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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Galina Vishnevskaya sings Russian Songs
Mussorgsky: | Songs and Dances of Death | Prokofiev: | Five Poems of Anna Akhmatova, Op. 27 | Tchaikovsky: | None but the lonely heart, Op. 6 No. 6 Ni slova, o drug moy (Not a word, O my friend), Op. 6 No. 2 Do not believe, my friend Op. 6 No. 1 Otchevo? (Why?), Op. 6 No. 5 Why did I dream of you?, Op. 28 No. 3 Sred' shumnogo bala (Amid the din of the ball), Op. 38 No. 3 Na nivi zhyoltiye (On the golden cornfields), Op. 57 No.2 O ditya, pod okoshkom tvoim (Serenade), Op. 63 No. 6 Merknet slaby svet svechi, Op. 73 No. 2 |
As one of the leading interpreters of Russian music, and Benjamin Britten’s soprano of choice for some of his works, including the mighty War Requiem, it may come as a surprise to some that Galina Vishnevskaya began her professional career in 1944, singing, of all things, Viennese operettas (in Russian translation!) in the chorus of a travelling company. When the company’s leading soubrette broke her leg, Vishnevskaya graduated to lead roles, but her destiny lay elsewhere. As a girl, she had been fascinated with Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, and it was in the role of Tatiana that she made her operatic debut, in 1953, at the Bolshoi Theatre. Other roles followed, including Leonore in Fidelio (1954), Cherubino (!) in Le nozze di Figaro (1957), Madama Butterfly (1957) and Aida (1958). It was in the latter role that she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1962, and she added Liù (from Puccini’s Turandot) for her La Scala debut in 1964. Western critics were agog over this force of nature who had come, if not from out of nowhere, then at least from behind the Iron Curtain. They spoke of her in the same breath as Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Birgit Nilsson and other giants of the era. In 1955, she married Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and together, they braved the Cold War tensions that continued to chill life in the Soviet Union. Rostropovich was, of course, a highly gifted pianist as well and accompanied his wife in recital on the stage and in the recording studio. In 1961, under the supervision of Mercury Living Presence’s executive producer Wilma Cozart-Fine, they recorded material for soprano and piano key to Vishnevskaya’s life and career. Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death she called ‘one of the most important projects of [her] career’ and wrote that the performances of this song-cycle made her feel, ‘for the first time, [her] ethnic identity as a Russian singer’. In addition to three Tchaikovsky songs recorded at these sessions, a further six were added to her discography seven years later, for Decca, these receiving their first release on CD. “Intensity is the keynote of these performances. Mme. Vishnevskaya has a rich dramatic voice of characteristically Slavonic timbre, highly charged emotionally … she is invaluably aided by accompaniments of infinite sensibility by her husband” Gramophone Magazine (Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky: 1961 recordings) “The engineers deserve special praise for the spacious recording they have given to the singer’s large voice in this first-rate recording. … I have only room to praise with equal warmth the beautifully sung and played group of Tchaikovsky’s lovely songs – still so neglected. Here Vishnevskaya has most grateful vocal lines and pours forth her voice gloriously” Gramophone Magazine (Tchaikovsky: 1968 recordings) | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Russian Songs & Romances
Borodin: | Chto ti rano, zoren'ka (Why Art Thou So Early, Dawn?) Spyashchaya knyazhna (The Sleeping Princess) Pesnya tyomnogo lesa (Song of the Dark Forest) Morskaya tsaryevna (The Princess Of the Sea) Dlya beregov otchizni dal'noy (For the Shores of thy Far Native Land) | Dargomïzhsky: | The Sierra Nevada was Swathed in Mists The Night Zephyr Prayer What is My Name to You? Heavenly Clouds Yunosha I deva (A girl and a boy) You did not come true! In the Expanse of the Heavens I am sad ... | Glinka: | Adel’ Cradle Song Finskiy zaliv (The Gulf of Finland) Tyashka pechal'i grusten svet (Meine Ruh' ist hin; Marguerite's song from Faust) Barcarolle Tell me Why Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne (Do not sing to me, fair maiden) I am here, Inezilla | Mussorgsky: | Kalistratushka Videniye (The Vision) Forgotten Softly the spirit flew up to heaven Chto vam slova lyubvi? Po gribï | Tchaikovsky: | Noch' (Night), Op. 60 No. 9 Skazhi, o chom v teni vetvey (Tell me, what in the shade of the branches), Op. 57 No. 1 Lullaby in a storm, Op. 54 No. 10 None but the lonely heart, Op. 6 No. 6 Zabït tak skoro (So soon forgotten) He loved me so, Op. 28, No. 4 Ni slova, o drug moy (Not a word, O my friend), Op. 6 No. 2 Nochy bezumnïye, Op. 60 No. 6 Zakatilos solntse (The sun has set), Op. 73 No. 4 Primiren'ye (Reconciliation), Op. 25 No. 1 Sérénade, Op. 65 No. 1 Do not ask, Op. 57 No. 3 Sred' shumnogo bala (Amid the din of the ball), Op. 38 No. 3 Den' li tsarit? (Does the day reign?), Op. 47 No. 6 |
