Concerto Grosso No. 1, Op. 28
Three Romances, Op. 22
Octet in G minor, Op. 56 ‘Letter from an Unknown Woman

Montreal-based since 1998, Airat Ichmouratov (b. 1973) traces his musical roots back to the dominant culture in his native Tatarstan in Soviet times: ‘It was definitely the Russian school of composers’, he says, without rancour. ‘I’m influenced to this day by Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky. My own musical style has evolved out of this rich heritage.’ There’s more. The Volga Tatar-born Russian-Canadian composer learned to play klezmer music while busking, together with his viola-playing wife, as new immigrants on the streets and Métro of Montreal. ‘I’ve been touring the world for twenty years as a clarinettist with the Montreal band Kleztory and find myself, a Muslim-born musician, playing klezmer. This, too, is now a distinctive part of my musical language.’

From introductory notes by Keith Horner

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Recording: ‘Verhni Gorod’ Concert Hall, Svoboda Square, Minsk, Belarus; 18 – 20 November 2018. Elvira Misbakhova plays a viola made by Giacomo and Leandro Bisiach in 1962, with a bow by Jacques Audinot.