Vyacheslav Artyomov, born in Moscow on June 29, 1940, is still considered one of the greatest living Russian composers in the contemporary classical music scene. In recent years, the record label Divine Art Records has curated a massive discographic retrospective (a series of over ten albums) to reissue and preserve much of his orchestral and chamber works.
Among these, A Garland of Recitations (1975–1981) stands out. It is a work in a single continuous movement that contrasts a static string carpet—described by critics as an introspective and meditative canvas evoking the night sky—with four solo wind instruments (flute, oboe, saxophone, and bassoon) that alternate and emerge, singing solitary sonic prayers.
The bassoon part was published individually by the publisher Sikorski in 1985 within the collection “Neue russische Musik für Fagott solo” under the title Rezitation V.