Igor Yakovenko releases new album

Moscow-based composer and pianist Igor Yakovenko is in the vanguard of a new generation of musicians who stand at the crossroads between classical and modern music. With a career informed by both the tradition of classical performance and the improvisational freedom of jazz, Igor is a true musical polymath. His training in Historical and Contemporary Performing Arts, as well as improvisation, has shaped him into a virtuoso performer and creative composer of original pieces.

Whether dazzling audiences with solo recitals, avant-garde jazz trio performances or his experimental improvisational outfit 21PM, Igor’s musical output consistently win overs fans and earns critical acclaim. His talents have received extensive recognition from the global music community, resulting in accolades from prestigious institutions, including the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy and The Art of the 21st Century competition in Lithuania.

As a composer, his catalogue of work spans operatic works like Guilty! for the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre to four albums released through FANCYMUSIC, Russia’s leading label for groundbreaking contemporary music. While his performances at Moscow’s leading venues have further confirmed his status as a modern sonic innovator.

Now, Igor Yakovenko brings us his latest release with his brand new album titled Promenade, a full-length record that pays homage to Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition on its 150th anniversary. Far from being a straightforward reinterpretation, Promenade is a daring reinvention that reaches to the classical past via a creative invitation from the present. “For me, the heritage of the past is a treasure trove to be reimagined and shared with new audiences,” he shares.

This ethos runs throughout the eleven tracks on Promenade, which not only revisits Mussorgsky’s themes but also reframes them through improvisation and groundbreaking techniques, serving as a dialogue between the original compositions and Igor’s inventive approach. Opened by the title track “Promenade,” the soft lilting bonce of warm piano tones set up a mellow scene before the lively flicker of dashes and runs adds a hurried energy. Notes dancing within a breezy structure form aa engrossing pice that swells with intensity before the bold stab of chords brings the piece together for a rousing finale.

“Gnomus” follows with the delicate flutter on airy notes and hushed counter bass tones, as the track glides through an intriguing fabric of intricate ebb and flow, reaching the unnerving aesthetic of discordant notes and rhythms to craft a brooding and gripping soundscape. With “Il Vecchio Castello,” Igor’s deft performance of gentle quality brings the moody tonal ideas to life, forging a melancholic outing of sparse construction.

Other highlights on the album include the uptempo bounce of “Limogues, le marché (La grand nouvelle)” where playful leads and robust chords combine to form a truly enthralling sound before floating through moments of soothing, dreamy sonic bliss. Closing the record with “The Bogatyr Gates (In the Old Capital of Kiev),” lush chords rise and fall to present a charming and succinct finale to a truly wonderful work of modern classical music from an extraordinary and visionary artist.

Listen to Promenade below