Aleksei Prokhorov

Music of Open Doors

One concert, one night, one tape that sat on a shelf for sixteen years. Two classical guitars, hand percussion and flutes, restored and released for the first time.

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The concert

On 26 May 2010 an acoustic ensemble called Crystal Ship played a single concert in a hall in Tver. The program, as printed on the handbill, promised "psychedelic poetry, atonal music and assorted nonsense." Nine of the twelve pieces are the duo's own and three of those were improvised on stage that night. The set also carries a piece by their teacher Evgeny Baev, Carlo Domeniconi's Koyunbaba and Villa-Lobos's Etude No. 8.

The name is a pun the ensemble had been sitting on since 1967: the group is called Crystal Ship, so the evening was billed as the music of open Doors.

It sounds like ritual music rather than a recital: nylon strings, ethnic flutes and hand percussion in a long reverb, avant-garde in shape, with three of the twelve pieces invented on the spot.

RIYL: Popol Vuh, Codona, Third Ear Band

Tracks

  1. 01Listen to the Rhythm2:18Prokhorov and Podoynitsyn, improvised. Vocals.
  2. 02Mustang3:24Evgeny Baev
  3. 03The Mists of Darjeeling3:14Ilya Podoynitsyn
  4. 04Khazar Dance2:48Prokhorov and Podoynitsyn, improvised
  5. 05Dream On3:14Aleksei Prokhorov
  6. 06Etude No. 82:54Heitor Villa-Lobos
  7. 07Compás2:03Prokhorov and Podoynitsyn, improvised
  8. 08Thunderstorm3:39Aleksei Prokhorov
  9. 09Spring3:24Aleksei Prokhorov
  10. 10Homo Hominus2:37Aleksei Prokhorov
  11. 11Koyunbaba, IV3:18Carlo Domeniconi
  12. 12Crystal Ship2:12Aleksei Prokhorov. Vocals.

Personnel

Words on tracks 1 and 12 by Artem Sergeichev and Aleksei Prokhorov, sung in Russian. The other ten tracks are instrumental.

Details

Release date
5 September 2026
Format
Album, 12 tracks
Duration
35:10
Label
Crystal Ship
UPC
0682286992424
Genre
Folk, world, experimental

On AI

This is a live human performance from 2010. AI tools were used only to restore and master the original tape, which means they touched the sound quality, not the playing. Melody, harmony, tempo and form are exactly what was played that night. Nothing was generated from a prompt.