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Once Upon a Time On Vinyl
Music & Lyrics
Having been an admirer of the work of the artist who did the cover design for this album, I chose to purchase the vinyl edition when it came out in August.
Although the liner notes on the back of the album listed the composer as (the obviously pseudonymous) Anne Nonimous, word was already out among music afficionados that these were the latest orchestral creations written by Rednaxela A. Krih.
If you’re a regular reader of my column you’re probably aware that Ms. Krih is a celebrated Ukrainian composer of short experimental musical works.
Within two weeks of release the album was in the top ten on Billboard’s Classical Albums Chart.
While shorter than any ever written — averaging three minutes — it is not a misnomer to call these symphonies. They are indeed ”elaborate compositions for full orchestra, in multiple movements”—and I‘ll go out on a limb and add that many are masterpeieces of the genre.
The liner notes go into great detail of each composition’s theme and the composer’s intent.
Distilled, I would say that all thirty-one of the pieces are driven by the leitmotif of Time — each in some way incorporating the ticking of a clock. The titles theselves ellicit many diverse aspects of how our lives are touched by Time. From the personal and…
