DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY RACHMANINOV ROMANCES

IVARI ILJA, piano SERGEI RACHMANINOV (1873–1943)

1 We shall rest ( My otdokhnjom) , Op. 26/3 2’32 2 Do you remember the evening? ( Ty pomnish’ li vecher?) (1893) 2’59 3 Oh no, I beg you, do not leave! ( O, net, molju, ne ukhodi!), Op. 4/1 1’49 4 Morning ( Utro) , Op. 4/2 2’28 5 In the silence of the mysterious night ( V molchan’ji nochi tajnoj) , Op. 4/3 2’51 2 6 Oh you, my corn field! ( Uzh ty, niva moja!) , Op. 4/5 4’47 7 My child, you are beautiful as a flower ( Ditja! Kak cvetok ty prekrasna) , Op. 8/2 2’14 8 A dream ( Son) , Op. 8/5 1’30 9 I was with her ( Ja byl u nej) , Op. 14/4 1’28 10 I am waiting for you (Ja zhdu tebja) , Op. 14/1 1’58 11 Do not believe me, my friend ( Ne ver mne drug) , Op. 14/7 1’41 12 She is as beautiful as noon ( Ona, kak polden’, khorosha) , Op. 14/9 3’05 13 Spring waters (Vesennije vody ), Op. 14/11 2’15 14 In my soul (V mojej dushe) , Op. 14/10 3’08 15 It is time! (Pora!), Op. 14/12 1’58 16 They replied (Oni otvechali) , Op. 21/4 1’58 17 An excerpt from Alfred de Musset ( Otryvok iz A. Mjusse) , Op. 21/6 2’17 18 How nice this place is ( Zdes’ khorosho) , Op. 21/7 2’10 19 How much it hurts (Kak mne bol’no) , Op. 21/12 1’50 20 Everything I had ( Vsjo otnjal u menja) , Op. 26/2 1’25 21 Yesterday we met ( Vchera my vstretilis’) , Op. 26/13 2’54 22 Everything passes (Prokhodit vse) , Op. 26/15 2’07 23 Sad night (Noch’ pechal’na) , Op. 26/12 2’27 3 24 Once again, I am alone (Ja opjat’ odinok) , Op. 26/9 2’04 25 At the gates of the holy cloister ( U vrat obiteli svjatoj) (1890) 3’36 26 Christ is risen! ( Khristos voskres) , Op. 26/6 3’27

DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY , baritone IVARI ILJA , piano

Publishers: Sikorski (tracks 1, 2, 25), Boosey & Hawkes Executive Producer: Reijo Kiilunen Recording: State Conservatory, Great Hall, 13.–24.7.2011 P 2012 Ondine Oy, Helsinki Recording Producer: Vladimir Kopcov C 2012 Ondine Oy, Helsinki Sound Engineers: Dmitrij Kovyzhenko, Aleksej Meshhanov Booklet Editor: Jean-Christophe Hausmann Mixing and Mastering: Ruslana Oreshnikova Photos: Pavel Antonov (Hvorostovsky), George Grantham Bain Piano Technician: Mihail Romanenko Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Rachmaninov) Technical support: Sergej Dolgov, Mihail Malkin, Mihail Spasskij Design: Eduardo Gomez Sergei Rachmaninov (1923) ergei Rachmaninov composed over eighty songs, from his earliest years to his full maturity, which show increasing mastery of the medium. His preferred texts were taken from Russian romantic Spoets which allowed him to display his gift for memorable, long-spanned melodies and opulent, sometimes illustrative piano parts.

His earliest surviving songs were written in 1890, at the age of 17 (by which time he had already essayed piano works and orchestral pieces), while still a student at the Moscow Conservatory. They included At the gates of the holy cloister , which is a setting of Lermontov’s poem ‘The Beggar’. The melodic invention is already personal, the feeling for vocal writing obvious, though the piano accompaniment is relatively conventional.

Rachmaninov’s first published song-collection, the Six Songs op. 4, which he also referred to as Romances , appeared in 1893 following the success of his opera Aleko , and included another very early song, In the silence of the mysterious night , to a poem by the romantic poet , composed in October 1890. This has remained one of his most popular songs: Rachmaninov himself liked it so much 5 that in 1922 he made a new version for voice, violin and piano – the violin obbligato composed by his friend Fritz Kreisler. The other songs of op. 4 were composed between 1891 and 1893 and are characterized by broad, lyrical themes, a wide dynamic range, and intricate, contrapuntal passages.

The opening bars of No. 1, Oh no, I beg you, do not leave! , seem to recall the slow movement of Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto, while No. 2, Morning , written in 1891 while he was convalescing at the house of his fellow student Yuri Sakhnovsky (to whom it is dedicated), is a more positive utterance. No. 5, Oh you, my corn field , dates from the summer of 1893 and is one of the earliest songs to evoke the atmosphere of Russian folk song, with its frequent time changes and modal harmony. The words are by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, a distant cousin of Lev Tolstoy and an important writer in his own right, whose verses also provided the basis for Do you remember the evening? , another song from summer 1893 that was not included in op. 4.

Rachmaninov seldom set words by non-Russian poets, but his op. 8, which dates from the Autumn of this same fecund song writing year of 1893, is a set of six songs to translations of German and Ukrainian texts in translations by Alexei Pleshcheyev. Three of these are settings of the mordant North German poet . No. 2, My child, you are beautiful as a flower has a tremulous beauty that perfectly matches the poem, while No. 5, A dream , is among the finest of Rachmaninov’s early songs. Here he holds the apparently artless simplicity of the vocal line in perfect counterpoise with the elaboration of the accompaniment (which nevertheless is never too assertive), the whole within an entirely satisfying form.

