With "LUSTRUM," Russian horn player Arkady Shilkloper and Ukrainian pianist Vadim Neselovskyi present their second duo album on Neuklang. The two musicians have known each other since Vadim, a 19-year-old music student, first encountered Arkady live with the Moscow Art Trio at the Dortmund Jazzclub Domizil. The idea of the duo was born much later and developed into a congenial collaboration between two outstanding musicians.
"In Vadim, I found a sensitive partner who is not only a good pianist but also a wonderful composer," says Arkady Shilkloper. Vadim Neselovskyi adds, "It is a wonderful feeling to play with a musician whose recordings you listened to in your youth. Our duo allows me to develop and implement my musical visions. Arkady and I speak the same language."
The collaboration is highly inspiring for both musicians and a fascinating process. The natural boundaries of the French horn and alpine horn are sometimes challenging for a pianist to understand, Vadim remarks. However, Arkady is such a virtuoso that anything is possible. "Working on new material, trying different registers on the horn, exchanging roles, and achieving something that initially seemed entirely hopeless is always a lot of fun," says Vadim.
The musicians act differently in their interplay. "Sometimes – like with 'Almost December' or 'Song for Vera' – we don't change anything and play the original," says Arkady, and Vadim continues: "Then there are pieces like 'Intrada,' which allow enormous freedom and sound completely different in every concert. In principle, however, each piece has the scope for sound adventures born in the process of improvisation." "I describe our method as 'comprovisation,' a combination of composition and improvisation. We try to transcend the boundaries between the two," concludes Arkady.
Most compositions have a personal story behind them. The idea for "Get Up And Go" came to Vadim when hearing news about global wars and conflicts. He envisioned a wounded soldier lying on the ground who gathers all the strength to survive despite pain and weakness. On the other hand, "Songs My Parents Sing" is based on the fond memory of parents who often sang Russian and Ukrainian songs together in their kitchen. The underlying theme is a song about an old coachman, originally heard in the intro, taking the listener on a bumpy ride.
"Almost December" came to Vadim during a late November stroll through the streets of Dortmund. In late autumn, the spirit of Christmas was already in the air, and one could feel the end of the year in the empty, quiet streets. The story of "Station Taiga" is enchanting. "In my solo concerts, I always ask the audience for numbers between 1 and 8. I use them to build a melody and improvise a short piece. Once I received the combination 8-7-2-4-3, which resulted in a very beautiful Slavic motif. Back home, I worked on the improvisation, and it transformed into this dreamy, meditative composition, reflecting my travel experiences through the breathtakingly beautiful snow forest of Siberia."
"Lustrum" is the Latin term for a five-year period in ancient Rome. Arkady Shilkloper and Vadim Neselovskyi have been playing together since 2011 and celebrate their five-year anniversary in the year of the recording. Thus, the album title "LUSTRUM" contains the words light and lust, as their collaboration is characterized by vitality and joy of playing.
For more information, visit www.shilkloper.com.