Ljova: Two Roads (2012 | 2021)
1. Greenway
2. Dream

Kate Hatmaker, violin
Alex Greenbaum, cello

April 15 2021
Lux Art Institute
Encinitas, CA

Ljova - Two Roads - world premiere - Art of Élan

For Lily Bea (2020
music by Ljova
performed by Karolina Rojahn, piano

©2021 Ljova Music (ASCAP)

Ljova: For Lily Bea (performed by Karolina Rojahn)

A Bagpiper in a Russian-speaking restaurant

Ljova, fadolín improvisation

Live at Postcrypt Coffee House, Columbia University
February 11 2023
©2023 Ljova Music (ASCAP) / www.Ljova.com

A Bagpiper in a Russian-speaking restaurant

SIROTA
for solo piano and historical recording
by Lev 'Ljova' Zhurbin
duration: 7:45 

Recorded live at the studios of WFMT in Chicago, April 4 2011.


commissioned by Inna Faliks and the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies;
dedicated to Inna Faliks & Gershon Sirota

SIROTA (the title means "Orphan" in Russian, which could be coincidental) is a composition for solo piano that incorporates a recording made by cantor Gershon Sirota in Warsaw in 1908. Often referred to as "The Jewish Caruso", Gershon Sirota was born in the Ukraine, and served as cantor in Odessa, Vilnius, and in Warsaw, where he perished in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

The piece features a fragmented melody line that is driven by a relentless limping pattern comprised of a falling and rising D-minor chord. After the climax, the pianist's role becomes that of an accompanist at a synagogue, where Sirota is chanting prayers for Rosh Hashannah (the Jewish New Year).

World Premiere: performed by Inna Faliks at the Highland Park Community House in Highland Park, IL, on February 27, 2011


Inna Faliks performs Ljova's "Sirota", live on WFMT

music by @Ljova, as performed by @Sxip-Shirey.  This is a slightly different / darker version of Sxip's original recording.  You can perform your own version -- download the sheet music here: 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/49x6vzh2um4fh03/ljova-lullaby_for_an_old_year.pdf?dl=0

or, if you prefer, download the MIDI file here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dq14pd7ytau0rak/ljova-lullaby_for_an_old_year.mid?dl=0

enjoy & thank yuo!

Sxip Shirey - Ljova - Lullaby For An Old Year (slower / world premiere)

An instrumental re-interpretation of Björk's "Lionsong" from "Vulnicura", by Ljova

Ljova, fadolín
Boomerang looper
Reverb by Altiverb from the Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavík

you might also like http://soundcloud.com/ljova/healing
thank you @Bjork!

Lionsong Jam (after Björk, from Vulnicura)

Ljova, fadolín and Boomerang looper
live improvisation from a concert with Sanda Weigl at Barbès, Brooklyn
March 14 2015


Say It (live from Barbes)

"To The Bride of Wales"
music & lyrics by Ljova

performed by Inna Barmash (vocal)
Ljova (fadolín)
Edward Jay (accordion)

Recorded live in London, 28 April 2015


BarmaLjova - To The Bride Of Wales (feat. Edward Jay)

Ten years ago today, I composed and recorded “Plume”, which has become perhaps my signature tune. In searching for a meaningful way to celebrate this anniversary, we’ve re-recorded “Plume” with the Kontraband, featuring our friend cellist Adam Fisher — and we’re giving away all proceeds to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, supporting cancer research, cancer patients and their families.

I wrote “Plume” in July 2005 for Inna Barmash, the amazing woman who two years later would become my wife and the mother of our two boys, Benjy & Yosi, and the vocalist of Ljova and the Kontraband. Inna was spending a few weeks abroad that summer, and I was rediscovering for myself the soundtrack to Wong Kar-Wai's film “In The Mood For Love”. "Plume" became a main theme to the BBC Documentary “The Team” (directed by Basia Winograd & James Marsh), and has since been heard in a variety of contexts including films, the concert stage and modern dance creations - it was even used by La Perla to launch a lingerie collection. The original "Plume" was released on my debut album, "Vjola: World on Four Strings", in 2006.

“Plume” was inspired by love and longing — and while we are here to celebrate its anniversary, many of our families have been torn apart by cancer. To celebrate the memory of our loved ones, we are donating 100% of the proceeds from this release to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The minimum donation is $1 — in return for your generosity, you can download the track in any format, including the full resolution studio master.