After op. 8 Rachmaninov tended to issue his songs in larger collections, accumulated over several years. The 12 songs of op. 14 were written between 1894 and 1896, the earliest of them being No. 1, Davidova’s I am waiting for you , composed only a few months after the last of the op. 8 songs. Though its yearning vocal line, depicting a woman anxiously awaiting her lover, has a quality of simple lyricism, the piano accompaniment begins sensitively but becomes perhaps too powerfully rhetorical in the closing bars. Indeed the set as a whole – almost all of them songs of sorrow or lament – is uneven in quality, and in several the piano accompaniments are complex and full of bravura writing, threatening sometimes to overwhelm the singer. Here Rachmaninov’s gifts as a virtuoso pianist are only too obviously on display. Some, such as the colourful and exciting No. 4, I was with her , and the cheerful No. 7, Do not believe me, friend , are reminiscent 6 of Tchaikovsky, whereas others are more individual. In No. 9, She is as beautiful as noon and No. 10, In my soul , both of them settings of poems by a contemporary, Minsky (the pseudonym of the poet and revolutionary Nikola Mikhailovich Vilenkin), Rachmaninov creates an exotic, oriental colouring while evoking a distinctive atmosphere of hopelessness with great skill. The tumultuous No. 11, Spring waters (more correctly ‘The floods of spring’) may be Rachmaninov’s most famous song. Composed in 1896 to a poem by , it rejoices in an almost orchestral, highly virtuosic piano accompaniment: it was apt that he should dedicate it to his former piano teacher Anna Ornatskaya. The undulating texture and fluid line evoke the energy and changeability of a flowing river, building to thrilling climaxes. The set ends with No. 12, It is time , to a poem by Semyon Nadson, a rousing appeal for aid to the people in a time of trouble.

The next few years were difficult ones for Rachmaninov, beginning with the notorious critical failure of his First Symphony in 1897 and a long, crippling depression only surmounted in 1901 by the composition and triumphant reception of his Second Piano Concerto. There are few songs from these years, and he only returned to song writing in earnest in the Spring of 1902, around the time of his marriage to Natalya Satina. The resulting 12 Songs op. 21 are generally acknowledged to be among his most spontaneous utterances. No. 4, They replied , which sets a translation of a poem by Victor Hugo, contains another depiction of surging waters in the obsessive arpeggios of the piano accompaniment. Another translation, from the French poet, playwright and novelist Alfred de Musset, provides the starting-point for No. 6, An excerpt from Alfred de Musset , a song about the torment of loneliness, which Rachmaninov clothes in appropriately dark-hued music.

Op. 21 also marks a new and subtler stage in his integration of vocal and piano lines. This feature is obvious in No. 7, How nice this place is , to verses by the poetess Glafira Galina, where the exquisite vocal line is wedded to an accompaniment of rare refinement and delicacy. It describes a pastoral scene where young lovers have come to be alone with nature and themselves, and Rachmaninov actually composed it while on honeymoon with Natalya. No. 12, the concluding number of the set, How much it hurts , another Galina setting, is remarkable for the intensity of emotion it conveys.

The set of 15 Songs, op. 26 which Rachmaninov completed in 1906 takes his integration of vocal melody and accompaniment yet further, the piano sometimes taking over or filling in gaps in the vocal line so that the two are closely interwoven in a single melodic continuum. No. 2, Everything I had , to words by Fyodor Tyutchev is a brief utterance, starting in dramatic vein but soon turning more lyrical as we discover that 7 the protagonist has lost everything, including his health, as punishment by God. No. 3, We shall rest , is a setting of a passage from Act IV of ’s play Uncle Vanya , which Rachmaninov treats in a declamatory manner. This is also true of No. 6, Christ is risen! , where he sets a religious poem by the mystic and philosophical novelist Dmitri Merezhkovsky; it is not, however, a song of rejoicing, but a lament for the corrupt condition of the world into which Christ was reborn, a sentiment that suited Rachmaninov’s gloomier side well. No. 9, Once again, I am alone , a Ukrainian poem translated into Russian by Rachmaninov’s close contemporary, the symbolist poet , is a subdued and introspective piece. Bunin also provides the text for No. 12, Sad night , which portrays the poet’s hopeless longing for happiness: the composer here provides an appealingly mournful melody and deft contrapuntal accompaniment. The inspired No. 13, Yesterday we met , sets a poem by and almost throughout uses a simple, syncopated accompaniment with great expressive effect. Finally, the collection ends with Daniil Rathaus’s poem Everything passes , another depressive meditation on mortality that rises to a powerful concluding climax.

Malcolm MacDonald One of the world’s leading baritones of today, Dmitri Hvorostovsky was born and studied in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. From the start, audiences were bowled over by his cultivated voice, innate sense of musical line, and natural legato. In 1989, he won the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. Since his Western operatic debut at the Nice Opera in Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame, he has been invited for regular engagements at the major opera houses and festivals internationally. Dmitri has also performed as a celebrated recitalist in every corner of the globe, and appeared in concert with the world’s top orchestras and conductors, including James Levine, Bernard Haitink, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Yuri Temirkanov, and Valery Gergiev.

Dmitri has retained a strong musical and personal contact with and tours its cities on an annual basis. He became the first opera singer to give a solo concert with orchestra and chorus on Red Square in Moscow; this performance was televised in over 25 countries. Together with Renée Fleming, Sumi Jo, Jonas Kaufmann, Ildar Abdrazakov and Sondra Radvanovsky he has appeared in a ‘Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Friends’ series of concerts in Moscow.

8 Dmitri has recorded a number of recitals and complete operas on CD and DVD to much critical acclaim. He has also starred in Don Giovanni Unmasked, an award-winning film (2001) based on the Mozart opera.

www.hvorostovsky.com

Estonian pianist Ivari Ilja has performed on many important concert stages throughout the world, as duo partner of such renowned singers as Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Irina Arkhipova, Maria Guleghina, and Elena Zaremba. Since 2003, he has repeatedly toured with Dmitri Hvorostovsky to the USA, Europe, Hong Kong, and Japan. Born in Tallinn, Ivari Ilja performed his studies at the Estonian State Conservatoire as well as the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire. on seinen frühen Jahren bis in die Zeit künstlerischer Reife komponierte Sergei Rachmaninow über 80 Lieder, in denen man seine zunehmende Beherrschung der Gattung verfolgen kann. Die Texte Ventnahm er am liebsten russischen Dichtern der Romantik, denn da konnte er seine Begabung für eingängige, breit entfaltete Melodien ausspielen und für klanglich opulente, gelegentlich textausdeutende Klavierparts.

Die frühesten erhaltenen Lieder wurden 1890 mit 17 Jahren geschrieben, als Rachmaninow noch Student am Moskauer Konservatorium war (sich aber bereits an Klavier- und Orchesterstücken versucht hatte). Dazu zählt auch An der Pforte des heiligen Klosters (At the gates of the holy cloister) , die Vertonung von Lermontovs Gedicht „Der Bettler“, mit typischer Melodik und offensichtlichem Gespür für vokale Stimmführung, aber noch recht konventioneller Klavierbegleitung.

Rachmaninows erste veröffentlichte Liedsammlung, die Sechs Lieder Op. 4, von ihm hin und wieder auch Romanzen genannt, erschien 1893 nach dem Erfolg seiner Oper Aleko und enthielt ein weiteres sehr frühes Lied, nämlich das im Oktober 1890 nach einem Gedicht des Romantikers Afanassy Fet komponierte In der Stille heimlicher Nacht (In the silence of the mysterious night) . Es wurde eines seiner 9 beliebtesten Lieder; Rachmaninow selbst hing so sehr daran, dass er es 1922 in eine Fassung für Singstimme, Geige und Klavier umschrieb, wozu sein Freund Fritz Kreisler das Violin-Obligato komponierte. Die anderen Lieder von Op. 4 entstanden zwischen 1891 und 1893 und tragen das Kennzeichen breiter lyrischer Thematik, weitem Umfang in der Dynamik und verschachtelter kontrapunktischer Passagen.

Die ersten Takte von Nr. 1, O nein, ich bitte Dich, verlass mich nicht! (Oh no, I beg you, do not leave!) erinnern an den langsamen Satz von Rachmaninows Erstem Klavierkonzert, während Nr. 2, Morgen (Morning) , geschrieben 1891 in einer Rekonvaleszenzphase bei seinem Kommilitonen Yuri Sakhnovsky (dem es auch gewidmet ist), einen deutlich optimistischeren Tonfall anschlägt. Nr. 5, O Du mein Kornfeld! (Oh you, my corn field) stammt aus dem Sommer 1893 und ist mit seiner modalen Harmonie und den häufigen Tempowechseln eines der ersten Lieder, in denen die Stimmung des russischen Volkslieds lebendig ist. Der Text stammt von Alexei Konstantinowitsch Tolstoi, einem entfernten Verwandten von Leo Tolstoi und eigenständigen Autor von Rang, der auch die Verse von Erinnerst Du Dich an den Abend? (Do you remember the evening?) dichtete, ein weiteres Lied vom Sommer 1893, das aber außerhalb des Op. 4 blieb.

Rachmaninow vertonte selten Texte nicht-russischer Autoren, doch sein Op. 8, das auf den Herbst jenes liedreichen Kompositionsjahres 1893 zurückgeht, sammelt sechs Lieder zu Übersetzungen von deutschen und ukrainischen Texten durch Alexei Nikolajewitsch Pleschtschejew. Drei davon stammen von Heinrich Heine. Nr. 2, Du bist wie eine Blume (My child, you are beautiful as a flower), ist von einer zarten, bebenden Schönheit, die dem Gedicht vollkommen gerecht wird. Und Nr. 5, Ein Traum (A dream), gehört unstrittig zu den besten von Rachmaninows frühen Liedern. Darin hält er die scheinbar kunstlose Einfachheit der vokalen Stimmführung im perfekten Gegengewicht zur reich ausgearbeiteten Begleitung (die sich aber nie in den Vordergrund spielt), das Ganze innerhalb einer in jeder Hinsicht zufriedenstellenden Form.

Nach Op. 8 wurden Rachmaninows Liedersammlungen umfangreicher. Die zwölf Lieder von Op. 14 wurden zwischen 1894 und 1896 geschrieben, das früheste, Nr. 1, Dawidowas Ich erwarte dich (I am 10 waiting for you), nur wenige Monate nach dem letzten von Op. 8. Während die schmachtende Vokalpartie einer ihren Liebhaber sehnsüchtig erwartenden Frau ihre Qualität aus unverfälschter Gefühlsbetontheit bezieht, beginnt die Klavierbegleitung zwar einfühlsam, wird aber in den Schlusstakten vielleicht etwas zu wirkungsvoll rhetorisch. Tatsächlich ist die Sammlung als Ganze – sie besteht fast nur aus Trübsal- und Klageliedern – von ungleichem Niveau, denn in manchen ist die Klavierbegleitung so komplex und virtuos, dass die Gesangspartie darin unterzugehen droht. Rachmaninows pianistische Begabung setzt sich hier einfach zu offenkundig in Szene. Einige, so das farbige und mitreißende Lied Nr. 4, Ich war bei ihr (I was with her), sowie das fröhliche Lied Nr. 7, Glaub mir nicht, Freund (Do not believe me, friend) , erinnern an Tschaikowsky, andere tragen eine persönlichere Note. In Nr. 9, Schön wie der helle Tag ist sie (She is as beautiful as noon) und in Nr. 10, In meiner Seele (In my soul) , beides Vertonungen von Gedichten eines zeitgenössischen Autors, Nikolai Minski (Pseudonym des Dichters und Revolutionärs Nikolai Michailowitsch Wilenkin), verleiht Rachmaninow einer unverwechselbaren Atmosphäre der Hoffnungslosigkeit mit großem Geschick exotische orientalische Farbgebung. Das stürmische Lied Nr. 11, Sturzbach im Frühling (Spring waters) , ist vielleicht das berühmteste aller Rachmaninowlieder. Es wurde 1896 auf ein Gedicht von Fjodor Tjutschew komponiert und erfreut sich einer beinahe orchestralen hochvirtuosen Klavierbegleitung; da ist die Widmung an seine frühere Klavierlehrerin Anna Ornatskaya wenig verwunderlich. Die wellenförmige Textur mit geschwungenen Tonlinien evoziert die unstete Dynamik eines fließenden Gewässers und gipfelt sich auf zu faszinierenden Höhepunkten. Die Sammlung endet mit Nr. 12, Es ist Zeit (It is time), auf ein Gedicht von Semjon Nadson, ein leidenschaftlicher Hilferuf an das Volk in Zeiten der Unruhe.

