in 1990 the catalogue of compositions by Galina Ustvolskaya (born 1919)
was published by Sikorsky in Hamburg.  It containes 21 works!  Among these
are 5 symphonies.  The Dutch Megadisc label has now released a recording of
the symphonies 2-5 (Oleg Malov and soloists of the St.Petersburg and Ural
Philharmonic orchestras, conducted by Dimitri Liss).  I picked this disc up
a couple of weeks ago and I think this will be one my favourites for the
*disc of the year*.  Symphonies? Well, not really.  The instrumentation:
2nd symphony - 6 flutes, 6 oboes, 6 trumpets, trombone, tuba, piano and
percussion - 3rd symphony - 5 oboes, 5 trumpets, 5 contrabasses, three
tubas, trombone, percussion and piano - 4th symphony - trumpet, piano
and tom-tom - and finally 5th symphony - oboe, trumpet, tuba, violin
and percussion.  All works also feature a voice, not a singer rather a
recitant.  I think all these combinations are pretty unique and unprecedent
in musical history.  Each of these works consists of one rather short
movement (8-15 minutes).  These are strange symphonies indeed, but what
powerful music!  Some kind of pityless rituals of human emotion.  Sombody
called Galina Ustvolskaya *the lady with the hammer* and you have to listen
to these works to understand why!  As its written in the booklet:  *This
music is salt permanently poured on the wounds of tonal sentimentalism*
(Frans C.  Lemaire).  This might not be everybodys cup of tea but I was
deeply impressed by this music composed by a woman who was born and lived
her whole live in St.Petersburg/Leningrad *the epicentre of Communist
terror and the city so terribly scarred by the horrors of war* (Victor
Suslin).  Higly recommended (and of course also the remaining 17 works,
all of which you find recorded on Megadisc, BMG-Melodya and HAT-Art)!

Achim Breiling