Sounds of Defiance - NEW!
Music of Shostakovich, Schnittke, Pärt and Achron

Yevgeny Kutik, violin
Timothy Bozarth, piano

The works on this album were written amidst the tremendous social upheavals of the 20th century. However, no matter how turbulent, resigned, even angry some of these scores may seem, they each convey a sense of searching for faith – faith in God, faith in the human spirit, faith in art. It is with this unyielding faith that these composers had a powerful weapon against tyranny – defiance.

Alfred Schnittke is a bold experimenter, always pushing musical boundaries. His Sonata No. 1 pleads for maximum attention withunwavering expression. The Hebrew Lullaby and Hebrew Melody by Joseph Achron radiate tremendous emotional depth, and convey a beautiful sense of longing and pain. Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Sonata is a monumental and challenging work that epitomizes the unbearable pressure and struggles he endured in the Soviet Union. Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel exists on a plain of mystical and spiritual calm, creating an overwhelmingly gorgeous quality." - Catalog: MAR 429

Track Listing