Tchesnokov / Wierer / Pronina - Tales Without Words [CD]

This album features the complete works for flute (to date) by Franco-Ukranian composer Dimitri Tchesnokov (b.1982), with the exception of his flute trio Tableaux feìeìriques. This programme is supplemented by some of Tchesnokov's piano solos in a comparable style. The pieces presented here offer a contrast to the composer's religious/mystical music (3 Chants sacreìs, Requiem, Ave Verum) and his historic/realistic works (Symphonie archai"que, Cha teau de Grandval, Symphonie Ukrainienne). The 11 Haïkus are interspersed throughout the recital, maintaining a feeling of spontaneity and lightness, while the pieces alternating with the haikus create contrasting images and moods. The influence of the Far East is present in several of the compositions, among them Rhapsodie Japonaise, based on traditional modes like Hirajo-shi and Insen; Quelque part aI Tsushima (Somewhere in Tsushima), evoking the sound of the koto; and La Fete du Dragon, conjuring the fireworks and cheerful colors of China with the pentatonic mode. From the composer's Slavic roots comes Une Histoire vraiment bizarre (A truly bizarre story), a trip to a magical forest from old Russian fairy tales, where Little Red Riding Hood meets strange characters like the forest ghost, Leshy.