Mise-en-Scène – is a musical triptych with the solo violin binding all three parts together.
Violin forms a central theme telling a story where our protagonist from the distant future travels back in time to a bygone era, experiencing inner most memories. The violin invites us into a theatrical setting where it narrates the story from the protagonist’s point of view.
The musical themes begin with Japanese aesthetics and then travel through to the 17th Century European battlefields finally culminating the protagonist’s journey in the world of the gods.
Mono No Aware: Written in Japanese aesthetics where music starts the story off in an ancient Japanese garden. It describes the sorrow and the melancholy experienced by our hero, the enamoured young warrior, the beautiful maiden for whom his love grieves.
Memento Mori: The music traverses as if going from one dream to the next. From Ancient Japan we enter a Europe several centuries later, musically inspired by 17th century ‘Vanitas’. The protagonist finds himself on a merciless battlefield. Flames are rising up to the Heaven, as if Tartarus himself has opened his gates. Somewhere high above black ravens are circling. We can hear the sounds of church bells and choir singling that ‘Dies Irae’ has come. Badly wounded and the image of the beautiful maiden flashing before our hero’s eyes. He finds himself at the penultimate part of his journey, the ends of the Earth, where the river Styx roams the lands.
Demigod: Here we have no limit to our imagination. The musical theme morphs into avant-garde style, giving a nod to Akmaral’s previous works as Mergen (‘13’, ‘Ayan’). We are carried away in ecstasy to the mystical dances of the mythical goddesses. The character has ascended. We are in the world of the gods.
genre: classical crossover
released February 28, 2015
credits
Violin: Yerlan Kassymbekov, Akmaral Zykayeva
Piano: Agmar Sagatova
Voice: Albert Kao, Mergen
Mixing and Recordings by Akmaral Zykayeva
Mastering by Metroplis studios
*Album cover by Zhan Nausha
A big thanks for Yerlan Kassymbekov, Agmar Sagatova, Uros Strnad, Albert Kao, Zhan Nausha, Gafura Yermagambetova, Narina Ramazanova and Adele Q.