Valentyn Silvestrov & Giya Kancheli

This concert is dedicated to two composers often described as masters of silence: Valentin Silvestrov and Gia Kancheli.

They come from different backgrounds and followed very different life paths, yet they share a remarkable inner closeness. They were friends, listened carefully to one another, and spoke a similar musical language — a language of sincerity and inner focus.

Both composers were acutely aware that the contemporary world is becoming ever faster and louder. Their response was quiet music — music that does not need volume in order to be heard.

The programme features two cycles: “Melodies of the Moment” by Valentin Silvestrov and “Letters to Friends” by Gia Kancheli.

Both reflect on fleeting moments and on people who remain with us forever.

“Melodies of the Moment” consists of bagatelles in which the melody never comes to rest. It breathes freely, deviates, returns, and lives within the space of rubato and inner freedom.

“Letters to Friends” is music born from theatre and film, transformed into a deeply personal address — simple, luminous, and profoundly human.

Both Valentin Silvestrov and Gia Kancheli are our contemporaries.

Silvestrov now lives in Berlin, having been forced to leave Ukraine because of the war. Kancheli has passed away, yet his music remains with us as a living presence — a voice that does not fade with time.

This concert is about music that reminds us that one does not need to shout in order to be heard.

It is music of inner balance, attentiveness, and dignity.