igor wakhevitch: logos

Subtitled 'Rituel Sonore pour Group Pop (Triangle), Choeur mixte et Bande Magnetique' and originally recorded as music for a N. Schmucki ballet premiered at Festival d'Avignon 1970, this is the perfect introduction to Wakhevitch dark, powerful and often menacing sound world. An unlikely mixture of 20th century classical avant-garde, both orchestral and electronic and psychedelic rock courtesy of French psych-prog band Triangle. A strong piece which pairs epic choral parts with Wakhevitch's taped electronics and Triangle's hypnotic jamming to form, in typical Wakevitch occult fashion, an ode to man's relationship with sound forces, with the composer acting as a medium between the magical forces of sound and listener. The text inside the wonderful red gatefold cover holds some keys to the composer's universe. It mentions to early 20th Russian mystic/thinker Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff and also Kabbalistic and alchemical traditions are coupled with Wakhevitch's vision of a cosmic art for the 20th century, aligning himself to similar efforts by William Sheller and Guy Skornik. No surprise since this record sits comfortably next to other period pieces like Sheller's 'Lux Aeterna,' Skornik's 'Popera Cosmic,' Jason Havelock's 'Pop Symphony' or even Vangelis Papathanassiou's 'Fais Que Ton Reve Soit Plus Longue Que La Nuit.' French post-Mai '69 orchestral avant-pop vibes galore.