For the 75th anniversary of composer and philosopher Vladimir Martynov, Melodiya is releasing the digital version of a broadcast of the concert held on May 30, 1988, as part of the III International Music Festival in Leningrad. This concert marked the premiere of one of Martynov's conceptual compositions, "Come in!" for two violins, strings, and celesta, and also featured the performance of Alfred Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 1.
"Come in!" – a piece with such an unusual title, written in 1985 – signified the "new birth" of Martynov as a composer. Disenchanted with the avant-garde and rock music, after a long creative pause filled with immersion in the world of ancient Russian liturgical singing, Martynov embraced a "new simplicity." The composer provided his work with a commentary from the writings of St. John Climacus, which states, "beauty and harmony are within us; we just need to find the door within our hearts and knock on it." "Ask, and it shall be given to you."
"Come in!" was first performed at the International Music Festival in Leningrad, in the same concert as Alfred Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 1 (both compositions were released on the same record). Despite the significant differences, even opposition in musical style, both pieces share the theme of Time (in a broad sense) — distorted and consuming everything with impassive indifference in Schnittke's work and seemingly paused before the serene tranquility of Truth in Martynov's.
The works of Vladimir Martynov and Alfred Schnittke are performed by Gidon Kremer and Tatiana Grindenko — renowned interpreters of contemporary music. The ensemble of soloists from the Moscow Philharmonic (the precursor to the first lineup of the legendary "Moscow Soloists") is conducted by Yuri Bashmet.
