Session LXXX

Since its founding, the St. Petersburg Improvisers Orchestra has been a meeting ground for musicians of wildly diverse backgrounds, united by a shared devotion to spontaneous creation. Session LXXX, captured live in the resonant space of Jaani Kirik, is a striking example of the ensemble’s adventurous spirit and fearless exploration of sound. Available at NativeDSD in Stereo, 5 Channel Surround Sound and Auro-3D Immersive Audio. 

On St. Petersburg Improvisers Orchestra: Session LXXX, more than twenty musicians came together. A kaleidoscope of timbres stretching from organ, theremin, and harp to daxophone, prepared violin, and bass saxophone. Acoustic strings and winds conversed with the shimmer of percussion, the pulse of electric bass, and the breath of accordion. Voices wove through the textures, sometimes blending into the orchestral fabric, sometimes standing apart as distinct, human presences. An electronic group added yet another dimension, processing and transforming the live performance in real time.

The result is not a premeditated composition, but a living, unrepeatable event: music born in the moment, shaped by the acoustics of the church, the responsiveness of the players, and the energy of the audience. No two sessions of the Orchestra are alike, but all share the same guiding principle — to listen deeply, react honestly, and allow the music to reveal itself.

St. Petersburg Improvisers Orchestra
Olesya Rostovskaya (organ, theremin)
Olga Krukovskaya (double bass)
Konstantin Podgorbunsky (double bass)
Daria Barabenova (cello)
Mark Kommer (prepared violin)
Dimitry Tykvin (daxophone)
Nikolay Rubanov (bass saxophone)
Mikhai Kolovsky (tuba)
Leonid Perevalov (bass clarinet)
Konstantin Oganov (trumpet)
Vladimir Grig (guitar)
Pavel Oblapenko (bass guitar)
Stanislava Malakhovskaya (harp)
Kristine Kazaryan (electric harp)
Nadezhda Pantina (mandolin)
Natalia Potapenko (accordion)
Yulia Kravchenko (piano, harpsichord)
Ekaterina Fedorova (percussion)
Alexey Ivanov (drums)

Electronic Group:
Georgy Oblapenko
Ilya Pucheglazov

Vocal Group:
Ekaterina Lopatina
Svetlana Arzumanova
Maya Archipenko
Tatyana Simonova
Yulia Kravchenko
Leonid Levin
Elena Koptilkina
Tatyana Glavatskikh

Recording Credits: 
Recording Engineer: Alexey Pogarskiy
Recorded live at Jaani Kirik, St. Petersburg, Russia – November 29, 2018