1986
"Symphony-Recitative". Symphony No. 4





in memory of mother
50m
Soviet Composer
KZCh. 19.05.1987
KZCh. 11/15/1988
Philharmonic Orchestra.
D. Kitaenko
KZCh and BZK. 5.06 1988. The same performers
The first part of the cycle of symphonies "Rus' is leaving"
The Symphony-Recitative is the first part of the symphonic trilogy “Russia is Leaving”, the title of which was possibly inspired by a painting by Mikhail Nesterov, symbolically depicting the great historical past of Russia in the figures of the greatest statesmen, clergy, representatives of science and culture of different times. In the music of Butsko’s symphony, the images of the past are the faces-intonations of classical Russian music, which is especially emphasized in the waltz episodes. They make one recall similar episodes from Tchaikovsky’s symphonies (for example, the Fourth) or waltzes from Prokofiev’s ballets… At the same time, this symphony also has a deeply personal aspect – it is dedicated to the memory of the composer’s mother, and the reflective images alternate in it with dramatically mournful images, conveyed in the recitative monologues of the solo cello and other instruments.
The development of figurative spheres arising in the reflective consciousness occurs unhurriedly, as a result of the counterpoint of variationally transformed elements, which creates a new quality of the sounding layers of the musical fabric. The symphony is one-part, but in its sections, which have their own logic and character of development, one senses an internal cyclicality.
Igor Kuznetsov
