Drawing us in with a playful and uplifting violin performance, Sergiy Bolotny opens Little Dutch Rhapsody No.1 with charm and vibrancy. The instrumentation is masterful and elegant with layered notions adding dimensionality to the piece. We appreciate the ebbs and flows of the piece, tapping into folk heritage and notions of slurred, microtonal portamentos.
The high-octane moments merged with astral motifs manifest with precision and we connect with the engaging and hypnotic shifts that lead us through to an almost emotive finale.
Speaking on the release, Sergiy confesses, “Behind Little Dutch Rhapsody No. 1 lies a playful story: the beloved folk tradition of the farmer traveling with just one shoe (“Ain boer wol noar zien noaber tou”). Coming from Ukraine and making my home in the Netherlands, the Little Dutch Rhapsodies are my tribute to Dutch cultural memory. Rather than treating this traditional song as a museum piece, I reimagined it through progressive variation and neo-romantic solo violin writing. It captures the humour, resilience, and rhythmic verve of the original tale while demanding the full technical and acoustic palette of the violin.”
It is clear that Sergiy Bolotny creates with great technical agility and expressive nuance. Graceful slides fused with expressive portamenti sit alongside crisp détaché passages and more energetic bow strokes. It feels like a constantly evolving dialogue moving seamlessly between folk-inflected character and sophisticated neo-romantic expression.
We also wanted to feature his composition Ukrainian Caprice No. 4 Sycamore & Burlesque which taps into a darker, more elusive and melancholic vibe. It reminds us of scenes from Interview with the Vampire. It holds a high emotional quotient and we feel moved by the precision but also the legato motifs, almost as if the instrument is crying. The expressive vibrato, nuanced bow control and sustained upper-register phrasing all heighten this sense of vulnerability.
This track was released poignantly at the end of summer which marks a shift towards autumn, aligned with the sonic temperament of the composition. The raw authenticity that Sergiy Bolotny performs with is transcendental. The piece picks up tempo and vibrancy, again, channelling a brighter energy but eventually leads us through to a more dramatic space for the final third of the composition but landing on a high note, showing us that spring and summer will emerge once again.
We have added both compositions to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Sergiy Bolotny, and anticipate future releases.