At the end of February 2022, at the start of theRussian-Ukrainian war, Sergey Akhunov began composing an Adagio ‘Prayer for Peace’, echoing Samuel Barber’s Adagio for strings.

Built around the interplay of instrumental textures, the work was quickly completed and recorded bythe Opensound Orchestra, conducted by Stanislav Malyshev.

Three other compositions for solo choir revolve around this core, performed by the Intrada ensemble under the direction of Ekaterina Antonenko (Concerto ‘Exigi monumentum’, Two Latin Psalms, Psalm 83).

In the complex interweaving of vocal and instrumental lines, Akhunov deploys a contemplative and moving polyphony, in which each part, as part of a whole, takes on meaning in its relationship to the others.