SERGEY KURYOKHIN - "SPARROW ORATORIUM" (1993)

Original artist name: Сергей Курёхин 

I introduced Sergey Kuryokhin three months ago, posting his soundtrack for that wonderful movie titled "Gospodin Oformitel". Now it's time to post something more.

"Sparrow Oratorium" is considered by many his strongest effort as a melodic composer. 
It is a disregarded avant-prog gem, and its stylistical variety is impressive. Kuryokhin shows once more his mastery as a keyboard player and sound crafter, with some magnificent ambient backgrounds and dynamic minimal patterns, while all around sounds explodes as fireworks: angelic vocals (mostly provided by Marina Kapuro), subtlety dissonant guitars, saxophone fanfares, ostinato strings, and electronic rhythms made by some powerful synthesizer sequences. The sweet, catchy tunes are placed somewhere between dream-pop and Eastern European folk music. 

This is such a beautiful album, you can compare it to Philip Glass, Jan Garbarek, or even Loreena McKennitt, but you'll always be distant from its real, unique sound.   


P.S. Forget the first track, "Winter", which is a simply a re-titled version of his old classic "Donna Anna", recorded in 1988. The real album starts with the second piece, "Spring". 

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

SERGEY KURYOKHIN - "GOSPODIN OFORMITEL / POSVYASHCHONNYY", soundtracks (rec. 1988-89, rel. 1999)

Died of cardiac sarcoma in 1996 when only 42, Sergey Kuryokhin was one of the most important figures in the history of Russian music, having faced countless music styles without losing his radical artistic integrity. Famous in the avant-jazz circles for his noisy piano improvisations, but also able to design ambitious progressive suites later in his career, Kuryokhin reached the peak of his pop creativity with the soundtracks for "Gospodin oformitel" and "Posvyashchonnyy", two wonderful surrealistic movies directed by Oleg Teptsov. Kuryokhin created the right mix of music to emphasize the images, both baroque and horrorific.

Starting with the sick, demented carillon melody of "Shkatulka" and closing with "Erotika", where space ambient meets an operatic solfeggio, Kuryokhin leads the listeners into a travel through Russian folk music ("Mistika"), exciting post-punk tracks ("Igra 1", "Sorvalas'"), and elegies which could compete with those composed by Danny Elfman ("Krysha"). The key-track is probably "Donna Anna", a new wave number with soprano vocals and an epic guitar solo with a harsh distortion.

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)