Three Lyric Pieces

"The three works are all 'in memoriam' compositions beginning with the most emotive one titled Elegie, and written in memory of Sergey Rachmaninoff. This is a beautiful homage to his fellow compatriot, never maudlin but intense and passionate with an optimistic mid-section. Next comes Reminiscence, written as an homage to the legendary Paraguayan guitarist/ composer Augustin Barrios whose tremolo compositions have become a staple diet in most advanced players' repertoire and this work by Vassiliev utilises that particular guitar technique in grand fashion. The threesome concludes with Mogiana, in respect of another South American legend, Heitor Villa-Lobos. With the other works I could perhaps have hazarded a guess as to the identity of the dedicatee, but not with this one; the only clue is in the rhythm, but nevertheless it is a very nicely written work. Obviously with an overall title of 3 Lyric Pieces one expects strong melodies and this set doesn't disappoint in that, or any other respect. The brilliant guitarist Roman Viazovskiy seems to be an ambassador of this composer as he always seems to include at least one premiere recording of one of Vassiliev's compositions on each of his CDs; playing through these most intelligently-written and attractive pieces show why."

Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)