His biography:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentyn_Sylvestrov
Link to Symphony No. 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bakdjECOo9A&nohtml5=False
'Sylvestrov is perhaps best known for his post-modern musical style; some, if not most, of his works could be considered neoclassical and post-modernist. Using traditional tonal and modal techniques, Sylvestrov creates a unique and delicate tapestry of dramatic and emotional textures, qualities which he suggests are otherwise sacrificed in much of contemporary music. "I do not write new music. My music is a response to and an echo of what already exists," Sylvestrov has said.'
What do people think? He's new to me.
[His Symphony No. 8 premiered recently, amidst some controversy, involving the current military conflict in Ukraine and relations between Ukraine and Russia].
Replies
I've always been really stuck by his work… (and have found it psychologically strange in that his harmonic movement is very similar to my sensibilities for some of my pieces… Usually the harmonic content for 'modern composers' is such an idiosyncratic thing.. )
Thanks for replying Gregorio. He's totally new to me, and I am interested in hearing other people's reactions. His work strikes me as original and meaningful, in emotional terms, while not being avant-garde, contemporary or post-modern, in the sense that Penderecki was at first (though Penderecki is moving more in his direction, perhaps.) Personally, I find the reactionary and conservative tendency in most "minimalist music" to be counterproductive, even backwards. But I think Silvestrov may be very different.