I am deeply grateful to these amazing musicians — Patrick, Mathias, Jordan & Adam — for donating their talent and beauty.

If you enjoy this music and want to help make a difference in the fight against cancer, please download and pass it on.

Thank you for listening and for supporting!

--Ljova
credits
released 10 July 2015
music by Ljova

performed by Ljova and the Kontraband
featuring Adam Fisher

Ljova, viola
Patrick Farrell, accordion
Jordan Morton, bass
Mathias Künzli, percussion

recorded and mixed by Michael Brorby at Acoustic Recording
mastered by Steven Berson at Total Sonic Media
© and ℗ 2015 Ljova Music (ASCAP) 

Buy on Bandcamp

Ljova and the Kontraband - Plume - Tenth Anniversary

music improvised by Ljova
March 26 2016
at the closing event for Meghan Keane's exhibition "Displacement"
NY Artists Equity Gallery
245 Broome Street


©2016 Ljova Music (ASCAP) / www.Ljova.com
if you enjoyed this you'll also like http://soundcloud.com/ljova/bottomless

and more of Ljova's solo looper outings, here:
https://soundcloud.com/ljova/sets/ljova-solo-live

Looper Symphony -- Closing Displacement (Live at Equity Gallery)

Ljova - Clarinet Quintet: "The Refugee"
commissioned by Art of Élan for their 10th anniversary season

Joshua Rubin, clarinet
Pei-Chun Tsai and Kate Hatmaker, violins
Ljova, viola
Abe Liebhaber, cello

world premiere performance
January 31 2017 
San Diego Museum of Art

for program notes, please see https://www.ljova.com/works/clarinet-quintet-the-refugee/

2017

Clarinet Quintet: "The Refugee" (world premiere)

Ljova: Plume
performed by Ljova and members of Art of Élan
Pei-Chun Tsai and Kate Hatmaker, violins
Ljova (solo) and Jason Karlyn, violas
Abe Liebhaber, cello
Jordan Morton, bass
recorded by Daniel Rumley
live at the San Diego Museum of Art
January 31 2017

Reactive Listening

Plume - live from San Diego

music composed and performed by Ljova (viola, fadolín)
demo June 22 2017

Side Effects May Include

The one that started it all -- my very first "Budget Bulgar" demo, recorded as a voicemail, in the parking lot of the Crossed Keys Inn, in Andover, NJ, September 4 2005

See other versions at:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL85228AFAD00B0BF7

Sheet music (jazz chart, and various arrangements) are available for sale, see http://www.Ljova.com/works/budget_bulgar

"Budget Bulgar" is dedicated to Pete Sokolow.

Budget Bulgar (very first demo, original)

Ljova and the Kontraband - Love Potion, Expired
music by Ljova

Ljova, viola
Patrick Farrell, accordion
Mike Savino, bass
Mathias Kunzli, percussion

Mixed by Alex Kharlamov
Mastered by Steven Berson


Ljova and the Kontraband - Love Potion, Expired

a demo for a potential Russian Alphabet Song..
grab the sheet music at http://Ljova.com/ljova-alfavit.pdf

I think the most probable fans of this will be boys who rock out to Romashka. So be it -- enjoy & beware.

Sheet music: Ljova.com/ljova-alfavit.pdf

Алфавит / Alfavit - Ljova's Russian Alphabet Song (demo)

music by Ljova
performed by Ljova (violas, piano)
mixed by Shahzad Ismaily with Ljova
mastered by Steven Berson
record at The Banff Centre, Canada

RMM


Buy at Bandcamp

Album Leaf

music composed & performed by Ljova (viola, fadolin)
mixed by Alex Kharlamov
mastered by Steven Berson


Melting River

Ljova, toy accordion.
just a little something.. Remix it here:
http://ccmixter.org/files/ljova/39108

Remix it at CCMixter

Toy Accordion Badness

a long-ago collaboration with internet music pioneer Lorin Swelk, in which I superimposed 2 viola parts on top of his version of Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain".  I'm guessing this was around 1998... back before I owned any microphones.  Enjoy! -- this mp3 was rescued by ARCHIVE.ORG via IUMA -- thank you!

