LJOVA CAPTURES GLOBAL MUSICAL LANDSCAPE BY FEATURING ORIGINAL AND TRADITIONAL MUSIC, RECORDED PRIMARILY FOR MULTI-TRACK VIOLA
“[Ljova] is an extraordinarily talented and versatile musician, who has an incredible understanding of the intricacies of the imaginative mind"--Yo-Yo Ma
“I am simply in awe of Lev's talents. He is one of the outstanding exponents of a new generation of musicians that I consider, in a good sense, mutants. Equally at home in a chamber group or symphony orchestra playing the canon of the literature or the most complex modernistic settings, or imaginatively improvising on folk melodies with musicians from around the world, Lev proves that an integration between seemingly different cultures is possible, inevitable, and fruitful"--Osvaldo Golijov
Vjola: World on Four Strings is the debut release of Russian-born maverick film composer, arranger, and violist Lev 'Ljova' Zhurbin. Inspired by his collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, the Kronos Quartet and Osvaldo Golijov, Ljova draws on a multitude of cross-cultural influences in unique pieces, recorded primarily on multi-tracked viola.
Aside from John Cale's pioneering work with the Velvet Underground, the viola has largely remained a Western classical music instrument. In his debut album, Ljova breaks new ground as uses his viola to sing the blues, create new dance rhythms inspired by Latin, African, and Gypsy traditions, invoke ambient soundscapes and converse with owls. Add to this a striking instrumental cover of Bjork's “Army of Me" and a nostalgic Russian waltz, featuring Michael Ward-Bergeman on accordion, Ljova convinces the listener that all of these worlds can co-exist on one album.
Ljova explains: “For me, this album became a quest to find new musical possibilities with my instrument. I felt limited with the classical repertoire and wanted an alternative. I love folk music and memorable melodies that you can whistle. But I'm also a huge fan of odd rhythms, murky textures, and large compositional forms. Fusing these preferences from various angles has become a sensationally satisfying goal."
Despite, or even in reaction to his experience arranging for the Silk Road Ensemble and Kronos, Ljova chose not to write out anything more than a melody - and sometimes even less - prior to recording. “I crave the fragility of playing by ear, the magic of feeling and creating and re-inventing on the spot," Ljova explains.
“Many pieces on this album were inspired - and often requested - by my filmmaker friends. One director introduced me to Afro-Cuban music, another's script immersed me in the blues. But most of all I was inspired by the many neighborhoods, cultures and sounds of my dear adopted hometown - New York."
An album this globally aware warrants an equally cosmopolitan cover artwork. Ljova chose two photographs and a painting by the celebrated Spanish artist Angel Oresanz, also currently a New York resident. “Angel has toured the world with his magnificent paintings and installations. The photographs, created at an installation in Akita, Japan, reflect for me the colors and moods of this music, of the sunset, of an unusually warm day in the freeze of winter. The painting behind the album itself is a contrast - one perhaps offered musically if all of the tracks were to be played at once."
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