“A marvellously rich programme recorded by Russian music's exiled royal couple. Vishnevskaya's voice is still forceful but often squally in this 1991 recording; but their intense feeling for these classic 19th-century songs is unique and moving.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2009 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Tchaikovsky - Songs
Tchaikovsky: | Last Night Op. 60 No. 1 Zabït tak skoro (So soon forgotten) The Nightingale Op. 60 No. 4 To bilo ranneyu vesnoy (It happened in the early spring), Op. 38 No. 2 Sred' shumnogo bala (Amid the din of the ball), Op. 38 No. 3 Strashnaya minuta (The Fearful Moment), Op. 28 No. 6 Do not believe, my friend Op. 6 No. 1 The Cuckoo, Op. 54 No. 8 Lullaby, Op. 16 No. 1 Behind the window, Op 60 No. 10 O ditya, pod okoshkom tvoim (Serenade), Op. 63 No. 6 The Canary, Op. 25 No. 4 Ni slova, o drug moy (Not a word, O my friend), Op. 6 No. 2 Lullaby in a storm, Op. 54 No. 10 Spring, Op 54 No. 9 Why did I dream of you?, Op. 28 No. 3 None but the lonely heart, Op. 6 No. 6 Den' li tsarit? (Does the day reign?), Op. 47 No. 6 If only I had known, Op.47, No.1 Otchevo? (Why?), Op. 6 No. 5 |
‘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) “A lovely record” Sunday Times | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Tchaikovsky - Romances
Tchaikovsky: | Sred' shumnogo bala (Amid the din of the ball), Op. 38 No. 3 None but the lonely heart, Op. 6 No. 6 I never spoke to her, Op. 25, No. 5 Moy geni, moy angel, moy drug (My genius, my angel, my friend) Lullaby, Op. 16 No. 1 Primiren'ye (Reconciliation), Op. 25 No. 1 Zakatilos solntse (The sun has set), Op. 73 No. 4 Strashnaya minuta (The Fearful Moment), Op. 28 No. 6 The mild stars shone for us, Op. 60 No. 12 If only I had known, Op.47, No.1 The lights were being dimmed, Op. 63, No. 5 Ni slova, o drug moy (Not a word, O my friend), Op. 6 No. 2 Otchevo? (Why?), Op. 6 No. 5 Was I not a blade of grass?, Op. 47 No. 7 The gypsy song, Op. 60, No. 7 Do not believe, my friend Op. 6 No. 1 To bilo ranneyu vesnoy (It happened in the early spring), Op. 38 No. 2 The Cuckoo, Op. 54 No. 8 Den' li tsarit? (Does the day reign?), Op. 47 No. 6 Solitude ('Again, as before, alone'), Op. 73 No. 6 |
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. “The two best-known songs open proceedings: "At the Ball", with its reminiscence of unrequited passion to the lilt of a sad waltz, and then "None but the lonely heart". Everyone conceivable from Rosa Ponselle to Frank Sinatra has recorded this, but Stotijn loses nothing in comparison with ghosts from the past. Her voice is a full-blooded mezzo but steady and true, without a hint of that vibrato that can often disturb the line in Slavonic singers... The piano parts are superbly done: in every sense these songs are duets. Tchaikovsky's songs are not nearly well enough known and this superb recital should encourage more interest in them.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009 “…Christianne Stotijn is that artist in a thousand whose personality shines through everything she does. Her Russian characterisations and folk inflections seem spot-on in the vivid narratives of 'Had I known', 'The Bride's Lament' and 'The Cuckoo'. Here, too, as in their often wonderful Mahler recital together, Julius Drake's focused narratives make us want to hear even more from him... But Stotijn's charisma and her beautifully recorded altoish depth of tone is enough to hold me spellbound.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 ***** “For the most part these are angst-ridden stories of death and lost love. The two best-known songs open proceedings: 'At the Ball', with its reminiscence of unrequited passion to the lilt of a sad waltz, and then 'None but the lonely heart'. Everyone conceivable from Rosa Ponselle to Frank Sinatra has recorded this, but Stotijn loses nothing in comparison with ghosts from the past. Her voice is a full-blooded mezzo but steady and true, without a hint of that vibrato that can often disturb the line in Slavonic singers (Stotijn is from The Netherlands).
