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Overture “Youth“ by Airat Ichmouratov (Modern Classical Music 2020) follow Airat on Instagram: SUBSCRIBE and don't forget to press SHOW MORE for more information about the video! Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal chef d'orchestre Jean Francois Rivest The Music of Airat Ichmouratov Self-avowedly of “the Russian school,” Airat Ichmouratov (b. 1973) derives the fundamentals of his craft from masters like Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky but inspiration from multiple sources, including his native Tatarstan and the surroundings of Montreal, the city he has called home for more than 20 years. It says something about Ichmouratov’s eclectic interests that he acquired a taste for Klezmer – a remarkable avocation, as he observes, for a Muslim by birth – while busking in the Montreal metro system. Indeed, he has made his mark as a performer as a clarinetist for Kleztory, an ensemble that recorded for Chandos with I Musici de Montréal. “Youth” Overture Op. 50 The “Youth” Overture is dedicated to the Orchestre de la Francophonie and its founder Jean-Philippe Tremblay as well as “the youth of our planet, ambitious and fearless in making our home a better place.” Stirring fanfares establish the dotted three-note motive that pervades the overture. Restless modulations evoke the limitless vista of possibilities a young person faces, a prospect the composer compares to an ocean that must be crossed despite strong headwinds and rough seas. Soon the matchlessly positive and promising key of C Major is established as the tonality of the main Allegro. The clarinet sallies forth with a good-natured variant of the dotted theme ending with a run of semiquavers that would not disgrace Rossini. An even more boisterous sequence builds tension until the much-awaited dominant is reached with a broad melody for strings marked cantabile. Young people, it seems, have their affectionate moments. High spirits reappear with a cheeky rising figure for bassoons and xylophone, followed by a martial passage that expresses determination in the face of stormy weather (represented by the wind machine). In the compressed recapitulation the cantabile tune seems ready to have the last word before ominous figures in the horns and muted trumpets introduce an uplifting coda. The voyage is successful; the vitality of youth leads to the confidence of adult life. The “Youth” Overture was premiered by the dedicatees on July 28, 2016, as a celebration of their 15th anniversary, in the Centre Pierre-Charbonneau in Montreal. The composition was supported by a grant from the Conseil des arts et des Lettres du Québec. ©Arthur Kaptainis *********************************** Airat Ichmouratov is Russian / Canadian classic composer, conductor and klezmer clarinetist. (modern classical music) Twitter: Instagram: Facebook: #russianoverture #overture #classicalmusic #ichmouratov #romanticmusic #romanticoverture #modernoverture #symphonyorchestra #youthoverture #canadiancomposer #russiancomposer
