P U S H K I N R o m a n c e s

π & © 2009 Delos Productions, Inc. P.O. Box 343, Sonoma, California (5476-9998 Disc(s) Made in Canada. Assembled in the USA IVARY ILJA PIANO www.delosmusic.com DE 3392 P U S H K I N r o m a n c e s

1 I Remember the Wonderful Moment / Ja pomnu chudnoe mgnovenie... Glinka ROMANCES TO POEMS BY PUSHKIN 2 Declaration of Love / Priznanie Glinka baritone 3 The Fire of Longing Burns in my Blood / V krovi gorit ogon zhelania Glinka IVARY ILJA piano 4 The Night Wind / Nochnoi Zefir Glinka

5 The Youth and the Maiden / Yunosha i deva Dargomyzhskiy

6 For the shores of thy far native land / Dla beregov otchizny dalnei Borodin

7 The Clouds Begin to Scatter / Redeet oblakov Rimsky-Korsakov

8 On The Hills of Georgia / Na kholmah Gruzii lezhit nochnaja mgla Rimsky-Korsakov

9 The Urn with Water Falling Down / Urnu s vodoi yroniv Kui

10 / Ya vas ljubil Kui

11 Gone Are My Heart Desires / Ya perezhil svoi zhelania Medtner

12 Winter Evening (The Snowstorm Covers the Sky with Darkness) / Zimnii vecher (Buria Mglou nebo kroet) Medtner

13 To the Dreamer / Mechtatelu Medtner Produced by Tatiana Vinnitskaya for SVIP Production, Ltd Recorded at Great Hall of Conservatory, , 9-14 September 2007 14 To the of Bakhchisarai Palace / Fontanu Bakhchisarajsogo dvortsa Vlasov Engineered by Oleg Ivanov, Andrey Myagkov, Dmitri Misailov Microphones: Holophone H2-Pro, Schoeps MK-2, Brauner VM-1 Interconnecting Monster Cable series Prolink 15 Nightingale / Solovei Tchaikovsky Console SSL AWS 900+ Editing & Mixing facilities at SVIP Studios, Moscow 16 Sing not to me, beautiful maiden / Ne poi, krasavitsa, pri mne Rachmaninov Edited by Dmitri Misailov Surround mix engineered by Tatiana Vinnitskaya 17 The forest drops his crimson dress / Ronjaet les bagrianiy svoi ubor Sviridov 5.1 Mastering, Stereo Mastering by Oleg Ivanov

1 2 D M I T R I H V O R O ST O VSKY IV A R I I I J A

Internationally acclaimed Russian baritone performs with the world’s top orchestras, and (Estonia) born Ivari Ilja studied the USA, Europe, Hong-Kong, Japan Dmitri Hvorostovsky was born and studied conductors such as James Levine, Bernard piano at the Tallinn State Conservatoire with and elsewhere. in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. In 1989, he won Haitink, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Professor Laine Mets and at the Moscow the prestigious Cardiff Singer of the World Mehta, Yuri Termikanov and Valery Gergiev. Tchaikovsky Conservatoire with Professor Ivari Ilja has also held solo recitals in France, Competition. From the start, audiences were Vera Gornostayeva and Professor Sergey United Kingdom, Germany, Estonia, Russia, bowled over by his cultivated voice, innate Dmitri retains a strong musical and personal Dorensky. Sweden, Finland and performed as a soloist sense of musical line and natural legato. After contact with Russia. He became the first opera with several symphony orchestras such as his Western operatic debut at the Nice Opera singer to give a solo concert with orchestra Ivari Ilja is an internationally recognized Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, in Tchaikovsky’s , his career and chorus on Red Square in Moscow; this accompanist and ensemble musician. the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the St. exploded to take in regular engagements concert was televised in over 25 countries. His collaboration with renowned singers Petersburg Symphony Orchestra under at the world’s major opera houses and Dmitri has gone on to sing a number of Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Irina Arkhipova, Maria Veronika Dudarova, Stephen Gunzenhauser, appearances at renowned international prestigious concerts in Moscow as a part of Guleghina and Elena Zaremba has been Eri Klas, Leo Krämer, Theodore Kuchar, festivals, including the Royal Opera House, his own special series, ‘Dmitri Hvorostovsky particularly successful. Together they have Peeter Lilje, Roman Matsov, Andres Covent Garden, New York’s Metropolitan and Friends’. He has invited such celebrated performed on several concert stages of Mustonen, Hannu Norjanen, Vello Pähn, Urs Opera, the Paris Opera, the Bavarian State artists as Renee Fleming, Sumi Jo, Sondra the world, including Carnegie Hall, Alice Schneider and Arvo Volmer. As a soloist, Opera, the Salzburg Festival, the Teatro alla Radvonosky and Jonas Kaufmann. In 2005 Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall of New York, he has accompanied the Estonian National Scala Milan, the , and the he gave an historic tour throughout the cities The Kennedy Center of Washington, Davies Symphony Orchestra on several tours to Chicago Lyric Opera. of Russia at the invitation of President Putin, Symphony Hall San Francisco, La Scala in Germany, Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania. singing to crowds of hundreds of thousands Milan, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall A celebrated recitalist in demand in every of people to commemorate the soldiers of the in London, the of Moscow, His repertoire mostly consists of romantic corner of the globe; from the Far East to the Second World War. the great halls of St. Peterburg Philharmonic music, primarily of the works by Frédéric Middle East, from Australia to South America, and , Staatsoper Chopin, , , Dmitri has appeared at such venues as Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s extensive discography Hamburg, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Suntory Hall but also Wolfgang Mozart, Sergei Wigmore Hall, London; Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh; spans recitals and complete operas. He has of Tokyo, Musikverein of Vienna, Mozarteum Prokofiev, Benjamin Britten and others. Carnegie Hall, New York; the Teatro alla Scala, also starred in Don Giovanni Unmasked, an of Salzburg, Singapore concerts of IMG etc. Milan; the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, Moscow; award-winning film (by Rhombus Media) the Liceu, Barcelona; the Suntory Hall, Tokyo; based on the Mozart opera, tackling the dual Since 2003, he has repeatedly toured with and the Musikverein, Vienna. He regularly roles of Don Giovanni and Leporello. great russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky in

