2015/16 Season

Dmitri Hvorostovsky in Recital Ivari Ilja, Piano

LYRIC OF CHICAGO

Since 1991 www.performancemedia.us | 847-770-4620 3453 Commercial Avenue, Northbrook, IL 60062 Gail McGrath Publisher & President Sheldon Levin Publisher & Director of Finance A. J. Levin Director of Operations Account Managers Rand Brichta - Michael Hedge - Arnie Hoffman - Greg Pigott Executive Editor Southwest Betsy Gugick & Associates 972-387-1347 Lisa Middleton Midwest David L. Strouse, Ltd. 847-835-5197 East Coast Manzo Media Group 610-527-7047 Editor Cathy Kiepura Graphic Designer Roger Pines Lory Richards Graphic Designer Associate Editor Josie Negron - Joy Morawez Accounting Magda Krance Willie Smith Supervisor Operations Earl Love Operations Administrative Offices: Wilfredo Silva Operations 20 North Wacker Drive Steve Dunn Web & Internet Development Suite 860 You can view this program on your mobile device. Chicago, Illinois 60606 For advertising information call 847-770-4620. To see our Terms and Conditions relating to advertising orders, visit our website at www.performancemedia.us. All contents copyrighted. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reproduced in any manner without written permission. © 2016 Performance Media & Gail McGrath & Associates, Inc. is a Woman Owned Business LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO PAVEL ANTONOV

Dmitri Hvorostovsky In Recital

Ivari Ilja, piano

Exclusive Sponsor Ann Ziff

February 26, 2016 | 3

LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO

DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY, baritone

IVARI ILJA, piano

Friday, February 26, 2016 7:30 p.m.

Program

I

Mikhail Glinka “K Molli” (“To Molly”) (1804-1857) “Kak sladko s toboju mne byt’” (“How sweet it is to be with you”) “Ne govori, chto serdcu bol’no” (“Say not that it grieves the heart”) “Somnenije” (“Doubt”) “Bolero”

II

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov “Na kholmakh Gruzii” (“On the hills of Georgia”), Op. 3, No. 4 (1844-1908) “O jesli b ty mogla” (“Oh, if thou couldst for one moment”), Op. 39, No. 1 “Drobitsja, i pleshchet, i bryzzhet volna” (“The wave breaks into spray”), Op. 46, No. 1 “Ne veter, veja s vysoty” (“Not the wind, blowing from the heights”), Op. 43, No. 2 “Chto v imeni tebe moyom?” (“What is my name to thee?”), Op. 4, No. 1 “Zvonche zhavoronka pen’ye” (“The lark sings louder”), Op. 43, No. 1

Intermission

III

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky “Blagoslavljaju vas, lesa” (“I bless you, forests”), Op. 47, No. 5 (1840-1893) “Solovej” (“The nightingale”), Op. 60, No. 4 “Sred’ shumnogo bala” (“Amid the din of the ball”), Op. 38, No. 3 “Pervoye svidanije” (“The first meeting”), Op. 63, No. 4

IV

Richard Strauss “Allerseelen” (“All Souls’ Day”), Op. 10, No. 8 (1864-1949) “Befreit” (“Released”), Op. 39, No. 4 “Zueignung” (“Dedication”), Op. 10, No. 1 “Morgen” (“Morning”), Op. 27, No. 4 “Cäcilie” (“Cecilia”), Op. 27, No. 2

Management for Mr. Hvorostovsky and Mr. Ilja: Askonas Holt Ltd. Lincoln House, 300 High Holborn London WC1V 7JH, United Kingdom

Program content and order subject to change without previous notice. b•a Stage Manager John W. Coleman

