«Kore Persephone» • A new melody for the album «Virgo» (dedicated to the same named constellation)

Friends, today I’m sharing another new melody. It continues the mythological cycle centered on the constellation Virgo — this time focusing on the constellation’s core mythological figure: Kore-Persephone. We’ve discussed her before, though the music we listened to then was dedicated to her mother, Demeter, and to Spica, the constellation’s brightest star. Now, it’s time to hear what serves as a musical portrait of Kore herself.

Kore Persephone

She is also known as Proserpina; in the Roman tradition — in Roman legends — she is likewise abducted, though this time by Pluto. It might seem that Kore is indispensable — in the underworld, in the higher realms, and in our own middle world (it is easiest for us to think of the human realm as being situated somewhere near the zero point, though this is merely a simplification). She is fought over, abducted, and brought back. Yet, as a result of her arduous adventures, Kore becomes a connecting thread between the Worlds. Without her, the various layers of the cosmos would be left entirely devoid of communication, with no hope for free movement between them.

Track «Lonely Sphinx» • live album «Illusion of Dream» • Andrey Klimkovsky & Julia Lomanova

I uploaded this 2006 concert recording to YouTube. It’s perhaps the most unusual performance of «Lonely Sphinx», which here has been transformed from a six-minute track into a fourteen-minute one. This is all thanks to Julia Lomanova’s guitar improvisations — in the opening and final sections.

Julia and I performed together very often back then – sometimes two or three concerts a month. But this concert was special. The esoteric salon «IN-OUT» (similar to «Inward path» and «White Clouds») had just opened in Moscow. We were invited to perform at the opening. I fell ill before the concert, but I didn’t refuse – I played the concert with a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius. We didn’t plan to invent anything new for the concert – we decided to simply perform the album «Life or Love» in its entirety. But we were drawn to improvisation – both Julia and I equally. The result was an unexpected interpretation of the entire album, which was later released as an 80-minute live CD (instead of an hour). And the abundance of guitar is a separate decoration of the recording.

«Pillars of Creation» by Andrey Klimkovsky & «Eagle Nebula» by La Silla Observatory

This music video is based on one of the finest astrophotographs of the Eagle Nebula. It was captured in 2009 at the La Silla Observatory, located in the Chilean Andes at an altitude of 2,400 meters above sea level.

One might ask: why not use a superior image — for instance, one taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, which orbits the Earth rather than sitting atop a mountain?

The reason is that the Eagle Nebula (also known as Messier 16) — a vast region of gas and dust where stars are actively forming — spans about one degree across the sky. In contrast, the Hubble Space Telescope’s field of view can barely encompass the "upper" portion of the "Pillars of Creation" — the central "pearl" within this cosmic pearlescent shell. It would take dozens of long-exposure shots to assemble such a mosaic using Hubble data.

In any case, the Hubble Space Telescope was designed for a different purpose: the targeted study of distant, compact objects. While it is possible to create composite images — such as the famous panorama of the Andromeda Nebula, our nearest major galaxy — doing so requires months of work. Furthermore, the telescope is now quite old and nearing the end of its operational life; its remaining observation time is reserved for projects of critical scientific importance.

Consequently, astronomers increasingly rely on ground-based survey telescopes to capture extended celestial objects. And, as it turns out, these instruments are also exceptionally sharp-eyed. For instance, this image was captured using a telescope with a 2.2-meter mirror — only 10% smaller than the mirror on the Hubble Space Telescope. It is an instrument in the same weight class; while not space-based, it boasts a wide field of view and highly advanced optics — significantly more sophisticated than those found on space telescopes from previous eras.

Another interesting detail: the original image preserves a natural color palette. In this video, the Eagle Nebula appears exactly as it would to our own eyes — had we somehow found ourselves nearby and managed to adapt to the pitch-black darkness of the interstellar void. Of course, everything is relative; the space between stars only seems "empty" when compared to the density of Earth’s biosphere. In reality, there is enough interstellar gas there that, over millions of years, it can give rise to hundreds or even thousands of newborn stars — many of which are far more massive than our own Sun.

This stunning cosmic landscape is set to music from my album, «Pillars of Creation». You can listen to the full album here:

• https://klimkovsky.bandcamp.com/album/pillars-of-creation

Have a pleasant flight!

Studio session «Multilayered improvisations»

It had been a long time since my last studio session — not since the autumn of 2022. Now, with autumn 2026 upon us, it felt like the right time to create something new. In fact, I began "crafting" the tracks for this session — layer by layer—back in June, alongside other musical projects. The recording process concluded only recently: the final chord was struck and the mixing of all the layers was completed on October 7th.

The «Multilayered improvisations» session had a clear, practical purpose: to get comfortable and find a workflow with a synthesizer that was somewhat unusual for me — the Kurzweil PC3K8. It offers virtually limitless potential for synthesizing complex (and, yes, multi-layered) timbres. Its interface — the medium through which a musician interacts with the device — isn't exactly user-friendly, though in some respects, it is quite logical and intuitive. Yet, when you factor in the vast amount of underlying mathematics, this workstation can easily push a musician’s brain to the point of overheating. Naturally, it just takes some getting used to — and this was my creative way of doing exactly that. In the process, I even managed to produce some rewarding results: a collection of pleasant-sounding improvisational tracks.

Those of you who recall my earlier improvisational experiments — which were often quite compelling and occurred much more frequently in the past — might categorize them as a form of electronic minimalism. After all, they were played using only two hands — and how many melodic layers can one really create that way?

