piano entitled “Walking down Broadway” was definitely inspired by the multiple trips to New York and impressions of the famous Broadway musicals. A. Petrov devoted this work primarily to his grandson, contrabass player Petr Gogitidze, who became its first performer. This charming and elegant piece organically combines the original material with the quoting of the well-known western hit of that epoque. It’s also important to note the title of the piece, which sounds like American analogue of Petrov’s most famous song from the cult film “Walking Along the Streets of Moscow”.

The next three pieces are remarkable examples of the film music by composer. (Many years later they became the part of the symphonic suite entitled “Street Tunes in Dinner-Jackets”, revised by the author and arrayed in a luxurious orchestral “dress”.)

“Song of Maternal Love” has become an important part of the music to the Soviet-American project — the film “Blue Bird”, based on the piece by M. Maeterlinck. The imagery and stylistics of this composition are clearly related to the immersion of A. Petrov in the artistic world of Hollywood. And its extraordinary melodious beauty, perhaps, was inspired by the composer’s acquaintance with the performer of one of the main roles in the film — unforgettable screen superstar Elizabeth Taylor.

Tango, performing by trombone, is one of the musical leitmotifs of the farce tragicomedy “Garage” — a genuine masterpiece directed by Eldar Ryazanov. As all the action of the film takes place at a meeting of garage cooperative, I allowed myself to call this version of the piece “Cooperative Tango”.

Effervescent “perpetual motion” penetrates the piece, arising from the music to the film “Michel and Mishutka” and entitled “New Violinist in the Orchestra”. (It was arranged for the violin and piano under the same name.) The process of transformation of these works into concert pieces for solo instruments and string orchestra followed two different directions. During the work on the pieces “Gypsy Rhapsody” and “Walking down Broadway” it was necessary to orchestrate the piano part, keeping the original form of solo parts (violin and contrabass). The situation became more complicated with next three pieces. It needed to rewrite the symphonic scores for string ensemble with the isolation of the dominant voices for creating on their basis almost new solos (viola, cello and violin consistently). Also each piece provides a different degree of theatralization elements (according to the request of performers).

Versions of the pieces, presented in this collection (“Gypsy Rhapsody”, “Walking down Broadway” and “New Violinist in the Orchestra”), were performed during the life of A. Petrov, and my work has received a benevolent assessment of their author. All these pieces are united in a cycle, because each of them demonstrates a specific style, popular at one time or another.

Herewith the soloing instruments (represented by concertmasters of the groups of first and second violins, violas, cellos and contrabasses) and accompanying orchestra appear as a kind of musical style models. Owing to the features of these pieces, I decided to call the whole cycle “Defile” (one of the meaning of this French word is “fashion parade”). I hope that the author shouldn’t mind to this name, because in his life and work Andrei Pavlovich was always very elegant and fashionable man (in the most diverse and highest senses of this word).

The premiere of the “Defile” cycle, which includes all the five pieces in the above mentioned versions, was held at 16th of May 16, 2016 in the Small Hall of St. Petersburg State Philharmonic, performed by the chamber orchestra “Divertissement”.

Art director and conductor — Ilya Ioff, soloists — Lidia Kovalenko (violin), Kirill Zaborov (contrabass), Irina Savelieva (viola), Anton Andreev (cello), Ilya Ioff (violin).

Contents:

I. GYPSY RHAPSODY. For violin and string orchestra
II. WALKING DOWN BROADWAY. Foxtrot for double-bass and string orchestra
III. SONG OF MATERNAL LOVE. For viola and string orchestra
IV. COOPERATIVE TANGO. For cello and string orchestra
V. NEW VIOLINIST IN THE ORCHESTRA. Perpetuum mobile for violin and string orchestra