The emotional climax of the selection comes with 'The Bride's Lament'. This outpouring of grief can seem over melodramatic but Stotijn and Drake find exactly the right mood. The piano parts are superbly done: in every sense these songs are duets. There are a couple of other light moments – 'Cuckoo', one of 16 children's songs composed in the 1880s, and a 'Gypsy Song' from around the same time.
Tchaikovsky's songs are not nearly well enough known and this superb recital should encourage more interest in them. Highly recommended.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Arax Davtian: Russian Romances
Dargomïzhsky: | The Sierra Nevada was Swathed in Mists The Garden (Vertograt) Sixteen Years (Shesnatsat Lyet) Yunosha I deva (A girl and a boy) | Glinka: | Alla cetra Ya pomnyu chudnoye mgnoven’ye (I remember the wonderful moment) The Blue Waves Are Asleep How sweet it is for me to be with you Tell me Why The fair maiden is miserable (Gorko, gorko, maye) | Rachmaninov: | Sing not, O lovely one (Ne poi, krasavitsa, pri mne), Op. 4 No. 4 Lilacs, Op. 21 No. 5 Fragment from A. Musset, Op. 21 No. 6 The Rat-Catcher, Op. 38 No. 4 Daisies, Op. 38 No. 3 Spring torrents, Op. 14 No.11 | Tchaikovsky: | To bilo ranneyu vesnoy (It happened in the early spring), Op. 38 No. 2 Sred' shumnogo bala (Amid the din of the ball), Op. 38 No. 3 Ni slova, o drug moy (Not a word, O my friend), Op. 6 No. 2 Khotel bi v edinoye slovo (I should like in a single word) Solitude ('Again, as before, alone'), Op. 73 No. 6 |
Arax Davtian (soprano), Vladimir Yurigin-Klevke (piano) | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Tchaikovsky: Romances
Tchaikovsky: | None but the lonely heart, Op. 6 No. 6 Noch' (Night), Op. 60 No. 9 Moy geni, moy angel, moy drug (My genius, my angel, my friend) Ni slova, o drug moy (Not a word, O my friend), Op. 6 No. 2 Otchevo? (Why?), Op. 6 No. 5 Zabït tak skoro (So soon forgotten) Rastvoril ya okno (I opened the window), Op. 63 No. 2 Na son gryadushchiy (Before sleep), Op. 27 No. 1 Podvig (The Heroic Deed), Op. 60 No. 11 Smert' (Death), Op. 57 No. 5 Khotel bi v edinoye slovo (I should like in a single word) O, yesli b ty mogla (O, if only you could), Op. 38 No. 4 Lyubov' mertvetsa (The love of a dead man), Op. 38 No. 5 Na nivi zhyoltiye (On the golden cornfields), Op. 57 No.2 Skazhi, o chom v teni vetvey (Tell me, what in the shade of the branches), Op. 57 No. 1 Strashnaya minuta (The Fearful Moment), Op. 28 No. 6 Primiren'ye (Reconciliation), Op. 25 No. 1 Den' li tsarit? (Does the day reign?), Op. 47 No. 6 Nochy bezumnïye, Op. 60 No. 6 O ditya, pod okoshkom tvoim (Serenade), Op. 63 No. 6 To bilo ranneyu vesnoy (It happened in the early spring), Op. 38 No. 2 Na zemlyu sumrak upal (Dusk fell on the earth), Op. 47 No. 3 Blagoslavlyayu vas, lesa (I Bless you, Forests), Op. 47 No. 5 Serenada Don-Zhuana (Don Juan's Serenade), Op. 38 No. 1 |