This time, things are different. As early as the first experimental track, I realized that my previous format was too restrictive for this instrument; consequently, I recorded multiple layers of improvisation into every single musical piece. I didn’t set out to perfectly replicate my own previous improvisations; instead, I relied on an intuitive alignment of everything that emerged from the creative flow — and, almost invariably, it all fell into place. However, I soon found myself wanting to process each layer individually; since the mixing was taking place outside the instrument itself, the onboard effects section of the hardware was no longer an option. As a result, the project expanded significantly, built upon the multi-layered "routing architecture" of the Adobe Audition environment. In the end, I arrived at a three-tiered structure: the incredibly realistic and punchy multi-layered timbres of the Kurzweil PC3K8 (some of which I designed myself); a complex, multi-leveled stack of improvisational parts; and a towering edifice of spatial processing — all constructed within this digital "universe."

What can I say about the result?

It turned out to be an intriguing and great-sounding piece — especially considering it began as a series of studio experiments.

There isn’t a single pre-conceived idea here. No templates — everything was born spontaneously, in real time. I didn’t use a sequencer, an arpeggiator, or quantization; everything was recorded in an "organic," direct fashion — what I played is exactly what you hear. And, of course, there is no AI or neural network involvement — this was created entirely by a human, for other humans.

I am certain that any fan of electronic music should give this a listen. It will resonate with those who seek depth, a contemplative quality, and a touch of unpredictability in their music. If you enjoy expansive, crystalline atmospheric textures — and the way they weave together in harmonious balance — then this studio session is for you. I should add that throughout these past four years, I’ve truly missed this kind of creative work — the sort that doesn’t have to please everyone or meet the highest standards of flawless technical execution. This gives the creator a sense of freedom, which can then be shared with the listener. I hope that the next improvisational session won’t take quite so long to arrive — though, naturally, my primary focus remains on studio-based, well-structured works designed for an album format.

I invite you to listen.

Studio session «Multilayered improvisations»

«The Star Arcturus» — premiere of a new track

Friends, today marks the premiere of a new composition.

«The Star Arcturus»

This is another “star” melody — this time dedicated to the brightest star in the entire northern sky: Alpha Boötis, known as Arcturus.

In time, there will be an entire album centered on this constellation — it is truly beautiful and scientifically fascinating, and it is tied to an enduring legend that people have been retelling for thousands of years. For now, however, I am sharing just this one melody as a single; the version that eventually appears on the album will likely feature a different interpretation of the same musical notes — and there are reasons for that.

Below, you will find a link to watch and listen, along with an embedded video player.

I will also be sharing an in-depth story about the star (I have written about Arcturus before, but one can never have too much of a good thing!). You can find audio files available for download — in both MP3 and FLAC formats — on my Telegram-Channel. Do consider subscribing!

Enjoy the music!

«Pillars of creation» • «The Fairy of Eagle Nebula — Pillar V» by Andrey Klimkovsky (music), Hubble Space Telescope (astrophotography)

This is a segment from my album «Pillars of Creation», dedicated to the nebula of the same name in the constellation Serpens. The photograph of it taken by the Hubble Space Telescope became iconic; for at least two decades, it epitomized the visual concept of "outer space" in the collective human imagination. The "Pillars" also serve as a striking example of "cosmic architecture" — after all, we relate everything to our earthly experience of "creation." What do we create on Earth? We build homes, skyscrapers, and palaces. And look — there are skyscrapers and palaces in space, too. In the "Pillars of Creation", there are three distinct structures (though some count as many as four of these interstellar formations). They are beautiful, aesthetically pleasing, and unique in their contours — truly unforgettable, and impossible to mistake for anything else...

Few people realize that the "Pillars of Creation" constitute a central yet very small part of a much larger nebula known to astronomers as the Eagle Nebula — also designated M16 in Charles Messier's catalog. Beyond the Pillars, M16 contains several other fascinating and beautiful nebular structures that are, at times, just as mesmerizing as the famous Pillars themselves.

«Blessing of Demeter» — Premiere of the new track. Video version

Friends, today — on the eve of the autumn equinox — marks the premiere of a new track:

«Blessing of Demeter»

During these days in September, the Sun moves from the constellation Leo into Virgo, where it will mark the equinox on the morning of September 23rd. We, too, welcome the Autumn Equinox — a day significant both astronomically and culturally. Our culture is rooted in the Eastern Mediterranean of over three millennia ago, an era that gave rise to the ancient Greek myths exploring the mysteries of the cosmos and the nature of the world across all levels—from the material to the spiritual.

«Demeter’s Blessing» is a new melody inspired by the ancient legend of Kore Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of fertility. Her very name — Kore (Greek: Kόρη) — means “Maiden” or “Young Girl,” a title that aligns with her celestial embodiment as the constellation Virgo.

«Spica» — Premiere of the new track. Video version

A new composition, written in February 2026 and dedicated to the brightest star in the spring constellation Virgo.

The spring sky is not as rich in bright stars as the winter sky, for instance. Only three stars tend to catch the eye of city dwellers in the Northern Hemisphere during the season when snow melts and buds begin to open.

Spica — the alpha and brightest star of the constellation Virgo — holds a central place in the spring parade of constellations. This melody is dedicated to it. And, believe it or not, it is a truly fascinating and unusual star — or rather, an entire star system — about which many intriguing facts have come to light only in recent years.