Baldie / Knights on Bald Mountain

Ljova - NetLicks! (Bake 2)

featuring:
Brian Hotchkin, countertenor (Ventura, CA)
Steve Sandberg, VL-70 breath synthesizer (Manhattan, NY)
Ralph Mendoza, piano (Purchase, NY)
Sxip Shirey, electronics (Brooklyn, NY)
Louis Levitt, bass(Bronx, NY)
Mathias Künzli, percussion (Los Angeles, CA)
Jeremie Michael, keyboards (Lakeland, FL)
George Socolow, piano (Manhattan, NY)
Ljova, baby fiddle (Manhattan, NY)

©2020
We need you -- get involved here: Ljova.com/netlicks

Join us and play along

Ljova - Netlicks - Bake2 - March192020

Ljova - NetLicks! (Bake 3)

featuring:
Brian Hotchkin, countertenor (Ventura, CA)
Steve Sandberg, VL-70 breath synthesizer (Manhattan, NY)
Ralph Mendoza, piano (Purchase, NY)
Sxip Shirey, electronics (Brooklyn, NY)
Louis Levitt, bass(Bronx, NY)
Mathias Künzli, percussion (Los Angeles, CA)
Jeremie Michael, keyboards (Lakeland, FL)
George Socolow, piano (Manhattan, NY)
Ljova, baby fiddle (Manhattan, NY)
Jude S and Max S, toys and whistles (Upstate, NY)

©2020
We need you -- get involved here: Ljova.com/netlicks

Ljova - Netlicks - Bake3 - March202020

Ljova - NetLicks! (Bake 4)

featuring:
Brian Hotchkin, countertenor (Ventura, CA)
Steve Sandberg, VL-70 breath synthesizer (Manhattan, NY)
Ralph Mendoza, piano (Purchase, NY)
Sxip Shirey, electronics (Brooklyn, NY)
Louis Levitt, bass (Bronx, NY)
Mathias Künzli, percussion (Los Angeles, CA)
Jeremie Michael, keyboards (Lakeland, FL)
George Socolow (age 7), piano (Manhattan, NY)
Jude & Max S. (age 5&7), toys & whistles (Upstate, NY)
Alex Fernández Figueroa, viola (Guadalajara, Mexico)
Binyomin Ginzberg, MiniMoog & accordion samples (Bergenfield, NJ)
Bryan Charles Wilson, cello (Teaneck, NJ)
Ljova, baby fiddle (Manhattan, NY)

©2020
We need you -- get involved here: https://Ljova.com/netlicks

Ljova - Netlicks - Bake4 - March222020

Ljova - NetLicks! (Bake 5)

featuring:
Brian Hotchkin, countertenor (Ventura, CA)
Steve Sandberg, VL-70 breath synthesizer (Manhattan, NY)
Ralph Mendoza, piano (Purchase, NY)
Sxip Shirey, electronics (Brooklyn, NY)
Louis Levitt, bass (Bronx, NY)
Mathias Künzli, percussion (Los Angeles, CA)
Jeremie Michael, keyboards (Lakeland, FL)
George Socolow (age 7), piano (Manhattan, NY)
Jude & Max S. (age 5&7), toys & whistles (Upstate, NY)
Alex Fernández Figueroa, viola (Guadalajara, Mexico)
Binyomin Ginzberg, MiniMoog & accordion samples (Bergenfield, NJ)
Bryan Charles Wilson, cello (Teaneck, NJ)
Zisl Slepovitch, bass clarinet & sax (Brooklyn, NY)
Ljova, baby fiddle (Manhattan, NY)

©2020
We need you -- get involved here: https://Ljova.com/netlicks

Ljova - Netlicks - Bake5 - March232020

Ljova - NetLicks! (Bake 6)

featuring:
Brian Hotchkin, countertenor (Ventura, CA)
Steve Sandberg, VL-70 breath synthesizer (Manhattan, NY)
Ralph Mendoza, piano (Purchase, NY)
Sxip Shirey, electronics (Brooklyn, NY)
Louis Levitt, bass (Bronx, NY)
Mathias Künzli, percussion (Los Angeles, CA)
Jeremie Michael, keyboards (Lakeland, FL)
Jude & Max S. (age 5&7), toys & whistles (Upstate, NY)
George Socolow (age 7), piano (Manhattan, NY)
Mack Scocca-Ho (age 12), viola (Manhattan, NY)
Amelia Krinke (age 16), viola (Bronx, NY)
Alex Fernández Figueroa, viola (Guadalajara, Mexico)
Binyomin Ginzberg, MiniMoog & accordion samples (Bergenfield, NJ)
Bryan Charles Wilson, cello (Teaneck, NJ)
Zisl Slepovitch, bass clarinet & sax (Brooklyn, NY)
Ljova, baby fiddle, composition, arrangement, editing (Manhattan, NY)

©2020
We need you -- get involved here: https://Ljova.com/netlicks

Netlicks

Join this band!

