Hear Hyderabad Composer Visita’s Striking Classical Album Made In Russia

Hyderabad composer Visita aka Vivek Venugopal delivers a clear intent when he begins talking about visiting Russia to record his compositions. “My music carries the message of peace,” Venugopal says.

Working with violinists Anastasia Kuskasheva and Anna Ansolis, viola artist Alexandra Marutaeva and cellist Maria Ryzhkova (who was also doubling up as a producer and tripling up as a translator for recording sessions), Visita’s new album String Quartets, Opp. 10, 12 comes across as an emotionally fulfilling record comprising two pieces split into nine tracks.

The current (and changing) global perception of Russia at the moment didn’t phase the artist, because Venugopal feels that “music is a language that goes deeper than any other language, far beyond socio-cultural, political differences and geographical borders.”

The two pieces composed, produced (and mixed) by the Hyderabad-based artist are titled “A Prayer for Mother Nature, Op. 10” and “Conflicted Resolution, Op. 12.” While the former addresses global warming and “the human tendency of disrespecting, exploiting and abusing mother nature,” Op. 12 is more inward looking. Venugopal says, “The first movement represents the crests and troughs that one experiences with a person. This person may be a family member, friend or romantic partner, but in my case, it was a family member. It also attempts to express the ephemeral nature of these ups and downs.” The peace is disrupted but there is also resolution, with the composer describing it one movement as a reflection of “finding solutions and making peace with the person.”

Venugopal wraps up his sonic, wordless stories on a hopeful note throughout the album, much like his previous works. After working with artists based in India, he felt it was time to look abroad and after shooting off a few hundred emails to musicians around the world, he found a connection in Russia, that too with musicians who worked in the Bolshoi Theatre. String Quartets, Opp. 10, 12 is one of two albums recorded during his weeks there, which he terms a “truly magical experience.” He adds, “When working with musicians at this level, one only needs to deal with the finer aspects and nuances of the music, but of course, that is what makes all the difference […] Russia has a great tradition of music, which has influenced me significantly, and I’m delighted that I was able to go there to work on this music.”

The next Visita album from Russia is in post-production stages and it features artists on instruments ranging from oboe to bassoon, oboe and of course, strings, among others. Venugopal adds, “There are four more pieces for various ensembles, that are at the final stages of composition, and they will be recorded in 2023.”

Listen to ‘String Quartets, Opp. 10, 12’ below.