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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Silvestrov’s Sixth Symphony is a dense work leavened by inventive scoring and powerful narrative ideas. The central movement, by far the longest, begins with an Andantino section that quotes from Mahler’s Fifth and then progresses on a journey that includes a violent brass-percussion eruption that fades away. There are five movements, all played without a break, and ECM’s excellent notes will help guide the listener new to this composer through an adventurous exploration into a piece that bears frequent repetition. The Sixth is very much in the manner of other Silvestrov works such as his Postludium, which explores musical and personal memories--recommendation enough for anyone familiar with his style. The broadcast orchestra under the baton of Boreyko, who has often conducted Silvestrov’s large-scale works, is well drilled and delivers a moving performance of this deep and powerful symphony. The sonics fit the music well, darkly resonant on a wide stage with well-defined solo and section work. A thrilling listening experience. --Dan Davis
Product Description
Valentin Silvestrov's major symphonic achievements marks an important addition to the Ukrainian composer's rapidly growing discography on ECM. Since 2001 the label has addressed his creative output in a number of releases that encompass a variety of genres. These include chamber works (leggiero, pesante), choral music (Requiem for Larissa), works for piano and orchestra (Metamusik / Postludium) and an extraordinary song cycle (Silent Songs). Now comes the almost hour-long Symphony No 6. Composed in 1994/95 and revised in 2000 it concludes the sequence of great orchestral works that Silvestrov wrote in the 1980s and 1990s. Symphony No. 6 is cast in five interrelated movements that all circle around the creation, transformation and final fragmentation of a melody. Valentin Silvestrov is acknowledged by his fellow composers as an artist of unique expressive power. Alfred Schnittke called him "the greatest composer of our generation", a sentiment seconded by Arvo Pärt in the New Yorker some years ago: "Silvestrov is one of the greatest composers of our time." He was one of the first composers from the former Soviet Union to cast aside the conventional gestures of the avant-garde, and his unique "metaphorical" style integrates echoes of long-lost sounds and poetic allusions with a highly developed sense of form.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More of the same? Yes, but......,
By
This review is from: Valentin Silvestrov: Symphony No. 6 (Audio CD)
I confess I have only just received this CD, and so my comments are based pretty much on just a couple of hearings. I can only justify this rather prompt, and possibly insufficiently considered review, by pleading guilty to an overwhelming surfeit of enthusiasm!
Also, much of what I say here could be construed as a simple rewrite of my reaction to the superb Sony recording and performance of Silvestrov's 5th. The first impression again, is that in a sense the language is very much the same as in the 5th, intense and impassioned, and achingly beautiful. Mahler is again to the fore, especially the 'adagietto' from his 5th Symphony, but the main difference is that there is much more dynamic contrast in the 6th. Shattering moments that are aided by a superb recording and performance by the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra under Andrey Boreyko. In this symphony there are 5 linked movements, clearly tracked by ECM, the central one being easily the longest at 25 minutes, and during the total duration of 54 minutes there are several passages marked 'vivace' and 'allegro'. In other words, while this work provides a similar listening experience to the 5th, there is greater variety in tempo and dynamics, and therefore the 'journey' is more eventful. Less sympathetic reviewers may claim that this is the '5th all over again'. Some say that about Bruckner's symphonies, but that misses a point, namely that, yes, the music palpably comes from the same source and is written with the same inspiration and using the same language, but each work manages to achieve its own greatness. Like the 5th, this is a symphony that takes you on a journey, one you will wish to repeat again and again. I have lived with Mahler's symphonies for 42 years now, - I think these symphonies of Silvestrov contain something of the same 'richness' to sustain a good few more years of listening, (if not 42, unfortunately!). You can't really ask for more! Terrific.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Listen Slowly.,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Valentin Silvestrov: Symphony No. 6 (Audio CD)
Silvestrov is a very enigmatic composer. I admit, i owned his Postludium and Metamusik for almost four years before I really "heard" it for the first time.
This disc, as does much of Silvestrov's music, starts out almost identically with a fff violent sound block that could be from a horror movie, which, at its peak employs the "Silvestrov echo," usually on a piano, or harp. Unlike almost any other composer I can think, Silvestrov will benefit from a patient audience and one that can Listen slowly. If you are willing to lay back, light a cig, turn down the lights and let the music envelope you, you will be in for a treat and something specific to Silvestrov. His pieces are like musical journeys through harsh violent waters to a beautiful and call moon filled evening(alright enough of that)---basically it is extrememly dynamic--often oscillating between violence and beauty, but it takes time to get there and the melodic development is very subtle(almost like minimalism in a sense) You will hear a single note on a horn and then ten mintues later the melody on the horn has transformed the entire soundscape. This symphony is a good place to start for those new to Silvestrov, especially those unaccustomed to modern music. The first two movements represent the violent silvestrov while the monumental third movement is like a trip through history where we visit Berg, late Mahler(of the tenth adagio and ninth outer mvmts and specifically the adagietto of mahler five which is often hinted at)---- This is typical Silvestrov-though the third movement might be statement of things to come in later music, but we'll have to wait and see. Either way--this is an enjoyable journey and I would recommend it to those affiliated with this new generation of music, the post avant-garde. Enjoy. Also recommended by Silvestrov--symph 5, Postludium for Piano and Orch(ECM), Post Scriptum for violin and piano, String quartet 1, cello sonata, bagatelles and serenades(ECM), and the Drama Trilogy.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heaves and Sighs,
By
This review is from: Valentin Silvestrov: Symphony No. 6 (Audio CD)
Somber but tender. Grand but intimate. Assertive but inviting. These are some of the contrasts that could be used to describe this fascinating music. Similar terms have been used to describe the music of Mahler, and the ghost of Mahler certainly hovers over this symphony. But Silvestrov is no imitator. He has his own symphonic voice, which we have heard on previous recordings.
This music heaves and sighs, slowly drawing us in if we can get past our initial apprehension. What at first seem to be only sounds become melodies as we listen longer. What seemed forbidding becomes beguiling. When the brass sounds fade away and we enter the world of the strings, we realize we are walking with Silvestrov down Mahler's path, but seeing it with new eyes. The sheer beauty of it all is simply overwhelming. There will be many who will listen to a minute or two of this recording and decide they have heard enough. For those who press on, though, the rewards will be many. If you enjoy Mahler, you may well enjoy this music. Press on, press on! Fear only that your heart will melt.
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