3 4 There is no figure in better Korsakov’s Mozart and Salieri, The Tale on musical “”, filled with the most his output, which includes, among others, known and more admired then Alexander Saltan and . The list beautiful melodies of great variety. Two of the opera , two completed Pushkin (1799-1837). A nobleman and a poet, can be continued. the romances on this disc belong to a cycle symphonies, two quartets and 17 diverse and he was exiled by the Tsar for his politically Farewell to Petersburg (12 songs, published in perfectly executed romances. charged poems, loathed by the court for his Pushkin’s with its fleeting rhythms, 1840): The fire of longing burns in my blood sharp epigrams and widely read by Russian unique musicality, its picturesque scenes, (1838) and one of the greatest masterpieces The elegy For the shores of thy far native audiences of all social strata. He created emotional complexity and, most importantly, of Russian romance, I remember the land, with its beautiful melody full of the modern and modern its perfect pitch for a Russian speaking wonderful moment. restrained, almost unearthly sadness, is justly Russian . During his short, but language, was an ideal source for Russian considered the best of them. prolific creative life, which ended by a bullet romance (Russian equivalent of the German Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky at a , he wrote numerous poems, dramas, Lied). It is impossible to find a Russian (1813-1869), who, on Glinka’s advice, left his Nikolay Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov , and fairy tales in verses. Many of composer, who would not put Pushkin’s job as a government bureaucrat and devoted (1844-1906), like Borodin, was one of the them would become a basis for the operas, poems on music. Some of these poems himself to composition, searched for more Mighty Five, the group of young Russian ballets, symphonic pieces and romances. inspired numerous musical interpretations. precise, naturalistic realization of the words composers, concerned with forming and in music. The results of this search are mostly advocating a distinctly Russian musical His gracious, beautifully (seems – effortlessly) This disc presents an almost chronological, transparent in his late opera The Stone style. He too began his musical career as crafted and deeply human verses had become though far from exhaustive, survey of songs Guest (on unchanged Pushkin’s text) and an amateur: following the family tradition, imprinted in memory and minds of millions written by Russian composers of the 19th and satirical songs. However, even in his earlier he became a navy officer. When he died, of , in many ways forming the 20th century on Pushkin’s verses. lyrical romances (such as The Youth and however, he was admired as a highly consciousness and the soul of the nation. The Maiden), which because of their simple respected master-composer, author of (1804-1857) – the “father piano part and sincere, heartfelt song-like fifteen operas, the leader of the Petersburg No other had influenced Russian of ”, the author of melodies often reminded Russian domestic school of composition, and the teacher of music as much as Pushkin. The diversity and the first Russian national opera (Life for romances, he was able to convey not only the such outstanding composers as Stravinsky, richness of his creative output were such that the Tsar, 1834-36), who knew Pushkin and atmosphere but also the specific intonation Liadov and Glazunov, among many others. a composer of any stylistic and ideological even planned to work with him on the opera of the words. Turning to Pushkin’s poems quite a few times, inclinations could find there a great source Ruslan and Lyudmila, captured better then he found there (especially in those, which for inspiration. The greatest Russian operas anyone the immediacy, graciousness and Alexander Porfirievich Borodin (1813-1887), are colored with philosophical, pantheistic were written after Pushkin’s works: Glinka’s lightness of Pushkin’s poetry. This “Russian in spite of an exceptional musical talent, or oriental motives) a source for his best , Dargomyzhsky’s Shubert”, himself a talented singer, who devoted his life to chemical science and social songs, structurally perfect, sophisticated and , Mussorgsky’s Boris studied bel canto in Italy, found for Pushkin’s causes. That explains the regrettably modest and melodically attractive – such as the Godunov, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene , poetry a very harmonious, refined, subtle number of his musical compositions. There meditative and luminous elegy On the hills Queen of Spades and , Rymsky- and at the same time clear and unpretentious are, however, no weak or mediocre works in of Georgia (from the 1860-s) and the more 5 6 dramatic, with richly developed piano part choose the verses of the most profound and in the Winter Evening, where the verses its enormous popularity. He was the “quiet The clouds begin to scatter. important poets. Almost half of his more than almost dictate folk-like kind of melody. innovator”: he expressed himself and his 100 romances were written on texts of Goethe Avoiding superfluous details, Medtner always time -- the Russian fin de siecle with its high