February 26, 2016 | 5 PROFILES | LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO PAVEL ANTONOV DMITRI Abbado, Valéry Gergiev, Bernard Haitink, IVARI ILJA HVOROSTOVSKY James Levine, the late Lorin Maazel, Zubin Born in Tallinn, Estonia, Previously at Lyric Opera: Mehta, and Yuri Termikanov. the pianist studied at the Title role/ Hvorostovsky retains a strong musical Tallinn State Conservatory (2007-08); Renato/Un and personal contact with . He became with Professor Laine Mets ballo in maschera (2002- the first opera singer to give a solo concert and at the Tchai- 03); Germont/La traviata with orchestra and chorus on Red Square in kovsky Conservatoire with (1998-99, 1993-94); Moscow; this concert was televised in more Professor Vera Gornosta- Valentin/Faust (1995-96). than 25 countries. The baritone has gone on yeva and Professor Sergey to sing a number of prestigious concerts in Dorensky. The internationally acclaimed Russian baritone Moscow as a part of his own special series, Ilja is an internationally recognized was born and studied in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. “Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Friends.” He has accompanist and ensemble musician. His In 1989, he won the prestigious BBC Cardiff invited such celebrated artists as sopranos collaborations with renowned singers Dmitri Singer of the World Competition. From the Renée Fleming, Barbara Frittoli, Sumi Jo, and Hvorostovsky, the late Irina Arkhipova, Maria start, audiences were bowled over by his Sondra Radvanovsky, tenors Jonas Kaufmann Guleghina, and Elena Zaremba have been cultivated voice, innate sense of musical line, and Marcello Giordani, and bass Ildar particularly successful and acclaimed. Together and natural legato. After his Western operatic Abdrazakov. In 2005 and 2015 Hvorostovsky they have performed many of the great concert debut at the Opéra de Nice as Prince Yeletsky/ undertook historic tours throughout the cities stages of the world, including Carnegie Hall, Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, his career of Russia at the invitation of President Putin, Alice Tully Hall, and Avery Fisher Hall in exploded to take in regular engagements at the singing to crowds of hundreds of thousands New York, as well as the Kennedy Center in world’s major opera houses and appearances of people to commemorate the soldiers of Washington, Davies Symphony Hall in San at renowned international festivals. He made the Second World War. He has established Francisco, Milan’s La Scala, London’s Queen his American operatic debut at Lyric in an important collaboration with the Russian Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, Moscow’s 1993-94 in La traviata. Hvorostovsky rapidly popular composer Igor Krutoi, with very , the great halls of the St. became a favorite at major houses worldwide, successful concerts in Moscow, St Petersburg, Petersburg Philharmonic and the Moscow including the Royal Opera House-Covent Kiev, and New York. Conservatory, the Hamburg State Opera, Garden, New York’s , the The baritone’s extensive discography the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Suntory Hall in Opéra National de Paris, the Bavarian State spans recitals and complete . He has also Tokyo, Vienna’s Musikverein, and Salzburg’s Opera in Munich, the Salzburg Festival, La starred in Don Giovanni Unmasked, an award- Mozarteum. Scala in Milan, and the . winning film (by Rhombus Media) based on Ilja has also presented solo recitals in Roles for which the baritone is most noted the Mozart opera, tackling the roles of both France, United Kingdom, Germany, Estonia, include Count di Luna/, Posa/Don Don Giovanni and Leporello. Recent CD Russia, Sweden, and Finland. He has Carlo, Rigoletto, Simon Boccanegra, Renato/ recordings include “Wait for Me” (Russian performed as a soloist with several symphony , Prince Yeletsky, and war songs with orchestra, conducted by orchestras such as Estonian National Eugene Onegin. Constantine Orbelian) and Simon Boccanegra Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Symphony A celebrated recitalist in demand (with Barbara Frittoli, Ildar Abdrazakov, and Orchestra, and the St. Petersburg Symphony worldwide – from the Far East to the Middle Stefano Secco, also with Orbelian conducting), Orchestra, among others. East, from Australia to South America – both of which have been met with much The pianist’s repertoire mostly consists Hvorostovsky has appeared at such venues critical acclaim. For a complete discography, of romantic music, primarily the works of as Wigmore Hall, London; Queen’s Hall, please visit his website, hvorostovsky.com. Frédéric Chopin, Johannes Brahms, Robert Edinburgh; Carnegie Hall; La Scala; the Hvorostovsky returned triumphantly to Schumann, but also Wolfgang Amadeus Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow; the the Metropolitan Opera earlier this season Mozart, , Benjamin Britten Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona; Tokyo’s in Il trovatore. Other highlights will include and others. Suntory Hall; and the Musikverein in Vienna. Otello at the Salzburg Easter Festival, both Un Since 2003 Ilja has repeatedly toured with The singer performs in concert with top ballo in maschera and Simon Boccanegra at the Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the U.S., Europe, orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic Vienna State Opera, and concert and recital Hong-Kong, Japan, and elsewhere. and the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Among appearances in Budapest, Graz, Vienna, Linz, the renowned conductors with whom he has and Zagreb. regularly collaborated are the late Claudio

6 | February 26, 2016

PROGRAM NOTES By Janet E. Bedell MIKHAIL GLINKA (1804–1857) NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV(1844–1908) Mikhail Glinka is often called the father of Russian music, for his Rimsky-Korsakov is known in America today primarily for his color- distinctive style established a new ideal for Russian composers and saturated orchestral tone poems Sheherazade, Russian Easter Festival profoundly influenced the works of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Overture, and Capriccio espagnol, as well as for his edited and re-orchestrated even early Stravinsky. His two operas, A Life for the Tsar (1836) and Ruslan versions of Mussorgsky’s and Borodin’s , now and Lyudmila (1842), infused stories from Russian history and legend with somewhat out of favor. In Russia, he is known more properly for his own compelling melodies drawn from Slavic folk and liturgical sources. operas, which reveal the scope of his talents and his imagination much Nevertheless, Glinka was as thoroughly cosmopolitan in his more fully. And he was a prolific and highly gifted songwriter, though influences as any Russian composer. Often dissatisfied with the these works are virtually never heard outside his native land. constraints and pettiness of St. Petersburg society, where he flourished as Like his predecessor Glinka and his contemporary Tchaikovsky, a performer at upper-crust soirées, Rimsky-Korsakov specialized in the romance, the most popular song he roamed restlessly throughout style in that country in the 19th century. This genteel genre was designed Glinka was himself a Western Europe, using periods primarily for singing in cultivated Russian households and had little to do fine vocalist as well in Madrid, Paris, Berlin, and with the rougher nationalistic works that Rimsky-Korsakov’s colleagues Warsaw to broaden his musical in the “Mighty Handful” group – especially Mussorgsky – were creating. as pianist, and an skills. His three-year period in Nevertheless, Rimsky-Korsakov adopted a quality dear to the nationalists in the early 1830s deepened in his songs: his clear and respectful setting of the poems he chose. Unlike exceptional interpreter his knowledge of the voice; he Tchaikovsky, he tended to set the words in a through-composed manner, of his own songs. was later to become a prominent typically avoiding strophic musical repetition. And in contrast to Tchaikovsky’s voice teacher in Russia as well as elaborate piano parts, he preferred understated accompaniments, placing the the director of the Imperial Court emphasis on the singer and his declamation of the words. Chapel choir. Glinka was himself a fine vocalist as well as pianist, and an The earliest two songs on the program come from 1866, when exceptional interpreter of his own songs. Rimsky-Korsakov was only 22 and still a disciple of Mily Balakirev, the The year 1840 was the most difficult of Glinka’s life. A contentious founder and conscience of the “Mighty Handful.” At this time, he was separation from his adulterous wife sparked a major scandal in St. pursuing a career as a naval officer and was basically an amateur musician Petersburg. The composer withdrew from social life and drew close to composing songs and piano pieces for his social circle. Both songs set poet-playwright Nestor Kukolnik, who was notorious for his overblown poems by the giant of Russian literature, Alexander Pushkin. dramas but bolstered Glinka with his unwavering admiration for his Despite Rimsky-Korsakov’s youth, “On the hills of Georgia” is far music (Kukolnik was himself a trained musician). Together, the two superior to a conventional salon song; it sets Pushkin’s beautiful words created the first song cycle in Russian music,A Farewell to St. Petersburg, with great sensitivity and restraint. Pushkin created this poem in 1829 which reflected Glinka’s desire to flee the St. Petersburg gossips. when he was in Georgia and separated from his young fiancée, to whom Dmitri Hvorostovsky has chosen two songs from this 12-song cycle. he’d recently become engaged. “What is my name to thee?” shows Rimsky- The lyrical “To Molly” shows how Glinka had steeped himself in the Korsakov’s indebtedness to the stepwise motion of Russian folksong and Italian song tradition, for it resembles a flowing bel canto aria much more Orthodox chant, especially in its simple tolling accompaniment. As he than a typically Russian song. Though he would not visit Spain until once said, “It is the folk that creates music. We musicians merely arrange 1845, Glinka was already fascinated with Spanish folk music. The bold it.” Pushkin’s verse, however, is far more sophisticated and nuanced than rhythms of that famed Spanish dance, strongly accented by the piano, this straightforward folk treatment might suggest. give a captivating masculine swagger to the love song “Bolero.” The other four songs we hear were written 30 years later in the late Also from the troubled year of 1840 is “How sweet it is to be with 1890s, when Rimsky-Korsakov had reached his full powers as a composer. you,” set to verse by the little-known poet Pyotr Ryndin. The piano’s These songs draw on the poetry of Alexei Tolstoy (a distant relative of dark, chromatically descending phrases lend a disturbing, almost tragic the great novelist), whom Tchaikovsky called “an inexhaustible source background to what otherwise would be a gentle declaration of love of texts for musical settings”). The supple, ardently lyrical lines of “Oh, expressed in a graceful, cantabile vocal melody. if thou couldst “Doubt” from 1838 is another setting of verse by Kukolnik; “It is the folk that creates music. for one moment” subtitled “an English romance,” the poem is perhaps a translation from We musicians merely arrange it.” are now a perfect an unknown source in that language. At this time, Glinka was already musical match for suspecting his wife was unfaithful, and that probably intensified the — Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov the sentiments of mood of suffering that elevates this controlled yet deeply felt song well Tolstoy’s verse, above the salon genre. Again, Glinka’s love of bel canto influenced the which exemplifies the spirit of the Russian romance. beautifully shaped vocal lines as well as the poignant melody in the piano As a former naval officer, Rimsky-Korsakov knew the ocean’s power prelude and postlude. well, and “The wave breaks into spray” is a miniature of his larger sea- Glinka’s final years were dogged by increasing ill health. The obsessed works like Sheherazade and . Here, he shapes his surging remarkable “Say not that it grieves the heart” (1856) was the last song piano figures to mimic the waves breaking on the shore. he wrote, coming just months before his death. Its bruised, cynical verse Nature imagery unites two songs from the prolific year 1897, “Not by the Petersburg poet Nikolai Pavlov is matched by stark, pared-down the wind, blowing from the heights” and “The lark sings louder.” music introduced and concluded by bitter piano dissonances. Glinka’s The first is tender in its gratitude; the second bursts with the energy of disenchantment with St. Petersburg society could not be more concisely spring’s arrival – a theme that runs strongly throughout Russian art. and cogently expressed.

8 | February 26, 2016 (1840–1893) RICHARD STRAUSS (1864–1949) As a born melodist, Tchaikovsky created instrumental themes that Before turning his passion for the human voice to opera, Richard Strauss seemed designed for singing. Yet he is far better known for his operas was a prolific songwriter, composing his first song at age six. He recalled than for the approximately 100 songs he wrote throughout his career. that it was a Christmas carol, “for which I ‘painted’ the notes myself, but As biographer David Brown has pointed out, it is not only the language my mother wrote the words below the notes since I could not then myself barrier that has stood in the way, but also the fact that Tchaikovsky write small enough.” In all, he created more than 200 lieder, and at his wrote in the style of the Russian romance, which Brown describes as “a death at age 85, a half-finished song lay on his writing desk. sentimental and soft-centered species [that] closely parallels the Victorian Strauss spent little time analyzing the words he set; instead, he drawing-room ballad.” Song romances were adored by 19th-century sought to convey the overall emotional mood of each poem. And he Russians for their love-obsessed lyrics and intense emotions, but they was a superb melodist, knowing exactly how to create melodic arches have generally not stood the test of time as well as classical lieder. that would exalt a singer’s voice. In a sense, he wrote songs because of Tchaikovsky was less concerned with the artistic quality of the his incessant need to compose. As he described it, “Musical ideas have verse he chose to set than whether it evoked a strong personal response prepared themselves in me… and when, as it were, the barrel is full, a in him. Therefore, though he would set poems by great writers such as song appears in the twinkling of an eye as soon as I come across a poem Pushkin and Alexei Tolstoy, he also selected lesser verse by amateurs like more or less corresponding to the subject of the imaginary song.” Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov. As Christian Wildhagen writes, a Having already written more than 40 songs as a child and striking feature of his songs “is the way in which the composer identifies adolescent, Strauss waited until 1885 when he was 21 to create his first wholeheartedly with the message of the poems, with the result that many for publication: the nine songs of his Op. 10. The poet was Hermann of his songs are personal confessions.” von Gilm, an Austrian civil servant who wrote verse of a sensitively lyrical Setting verse from Alexei Tolstoy’s John of Damascus, “I bless and often melancholy nature. you, forests” is one of the great Russian songs for baritone or bass, and Strauss cannily chose the beautiful Having already written also among the composer’s own personal favorites. It was composed in “Zueignung” (“Dedication”) to 1880 at Brailovo, the country estate of Tchaikovsky’s devoted patroness lead off his official lieder debut – a more than 40 songs as Nadezhda von Meck, which became one of his most reliable creative song that, because of its elegant a child and adolescent, havens. With its fervent climactic embrace of nature and all humankind, lyricism and noble ascending this noble song may reflect how much he loved this idyllic place. melodic line, underpinned by a Strauss waited until he Also set to verse by Tolstoy, “Amid the din of the ball” comes from piano part that builds gradually was 21 to create his 1878, the year Tchaikovsky completed Eugene Onegin. As we hear so to a passionate outpouring, was to often in his ballets, the composer was a master of waltz music, and this become one of his most popular. first for publication. haunting valse triste describes the memory of a beautiful woman glimpsed The Op. 10 set closes with another at a ball, whose image now revolves ceaselessly in the singer’s mind. of Strauss’s best-loved songs, “Allerseelen,” or “All Souls’ Day” – the During the 1880s, Tchaikovsky met and became a close friend of holiday on November 2 in the Catholic calendar that honors those who the young Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov, nephew of the tsar of have died. Although obviously indebted to Brahms, this song paints a Russia. A deeply cultured man, Romanov was a skilled musician himself scene of mature love gazing nostalgically backward that is astonishing for as well as a talented amateur so young a composer. poet. In 1886, he carried “Befreit” (“Released”) from 1898 is a much more mature song – Tchaikovsky was less word to the composer that one of Strauss’s greatest and most moving. The poet is Richard Dehmel, concerned with the Tsarina Maria Feodorovna famous as the author of the text of Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht. Here, greatly wished him to a magnificent piano part joins an exalted yet subtly inflected vocal line artistic quality of the dedicate a song to her. The to portray a deeply devoted couple soon to be parted by death. The verse he chose to set than more than generous result contradictory exclamation “O Glück!” (“Oh happiness!”), returning as a was the Twelve Romances, refrain at the close of each stanza, expresses the singer’s conviction that whether it evoked a strong Op. 60, from which we hear their love will triumph over death, but its last reiteration significantly “The nightingale,” which includes the aching half-step rise that has haunted the song and reveals personal response in him. sets Pushkin’s translation of the underlying pain. folk verse by Vuk Karadžić. Scottish-born radical socialist John Henry Mackay, who spent most A poignant, downward-drooping phrase winds its way through both the of his life in Germany, was the author of the extraordinary “Morgen” voice and piano parts, expressing the dejection of the broken-hearted (“Tomorrow”). Since this poem seems to begin mid-thought and then young lover in this wistful song with a strong folkloric flavor that suits drift away without a true conclusion, Strauss artfully mirrors these the naïve words. qualities in his music. The piano – not the voice – is given the radiant In his Op. 63 songs of 1887, Tchaikovsky turned to the Grand melody, and the singer, as though too entranced by it to sing, only joins Duke’s own poetry. In the breathless pace of “The first meeting,” he later. Both singer and piano close on unresolved chords captures the overwhelming joy of two lovers reunited after an absence Finally, we hear “Cäcilie,” composed by an eager Strauss on the eve filled with suffering. of his wedding. With its voluptuous arpeggios and surging vocal climax, it is surely one of the most passionate love songs ever created.

© 2016 The Carnegie Hall Corporation

February 26, 2016 | 9 Texts and Translations MIKHAIL GLINKA

K Molli To Molly Text: Nestor Kukolnik

Ne trebuy pesen ot pevtsa, Do not demand songs from the singer Kogda zhiteyskiye volnen’ya When troubles of life Zamknuli veshchiye usta Have sealed his lips Dlya radosti i vdokhnoven’ya, To joy and inspiration.

I yesli chuvstva mirnyy son And if the feeling of eternal sleep Narushish’ strastiyu velikoy,– You disturb with your mighty power, Ne pen’ye, net! Razdastsya ston, There will be no singing! A groan will sound, Il’ zhenskiy plach, il’ khokhot dikiy. Women crying, and wild laughter.

No yesli, gordost’ zataya, But if you put pride aside, Pevtsa zhivym uchast’yem vstretish’, And greet the singer with lively inclusion, I khot’ pritvorno, khot’ shutya, And even and pretense and jest, Nadezhdoy zhizn’ yego osvetish’, Enlighten his life with hope.

Yarche molniy, zharche plameni, Brighter than lightening, hotter than flame, Burnym potokom pol’yutsya slova; In a wild flood will words flow; Pesni zvonkiye, pesni gromkiye, Clear songs, loud songs, Groma sil’ney, oglasyat nebesa. Louder than thunder the skies will resound.

Kak sladko s toboyu mne byt’ How sweet it is to be with you Text: Pyotr Ryndin

Kak sladko s toboyu mne byt’ How sweet it is to be with you I molcha dushoy pogruzhat’sya And silently plunge my very soul V lazurnyye ochi tvoi. Into the azure of your eyes. Vsyu pylkost’, vse strasti dushi All the ardor and passion of your soul Tak sil’no oni vyrazhayut, Are expressed more powerfully by them than Kak slovo ne vyrazit ikh. Any word could express. I serdtse trepeshchet nevol’no My heart flutters helplessly Pri vide tebya! At the very sight of you!

Lyublyu ya smotret’ na tebya, I love to gaze at you. Kak mnogo v ulybke otrady There is so much joy in your smile, I negi v dvizhen’yakh tvoikh. So much bliss in your gestures. Naprasno khochu zaglushit’ In vain I try to suppress Poryvy dushevnykh volneniy My bursts of emotional agitation, I serdtse rassudkom unyat’. To calm my heart with reasoning. Ne slushayet serdtse rassudka My heart loses all sense of reason Pri vide tebya! At the very sight of you!

Nezhdannoyu chudnoy zvezdoy You appeared before me Yavilas’ ty predo mnoyu Like an unexpected miraculous star, I zhizn’ ozarila moyu. Lighting up my entire life. Siyay zhe, ukazyvay put’, Shine on, show me the way, Vedi k neprivychnomu schast’yu Lead me, who was without hope, Togo, kto nadezhdy ne znal. On to happiness. I serdtse utonit v vostorge My heart drowns in rapture Pri vide tebya! At the very sight of you!

Ne govori, chto serdtsu bol’no Say not that it grieves the heart Text: Nikolai Pavlov

Ne govori, chto serdtsu bol’no Say not that your heart is pained Ot ran chuzhikh; By the wounds of others; Chto slezy katyatsya nevol’no That tears roll down involuntarily Iz glaz tvoikh! From your eyes.

10 | February 26, 2016 Bud’ molchaliva, kak mogily, Be as silent as graves, Kto ni straday, No matter who suffers; I za nevinnykh Boga sily And for the innocent Ne prizyvay! Do not summon God’s power.

Tvoyey dushi svyatyye zvuki, The sacred sounds of your soul, Tvoy detskiy bred – Your childish delirium – Peretolkuyet vse ot skuki Out of boredom, Bezbozhnyy svet. Godless society will misinterpret everything.

Somneniye Doubt Text: Nestor Kukolnik

Uymites’, volneniya strasti, Calm down, feelings of passion! Zasni, beznadezhnoye serdtse, Go to sleep, heart without hope! Ya plachu, ya strazhdu, I weep, I suffer, dusha istomilas’ v razluke! My soul has grown weary from my isolation! Ya strazhdu, ya plachu, I suffer, I weep, ne vyplakat’ gorya v slezakh. I can find no consolation in tears. Naprasno nadezhda mne schast’ye gadayet– My hope for happiness is futile. Ne veryu, ne veryu obetam kovarnym, I do not believe in devious vows. Razluka unosit lyubov’! Separation eliminates love.

Kak son, neotstupnyy i groznyy, Like a relentless, menacing apparition, Mne snitsya sopernik schastlivyy, I dream of a rival luckier than I. I tayno, i zlobno And secretly, and maliciously, kipyashchaya revnost’ pylayet! Seething jealousy flares up! I tayno, i zlobno And secretly, and maliciously, oruzhiye ishchet ruka. My hand reaches out for a weapon. Naprasno izmenu mne revnost’ gadayet– Jealousy foretells a betrayal of me, but in vain. Ne veryu, ne veryu kovarnym navetam, I do not believe the insidious slanders. Ya schastliv–ty snova moya! I am happy, once again you are mine!

Minuyet pechal’noye vremya, The time of sadness will pass. My snova obnimem drug druga, Once again we will embrace; I strastno, i zharko And passionately and ardently zab’yotsya voskressheye serdtse, My resurrected heart will beat anew, I strastno, i zharko And passionately and ardently s ustami sol’yutsya usta. My lips will join yours in rapturous kisses.

Bolero Bolero Text: Nestor Kukolnik

O deva chudnaya moya! Oh, my wondrous girl! Tvoyey lyubov’yu schastliv ya. I am happy in your love. Pripav chelom k moyey grudi, When you press your head against my breast, V nemom vostorge tayesh’ ty. You melt in mute rapture.

Tak mnogo plameni v ochakh, So much flame in your eyes! Tak mnogo negi na ustakh! So much languor in your lips! Trepeshchet grud’, ty vsya drozhish’, Your breast heaves, you tremble... Bez slov ty klyatvy mne darish’! Without words you pledge yourself to me!

Lobzan’ye dlitsya bez rechey. A kiss lingers ... without words. YA p’yu vostorg lyubvi tvoyey I drink the rapture of your love V nevozmutimoy tishine... In imperturbable silence ... No yesli ty izmenish’ mne, But what if you betray me?

O, deva bednaya moya! O, my poor girl! I dik i mrachen budu ya. Then I will be wild and gloomy, I buryu smerti podymu And I will stir up a storm of death Tebe i drugu tvoyemu! For you and your new love!

February 26, 2016 | 11 Dymitsya krov’ nesetsya krik, Blood heats up, a shriek sounds forth! A ya k ustam tvoim prinik, To your lips I bend, YA rvu posledniy zvuk rechey. I tear the last sound of your words, Posledniy vzor tvoikh ochey. I tear the last glance from your eyes.

Lyubvi krylatyye mechty, O, winged reveries of love, Nadezhdy, schast’ye – vse prosti; Hopes, happiness – I bid you all farewell; YA videl vas v kovarnom sne... It was but a deceitful dream... No net! Ty ne izmenish’ mne! But no, you will not betray me!

NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV

Na kholmakh Gruzii, Op. 3, No. 4 On the hills of Georgia Text: Alexander Pushkin

Na kholmakh Gruzii lezhit nochnaya mgla. The night mist lies on the hills of Georgia. Shumit Aragva predo mnoyu. Before me the river Aragva roars. Mne grustno i legko; pechal’ moya svetla; I am sad and yet at the same time calm Pechal’ moya polna toboyu, As in my despondency I feel no anxiety, Toboy, odnoy toboy...Unyn’ya moyego For my dark sadness is made light by you, Nichto ne muchit, ne trevozhit, By you alone, I am full of you. I serdtse vnov’ gorit i lyubit–ottogo, The heart burns and beats again, Chto ne lyubit’ ono ne mozhet. Because it cannot not love you.

O, jesli b ty mogla, Op. 39, No. 1 Oh, if thou couldst for one moment Text: Alexei Tolstoy

O, jesli b ty mogla khot’ na yedinyy mig Oh, if thou couldst for one moment Zabyt’ svoyu pechal’, zabyt’ svoi nevzgody! Forget your sadness, forget your troubles! O, yesli by khot’ raz ya tvoy uvidel lik, Oh, if only I could see your face just once Kakim ya znal yego v schastliveyshiye gody! As I knew it in happier days!

Kogda v tvoikh glazakh zasvetitsya sleza, When in your eye a tear glistens, O, yesli b eta grust’ mogla proyti poryvom, Oh, if only this sadness could pass by quickly, Kak v topluyu vesnu prolotnaya groza, Like a fleeting storm in the warm spring, Kak ten’ ot oblakov, begushchaya po nivam! As the shadow of clouds, running over the cornfields!

Drobitsja, i pleshchet, i bryzzhet volna, Op. 46, No. 1 The wave breaks into spray Text: Alexei Tolstoy

Drobitsja, i pleshchet, i bryzzhet volna The wave breaks into spray Mne v ochi solonoyu vlagoy; Into my eyes Nedvizhno na kamne sizhu ya – polna Unmoving, I sit on my rock, Dusha bezotchotnoy otvagoy. My heart brimming with unbounded courage.

Valy za valami, priboy i otboy, Waves follow waves, ebbing and flowing, I pena ikh grebni pokryla; And white foam covers their crests. O more, kogo zhe mne vyzvat’ na boy, Oh sea, whom shall I summon into battle Izvedat’ voskresshiye sily? To experience these resurrected powers?

Pochuyalo serdtse, chto zhizn’ khorosha, I sense in my heart that life is good. Vy, volny, razmykali gore, Waves, you have driven off my troubles. Ot groma i pleska prosnulas’ dusha, My soul is revived by the roar and the spray. Srodni yey shumyashcheye more! The thundering sea is my kinsman!

Ne veter, veya s vysoty, Op. 43, No. 2 Not the wind, blowing from the heights Text: Alexei Tolstoy

Ne veter, veya s vysoty, Not the wind, blowing from the heights, Listov kosnulsya noch’yu lunnoy; That touched the leaves in this moonlit night. Moyey dushi kosnulas’ ty – My soul alone was touched by you. Ona trevozhna, kak listy, It is trembling, like leaves, Ona, kak gusli, mnogostrunna. It is full of sounds, like the lyre. 12 | February 26, 2016 Zhiteyskiy vikhr’ yeyo terzal The storm of life tormented it, I sokrushitel’nym nabegom, And with relentless drive and power Svistya i voya, struny rval This howling storm just snapped the strings I zanosil kholodnym snegom. And covered them with icy snow.

Tvoya zhe rech’ laskayet slukh, But, oh, your words – they sound tender, Tvoyo legko prikosnoven’ye, The touch of you is lightly felt. Kak ot tsvetov letyashchiy pukh, It is like fluff which flies from flowers, Kak mayskoy nochi dunoven’ye… It is like a breath of night in May.

Chto v imeni tebe moyem?, Op. 4, No. 1 What is my name to thee? Text: Alexander Pushkin

Chto v imeni tebe moyem? What is my name to thee? Ono umret, kak shum pechal’nyy It will die, like the sad sound Volny, plesnuvshey v bereg dal’nyy, Of a wave, splashing against a distant shore; Kak zvuk nochnoy v lesu glukhom. Like a night sound in the depths of the forest.

Ono na pamyatnom listke On a fading album page Ostavit mertvyy sled, podobnyy It leaves a lifeless trace like Uzoru nadpisi nadgrobnoy Formations of words on a tombstone Na neponyatnom yazyke. In an incomprehensible language.

Chto v nem? Zabytoye davno What is my name to thee? Long forgotten V volnen’yakh novykh i myatezhnykh, Amidst more recent and pressing concerns, Tvoyey dushe ne dast ono It will not give your soul Vospominaniy chistykh, nezhnykh. Fair and tender memories.

No v den’ pechali, v tishine, But in a time of sadness, in the quiet, Proiznesi yego toskuya; Utter it, while lamenting. Skazhi: yest’ pamyat’ obo mne, Say to yourself: “I am not forgotten. Yest’ v mire serdtse, gde zhivu ya ... There is a heart in the world where I still live.”

Zvonche zhavoronka pen’ye, Op. 43, No. 1 The lark sings louder Text: Alexei Tolstoy

Zvonche zhavoronka pen’ye, The lark sings more loudly than ever, Yarche veshniye tsvety, The spring flowers look brighter than before– Serdtse polno vdokhnoven’ya, My heart is overflowing with inspiration Nebo polno krasoty. And the sky is filled with beauty.

Razorvav toski okovy, Having broken the bonds of melancholy Tsepi poshlyye razbiv, And loosed its crude chains, Nabegayet zhizni novoy New life floods in triumphantly, Torzhestvuyushchiy priliv, Rising like the tide.

I zvuchit svezho i yuno A potent harmony of new vigor rings out, Novykh sil moguchiy stroy, Fresh and young, Kak natyanutyye struny Like music of tensioned strings Mezhdu nebom i zemley. Between the sky and the earth.

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

Blagaslavljayu vas, lesa, Op. 47, No. 5 I bless you, forests Text: Alexei Tolstoy

Blagaslavljayu vas, lesa, daliny, nivy, I bless you, forests, valleys, fields, Gory, vody, And mountains, and waters, Blagaslavljayu ya svabodu i galubye nebesa! I bless both freedom and the blue and endless skies.

I posah moi blagaslavljayu, I bless my staff, Ii etu bednuyu sumu, And the humility of my possessions. I step’ at krayu i da krayu, And the steppe from the beginning to the end,

February 26, 2016 | 13 I sontsa svet, i nochi t’mu, The sunlight, and the darkness of the night, I adinokuyu trapinku, pa koyei, nishii, ya idu, The lonely path I walk, a pauper that I am, I f pole kazhduyu bylinku, And every blade of grass out in the field, i v nebe kazhduyu zvezdu! And every star out there in the sky!

O, yeslip mok fsju zhizn’ smeshat’ ya, Oh! If only I could hold the world in my embrace, Fsju dushu vmeste s vami slit’, And join my soul with all the others, O, yeslip mok v mai abyatya Oh! If only I could hold you all, Ya vas, vragi, druzya, i bratya, The enemies, and friends, and brothers, I fsju prirodu v mai abyatya zakljuchit’! And nature! All in my embrace!

Solovej, Op. 60, No. 4 The nightingale Text: Alexander Pushkin

Solovey moy, soloveyko! Oh, my nightingale, my nightingale! Ptica malaya, lesnaya! Little bird of the forest! U tebya l’, u maloy pticy, Do you not have Nezamennye tri pesni, Three unchanging songs, little bird? U menya li, u molodca, Do I, a poor young man, Tri velikie zaboty! Not have three great cares? Kak už pervaya zabota – My first care is this: Rano molodca ženili; They made me marry too young. A vtoraya-to zabota – My second care: Voron kon’ moj pritomilsya; My black steed is worn out. Kak už tret’ya-to zabota– And my third care: Krasnu-devicu so mnoyu My maiden fair from me Razlučili zlye lyudi. Has been taken by wicked people. Vy kopayte mne mogilu Dig me a grave Vo pole, pole širokom, In the broad open field, V golovach mne posadite At my head plant Aly cvetiki-cvetočki, Flowers of scarlet. A v nogach mne provedite And at my feet provide Čistu vodu klyučevuyu. Clean spring water. Proydut mimo krasny devki, Whenever fair maids pass by, Tak spletut sebe venochki: They will weave themselves little crowns of flowers; Proydut mimo stary lyudi, Whenever old people pass by, Tak vody sebe začerpnut. They will dip themselves up some water.

Sred’ shumnogo bala, Op. 38, No. 3 Amid the din of the ball Text: Alexei Tolstoy

Sred’ shumnogo bala, sluchajno, Amid the din of the ball V trevoge mirskoj sujety, In the anxious bustle of life, Tebja ja uvidel, no tajna I caught sight of you, Tvoji pokryvala cherty. Your face, an enigma.

Lish’ ochi pechal’no gljadeli, Only your eyes gazed sadly. A golos tak divno zvuchal, Your divine voice Kak zvon otdaljonnoj svireli, Sounded like pipes from afar, Kak morja bushujushchij val. Like the dancing waves of the sea.

Mne stan tvoj ponravilsja tonkij Your delicate form entranced me, I ves’ tvoj zadumchivyj vid, And your pensiveness, A smekh tvoj, i grustnyj, i zvonkij, Your sad yet merry laughter, S tekh por v mojom serdce zvuchit. Has permeated my heart since then.

V chasy odinokije nochi And in the lonely hours of the night Ljublju ja, ustalyj, prilech’; When I do lie down to rest; Ja vizhu pechal’nyje ochi, I see your pensive eyes, Ja slyshu veseluju rech’, Hear your merry laugh,

I grustno ja, grustno tak zasypaju, And wistfully drifting, I v grjozakh nevedomykh splju... Into mysterious reveries…

14 | February 26, 2016 Ljublju li tebja, ja ne znaju, I wonder if I love you, No kazhetsja mne, chto ljublju! But it seems that I do!

Pervoye svidanije, Op. 63, No. 4 The first meeting Text: Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov

Vot minovala razluka unylaya, Gone is the gloomy separation. Probil svidaniya chas, The hour of meeting has struck. Svetloye, polnoye schastiye, milaya, The bright, full joy, my dear, Vnov’ nastupilo dlya nas. Is ours once again.

Dolgo tomilosya, polno stradaniya, Long has your heart, filled with suffering, Serdce tvoyo, no pover’: Languished. But believe me: Dni odinochestva, dni ispytaniya The days of loneliness and torment My naverstayem teper’. We will now make up for.

Nezhnye rechi, lyubvi vyrazheniya Tender speeches, expressions of love Vnov’ potekut bez konca, Endlessly will flow anew I vo yedinoye snova biyeniye As our hearts will beat together Nashi sol’yutsya serdtsa! As one again!

Pust’ sochetayet sozvuch’e yedinoye Let the resonance combine Nashi dve dushi, i vnov’, Our two souls and, again, Slovno vesennyaya pesn’ solov’inaya, Like the spring song of the nightingale, Nasha vospryanet lyubov’! Our love shall rise up once more!

RICHARD STRAUSS

Allerseelen, Op. 10, No. 8 All Souls’ Day Text: Hermann von Gilm zu Rosenegg

Stell auf den Tisch die duftenden Reseden, Place on the table the fragrant mignonettes, Die letzten roten Astern trag herbei, Bring inside the last red asters, Und laß uns wieder von der Liebe reden, And let us again speak of love, Wie einst im Mai. As we once did in May. Gib mir die Hand, daß ich sie heimlich drücke; Give me your hand, so that I may hold it secretly; Und wenn man’s sieht, mir ist es Einerlei. And when someone witnesses, to me it does not matter. Gib mir nur einen deiner süßen Blicke, Just give me one of your sweet glances, Wie einst im Mai. As you once did in May. Es blüht und duftet heut auf jedem Grabe, Flowers bloom and smell today amongst the graves, Ein Tag im Jahr ist ja den Toten frei, One day a year indeed the dead are free, Komm an mein Herz, daß ich dich wieder habe, Come to my heart, so that I may hold you again, Wie einst im Mai. As I once did in May.

Befreit, Op. 39, No. 4 Released Text: Richard Dehmel

Du wirst nicht weinen. Leise, leise You will not weep. Gently, gently Wirst du lächeln; und wie zur Reise You will smile; and as before a journey Geb ich dir Blick und Kuss zurück. I shall return your gaze and kiss. Unsre lieben vier Wände! Du hast sie bereitet, You have cared for the room we love! Ich habe sie dir zur Welt geweitet – I have widened these four walls for you into a world – O Glück! Oh, happiness!

Dann wirst du heiss meine Hände fassen Then ardently you will seize my hands Und wirst mir deine Seele lassen, And you will leave me your soul, Lässt unsern Kindern mich zurück. Leave me to care for our children. Du schenktest mir dein ganzes Leben, You gave your whole life to me, Ich will es ihnen wiedergeben – I shall give it back to them – O Glück! Oh, happiness!

Es wird sehr bald sein, wir wissen’s Beide, It will be very soon, we both know it, Wir haben einander befreit vom Leide, We have released each other from suffering,

February 26, 2016 | 15 So gab’ ich dich der Welt zurück. So I returned you to the world. Dann wirst du mir nur noch im Traum erscheinen Then you’ll appear to me only in dreams, Und mich segnen und mit mir weinen – And you will bless me and weep with me – O Glück! Oh, happiness!

Zueignung, Op. 10, No. 1 Dedication Text: Hermann von Gilm zu Rosenegg

Ja, du weißt es, teure Seele, Yes, you understand, precious soul, Daß ich fern von dir mich quäle, Away from you I am tormented, Liebe macht die Herzen krank, habe Dank. Love makes the heart sick, have thanks.

Einst hielt ich, der Freiheit Zecher, Once I, the drinker of freedom, Hoch den Amethysten-Becher, Held high the amethyst cup, Und du segnetest den Trank, habe Dank. And you blessed this drink, have thanks.

Und beschworst darin die Bösen, And you drove out the evil ones, Bis ich, was ich nie gewesen, ’Til I, as never before, Heilig, heilig an’s Herz dir sank, habe Dank! Holy, sank holy into your heart, have thanks!

Morgen, Op. 27, No. 4 Tomorrow Text: John Henry Mackay

Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen, And tomorrow the sun will shine again, Und auf dem Wege, den ich gehen werde, And on this path, I shall go, Wird uns, die Glücklichen, sie wieder einen If we, the lucky, shall unite Inmitten dieser sonnenatmenden Erde… Upon this sun-breathing earth…

Und zu dem Strand, dem weiten, wogenblauen, And to the wide, blue-waved shore Werden wir still und langsam niedersteigen, Shall we, quietly and slowly, descend, Stumm werden wir uns in die Augen schauen, Silently, gazing into each other’s eyes, Und auf uns sinkt des Glückes stummes Schweigen… On us will sink silent stillness of bliss…

Cäcilie, Op. 27, No. 2 Cecilia Text: Heinrich Hart

Wenn du es wüßtest, If you only knew, Was träumen heißt von brennenden Küssen, What it is to dream of blazing kisses, Von Wandern und Ruhen mit der Geliebten, Of wandering, resting with one’s beloved, Aug in Auge, Glancing at each other, Und kosend und plaudernd, And caressing and talking, Wenn du es wüßtest, If you knew, Du neigtest dein Herz! Your heart would agree!

Wenn du es wüßtest, If you only knew, Was bangen heißt in einsamen Nächten, What dread is on lonely nights, Umschauert vom Sturm, da Niemand tröstet In the incredible storm, when no one can comfort Milden Mundes die kampfmüde Seele, With gentle voice the strife-weary soul, Wenn du es wüßtest, If you only knew, Du kämest zu mir. You would come to me.

Wenn du es wüßtest, If you only knew, Was leben heißt, umhaucht von der Gottheit What it is to live surrounded in God’s Weltschaffendem Atem, Creative breath, Zu schweben empor, lichtgetragen, To ascend upwards, borne on light, Zu seligen Höhn, To blissful heavens, Wenn du es wüßtest, If you only knew, Du lebtest mit mir! You would dwell with me!

(Strauss songs translated by Mandy Hildebrandt.)

16 | February 26, 2016