Felix Yanov-Yanovsky : In The Night (2002)

This piece was written especially for ELECTRA in 2002, on verses by English poet Elisabeth Jennings.

Text :
Out of my window late at night, I gape and see the stars, but do not watch them really.
And hear the trains but I do not listen clearly.
Inside my mind, I turn about to keep myself awake yet I am not there entirely.
Something of me is out in the dark landscape.
How much am I, then what I think, how much what I feel?
How much the eye that seems to keep stars straight?
Did I control what I can contemplate or is it my vision that amenable?
I turn in my mind,my mind is a room whose wall I can see the top of but never completely scale.
All that I love is like the night, outside, good to be gazes at, looking, as if it could with a simple gesture be brought inside my head or my heart.
But my thoughts about it divide me from my object.
Now deep in my bed I turn and the world turns on the other side.

Felix Yanov-Yanovsky was born in 1934 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (then part of the Soviet Union). He graduated from the Tashkent State Conservatoire as a violinist (1957) and a composer (1959). He worked in the State Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan (1954-1964), in the String Quartet of the Uzbek Radio (1964-1968). Since 1961 F.Yanov-Yanovsky has taught in the Tashkent State Conservatoire. For the time being he is a professor of the composition department. F.Yanov-Yanovsky is a member of Composers' Union and Cinematographicists' Union of Uzbekistan. Among his works are four symphonies, four operas, concerts for orchestra and for various instruments, oratorios and cantatas, and about 50 film scores, songs, etc.

Yanov-Yanovsky's works have received several honours, including diploma for musical score to the animated film "The Young Growth" in 1981 in All - Ukrainian Film Festival, the Award of the Youth League of Uzbekistan for music to the film "It will be warm rain" (1985), the Prize of the Cinematographers' Union of Uzbekistan for music to animated serial "The History of Islam" (in collaboration with Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky) in 1995 and 2d Prize of the International composers competition 'Jihlava-2002' (Prague) for choral cycle 'Ropot'. Yanov-Yanovsky was a participant of International Festivals: in Alma-Ata (1992); in Minsk (1993,1995); The 'Almeida' (London, 1994); 'Moscow Autumn' (1996); in Heidelberg, (1997); R.A.M. '200 Years of Russian Music' Festival (London, 1999); 'Ilkhom-XX' (1996,97,2000); 'ppIANISSIMO' Festival (Sofia, 2001); 'Jihlava-2003 Festival' (Czech Republic). Yanov-Yanovsky's works were performed in Bulgaria, England, France, Italy, Israel, Germany, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, USA, Yugoslavia and CIS.