The Requiem was completed in 1986, and was premiered two years later. A subsequent radio transmission, the booklet notes tell us, marked the first time that a requiem mass ever had been broadcast in the Soviet Union. Times have changed. Sacred music, once taboo in the Soviet Union, is no longer prohibited, and perhaps this Requiem no longer seems - forgive the word - revolutionary. Nevertheless, I believe that one's appreciation of this work is enhanced by understanding the black hole from which it emerged.

I don't know anything about Artyomov's religious beliefs, but this is a real requiem, unlike Leonard Bernstein's Mass, which is essentially a theatrical work. It has the expected components, from the opening Introitus to the final In Paradisum. That's not to say that it lacks drama. Although it is sincerely devout in spirit, it still has its many passages of sadness and terror, just as in the requiems by Mozart and Verdi. As can be seen from the headnote, there is a full chorus, a boys' chorus, several soloists, plus an organ, and what sounds to be a large symphony orchestra. Artyomov deploys these forces intelligently and with variety, and is careful not to bludgeon the listener when a tap on the shoulder is sufficient. Over the course of 76 minutes, many well-placed and well-timed taps can have a tremendous emotional impact, and that is pretty much what happens here.

This is a rather long work, and hardly a cheerful one, but the composer's pacing is excellent, and for me, time flew by. Not quite as polystylic as Schnittke, Artymov nevertheless draws water from several wells. For example, choral singing typical of the Russian Orthodox tradition appears in the "Domine Jesu Christe" section of the Offertorium, where it is strikingly combined with very effective "keening" figures from the orchestra. With its sliding chords, the choral writing shows the apparent influence of Penderecki's St. Luke Passion and Magnificat. (If this were an LP, unsuspecting listeners might wonder if their turntable were having pitch problems.) Artyomov's interest in Russian folk music also can be detected. Britten's War Requiem is another antecedent. Instead of a hodge-podge or an homage, though, the composer has made his own seamless garment of these disparate elements.

This recording dates from 1989. Moscow Studio Archives does not identify the vocal soloists; I was able to do so from one of this recording's earlier incarnations, on the Boheme Music label. The musicians seem secure enough - were these the premiere performers? At any rate, the performance certainly won't get in the way of the music doing what it needs to do. The engineering is not quite first-class - at times, it sounds a little shallow and artificial - but it is good enough. The booklet note does a good job of introducing us to the music. There are no texts and translations, however, but because this is the standard Latin Mass, that shouldn't trouble anyone.

Most interesting, and a contender for the Want List in this issue!

FANFARE: Raymond Tuttle