Valentin Silvestrov

Metamusik

Metamusik is not only the title of this work, but also a concept with which the composer has attempted to describe his style. He considers Metamusik to be 'a semantic overtone above music'. 'Meta', Silvestrov has said, can also be construed as 'stepping out of music without . . . actually leaving it'. All the usual parameters (for example, sequences or a series) are present, though they exist in a different context, that is, indirectly and in a metaphorical sense. Metamusik, which takes 42 minutes to play, is similarly metaphorical, since it merely bears a superficial resemblance to a piano concerto, and is actually construed by the composer to be a symphony. In this context melody plays both a thematic and a structural role. In Metamusik a melody which emerges in the lengthy exposition leads to the soloist's cadenza, and in doing so introduces a series of quotations from Silvestrov's earlier piano works. Another melody leads into the 'endless' coda, in which the work reaches its climax.' (Tatiana Frumkis)