Eduard Artemiev and Yuri Bogdanov
Metamorphoses
Melodia (USSR) 1980
C10-13889-90 (LP) White label.
sleeve : VG+(RW, TEOC, WC, wear on edge and corner, dirts.)
media : EX-/EX-(some light noise.)
Featured in the first edition of the guidebook obscure sound. This is a masterpiece by Eduard Artemiev, one of Russia’s foremost composers and electronic musicians, widely known for his work on Andrei Tarkovsky film soundtracks, created in collaboration with Yuri Bogdanov, a sound engineer for the Soviet state label Melodiya who was also deeply involved in performing and arranging many of Artemiev’s works. Making full use of EMS analog synthesizers including the Synthi-A, the album ranges from retro-futurist space-age pieces imbued with a solemn, almost Russian Orthodox grandeur to deep-space ambient explorations. Among the standout moments are A4, which evokes the sensation of being cast adrift in zero gravity, and B5, where the violently chaotic sound processing feels as if one is being pulled straight into a black hole. The sonic treatment throughout is exceptionally intense.
A4: Spring Etude
B5: Motion