“Shadows of a Theatre”, by Edward Artemiev, is a collection of pieces he wrote for a variety of movies and plays. These are: “Burial of the Rats”, “Kabala of Hypocrites”, “These Three Faithful Cards”, “A Visit to Minotaurus”, and “Entrance to the Labyrinth”. Again, the scores are all orchestral, with a dash of electronics here and there. The opening sequence of tracks (from “Kabala...”) are extremely enjoyable, they are in a jaunty near-baroque style that is both delightful and draws you into the rest of the album. I am impressed at how well this collection of music from five different movies and plays actually works together in this format - and works well as a cohesive album in its own right. I’ve always enjoyed Edward Artemiev’s previous albums, and on this brace of soundtracks he shows himself to be skilled in the art of descriptive music. If you are a newcomer to this composer I suggest that you try “Shadows of a Theatre” as an introduction, the musical payback is the most immediate.

John M. Peters (“The Borderland”)

Russian classical and electronic music composer Edward Artemiev, father of “Electroshock Records” founder and electro-acoustic music composer Artemiy Artemiev, went back full circle to the classical music of his upbringings and education at the Moscow Conservatoire. We don’t usually review classical music, but because “Shadows of a Theater” comes from the capable hands and mind of somebody like Artemiev (who has had such a huge influence on the evolution of electronic music in Russia) and was released on Russia’s leading electronic music label, we decided to make an exception. For lack of a better option, I had to throw it into the dark category, only because we don’t have a classical music category. I am no expert in the field and it’s hard for me to compare this to any of the great composers of the 18-th and 19-th centuries, but I can certainly say that within these 24 tracks you can hear the role that mittle-European influences played (French and eastern European for example). Lots of brass instruments and lots of string instruments, but basically the full spectrum of a symphony orchestra. Most of the music here has been composed and arranged for “Kabala of Hypocrites” (“Moliere”) by Artemiev, who also threw in some other film music of his that matches the overall mood.

Marc Urselli (“Chain D.L.K.”)

Edward Artemiev is the author of numerous symphonic and chamber pieces of music. But this side of his creativity is still not widely known. The name of Edward Artemiev is known mostly because of his work in cinematography. “Shadow of a Theatre” contains music composed for recent Russian theatre performances incorporating symphonic as well as dark spatial musical elements into the sound mix. These soundtracks and music for theatre play (symphonic music) mesh so wonderfully that one feels immersed in an orchestral mystery. Strange and soothing, all at once. A dark and fantastic rendering that you must have.

(“DWM” Music Company)