Vladimir Scolnic (*1947): "Lights ... shadows ..." for ensemble (2001)

Vladimir Scolnic was born on August 27, 1947, in Cherkasy (Ukraine), but since the age of 15 months, he lived in Romania. At the Bucharest Conservatory he studied with teachers like Anatol Vieru, Ştefan Niculescu and Aurel Stroe. In 1977, Scolnic moved to Israel, where he teaches composition and theoretical subjects at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.

Here you can find out more about him and his music:
https://www.israelcomposers.org/Membe...

Here you can find Vladimir Scolnic's YT channel:
   / @vladimirscolnic  

"Lights ... shadows ..." is dedicated to the memory of Scolnic's teacher Anatol Vieru (1926-1998) and was written for the 75th anniversary of his birth (June 8, 2001). It is inspired by the same story as Vieru's piece "Et in Arcadia ego" (    • Anatol Vieru - Et in Arcadia ego (for thre...   ): The imagination of poet Virgilius has transformed a cold and arid land into one of supreme happiness, but the ego exists even in this Arcadia. In 1618, Italian artist Guercino created a painting by the title "Et in Arcadia ego", where Death says about himself: "Even in Arcadia I exist...!" This theme is developed further in two paintings by Nicolas Poussin. In the music of "Lights ... shadows ...", sound structures as can be found in Vieru's works are transformed and integrated into somewhat weird, out-of-this-world, structures of time and space.

"Lights ... shadows ..." for flute (also piccolo), trombone, violin, viola, cello, piano and percussion, in memoriam Anatol Vieru (2001)

1. Lights (Sparks) 0:00
2. Shadows 3:47

played by the Ansamblul "Pro Contemporania": Ion Bogdan Ştefănescu (flute, percussion), Florin Pane (trombone, percussion), Ladislau Csendes (violin, percussion), Marian Movileanu (viola), Andrei Kivu (cello) & Irinel Anghel (piano, percussion)

recording of the first performance (Bucharest, Sala mică a Ateneului Român, May 28, 2001 - Săptămâna Internaţională a Muzicii Noi XI)

image: Nicolas Poussin, Et in Arcadia ego (around 1628-1630 - Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, UK), detail