Cesar Antonovich Cui (1835-1918) – the and Pushkin, to whom he turned throughout subjugates all musical means to content and emotionalism and decadence -- without least known member of the Mighty Five, a his entire life. expression, to the developing of an emotional revolutionary break from traditions, although prominent military engineer, professor and narrative. creating his own, highly recognizable style. music critic, wrote more than dozen operas Three romances on this disc – Gone are This great pianist, author of symphonies, (including four children fairy tale operas) and my heart desires (1903), Winter Evening Alexander Kondratievich Vlasov (1911- operas, piano concertos, choral works and a few instrumental works. Today, however, (1907) and To the Dreamer (1914) belong 1986) was known in as a cellist, numerous pieces for piano, wrote about 80 only his songs are remembered (he created to Medtner’s most productive period, when teacher and composer, an author of many romances. All of them belong to the pre- many), best of which are marked by elegance the composer was an active participant in cello pieces, transcriptions, arrangements revolutionary times, before 1917, when of melody, proportional form, lyrical warmth the flourishing Russian cultural scene and and songs, of which the dreamy, melodious To the composer left Russia, loosing an and attention to details. traveled Europe as a successful performer. the fountain of the Bachtchisarai Palace is opportunity to communicate with the the most popular. Russian-speaking audiences. Nikolai Carlovich Medtner (1880 -- 1951) In a time of special attention to the finesse of was, like his older friend and fierce supporter, color and the beauty of sound, Medtner was Petr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), who Sing not to me, beautiful maiden (or Do not , an alumnae of Moscow concerned mostly with the “logic of emotion”. used Pushkin’s works for his three operas: sing, my beauty) is one of his earliest songs, conservatory and a great pianist, who was Though complicated and intense piano part Mazeppa (after historic poem “”), op.4, written between 1890 and 1893. (The willing to abandon his successful performing in his romances sometimes reminds one and Dame of Spades, only composer turned to Pushkin’s verses only career for composition. He gained recognition of Rachmaninoff’s, it is distinctive for its two of his more than 100 romances wrote ones again – in three songs, op. 34). Despite in the pre-revolutionary Russia, and, like complex counterpoint and for especially on Pushkin’s verses. They are an early Song the author’s youth, this romance, with its Rachmaninoff, left the Bolshevik country intricate interweaving with the vocal line, of Zemphira (on the words from the poem colorful harmonies and beautiful melody, full for the West (in 1921). Medtner concentrated which the piano often completes. Dramatic ) and Nightingale (op.60, 1886). of longing, oriental languor and restrained his compositional efforts on music for piano monologue, of which To the Dreamer and Following the style of the verses, the music passion had become one of his best and romances. His words “Simplicity plus Gone are my heart desires are the finest of the Nightingale, with its sorrowful and known works. simplicity equal emptiness. Complexity plus examples, was his preferred vocal genre. speech-like intonations, is close to a Russian complexity equal chaos” (from the book Here, the declamation with its detailed lyrical folk song. Georgiy Vasilievich Sviridov (1915-1998), “Muse and Fashion”) can be perceived as his following the words is united in the most whose style is rooted in the traditions of creative credo. natural way with arioso-like cantilena. Never Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) Russian folk and liturgical music, was a great fond of quoting folk tunes, Medtner used, had, like Tchaikovsky, a unique melodical lover of Russian poetry and language and an Possessed with a very discriminative taste in for instance, Russian song intonations gift, which, together with the open and expert in the field. An outstanding master of poetry and a passion for philosophy, Medtner intense emotionality of his music explains

7 8 music for voice and admittedly, one of the most important Russian composers of the 20th century, Sviridov wrote vocal cycles, and oratorios on verses of some of the greatest Russian poets, such as , Alexander Block, and .

Sviridov’s style was laconic, almost minimalistic, sometimes even austere. With transparent, simple musical textures, mostly slow tempos and spare, carefully chosen harmony, it is first and foremost concerned with words, their meaning, and the underlying mood.

The forest drops his crimson dress (Roniayet les bagrianyi svoi ubor), which Sviridov DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY IVARY ILJA “reads” as a tragic monologue of loneliness, was a part of the vocal cycle on Pushkin’s verses. The cycle was written by Sviridov in 1935, even before he entered Leningrad conservatory, class of Dmitry Shostakovich. The unusually mature and masterly songs were the first works, which attracted attention to the young composer.

Maya Prtisker

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