Operatic superstar Dmitri Hvorostovsky has become the supreme interpreter of the Russian Romance, with its rich resource of music and poetry. In this generous program the great baritone soars vocally and plumbs emotional depths as he delivers definitive performances of a wide range of Tchaikovsky’s masterpieces. “Nearly 20 years have passed since Hvorostovsky first recorded Tchaikovsky songs...Alongside the same ineffable legato, there's still more pointing of the words and more inwardness in softer dynamics...Inevitably there's a preponderance of dark numbers; so all the more credit to this now truly great baritone for pushing the emotion with apparent sincerity and no self pity; 'To Forget so Soon' reaches remarkable dramatic heights.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2010 “...in terms of vocal quality there are some marvels to behold…” Gramophone Magazine, June 2010 | | | (also available to download from $21.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Evelyn Lear: An 80th Birthday Tribute
Barber, S: | Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Op. 24 | Berlioz: | Villanelle (from Les nuits d'été, Op. 7) Le Spectre de la rose (from Les nuits d'été, Op. 7) | Copland: | I Bought me a Cat | Fauré: | Chanson d'amour, Op. 27 No. 1 Mandoline, Op. 58 No. 1 (Verlaine) Prison, Op. 83 No. 1 | Hahn, R: | L'heure exquise | Handel: | Se pietà di me non senti (from Giulio Cesare) | Mahler: | Das irdische Leben (Des Knaben Wunderhorn) | Mozart: | Voi che sapete (from Le nozze di Figaro) | Nicolai, C O: | Nun eilt herbei (from Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor) | Rachmaninov: | Lilacs, Op. 21 No. 5 | Saint-Saëns: | Ici les tendres oiseaux | Schubert: | Fischerweise, D881 (Schlechta) Nacht und Träume, D827 | Strauss, R: | Da geht er hin (from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59) Sie woll'n mich heiraten, sagt mein Vater (from Arabella) Beim Schlafengehen (from Vier Letzte Lieder) Morgen, Op. 27 No. 4 Die Nacht, Op. 10 No. 3 Ständchen, Op. 17 No. 2 | Tchaikovsky: | Sred' shumnogo bala (Amid the din of the ball), Op. 38 No. 3 Ni slova, o drug moy (Not a word, O my friend), Op. 6 No. 2 | trad.: | He's gone away | Verdi: | Mia madre aveva...Piangea cantando...Ave Maria (from Otello) | Villa-Lobos: | Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5: Aria and Dança (Martelo) Canção do carreiro | Wagner: | Wie aus der Ferne längst (from Der Fliegende Holländer) Thomas Stewart (baritone) | Zeller: | Schenkt man sich Rosen in Tirol (from Der Vogelhändler) |
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| |  | Zara Dolukhanova: Lieder, Songs, Arias and Duets
Arensky: | Mutual guarantee (No. 2 from Six Children's Songs, Op. 59) | Beethoven: | In the little woods (No. 13 from Songs of Various Nationalities, WoO 157) Oh, rivers, rivers (No. 14 from Songs of Various Nationalities, WoO 157) Sung in Russian | Bizet: | Douce mer Sung in Russian | Brahms: | Vor Der Tür Op. 28 No. 2 Sung in Russian | Britten: | Nurse's Song (No. 5 from A Charm of Lullabies) A Charm (No. 4 from A Charm of Lullabies) Sung in Russian | Caldara: | Come raggio di sol | Cardillo: | Core 'ngrato | Carissimi: | Vittoria, mio core! | Cui: | Confidant, Op. 57 No. 8 Evening glow Ici bas, Op. 54 No. 5 | Dargomïzhsky: | Fair maidens | Delibes: | Bonjour, Suzon! Sung in Russian | Falla: | Siete Canciones populares españolas | Giordani, G: | Caro mio ben | Liszt: | Gebet, S265 O quand je dors (Hugo), S282 Der Glückliche, S.334 Die