BAKU: Symphony of Sirens, Sound Experiments in the Russian Avant-Garde, Original Documents and reconstructions of 72 key works of music, poetry and agitprop from the Russian avantgardes 1908-1942.
The book is released and distributed by ReR… I bought this copy from the Tate Modern bookshop and it can also be ordered through Sub Rosa for about £25…
Chris Cutler is the general editor.
The 72 page book is translated from the Spanish, and includes an essay by Miguel Molina Alarcon providing an overview, summary biographies, bibliography, web research links and the 2 CDs, the first of which is made up of reconstructions including The Symphony of Sirens by Avraamov, and previously lost sound events by Prokofiev, Khlebnikov, Malevich, Burliuk and numerous others, lasting between 9 seconds and 28 minutes.
The second CD is made up entirely of original recordings including Vertov’s Enthusiasm, The Dombass Symphony; a symphony of abstract industrial noise from 1930, followed by contemporary recordings by Roman Jakobson, Khruchenykh, Lili Brik, Esenin, Mayakovsky, Pasternak, Akhmatova, Lenin and Trotsky.
Today I’ve chosen mostly poetic works; and the first track is by Igor Severyanin called Echo dating from 1914, these first tracks are all reconstructions from 2006, the second half of the programme will be original recordings.
