Artist description Lavrenty Mganga is a modern Russian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He experiments with new compositional techniques such as minimalism and tries to combine these techniques with those used in various folk traditions and early European music. Lavrenty is a pupil of Vyacheslav Gaivoronsky, famous Russian composer and trumpet player.

Music Style Minimalism

Musical Influences minimalist composers, indonesian gamelans, generally repetitive and meditative ethnic music

Similar Artists Wim Mertens, Terry Riley, Philip Glass

Artist History Lavrenty composed his first pieces around 1992 as a member of the duet 'Soulbuilding Society' together with Vladiswar Nadishana. Their first self-issued tape albums were called 'Lumps', 'Umoxecheetaphopah'. His first own album was called 'Seven Stages' and presented his first experiments with minimalism. Since 1993 Lavrenty devotes much of his time to spontaneous improvisation on various instruments. In 1994-6 he was a student at the St.Petersburg Academy of Theatre, Music and Cinematography (as a pupil of Mr. Gayvoronsky) where he studied specific compositional techniques, which were invented to summarize the musical knowledge of different traditions and ages. His first CD (self-issued), ARS MINIMAL (1997) is the result of the creative application of this experience to develop his own ideas. Now Lavrenty works on new pieces for different instruments, including ancient and ethnic ones. He also performs as a member of 'Ensemble RI', the band which plays original music rooted in eastern and western folk traditions.

Instruments programming, keyboards, bamboo flutes, oboe, duduk, kornamuse and others

Albums Seven Stages, Ars Minimal, Ensemble RI

Press Reviews Some works by Lavrenty Mganga have been presented in the programs 'Kontrasts' and 'All Music of the World' on the national radiostation RADIO RUSSIA on September, 1993 and February, 2000 by Russian music critic Dmitry Ukhov.

Location Voronezh - Russia

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