Today I had a great surprise! A really nice present from one of my Facebook friends overseas that I connected with thanks to my beloved friends Jeanie and Rachel Flowers. Thank you Kavi Alexander (Water Lily Acoustics)! Your present is really appreciated. I feel really honored! I can’t wait to listen to this beautiful music in a live performance by the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra (Gustav Mahler 5th Symphony) and the Saint Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra (Dimitri Shostakovich 7th Symphony).
Gustav Mahler's 5th Symphony (Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under Yuri Temirkanov) and Dimitri Shostakovich's 7th Symphony (Saint Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra under Alexander Dimitriev). Water Lily Acoustics Records.
To me this is a proof that music can go beyond any border. Music is a global agent! Kavi lives in Santa Barbara, California; I live in Móstoles, Madrid. We have not met yet. A year ago I was in Santa Barbara, but I could not meet him. Today, a year later, he wanted to share with me this music he recorded live in Saint Petersburg back in 2003 and it represents the realization of one of his dreams.
To honor him, I would like to share a text that Kavi wrote for the record of the Symphony n. 5 by Gustav Mahler performed by the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under Yuri Temirkanov:
“The Biblical parable of the pearl merchant, I believe, outlines concisely what a man must do when his heart compels him towards something very worthy. Trusting his intuition and disregarding the logic of his reasoning mind, he then strives to reach his goal; the very act of embarking on such a pilgrimage is its own reward and should success come his way at the end, it will add to the contentment stemming from the fulfilment of his sacred vows to his chosen personal God. I arrived in Saint Petersburg, like a strannik, an urodivoi in Jerusalem, and realized my twenty-five year old dream of recording the prestigious Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, a two hundred year old cultural and artistic institution dedicated to excellence. That profound experience, transformational as any true pilgrimage, has left an indelible impression on my mind.
The people of the northern Caucasus have been traditionally known for their equestrian skills, longevity and joie de vivre, as well being renowned as men of honor and valor. Hailing from that region, Maestro Temirkanov possesses all the characteristics of a noble chevalier: upright and bold, courageous and courteous, passionate and girm in his resolve. A conductor of the old school -taciturn, allof to the mundane, yet keenly aware of the minutiae of music and totally possessed by the muse. His bare hads -now a cresting wave, now a swooping mass of snow… the God of Abraham forming Adam out of clay with His hands. Maestro Temirkanov is trully one the great conductors of our times.
Created by imperial decree at the height of the opulent Czarist reign, coming of age during a proletarian dictatorship and now continuing within a free market system, the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic is one of the world’s great orchestras, possessing a very distinct sound, shaped by its rich culture and unusual history. Their artistry, like a priceless icon of the Black Madonna and Infant in a canle-lit Russian Orthodox church infused with frankincense, filled with the sound of sacred music and vibrant with the ardor of the devout, while the world outside is frozen still, draws out the soul to profound contemplation.
This recording exists because there were those who graciously shared their expertise, gave of their time and knowledge, and excercised their power to open doors and facilitate the process. Their help, and the Grace of Our Lady, enabled the realisation of this dream.
Kavichandran Alexander
If you are interested in these unique records -and they are really unique-, please contact:
Water Lily Acoustics
p.o. box 91448
Santa Barbara, A 93190
USA
Telephone/Fax (805) 968-8188
Email: music@waterlilyacoustics.com
Michael Thallium
