Album Notes

Artemij Vedel (1767-1808)- eminent Ukrainian composer. He was a brilliant conductor, singer (tenor), violin-virtuoso and musical teacher. So much talent for one person and for one to filled with tragic fate. At the age of 32, and full of creative thought, experience and knowledge, he was imprisoned in a madhouse, where he spent nine horrible and horrific years. His life ended aged 41, yet the tragedy of the artiste lasted long after his death as publication and performance of his work was forbidden. 50 years after his death saw his first condensed biography and centuries later, the first publication of his works. This short revival and renaissance quickly reversed almost a century of official isolation, this time under the Communist Soviets (USSR).
With regret the creative legacy of Vedel was not preserved in its totality. Known are the sections relating to – 28 Spiritual Concertos, 2 Divine Liturgies, the All Night Vigil and separate creations based on canonical texts. Their stile was formed on the intermissions of baroque, classical and pre-romanticism tendencies, thus formulating a complex synthesis, which clearly experiences the senses and influence of traditional Ukrainian and Western-Europian music. Vedel’s creations differentiate themselves through their unity of word and music, melodic sincerity, rhythmic complications, multi-layered textured and techniques, refine perfection of small form, and yet with it – define the mastery and monumentality of his choral scoring and writing.