ALEX TIUNIAEV - 'I Knew Her'



CSR97CD (June 2008)
CD in jewelcase
Barcode: 823566448020



Alex Tiuniaev is an electronic musician and producer from Moscow, Russia. 'I knew Her' is a 40-minute long journey of heart-melting, melancholic and neo-symphonic splendour - full of choirs, strings and neoclassical orchestration. This solitary track builds to a haunting and breathtaking crescendo... then brings the listener gently back down to the warm earth. A monumental release, with influences ranging from Sigur Rós to Philip Glass and Stars Of The Lid. For fans of Johann Johannsson, A Winged Victory For The Sullen etc.

Track Listing:

1. I Knew Her (40:15)

Reviews:

"The clinging ache of melancholy pervades this impressive release of modern composition, assembled with precision and force by the debuting Tiuniaev. The stately, warm chord of sequence is a cloudy preface of anticipation reminiscent of the work of Hwyl Nofio and A Silver Mt Zion, groups similarly obsessed with the passing of time and the elusiveness of emotion. Soft shivers of Edgar Froese-like melody emerge from the mist into sleek light as the piece prepares to expand. The hypnotic counter-tones and scarcely audible washes ripple and exude an unearthly calm, the wooden swells and clustered choir sample arcs mount and bellow like a sail at full tilt, in a seemingly everlasting exhalation and resolution of one simple melodic statement, gathering to a pitch of delirium before easing back from the precipice towards an intangible, evaporating conclusion" (Rock-A-Rolla).

"I Knew Her is a bittersweet musical exploration into the very soul of its composer. Gently evolving from heartwarming washes of symphonic splendour, swimming with emotion, depth and passion, you’re instantly held spellbound by the enchanting characteristics of Alex’s composition... a breathtakingly enchanting ambient composition which plucks at your heartstrings as its lush warmth, stirring strings and captivating spectre-like choirs create a truly bewitching and almost spiritual atmosphere that is impossible to ignore... You can just imagine its haunting prowess filling the hallowed chambers of an ancient cathedral, and instantly overwhelming anyone with its sheer monumental stance and allure... a truly remarkable album, and one which both composer and label should be immensely proud of" (Judas Kiss)

"Swells and lulls, the music undulates a passacaglia of emotive tidal pulls. Not dark, but warmly introspective, the melodies cry upwards... stretching only to sink back a little, but with every pull the music builds. Percussion shimmers in as cymbals are brushed but their deceptive presence arrived minutes before... The whole treatment of the song is crescendo for nearly thirty minutes, from soft plaintive strings to the haunting and sorrowful volume of choral and symphonic union. Dénouement comes in unexpected decrescendo as instrumentation and voices simply fall away as subtly as they arrived. Their emptiness is a lonely experience after such close and powerful song... Dark earth and sepia is the patina of choice that blurrs landscapes of half-remembered photographs" (Heathen Harvest)

"A magniloquent ambient composition with epic and orchestral tones. After a short and distant gloomy intro, the core of “I Knew Her” is displayed in its whole might, through a crescendo of powerful keyboard melodies eventually looped into a mass of sound of Biblical impact. Angelic choirs, solemn and celestial melodies, a strings section and much more pile one above the other, until they give the impression that the Red Sea is about to open once again in front of our own eyes. Every minute passing, the intensity seems to rise unstoppable, and it becomes hard to describe the sensations evoked by Alex’s music in a few lines. Around the 30th minute, when the pathos has become almost unbearable, the music starts to untie the grip, shifting slowly towards silence and farewell. “I Knew Her” is a fantastic listening experience, an evocative soundtrack which makes you think of the endless celestial fields of Heaven" (Filth Forge)

"A melodramatic, melancholic symphonic track where electronics, choirs, strings a neoclassical orchestration collide. It sounds as an epic/melancholic soundtrack and could also be enjoyed and loved by ambient fans. And love seems to be the topic of I Knew Her because it is dedicated to everyone who seeks love" (Gothtronic)

"A place beyond gravity. Though it breathes in and out, organically. There is life here and where there is life, there is hope. Broken-hearted but still “dedicated to those out there seeking love”. The simplest of structures, the massing of strings and voices, reminiscent of Gorecki´s popular Symphony No 3 without the histrionic vocal peak. It feels rich and warm and deep for something entirely synthesized, chorals included. Alex Tiuniaev must have very sensitive fingers" (Sonomu)

"Ses orchestrations retenues, noires et romantiques, créent un spectre sonore dont les profondeurs se délivrent doucement autour d’un motif harmonique unique... Sinueux, recherchant dans l’unicité et le long terme (en musique) la création climatique, ce disque fait de retenue imprime un doux graphe émotionnel et garde très clairement une dimension introspective... un essai qui vous demande réellement de prendre le temps, un disque de patience... Un crescendo fondé sur la greffe progressive de couches synthétiques sinueuses et de d’effets choraux : une symphonie artificielle post-Glass qui garde pour elle, assurément, un niveau de beauté" (Obskure)

http://www.vitalweekly.net/642.html
http://www.compulsiononline.com/AlexTiuniaev_IKnewHer.htm
http://www.necroweb.de/alex-tiumiaev-i-knew-her/
http://www.obliveon.de/pn-om/modules.php?op=modload&name=cdreviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=12219&cfletter=A
http://www.darkroom-magazine.it/ita/105/Recensione.php?r=886
http://www.mentenebre.com/articulos.php?op=verarticle&artid=1386
http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/?id=4631
http://www.dagheisha.com/prod/main/cd?id=3362#.U_TqdrxdUs0