synecdoche montauk

moscow

Harmony is created atop chaos––not from it

Гармония создаётся поверх хаоса, но не из него

Yevgeny Yevtushenko (1933-2017)

The primary figure behind Moscow’s Synecdoche Montauk is Saava Rozanov, a fan of abstract phrasing and obscure references. One networking account uses three words to describe “SM”––in grammatically odd terms––as “infinitely many primes.” That English conundrum is quickly followed by three more words in Russian. They translate as: “Here’s the Park of Broken Amusements.” These wistful games began in 2012, when the Russian press noticed Rozanov’s “amazingly nuanced, hushed, and lyrical” songs.

This story begins in high school, when Rozanov was chosen for a musical group, despite his complete lack of ability. Fearful of bad grades, he asked his parents for a music teacher and “promised to dedicate my entire life to music. Now it seems my lie dragged on a little… Looking back, I didn’t have other options.”

When it came to the creation of an ensemble, the seeds of complexity were quickly planted. “I chose such a strange name [SM] in order to weed out certain people. The name became a barrier, beyond which was something greater. I don’t consider it snobbism, though. I’m glad of every listener!”

“I’ve no desire to compromise [and sing in English]. I compose exclusively in my own language. That might be a problem––or not––but whatever creative plans I have are mine alone. Synecdoche Montauk is wholly my project.”

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