Valentin Silvestrov

5 Cycles

In the seclusion of the Covid lockdown, Silvestrov, still living in Kiev at that time, composed a large number of smaller works and cycles for various ensembles, which he then combined into larger cycles, into ‘families or colonies'. One such super cycle is 5 Cycles for violin and piano which –commissioned by the Tippet Rise Art Centre, Montana – have been premiered successively at the Summer Music Seasons there between 2022 and 2025 (with Gidon Kremer, among others). Silvestrov's idea of ‘pure melody' is clearly embodied here: it breathes, it sings, it dances, it meditates – seemingly weightless, seemingly timeless, seemingly endless...