Program Notes

In 2022 I was asked by the members of the Belarus Bolshoi Woodwind quintet to write a new
piece for them.

Woodwind quintet was a genre I was trying to avoid. It seemed to me that the sound of
Stravinsky woodwinds and a certain cartoon-like character were dominating my mind when it
was about a woodwind quintet. However, I like challenges! I started listening and exploring what
else is out there and discovered several works, including Gyorgy Ligeti 10 Pieces for Woodwind
quintet that suddenly featured very different qualities of this instrumentation.

My new composition was supposed to be premiered at a historic catholic church, so called Red
cathedral in my native Minsk, Belarus. This landmark produces a lot of reverb during the
performance, so I was trying to be mindful of this qualities and wrote a piece with a lot of air,
allowing harmonies to blend and disappear.

Writing “Wings’Whispers” coincided with my father’s death anniversary. In Orthodox tradition
we read a lot of prayers 40 days before the anniversary for the departed soul. This theme inspired
my work.

“Wings’ Whispers” is a journey of a soul after its departure.
At first it wonders about all the beauty around it. It goes through temptations and hears “sinners’
moaning”. Reaching the heaven it receives yet another set of temptations , but the angels’ wings
help the soul to reach its peace.
It’s the angels’ wings’ whispers that guide us and support throughout our life."Wings' Whispers" is a reflection on two worlds, angels' and humans'.

It's the whispers of the angels' wings that guide us through the life.