Tchaikovsky: Lullaby, Op. 16 No. 1 (Kolybelnaya pyesyen, Cradle Song)

This third volume of Rachmaninov’s Victor recordings contains discs he made of his own solo compositions and arrangements from the introduction of electrical recording in 1925 to a year before his death.

The works recorded were those most in demand by the public, each piece subject to Rachmaninov’s perfectionism and the version released always the best of a number of takes (for example, the recording of his famous Prelude in C sharp minor is Take 23).

Whether it be in the 1925 recording of his transcription of Kreisler’s Liebesfreud or the February 1942 recording of the same work (in which he displays a cast iron technique only a year before his death), the sheer virtuosity, utter clarity and supreme musicianship of Rachmaninov’s playing style are undiminished.

The first two releases in this series have been acclaimed for their superb remastering.

Ward Marston, producer and audio restoration engineer

Elisabeth Söderström was a born storyteller. She told stories not just in music, but also peppered her recitals on stage with tales and anecdotes. It made her a perfect interpreter for the collection of children’s songs by Mussorgsky, Prokofiev and Gretchaninov she recorded with Vladimir Ashkenazy in 1977–78 which appear on CD2 of this set, the first (LP) issue greeted with enthusiasm by Gramophone reviewer W.S.M. with the words ‘the best record of song to appear in 1979’. It later went on to win the 1979 Gramophone’s Solo Vocal Award. But there was more: a selection of Tchaikovsky songs over two LPs; a substantial survey of the Rachmaninov songs (‘one of the gramophone’s crown jewels’ wrote John Steane in Gramophone) as well as the complete Sibelius songs.

Born in Stockholm on 7 May 1927 to a Russian mother and Swedish father, Söderström she was a talented recitalist, as much in demand in the concert hall as she was in the opera theatre. From 1991–96 she also directed the Drottingholm Festival Opera with much success. The two LPs of Tchaikovsky songs were issued in part by Decca on CD and this is their first complete release in this format. Overshadowed by his orchestral works, they are nonetheless absolute gems, with their piano parts of almost orchestral scope. Ashkenazy’s is, too, the disembodied voice that speaks a few of Pushkin’s lines in the early setting of Zemfira's song.

‘Söderström came to be known internationally in the late 1950s,’ wrote John Steane, ‘and over the next three decades, on until her retirement from singing in the early 1990s she never “blotted her copybook”. She neither sought nor won cheap success.’ Söderström passed away in Stockholm on 20 November 2009, aged 82, from complications from a stroke.

This release marks the launch of an Eloquence series of notable recitals of songs and opera arias by some of the great voices of Decca and Deutsche Grammophon.

Anna Netrebko’s first live solo album and first Lieder album is accompanied by star conductor/pianist Daniel Barenboim. This was the concert event of the Salzburg Festival 2009 and your first Deutsche Grammophon priority of the year.

For her Salzburg recital, Anna Netrebko programmed an all Russian evening. Companioned by Barenboim’s masterful, idiomatic playing, Anna’s voluptuous voice surrenders completely to the haunting, soulful melodies of songs by Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, and others.

On the heels of her successful Russian Album – more than 270,000 copies sold and still selling strong – In the Still of Night is certain to soar.

‘I find this British singer’s identification with Tchaikovsky almost uncanny. Having heard countless performances … in my native Russia, I was totally overcome by Rodgers’ unaffectedness and sincerity … her intonation is faultless, her Russian excellent. A rare treat indeed’ (Vladimir Ashkenazy)

Third release on ONYX from young Dutch mezzo and rising star Christianne Stotijn

Beautiful collection of 20 Tchaikovsky songs representing the whole range of his creative life from his first performed composition “My Genius, My angel, my friend,” written when we was 16, through to the last published song from the year of his death “Again, as before, alone”. Includes favourites such as “None but the Lonely Heart” and “Why?” but also rarely heard songs such as “Mild Stars Looked down”, “The Cuckoo” and “The Gypsy Song”

Christianne learnt Russian especially for this recording and toured it widely before recording it with her superb pianist Julius Drake. This recording should do much to re-evaluate Tchaikovsky as one of the greatest composers of song and not just a writer of pretty tunes.

Elena Kelessidi is one of opera’s most touching and fiery artists and the most international Greek soprano of today. Here she makes her recital debut with this heartfelt programme of songs from a country whose language is natural to her.

Born in Kazakhstan of Greek parentage, Kelessidi sprang to International attention in 1996 when she made a highly auspicious stage debut at London's Royal Opera House as Violetta in La traviata and was hailed as an important new discovery by the British musical press. She has returned to sing with the Royal Opera every year since and graced every important world opera house including Paris, the Met, Berlin and Vienna. Her signature roles apart from Violetta are Mimi in La Boheme and Liu in Turandot.

Elena’s programme runs the gamut of Russian song, from Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov, some familiar songs from Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov through to some real discoveries from Cui, Darghomyzhsky and the 20th century composer Vladmir Vlasov.

Elena’s pianist is the ever-superb Malcolm Martineau, also appearing this month on ONYX in Susan Graham’s recital, with previous ONYX releases from Amanda Roocroft and Barbara Bonney and a forthcoming recital from the outstanding Austrian bass-baritone Florian Boesch.