Lorelei Sung in Russian | Marcello, B: | Quella fiamma che m'accende | Medtner: | Lish’ rozï uvyadayut, Op. 36, No. 3 Spanish Romance, Op. 36 No. 4 Winterabend, Op. 13 No. 1 | Mozart: | Exsultate, jubilate, K165 Sung in the original Latin Ridente la calma, K152 Komm, liebe Zither, K351 Als Luise die Briefe, K520 An Chloë, K524 Ah, guarda, sorella (from Così fan tutte) Sung in Russian | Niedermeyer: | Pietà, Signore | Offenbach: | O Dieu, de quelle ivresse (from Les contes d'Hoffmann) Sung in Russian | Pergolesi: | Se tu m'ami | Rachmaninov: | Morning, Op. 4 No. 2 Water lily, Op. 8 No. 1 Prayer, Op. 8 No. 6 Summer nights Op.14 No. 5 Oh, do not grieve, Op.14 No. 8 They replied, Op. 21 No. 4 Lilacs, Op. 21 No. 5 The Muse, Op. 34 No. 1 A dream, Op. 8 No. 5 | Ravel: | Deux mélodies hébraïques: Kaddisch | Rossini: | La regata veneziana (C. Pepoli) La Pesca Sung in Russian | Schubert: | Wiegenlied, D498 Die Forelle, D550 Du bist die Ruh D776 (Rückert) Wohin? (No. 2 from Die schöne Müllerin, D795) Ave Maria, D839 Ihr Bild, D957 No. 9 Sung in Russian | Schumann: | Frauenliebe und -leben, Op. 42 Sung in Russian | Scriabin: | Romance (c. 1894) | Strauss, R: | Allerseelen, Op. 10 No. 8 Cäcilie, Op. 27 No. 2 Heimliche Aufforderung, Op. 27 No. 3 Morgen, Op. 27 No. 4 Traum durch die Dämmerung, Op. 29 No. 1 Hat gesagt - bleibt's nicht dabei, Op. 36 No. 3 Sung in Russian | Taneyev: | Music, when soft voices die (Pust' otsvuchit) Op. 17 No. 3, 1905 (Bal'mont/Shelley) | Tchaikovsky: | Spirit my heart away Ni slova, o drug moy (Not a word, O my friend), Op. 6 No. 2 Both painfully and sweetly, Op. 6 No. 3 Look: there is a silver cloud, Op. 27, No. 2 Do not leave me, Op. 27 No. 3 To bilo ranneyu vesnoy (It happened in the early spring), Op. 38 No. 2 Na zemlyu sumrak upal (Dusk fell on the earth), Op. 47 No. 3 Sleep, my poor friend, Op.47, No. 4 Den' li tsarit? (Does the day reign?), Op. 47 No. 6 Skazhi, o chom v teni vetvey (Tell me, what in the shade of the branches), Op. 57 No. 1 Do not ask, Op. 57 No. 3 This, our first reunion, Op. 63 No. 4 This, our first reunion, Op. 63 No. 4 O ditya, pod okoshkom tvoim (Serenade), Op. 63 No. 6 Pesn' Zemfiri (Zemfira's song) Mezza notte Au Jardin, près du ruisseau, Op. 46 No. 4 (Paul Collin) | Verdi: | Ave Maria, for voice & strings or piano | Wolf, H: | Mignon IV 'Kennst du das Land' (No. 9 from Goethe-Lieder) Der Rattenfänger (No. 11 from Goethe-Lieder) Verborgenheit (No. 12 from Mörike-Lieder) Wenn du zu den Blumen gehst (No. 65 (No. 20 from Spanisches Liederbuch: Weltliche Lieder) Seltsam ist Juanas Weise (No. 3 from Spanisches Liederbuch: Weltliche Lieder) Sung in Russian |
“The whole set of four discs is in fact something of a voyage of discovery into the art of this superb mezzo. Though she is indeed full of expression in the Aria Antiche there is no over emoting...she is technically and tonally at an exceptional level...One can hear something Ferrier-like in the middle and lower registers of her voice...Her Ravel has the requisite histrionic projection.” MusicWeb International, September 2004 | | | Usually despatched in 8 - 10 working days. |
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BBC Music Magazine Awards 2010