Die nächsten Jahre waren für Rachmaninow schwierig, beginnend 1897 mit dem bekannten Misserfolg seiner Ersten Sinfonie und der darauf folgenden lähmenden Depression, die erst 1901 durch Komposition und triumphalen Erfolg seines Zweiten Klavierkonzerts überwunden wurde. In dieser ganzen Zeit schrieb er kaum Lieder, erst im Frühling 1902 kam es durch die Heirat mit Natalja Satina zu neuen ernsthaften Versuchen. Die daraus entstandenen 12 Lieder Op. 21 werden allgemein zu seinen spontansten musikalischen Äußerungen gezählt. Nr. 4, Antworteten die Frauen (They replied) ist die Vertonung eines übersetzten Gedichts von Victor Hugo und enthält einmal mehr die Beschreibung brandender Wogen durch die nicht enden wollenden Arpeggios der Klavierbegleitung. Eine andere Übersetzung, diesmal ausgehend von dem französischen Dichter Alfred de Musset, liefert die Worte für Lied Nr. 6, Fragment von Alfred de Musset (Fragment from Alfred de Musset), ein Lied über die Qualen der Einsamkeit, die Rachmaninow in entsprechend düstere Farbtöne kleidet. 11

Op. 21 bedeutet auch eine neue und raffiniertere Stufe der Integration von Klavier und Gesang, ein Charakteristikum, das in Lied Nr. 7 hervorsticht, Wie schön ist dieser Ort (How nice this place is) auf Verse der Dichterin Glafira Galina, wo die erlesene Stimmführung mit einer Begleitung von seltener Feinheit und Zartheit zusammengeht. Es ist die Schilderung einer Schäferszene, in der junge Liebende mit der Natur und sich selbst alleine sind, komponiert in den Flitterwochen mit Natalja. Nr. 12, das Schlusslied der Sammlung, Wie weh es tut (How much it hurts), eine weitere Galina-Vertonung, fällt auf durch seine emotionale Heftigkeit.

Die 15 Lieder Op. 26, die Rachmaninow 1906 fertigstellte, treiben die Verwebung von Vokalmelodie und Begleitung noch weiter, insofern das Klavier manchmal die Melodie übernimmt oder Lücken ausfüllt, so dass beide in einem einzigen melodischen Kontinuum eng verschlungen sind. Nr. 2, Alles was ich hatte (Everything I had), auf Worte von Fjodor Tjutschew, ist ein kurzes Stück, das dramatisch beginnt, aber bald ins Gefühlvolle überschwenkt, denn unser Held hat alles verloren, bis hin zu seiner Gesundheit, und dies als Strafe Gottes. Nr. 3, Wir werden ruhn (We shall rest), ist die Vertonung einer Passage aus Akt 4 von Tschechows Stück Onkel Wanja, das Rachmaninow in leidenschaftlicher Deklamatorik behandelt. Dies gilt auch für Nr. 6, Christ ist erstanden! (Christ is risen!), wo ein religiöses Gedicht des mystisch- philosophischen Romanciers Dmitri Mereschkowski vertont wird; doch ist es kein Lied der Freude, sondern der Klage über die schlechte Welt, in die der Heiland hineingeboren wurde, ein Gedanke, der zu Rachmaninows Nachtseiten passte. Das leise und nach innen gekehrte Lied Nr. 9, Wieder bin ich allein (Once again, I am alone) beruht auf einem von dem (kaum drei Jahre älteren) symbolistischen Dichter Iwan Bunin ins Russische übertragenen ukrainischen Gedicht. Von Bunin stammt auch der Text von Nr. 12 Traurige Nacht (Sad Night), worin der Dichter seine hoffnungslose Glückssehnsucht zum Ausdruck bringt, welche der Komponist mit einer wehmütigen Melodie und einer gekonnten kontrapunktischen Begleitung wiedergibt. Das besonders inspirierte Lied Nr. 13, Gestern sind wir uns begegnet (Yesterday we met), auf ein Gedicht von Yakov Polonski, hat fast durchgängig eine einfache synkopierte Begleitung von hoher Ausdruckswirkung. Die Sammlung endet mit dem Gedicht Alles vergeht (Everything passes) von Daniil Rathaus, einer weiteren schwermütigen Meditation über die Sterblichkeit alles Irdischen, zu der eine machtvolle Klimax den Schlusspunkt setzt. 12 Malcolm MacDonald (Übersetzung: Franz Josef Hausmann) Dmitri Hvorostovsky , einer der führenden Baritone unserer Zeit, wurde in Krasnojarsk (Sibirien) geboren und ausgebildet. Vom Beginn an war das Publikum beeindruckt von seiner kultivierten Stimme, dem angeborenen Sinn für melodische Stimmführung und dem natürlichen Legato. 1989 gewann er den angesehenen BBC Cardiff Singer of the World -Wettbewerb. Seit seinem westlichen Operndebüt in Tschaikowskis Pique Dame in Nizza wird er weltweit von den besten Opernhäusern und -festivals eingeladen. Daneben tritt er überall auf dem Globus als gefeierter Rezital-Solist auf und singt in Konzerten mit Spitzenorchestern und -dirigenten einschließlich James Levine, Bernard Haitink, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Yuri Temirkanov und Valery Gergiev.

Dmitri hat eine enge musikalische und persönliche Bindung an Russland bewahrt mit einer jährlichen Tournee durch russische Städte. Als erster Opernsänger gab er ein Solokonzert mit Chor und Orchester auf dem Roten Platz in Moskau mit Fernsehübertragung in 25 Länder. Zusammen mit Renée Fleming, Sumi Jo, Jonas Kaufmann, Ildar Abdrazakov und Sondra Radvanovsky ist er unter dem Titel ‘Dmitri Hvorostovsky und Freunde’ in einer Konzertfolge in Moskau aufgetreten.

Dmitri hat eine Anzahl von Lied- und Operneinspielungen auf CD und DVD herausgebracht, die von der 13 Kritik gefeiert wurden. Daneben sang und spielte er in dem preisgekrönten Film Don Giovanni Unmasked (2001), der auf Mozarts Oper basiert.

www.hvorostovsky.com

Der estnische Pianist Ivari Ilja tritt in vielen bedeutenden Konzerthäusern auf, als Partner so bekannter Sänger wie Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Irina Arkhipova, Maria Guleghina und Elena Zaremba. Seit 2003 ist er regelmäßig mit Dmitri Hvorostovsky auf Tournee durch die Vereinigten Staaten, Europa, Hong Kong und Japan. Ivari Ilja wurde in Tallin geboren und studierte am dortigen Staatlichen Konservatorium sowie am Tschaikowsky-Konservatorium in Moskau. 1 My otdokhnjom 1 We shall rest Anton P. Chekhov (1860–1904)

My otdokhnjom! My uslyshim angelov, We shall rest! We shall hear the angels, My uvidim vsjo nebo v almazakh, We shall see the heavens My uvidim, kak vsjo zlo zemnoje, Covered with stars like diamonds, Vse nashi stradanija potonut v miloserdiji, All earthly evil, Kotoroje napolnit soboju ves’ mir, All our sufferings swept away I nasha zhizn’ stanet tikhoju, By the grace nezhnoju, sladkoju, kak laska. Which fill the world, Ja veruju, veruju... And our life will be peaceful, My otdokhnjom... My otdokhnjom. Gentle, sweet as a caress. I believe it, I believe it... We shall rest... We shall rest.

2 Ty pomnish’ li vecher? 2 Do you remember the evening? 14 Aleksey K. Tolstoy (1817–1875)

Ty pomnish’ li vecher, Do you remember the evening, Kak more shumelo, As the sea was turbulent V shipovnike pel solovej... In the dog rose sang the nightingale Dushistye vetki akacii beloj The sweet-scented branches of the acacia Kachalis’ na shljape tvoej... Swayed on your hat... Mezh kamnej, obrosshikh Dense grapevines grew rank gustym vinogradom Between the stones Doroga byla tak uzka; The road was so narrow V molchanii nad morem Silently, above the sea My ekhali rjadom, We rode side by side K ruke prilezhala ruka! Your hand lay in mine! V molchanii nad morem Silently, above the sea My ekhali rjadom, We rode side by side k ruke prilezhala ruka! Your hand lay in mine! Ty pomnish’ li rjov Do you remember the roar Dozhdevogo potoka Of the rain-swollen stream I penu, i bryzgi krugom? And foam, and spatter all round? I nam nashe gore And to us our sorrows Kazalos’ daleko Seemed far away I kak my zabyli o njom! O, how we forgot them!

3 O, net, molju, ne ukhodi! 3 Oh no, I beg you, do not leave! Dmitry S. Merezhkovsky (1865–1941)

O, net, molju, ne ukhodi! Oh no, I beg you, do not leave! Vsja bol’ nichto pered razlukoj, All my pains are nothing compared to separation Ja slishkom schastliv I am only too fortunate ‘Etoj mukoj, With that torment, Sil’nej prizhmi menja k grudi, Press me tightly to your bosom Skazhi ljublju. And say you love me.

Prishjol ja vnov’, I came anew Bol’noj, izmuchennyj i blednyj. Full of pain, pale and exhausted. 15 Smotri, kakoj ja slabyj, bednyj, See how poor and weak I am, Kak mne nuzhna tvoja ljubov’... How I need your love...

Muchenij novykh vperedi The new torments ahead Ja zhdu kak lasku, kak poceluja, I await like a caress or kiss, I ob odnom molju, toskuja: And again I beg you in anguish: O, bud’ so mnoj, ne ukhodi! Oh stay with me, do not leave!

4 Utro 4 Morning M. L. Yanov

«Ljublju tebja!» “I love you!” Shepnula dnju zarja Daybreak whispered to day I, nebo obkhvativ, zardelas’ ot priznan’ja, And, while enfolding the skies, blushed from that confession, I solnca luch, prirodu ozarja, And a sunbeam, illuminating nature, S ulybkoj posylal jej zhguchije lobzan’ja. With a smile sent her a burning kiss. A den’, kak by jeshchjo ne doverjaja, And the day, as if still doubting Osushchestvleniju svojikh zavetnykh grjoz, The fulfillment of his most cherished dreams, Spuskalsja na zemlju, s ulybkoj utiraja Descended over the land, and with a smile dried Blestevshije vokrug rjady almaznykh sljoz... Her glittering tears like rows of diamonds.

5 V molchan’ji nochi tajnoj 5 In the silence of the mysterious night Afanasy A. Fet (1820–1892)

O, dolgo budu ja, v molchan’ji nochi tajnoj, In the silence of the mysterious night, Kovarnyj lepet tvoj, ulybku, vzor sluchajnyj, Your alluring babble, smiles and glances, Perstam poslushnuju volos, volos tvojikh gustuju prjad’, Your fleeting glances, the locks of your rich hair, locks Iz myslej izgonjat’, i snova prizyvat’; pliant under your fingertips – I will long be trying to get rid of the images only to call them back again;

Sheptat’ i popravljat’ bylyje vyrazhen’ja I will be repeating and correcting in a whisper 16 Rechej mojikh s toboj, ispolnennykh smushchen’ja, The words I’ve told you, the words full of awkwardness, I v op’janenii, naperekor umu, And, drunk with love, contrary to reason, Zavetnym imenem budit’ nochnuju t’mu. I will be awakening the night’s darkness with a cherished name.

6 Uzh ty, niva moja! 6 Oh you, my corn field! Aleksey K. Tolstoy

Uzh ty, niva moja, nivushka, You, my field, my little corn field Ne skosit’ tebja s makhu jedinogo, I would not reap you in one rash stroke Ne svjazat’ tebja vsju vo jedinyj snop! I would not tie you up in one sheaf Uzh vy, dumy moji, dumushki, And you, my thoughts, my precious thoughts, Ne strjakhnut’ vas razom s plech doloj, I could not shake you off at once Odnoj rech’ju-to vas ne vyskazat’! Nor express you all in one brief sentence!

Po tebe-l’, niva, veter razgulival, Did the wind not sweep across you, my field, Gnul kolos’ja tvoji do zemli, Bending my corn to the ground, Zrely zerna-vse razmetyval! And sweeping away the mature grains! Shiroko vy, dumy, porassypalis’, You have been scattered far and wide, my thoughts; Kuda pala kakaja dumushka. You drifted and where you fell, Tam vskhodila ljuta pechal’-trava, A sad and bitter weed sprouted Vyrostalo gore gorjucheje. And burning grief grew.

7 Ditja! Kak cvetok ty prekrasna 7 My child, you are beautiful as a flower Aleksey N. Pleshcheyev (1825–1893), after: Heinrich Heine (1797–1856), Buch der Lieder, Die Heimkehr, XLVII Du bist wie eine Blume

Ditja, kak cvetok ty prekrasna, My child, you are beautiful as a flower, Svetla, i chista, i mila. Fair, and pure, and sweet. Smotrju na tebja, i ljubujus’, I look at you, and admire you, I snova dusha ozhila… And again my heart is stirred... 17 Okhotno b tebe na golovku I would gladly lay my hands Ja ruki svoji vozlozhil; On your little head; Prosja chtoby Bog tebja vechno Asking God to keep you Prekrasnoj i chistoj khranil. Beautiful and pure forever.

8 Son 8 A dream Aleksey N. Pleshcheyev, after: Heinrich Heine, Neue Gedichte, Verschiedene, In der Fremde, III Ich hatte einst ein schönes Vaterland

I u menja byl kraj rodnoj; And I had a homeland; Prekrasen on! A beautiful one! Tam jel’ kachalas’ nado mnoj... There a spruce swayed above me... No to byl son! But that was a dream! Sem’ja druzej zhiva byla. A friends’ family was alive. So vsekh storon From all sides Zvuchali mne ljubvi slova... There were words of love... No to byl son! But that was a dream!

9 Ja byl u nej 9 I was with her Aleksey V. Koltsov (1808–1842)

Ja byl u nej; ona skazala: I was with her; she said to me: «Ljublju tebja, moj milyj drug!`» “I love you, my dearest friend!” No `etu tajnu ot podrug But she strictly implored me to keep khranit’ mne strogo zaveshchala. This secret from her girlfriend.

Ja byl u nej, na prelest’ zlata I was with her, not for golden riches Kljalas’ menja ne promenjat’; She swore to trade me; Ko mne lish’ strastiju pylat’, Only to me to be afire with passion, 18 Menja ljubit’, ljubit’, kak brata. To love me, love me like a brother.

Ja byl u nej; ja vechno budu I was with her; I will always S jejo dushoj dushoju zhit’. Live with her soul, her soul. Puskaj ona mne izmenit’, Let her betray me, No ja izmennikom ne budu. But I will be no traitor.

10 Ja zhdu tebja 10 I am waiting for you Maria A. Davidova (1863–?)

Ja zhdu tebja! Zakat ugas, I am waiting for you! The sunset has died away, I nochi tjomnyje pokrovy And darkness Spustit’sja na zemlju gotovy Shrouds the earth, I sprjatat’ nas. In order to hide us.

Ja zhdu tebja! Dushistoj mgloj I am waiting for you! Night has flooded Noch’ napojila mir usnuvshij, The sleepy world with a fragrant mist, I razluchilsja den’ minuvshij And the passing day has parted Na vek s zemlej. With the earth forever.

Ja zhdu tebja! Terzajas’ i ljubja, I am waiting for you! Tormented and enamoured, Schitaju kazhdyja mgnoven’ja, I count every moment, Polna toski i neterpen’ja. Full of melancholy and impatience. Ja zhdu tebja! I am waiting for you!

11 Ne ver mne drug 11 Do not believe me, my friend Aleksey K. Tolstoy

Ne ver’ mne drug, kogda v izbytke gorja Do not believe me, my friend, when, tormented by grief, Ja govorju, chto razljubil tebja! I tell you that I no longer love you. V otliva chas ne ver’ izmene morja, Do not believe the sea receding at low tide, Ono k zemle vorotitsja, ljubja. It always flows lovingly back to the ocean.

Uzh ja toskuju, prezhnej strasti polnyj, For I long for you, full of yesterday’s passions 19 Moju svobodu vnov’ tebe otdam. My freedom I give to you again. I uzh begut s obratnym shumom volny And the waves from afar noisily return Izdaleka k ljubimym beregam. To the shore they love.

12 Ona, kak polden’, khorosha 12 She is as beautiful as noon Nikolai M. Minsky (1855–1937)

Ona, kak polden’, khorosha, She is as beautiful as noon, Ona zagadochnej polnochi. She has more enigma than midnight. U nej neplakavshija ochi Her eyes have never filled with tears, I nestradavshaja dusha. Her soul has never suffered.

A mne, ch’ja zhizn’ bor’ba i gore, And I, whose life is the one of struggle and sorrow, Po nej tomit’sja suzhdeno. O! I’m destined to long for her. Oh! Tak vechno plachusheje more So ever the roaring sea V bezmolvnyj bereg vljubleno. Is in love with the silent shore. 13 Vesennije vody 13 Spring waters Fyodor I. Tyutchev (1803–1873)

Jeshchjo v poljakh belejet sneg, Although snow still whitens the fields, A vody uzh vesnoj shumjat — Spring is already here in the murmur of the waters Begut i budjat sonnyj breg, That run and awaken the sleepy riverbanks, Begut, i bleshchut, i glasjat... That run and dance and shout.

Oni glasjat vo vse koncy: They shout high and low: «Vesna idjot, vesna idjot! “Spring is coming! Spring is coming! My molodoj vesny goncy, We are the young heralds of spring, Ona nas vyslala vperjod. It sent us forth.

Vesna idjot, vesna idjot, Spring is coming! Spring is coming, I tikhikh, teplykh majskikh dnej And the bright and rosy dance Rumjanyj, svetlyj khorovod Of the quiet warm may days 20 Tolpitsja veselo za nej!...» Is merrily clustering behind it!”

14 V mojej dushe 14 In my soul Nikolai M. Minsky

V mojej dushe ljubov’ voskhodit, In my soul, love rises, Kak solnce, v bleske krasoty, Like the sun, in radiant beauty, I pesni strojnyja rozhdajet, And gives birth to harmonious songs, Kak aromatnyje cvety. Like fragrant flowers.

V mojej dushe tvoj vzor kholodnyj In my soul, your icy gaze To solnce znojnoje zazheg. Sets fire to that burning sun. Akh, jesli-b ja tem znojnym solncem Oh, if only I could harness that burning sun Zazhech’ tvoj vzor kholodnyj mog. To set ablaze your icy gaze. 15 Pora! 15 It is time! Semyon Y. Nadson (1862–1887)

Pora! Javis’, prorok! Vsej siloju pechali, Now is the time, come forth, oh prophet, in the strength of Vsej siloju ljubvi vzyvaju ja k tebe! anguish, Vzgljani, kak drjakhly my, vzgljani, kak my ustali, The strength of love, I call upon you! Kak my bezpomoshchny v muchitel’noj bor’be! Look how feeble and wearied we are, Teper’ – il’ nikogda!... Soznan’je umirajet, Forlorn in our martyrdom. Styd gasnet, sovest’ spit. Ni probleska krugom, Come now, or never come! The conscious mind dies, Odno nichtozhestvo svoj golos vozvyshajet... Shame fades and conscience sleeps. There is no gleam of light. Only oblivion raises its voice…

16 Oni otvechali 16 They replied Lev A. Mei (1822–1862), after: Victor Hugo (1802–1885), Les Rayons et les ombres, XXIII Autre guitare 21

Sprosili oni: «Kak v letuchikh chelnakh They asked, “How can we, like white seagulls, Nam beloju chajkoj skol’zit’ na volnakh, Speed over the waters on light vessels Chtob nas storozha nedognali?» So that the guards do not catch up with us?” «Grebite!» oni otvechali. “Row!,” they replied.

Sprosili oni: «Kak zabyt’, navsegda, They asked, “How can we forget forever Chto v mire judol’nom jest’ bednost’, beda, That there is poverty, misfortune, Chto jest’ v njom groza i pechali?» Terror and sorrow in this world?” «Zasnite!» oni otvechali. “Fall asleep!,” they replied.

Sprosili oni: «Kak krasavic privlech’ They asked, “How can we attract beauties Bez chary: chtob sami na strastnuju rech’ Without spells, so that they freely fall into Oni nam v ob’jatija pali?» Our embrace, lured by our passionate words?” «Ljubite!» oni otvechali. “Love!,” they replied. 17 Otryvok iz A. Mjusse 17 An excerpt from Alfred de Musset Aleksey N. Apukhtin (1840–1893), after: Alfred de Musset (1810–1857), Poésies nouvelles, La Nuit de mai

Chto tak usilenno serdce bol’noje Why is my sick heart beating so frantically B’jotsja, i prosit, i zhazhdet pokoja? And pleading and yearning for peace? Chem ja vzvolnovan ispugan v nochi? What so excites and scares me in the night? Stuknula dver’ zastonav i zanoja. The door slammed shut, moaning and weeping, Gasnushchej lampy blesnuli luchi... Rays of a flickering lamp dimly flashed... Bozhe moj. Dukh mne v grudi zakhvatilo! My God! My breath is stuck in my chest! Kto-to zovjot menja, shepchet unylo... Someone is calling me, whispering sadly... Kto-to voshjol...? Moja kel’ja pusta, Someone has come in...? My room is empty, Net nikogo, `eto polnoch’ probilo... No one is here, it’s only the clock striking midnight... O, odinochestvo, o nishcheta! O, loneliness, O despair!

22 18 Zdes’ khorosho 18 How nice this place is Glafira A. Galina (1873–1942)

Zdes’ khorosho... How nice this place is! Vzgljani, vdali See, in the distance Ognjom gorit reka; The river shimmering, Cvetnym kovrom luga legli, The meadows are covered with flowers, Belejut oblaka. White clouds in the sky. Zdes’ net ljudej... Here there are no people... Zdes’ tishina... Here it is quiet... Zdes’ tol’ko Bog da ja. Here there is only God and me, Cvety, da staraja sosna, Flowers, the old pine, Da ty, mechta moja! And you, my dream! 19 Kak mne bol’no 19 How much it hurts Glafira A. Galina

Kak mne bol’no, kak khochetsja zhit’... How much it hurts, how much I want to be alive... Kak svezha i dushista vesna! How fresh and fragrant is the spring! Net! ne v silakh ja serdca ubit’ No! I can’t bridle my heart V `etu noch’ golubuju bez sna. On this sleepless blues night.

Khot’-by starost’ prishla poskorej, If only old age could come sooner, Khot’-by inej v kudrjakh zablestel, If only the hoar could glitter in my hair, Chto-b ne pel dlja menja solovej, So that the nightingale would stop singing for me, Chtoby les dlja menja ne shumel, So that the forest would not rustle for me,

Chtoby pesn’ ne rvalas’ iz dushi So that a song in my soul would not strive Skvoz’ sireni v shirokuju dal’, To fly though the lilacs far away, Chtoby ne bylo v `etoj tishi So that in this peace Mne chego to muchitel’no zhal’! I would not so painfully regret something missing! 23

20 Vsjo otnjal u menja 20 Everything I had Fyodor I. Tyutchev

Vsjo otnjal u menja kaznjashchij Bog, – The punishing God took everything I had, Zdorov’je, silu, voli, vozdukh, son. Health, strength, will, breath, sleep. Odnu tebja pri mne ostavil On, You alone He left to me Chtob ja Jemu jeshchjo molit’sja mog. So that I might still pray to Him.