Ljova - Netlicks - Bake6 - May272020

Ljova - "Midnight Suite"
Improvised Suite for Fadolín
premiered on Facebook Live
May 31 2020

https://Ljova.com
https://patreon.com/ljova

©2020

Midnight Suite

SONGS OF BERT MEYERS
music by http://soundcloud.com/Ljova
poetry by Bert Meyers
live premiere recording

commissioned by Art of Élan -- http://artofelan.org
performed by Inna Barmash (Voice);
and Art of Élan: 
Demarre McGill (Flute); Andrea Overturf (Oboe); Bill Kalinkos (Clarinet); Ryan Simmons (Bassoon); Benjamin Jaber (French Horn); Julie Smith (Harp); Anna Skalova (Violin); Lev "Ljova" Zhurbin (Viola); Erin Breene (Cello); Susan Wulff (Double Bass)

Recorded by Daniel Rumley at the San Diego Museum of Art
April 30, 2013

I. BECAUSE THERE’S SO MUCH SPEED
Because there’s so much speed
without any place to go,
and driven, blind as light,
we rush from stone to stone...

I like the subtle snail:
wrapped in its wooden fog
it crawls across my yard;
and where it goes, it paints...

II. PUBLIC PLACES
In the small cafés the bars
the public places
you can be alone not lonely
your face is one among the faces
like an apple on an apple tree

You can sit there for an hour
you can sit there for a day
and plan the revolution
or like Shakespeare
write a tragic play
about your love and indecision
or watch the rain come down
and see the buildings float away

But you’re not lonely here
just alone no need to fear
as long as you can pay
Light a cigarette and dream
time is an ocean not a stream
the voices rise and fall like waves
It’s beautiful and sad to be alive
as all the ash-trays turn to graves

III. COLLEGETOWN BLUES
Switzerland’s O.K.
you know
pretty lakes and lots of snow
but the people
all have clocks for hearts
and cheese for faces

I’d rather be in Paris
the sunlight’s made of wine
clouds go by
clouds go by
who cares about the time
the boulevards shine like stars
at night you’re in the sky

But I’m still here
in a college town
suburban armpit U.S.A.
the smog just oozes
over from L.A.
in a place called Maria’s
where the coffee’s
boiled diarrhea
and the people
all look the same

This is the desert
that lost its mind
The place that boredom built

IV.   LULLABY
Go to sleep my daughter
go to sleep my son
once the world was water
without anyone

[interlude:]
I can’t sleep.
I wish we were young,
in a different house,
in a different town.
I can hear the dog
run away in her dream;

Go to sleep my daughter
go to sleep my son
once the world was water
without anyone

My home was a watercolor
I left in the rain...

Songs of Bert Meyers

Hailed by the New York Times as “dizzyingly versatile… an eclectic with an ear for texture… strikingly original and soulful”, LJOVA (Lev Zhurbin) was born in 1978 in Moscow, Russia, and moved to New York with his parents, composer Alexander Zhurbin and writer Irena Ginzburg, in 1990. He divides his time between composing for the concert stage, contemporary dance & film, leading his own ensemble LJOVA AND THE KONTRABAND, as well as a busy career as a freelance violist, violinist & musical arranger. Among recent projects is a string quartet for Brooklyn Rider and a commission for Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project, arrangements for Alan Pierson and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, tenor Javier Camarena, conductor Alondra de la Parra, the Mexican songwriter Natalia Lafourcade, composer/guitarist Gustavo Santaolalla, The Knights, and collaborations with choreographers Aszure Barton, Damian Woetzel, Christopher Wheeldon and Eduardo Vilaro (with Ballet Hispanico). Ljova is also the composer and conductor of the video project “Signal Strength“, shared by over 200,000 viewers worldwide.

Ljova

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