Silvestrov: Sacred Works

This fascinating collection of recent sacred a cappella compositions expands Valentin Silvestrov's extensive musical repertoire on ECM New Series. The Ukrainian composer turned to choral music only later in his career. "As an individualist, I never imagined I would compose choral works," Silvestrov himself remarked. It was primarily thanks to the persistent encouragement of conductor Mykola Hobdych that Silvestrov began to delve deeper into the world of choral music and explore ancient Russian litanies. The texts captivated the composer so much that he composed around 40 minutes of music within just a few weeks. Silvestrov achieves remarkable sonic and harmonic effects, as well as exceptional melodic and rhythmic flexibility, by treating the choir as an ensemble of "extremely modest" soloists and dividing the voices into small groups. The flowing lyricism and introverted tenderness of his choral works create a connection to his celebrated "Silent Songs," the "Requiem for Larissa," and his piano compositions. The recordings by the Kyiv Chamber Choir, conducted by Mykola Hobdych, were made in 2006 and 2007 in the Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv.