Friday, August 26, 2011

Vasily Kallinikov – Elegy

When an umbrella-shaped viburnum serves a part of a composer’s monument, you catch on without further ado: this must be someone you have to learn more about. A monument I’m talking about perpetuates Vasily Kallinikov, Russian bassoonist and composer. For those not having a copious vocabulary of Russian words it may be not obvious what a viburnum have to do with him, but everything is explained simply: his surname is a derivative of “kalina,” i.e. “viburnum” in Russian.

Kallinikov's music at all is hard not to be associated with nature, trees, and pastoral landscapes. Folk motifs strike the eye in his oeuvre; even symphonic works of Kallinikov bear their imprint. Elegy is his entrancing solo piano piece, a true pleasure to play and listen. Download it here: Elegy.

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