Description

ATMA Classique presents an album of works by composer Airat Ichmouratov, performed by Les Violons du Roy and soloists Elvira Misbakhova and Stéphane Tétreault.

Each work is inspired by striking paintings: “Cellist and conductor Yuli Turovsky once suggested that I should ‘listen’ to painting and ‘look’ at music, an idea that perfectly sums up the spirit of this recording,” says Airat Ichmouratov.

The tone poem for strings The Ninth Wave is inspired by a painting by Aivazovsky, depicting men clinging to a shipwreck and struggling against a raging sea. The composition evokes the immensity and power of the sea through impressionistic techniques, unresolved harmonies and exotic scales. A recurring motif, the “fate motif”—dear to Ichmouratov—is also integrated into the piece.

Viola Concerto No. 2, “Rennsteig”, on the other hand, combines neobaroque and neoromantic styles, creating an imaginary painting of Bach in his youth, wandering freely through the forests of Eisenach. The work highlights the contrast between lyrical intimacy and dramatic tension.

Finally, Cello Concerto No. 1 is influenced by 3 expressionist paintings by Natasha Turovsky: Intrigues, Repentance and Moto perpetuo. Each movement of the concerto tells a story, from dark political intrigue to the pain of Stalinist repression to the effervescent virtuosity of a moto perpetuo. These compositions explore the fusion between music and the visual arts, each work offering a musical reflection on the emotions and events that inspired the artist.