Slonimsky S. Three Graces. Suite in the variations form after Botticelli, Rodin and Picasso for viola and piano

Sergey Slonimsky, one of the most outstanding Russian composers of our times does not need to be introduced to classical music fans. Encyclopaedic mind, one of the mist brilliant creative geniuses of epoch he easily, even playfully writes in all possible music genres and hardly anything left of forms and genres that he did not yet master.

What is Three graces? This is a small suite in variation form that contains may encrypted musical ‘messages’ The cycle is focused on the idea of synthesis of arts, the union of dance and picture art in music text. It is a play with all the styles and at the same time portraits of artists — refinement and noble style of early Renaissance (Spring by Botticelli), expressly romantic style of Eternal spring by Roden and geometrical shapes by Picassso. The final piece. counterpointing all the three styles completes the cycle with the idea of the victory of eternal beauty over the time and space.

Contents:

1. Botticelli
2. Rodin
3. Picasso
4. Three Groups of Graces