The four works on this
disc are describes as being "four
absolutely autonomous compositions ...
perceived as one large cycle."
Perceived, or conceived? It’s quite
easy to put four pieces by the same
composer together in one place and invent
a neat title to give the impression
that they are related by more than the
inherent unity of having the same composer,
so I don’t read too much into the ‘risky
ambitious project’ line. No dates are
given for the works, so it’s hard to
evaluate in terms of chronological continuity.
The tone C is also given as a golden
thread through the programme, but without
having been told that this is so I doubt
if many listeners would fill it in on
their questionnaire after a blind audition.
Whatever happens, do not imagine
this has anything to do with Terry Riley.
Vladimir Genin’s idiom
is essentially romantic, lyrical, and
atmospheric. None of the pieces are
in any way impenetrable in an avant-garde
sense, although there is greater substance
here than anything you might associate
with ‘new age’. Whiffs of waltzes and
other dances crop up from time to time,
but some of the opening movement, Pantomime
I, is also quite hard-hitting, in
between atmospheric filigrees. The Interlude
is a deceptively simple statement,
one of those musical insights which
can hit a composer at key moments –
in this case, the death of Genin’s father.
The final Pantomime II brings
the waltz to the fore, the violin becoming
a whistling caricature, and taking on
the same rhythmic status as the piano
at times.
Letzte Augenblicke
is a set of songs with texts by
X. Evangelista. These are printed in
the booklet in German, but not translated
further. As the longest cycle/piece
of the four, this is describes as the
"emotional and conceptual core
of the project." Tatiana Kuindji
has a powerful and expressive soprano
voice, which is equally at home with
the extended lines of the first song,
Lure-call of the bloom, as in
the rhythmic angularity of for this
only dance. The ensemble is completed
by piano and cello, the last as a counter-balance
to the soprano voice and as the appearance
of a "kind of love triangle"
in terms of instrumentation as well
as symbolically. The overall impression
is of darkness, brought to its deepest
point with todgeburt, or ‘stillbirth’.
This is another of those deceptively
simple pieces, which to me show how
less-is-more when expressing the strongest
emotions. Higher energy levels come
with the frenetic making time run
through my fingers, which is driven
by a low, high-density ostinato in the
piano. These are songs which somehow
express Russian-ness as well as the
gamut of emotions in the texts, and
while not the most cheerful of listening
experiences I have to admit to being
highly impressed.
Cello and violin duet
o Duo o... adapts its title from
the German ‘oh you...’ Described as
"a poem of loneliness", the
music is sparse indeed, with the cello
inhabiting the work for a long time
on its own: "the violin appears
right at the moment when any hope for
its appearance has been abandoned."
This is at 6:00, after which the cello
rises to meet its new companion. The
sense of longing and nostalgia is heightened
by some use of Jewish intonations, and
as the music progresses it builds, ending
in a "bloodcurdling catharsis."
The final work in this
set of four is Double Espresso Plus,
which, as its title suggests, can be
seen as the ‘happy ending’ after all
the turbulent emotional struggles in
the previous pieces. This piece does
have some dancing rhythms, but is in
fact less than light in mood and no
easy let-off for the listener. As with
the songs, the trio is seen as a love
triangle, with "the poor piano
clamped between two enraged furies,
violin and cello."
The recording itself
is OK, if not the most attractive at
all times. Very much a small studio
affair, I have the impression the sound
has been ‘helped’ with the reverb set
at ‘large hall’, an effect thankfully
kept low in the balance. The piano is
not mother’s best instrument, and is
also close-miked and the whole sound
compresses at high-density peaks in
the volume. Never mind, this is an impressive
achievement, and contains a great deal
of powerfully individual music. The
young musicians play and sing their
hearts out, and are completely in tune
with the composer’s intentions. Genin’s
own pianism is also impressive. As a
combination of strong chamber-music
performance and some stirring new music,
this is a disc which deserves to be
heard.
Dominy Clements
Tatiana Kuindzhi (soprano) (Letzte
Augenblicke); Tatiana Yurieva (violin),
Arseniy Kotliarevsky (cello) (Interlude,
o Duo o..., Double Espresso
Plus); Vladimir Genin (piano) 
