More than an hour of music for seven violins – does that work? Yes, that works, and how. Lacrimosa by Maxim Shalygin, subtitled ‘Thirteen magical songs’, is a tour de force of intensity and imagination. Above all, it is music with a great emotional impact that will leave no listener unmoved. Lacrimosa is the first part of Shalygin’s S I M I L A R cycle, which he calls his life’s work. During the Mininmal Music Festival, the first three parts of S I M I L A R can be heard in quick succession for the first time. The festival closes on Sunday with the world premiere of the fourth part, Delirium.

Shalygin was born in Ukraine, but has been working in the Netherlands for many years. His idiom is rich and diverse, with the typical characteristic that he demands the utmost of instrument, note material and ensemble playing. For example, NRC described his music in Lacrimosa as ‘rains of pizzicato, seething swarms of bows and soft overtone veils’. The other movements of S I M I L A R are Todos los fuegos el fuego for eight saxophones and Severade for nine cellos. Together, the performances form a miniature portrait of one of today’s most interesting composers.