GALINA GRIGORJEVA

TEXT – JOSEPH BROTSKY
ESTONIAN PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER CHOIR
CONDUCTOR – PAUL HILLIER

MINOR FILM
DIRECTOR – SULEV KEEDUS

GALINA GRIGORJEVA
THE BUTTERFLY, 2. part from the piece "Nature Morte“

In January 2015 the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under the conductor Paul Hillier recorded Galina Grigorjeva’s album “Nature morte“, which was released by Ondine. A short film fragment takes a glance into the recording process with the 2. part “The Butterfly“ from the piece “Nature Morte“. How does look like the working process during the recording between the composer, the conductor, the choir and the sound engineer to achieve the best result? The team includes the renowned sound engineer Preben Iwan, who has cooperated with many famous ensembles, including New York Philharmonics.

The CD “Nature Morte” includes works for chamber choir and chamber ensembles: “Svjatki for mixed choir“ (1997/2004), “Salve Regina“ for vocal quartet and string quartet (2013), “Diptych“ for male chorus (2011), “Lament“ for recorder (2000), “Nature morte“ for mixed choir (2008), “In paradisum“ for mixed choir (2012). The performers are besides the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Theatre of Voices, YXUS Quartet, Conrad Steimnann (recorder).

The CD was released in February 2016 by Ondine and it received many positive reviews in the international press.

AllMusic review by James Manheim: “Though born in Ukraine, composer Galina Grigorjeva has lived in Estonia since 1992 and has worked within that country's deep tradition of sacred choral music. She studied music in Tallinn in the mid-'90s, and her music is thus interesting in terms of representing the thoughts of a younger generation that has absorbed the holy minimalism of Arvo Pärt as well as a variety of other styles from the Slavic world and beyond. Indeed, the unifying stylistic thread of the six works on the album can be hard to find, and indeed the booklet notes by Saale Karede point to "the living light that glows through the music," most of it religious. But Karede also refers to "exceptionally suggestive original material and its concentrated and inventive elaboration," qualities that must have led conductor Paul Hillier and his Theatre of Voices to champion the composer. You can see where he's coming from; these are concise works with a dramatic flair, whether they draw on minimalism, the traditions of Slavic church music, or Western motet forms (the tonalities vary, but tonal organization is never abandoned). The title work, to English-language poems by Joseph Brodsky, may be the most powerful; sample its titular first movement (track 11) with its soaring soprano lines for a taste of Grigorjeva's personal adaptation of a Pärt influence. The Lament for recorder, originally recorded for flute, but extremely nifty in this version that makes use of the recorder's distinctive attack, is also unusual. The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Hillier's Theatre of Voices are in fine precise form, and they are ably backed by Ondine's engineering team, working in Tallinn's sonically impressive Niguliste Church. A fine excursion through new choral trends in Eastern Europe.“

Listen to the album Nature Morte.