The album of musician and composer Vyacheslav Gaivoronsky and artist Sergei Volkov was intended to be a diptych combining a cycle of small light pieces for piano and the series of graphic works.
In calling their work “Children’s Album”, the authors addressed it to the best part of humanity while not limiting the age of their audience: for when someone unexpectedly finds his/her own true self or all of a sudden realizes that he/she knows much less about life that was originally assumed – people normally say this person “You are like a child”.
“Children’s Album” was conceived as a gift to real children and was dictated by a sensation of true love for them (for us?). Avoiding direct associations and an interdependence between music and graphics (and vice versa) the authors took a risky
approach: first they designated the plot and after that each of them solved the problem of its expression by their own means. They did not show each other the product till the very end of the work. The themes of the joint-creativity of S. Volkov and V. Gaivoronsky are eternal: discovery and comprehension of a world full of unexpected things – when no one knows what will be met ahead: grief or joy – and which one should enter bravely.
The result of that co-authorship might have been different or, to be more precise, might never have been existed, especially if the spectator proved to be he who noticed the Emperor’s new clothes.
Luckily it coincided. Is it love which worked this miracle, or was it simply talent, we do not know. But the “Album” came out nicely. Otherwise, the authors possess enough intelligence and their love is powerful enough to abstain from presenting such a “gift”. Because it is not difficult to recall promising and tempting phrases and the obscure hints of adults “it is something-really-special! every-child-dreams-about-it!” And then you, naive kid, are longing to peep inside the ribboned box – for there is a puppy inside it, no doubt, and how is it doing there? – and finally the “gift” is in your hands, you open the box and find … shoes!
The authors tried to make the “right” gift, and it is up to you to decide whether you like it or not.
translated by Marina Maidaniuk