21 Vchera my vstretilis’ 21 Yesterday we met Yakov P. Polonsky (1819–1898)

Vchera my vstretilis’: – ona ostanovilas’ – Yesterday we met: she halted. Ja takzhe – my v glaza drug drugu posmotreli. And so did I... We looked each other in the eyes... O Bozhe, kak ona s tekh por peremenilas’, O, God! How she had changed with all that time V glazakh potukh ogon’, i shchjoki pobledneli. The fire in her eyes extinguished, her cheeks grown pale... I dolgo na nejo gljadel ja molcha strogo – And for a long time I stared at her, silently, severely... Mne ruku protjanuv, bednjazhka ulybnulas’; My hand stretched out, the poor little soul smiled; Ja govorit’ khotel – ona zhe radi Boga I wanted to speak; but she, for the sake of God, Velela mne molchat’, i tut zhe otvernulas’, Ordered me to remain silent, and there and then turned away, I brovi sdvinula, i vydernula ruku, And knitted her brows, and pulled away her hand, I molvila: «Proshchajte, do svidan’ja.» And spoke: “Farewell, goodbye!” A ja khotel skazat’: «Na vechnuju razluku While I wanted to say: “In eternal separation Proshchaj, pogibsheje, no miloje sozdan’je.» Farewell, ruined, but sweet creature!”

22 Prokhodit vse 22 Everything passes Daniil M. Rathaus

Prokhodit vse, i net k nemu vozvrata. Everything passes, without return. Zhizn’ mchitsja vdal’, mgnovenija bystrej. Life runs along and so do fleeting moments. Gde zvuki slov, zvuchavshikh nam kogda-to? Where are the echoes of the words we once used to hear? Gde svet zari nas ozarjavshikh dnej? Where is the light of the dawns that used to brighten up 24 Rascvel cvetok, a zavtra on uvjanet. our days? Gorit ogon’, chtob vskore otgoret’... The flower has blossomed, and it will have wilted by tomorrow, Idet volna, nad nej drugaja vstanet... The more flames flare up, the faster they will fade... Ja ne mogu veselykh pesen’ pet’! A wave comes, and the next one rolls on it... I can no longer sing joyful songs!

23 Noch’ pechal’na 23 Sad night Ivan A. Bunin

Noch’ pechal’na, kak mechty moji... Sad night, sad as my dreams... Daleko, v glukhoj stepi shirokoj, Far away, in the silent broad steppe Ogonek mercajet odinokij... A solitary fire glimmers V serdce mnogo grusti i ljubvi. Such melancholy and love in my heart!

No komu i kak razskazhesh’ ty, But how can I explain, and to whom, Chto zovjot tebja, chem serdce polno? What beckons me, what fills my heart? Put’ dalek, glukhaja step’ bezmolvna, The road is long, the steppe is silent, not a sound. Noch’ pechal’na, kak moji mechty. Sad night, just as my dreams are sad.

24 Ja opjat’ odinok 24 Once again, I am alone Ivan A. Bunin (1870–1953)

Kak svetla, kak narjadna vesna! What a bright, what a wonderful spring! Pogljadi mne v glaza, kak byvalo, Look at me in the eyes, as you used to, I skazhi: otchego ty grustna? And tell me: Why are you so sad? Otchego ty tak laskova stala? Why are you suddenly so tender?

No molchish’, ty, slaba, kak cvetok... But you stay silent, frail like a flower O molchi! Mne ne nado priznan’ja: Say nothing! I need no confessions, Ja uznal ‘etu lasku proshchan’ja, – I know well these caresses of farewells.... Ja opjat’ odinok! Once again, I am alone!

25 25 U vrat obiteli svjatoj 25 At the gates of the holy cloister Mikhail Y. Lermontov (1814–1841)

U vrat obiteli svjatoj At the gates of the holy cloister Stojal prosjashchij podajan’ja, Stood a beggar, Bessil’nyj, blednyj i khudo Exhausted, pale and destitute Ot glada, zhazhdy i stradan’ja. Of hunger, thirst and suffering.

Kuska lish’ khleba on prosil, Just one piece of bread he asked, I vzor javljal zhivuju muku, And his look reflected the torments of his life I kto-to kamen’ polozhil And someone had laid down a stone V jego protjanutuju ruku. In his extended hand

Tak ja molil tvojej ljubvi Likewise I begged your kindness S slezami gor’kimi, s toskoju; With bitter tears and melancholy heart Tak chuvstva luchshie moji Likewise my better feelings Navek obmanuty toboju! You betrayed forever! 26 Khristos voskres 26 Christ is risen! Dmitry S. Merezhkovsky

«Khristos voskres» “Christ is risen,” Pojut vo khrame; They sing in church. No grustno mne... Yet I am sad... Dusha molchit. My soul is silent. Mir polon krov’ju i slezami, The world is steeped in blood and tears, I ‘etot gimn pred altarjami And so this hymn before the altars Tak oskorbitel’no zvuchit. Sounds like an insult.

Kogda-b On byl mezh nas i videl, Were He present among us to see Chego dostig nash slavnyj vek, What our glorious age has achieved — Kak brata brat voznenavidel, How brother comes to hate his brother, Kak opozoren chelovek, And how shameful is mankind — I jesli b zdes’, And if, V blestjashchem khrame Within the shining church, 26 «Khristos voskres» This “Christ is risen,” On uslykhal, He were to hear, Kakimi b gor’kimi slezami, What bitter tears Pered tolpoj Before the crowd On, zarydal! Would He sob!

Song texts reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd. (tracks 10, 18, 19, 23, 24)

I v a r i

I l j a

Made in the E.U. ODE 1207-2