Chimes: Upon Reading V. M. Shukshin

*Chimes*
Chimes
Upon Reading V. M. Shukshin
Choral symphony by Valery Gavrilin
Text	Russian folk texts, Albina Shulgina, and Valery Gavrilin
Language	Russian
Composed	1978–1982
Dedication	To Vladimir Nikolayevich Minin [ru]
Published	1985
Publisher	Sovietsky kompozitor [ru]; Kompozitor Sankt-Peterburg [ru]
Duration	ca. 85 minutes
Movements	20
Scoring	Oboe, percussion, 2 solo singers, speaker, and SATB choir

Chimes: Upon Reading V. M. Shukshin (Russian: Перезвоны — По прочтении В. М. Шукшина, romanized: Perezvony — Po prochtenii V. M. Shukshina) is a choral symphony by Valery Gavrilin. It was composed between 1978 and 1982, and premiered in 1984. The texts, inspired after a reading of Vasily Shukshin, are compiled from folk poetry, Albina Shulgina, and Gavrilin himself. The premiere in 1984 was seen as a turning away from European themes to Russian themes in Gavrilin's output.^[1] The work was recorded by Melodiya in 1988, with the soloists Natalia Gerasimova, Svetlana Beloklokova, Ludmila Slepneva, Anatoly Lyubimov, and the Moscow Chamber Choir, conducted by Vladimir Minin [ru].

Instrumentation

The instrumentation for Chimes is as follows:

Woodwind: Oboe

Percussion: Timpani; Triangle; Snare drum; Whip; Cymbals; Bass drum; Tam-tam; Tubular bells

Voices: Soprano solo; Tenor solo; Speaker (male voice); SATB choir (sopranos dived into two sections)

Movements

Cheerful in Spirit (Russian: Весело на душе, romanized: Veselo na dushe)
Death of a Bandit (Russian: Смерть разбойника, romanized: Smert' razboynika)
Little Reed Pipe (Russian: Дудочка, romanized: Dudochka)
Nonsense (Russian: Ерунда, romanized: Yerunda)
Little Reed Pipe
Hangout (Russian: Посиделки, romanized: Posidelki)
Little Reed Pipe
Ti-ri-ri (Russian: Ти-ри-ри, romanized: Ti-ri-ri)
Little Reed Pipe
Evening Music (Russian: Вечерняя музыка, romanized: Verchernyaya muzyka)
Little Reed Pipe
Sunday (Russian: Воскресенье, romanized: Voskresen'ye)
Little Reed Pipe
Tell Me, Tell Me, Darling (Russian: Скажи, скажи, голубчик, romanized: Skazhi, skazhi, golubnik)
Ugly Lady (Russian: Страшенная баба, romanized: Strashennaya baba)
White-White Snow (Russian: Белы-белы снеги, romanized: Bely-bely snegi)
Prayer (Russian: Молитва, romanized: Molitva)
Mother River (Russian: Матка-река, romanized: Matka-reka)
Little Reed Pipe
The Road (Russian: Дорога, romanized: Doroga)

References

^ Solomon Volkov - St Petersburg: A Cultural History 2010 - Page 546 1451603150 "A sensation was caused by the premiere in Petersburg of Bell Chimes, a nationalistic "symphony-ritual" (as the composer called it) by Valery Gavrilin, a follower of Georgy Sviridov, a leading Slavophile musician (and former student of Shostakovich) and composer of the Petersburg Songs."

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[1] Solomon Volkov - St Petersburg: A Cultural History 2010 - Page 546 1451603150 "A sensation was caused by the premiere in Petersburg of Bell Chimes, a nationalistic "symphony-ritual" (as the composer called it) by Valery Gavrilin, a follower of Georgy Sviridov, a leading Slavophile musician (and former student of Shostakovich) and composer of the Petersburg Songs."

[1]