Prokofiev: Songs and Romances [Box set]

Editorial Reviews
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Although songs feature prominently over the course of Prokofiev's output, they remain his least explored genre, and this set appears to be the first systematic attempt at an integral edition. The uncredited booklet note gives a decent overview of what this entails; the omission of songs arranged by others from the scores of Lieutenant Kijé and Alexander Nevsky is a fair decision, though the exclusion of the 1927 Kazakh Songs, never published but presumably extant, seems odd. Was timing the guiding consideration?As to what is included, the Op. 9 Poems are attractive student efforts under the sway of Scriabin, while The Ugly Duckling is a marvel of witty observation and nostalgic sentiment. It is characterfully sung by Victoria Yevtodieva, without banishing memories of Soderström and Ashkenazy from the mid-1970s. Harmonically, the wide-ranging Op. 23 Poems lack a unified idiom, but the Op. 27 Akhmatova Poems are a real discovery: probing texts enhanced by their settings, not least the tonally ambivalent ‘The Grey-Eyed King' (second disc, track 7) which closes the sequence in a mood anticipating Shostakovich's equally underrated Japanese cycle. Usually heard in their violin transcription, the Op. 35 vocalises are clearly difficult to pitch when sung, and no match qualitatively for the Op. 36 Balmont Poems, whose inward intensity – seamlessly conveyed here despite being split between three singers – offers a foretaste of the ground to be covered in The Fiery Angel and the Second and Third Symphonies.In terms of intrinsic quality, it is difficult to assess the songs from Prokofiev's Soviet period. A functional aspect is often present, as in the strident propaganda settings of Op. 66, forcefully projected by Andrei Slavny, and the Songs of Our Days cycle; authentic socialist realism from the peak of Stalin's ‘terror', which really need their original massed voices and orchestra to avoid sounding like a dress rehearsal as here. Textually, the Op. 79 Songs are a motley assortment, but the singers' fervency makes them cohere, Yevtodieva capturing the bittersweet essence of ‘Seeing Off' (first disc, track 15) to perfection. Sergei Aleksashkin impresses in the brooding Mussorgskian numbers that open the otherwise undistinguished Op. 89 Songs; translations notwithstanding, Mira Mendelson-Prokofieva could have made a fortune in the West writing verse for greetings cards. The Op. 68 Children's Songs are delightful, while the Op. 73 Pushkin Songs are another major find: stylistically a pre-echo of the wartime piano sonatas, they offer manifold insights into texts by a poet not otherwise associated with Prokofiev, and warrant the dedication brought to them by Slavny. The arrangements of traditional songs invariably bear the composer's imprint; those of Op. 104 have supple and imaginative piano writing, while Lyubov Sokolova has sufficient variety of characterization to justify taking on all 12 of them (a shame they had to be divided over the three discs even so). A special mention for Yuri Serov, co-ordinator of the whole project, whose thoughtful and attentive accompaniment is an asset to the highlights, and makes the lesser songs at least listenable to. Sound is not free of distortion in some of the more rhetorical items, while the booklet could have featured texts in parallel with translations, and fitted more comfortably into the CD box. No matter, this is a timely and welcome set which all devotees of Prokofiev, and Russian music in general, need to have. Graham Simpson

Tracks:

Lullaby - Galina Vishnevskaya
Serenade - Galina Vishnevskaya
Trepak - Galina Vishnevskaya
The Field-Marshal - Galina Vishnevskaya
Ophelia's Song - David Oistrakh
Hamayun, The Prophetic Bird - David Oistrakh
We Were Together - David Oistrakh
The City Sleeps - David Oistrakh
Storm - David Oistrakh
Mysterious Sign - David Oistrakh
Music - David Oistrakh
To A Critic - Mstislav Rostropovitch
Spring's Awakening - Mstislav Rostropovitch
The Descendants - Mstislav Rostropovitch
Misunderstanding - Mstislav Rostropovitch
The Kreutzer Sonata - Mstislav Rostropovitch
The Sun Has Filled My Room - Mstislav Rostropovitch
True Tenderness - Mstislav Rostropovitch
Memory Of The Sun - Mstislav Rostropovitch
Greetings - Mstislav Rostropovitch
The King With Grey Eyes - Mstislav Rostropovitch

Amazon.com

Shostakovich's orchestrations for Mussorgsky's Songs & Dances of Death heightens the music's stark, desolate qualities, without shying away from ear-catching instrumental combinations. Galina Vishnevskaya's raw-nerve response to the texts and affinity for the composer's sound world border on the clairvoyant. Her husband is a better accompanist at the piano than on the podium, providing firm support in Shostakovich's Satires and Prokofiev's Five Poems by Anna Akhmatova. The world premier of Shostakovich's Seven Romances to Poems by Alexander Blok finds Mstislav Rostropovich at the cello where he belongs, playing as gorgeously as David Oistrakh. The violinist and the soprano, though, are not quite attuned to each other during their duet. An absorbing occasion, nonetheless, and kudos to Melodya for making these performances available for the first time. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Very important release.......2000-03-03

This CD comes with thorough liner notes, it is beneficial to read them before actually listening to the music. The reviewer below, obviously knowledgeable, attempts to praise this recording, but since he mixes in so much of vocal technique examination into it, the results are somewhat strange. I urge the classical music and opera fans to read the book "Galina" which is a brilliantly written autobiography, which is not only one person's life story, but also the picture of Russian times and events through the eyes of incredibly intelligent, witty, and emotional observer and participant. Reading it would help to fill in the blanks and understand the significance of this recording. First of all, the "Songs and Dances of Death" cycle was orchestrated by Shostakovich especially for Galina Vishnevskaya. His very close friend and one of the all-time musical giants Mstislav Rostropovich follows the score with utmost respect and precision. It's a great, unforgivable mistake to claim that he "belongs at the cello" as Ted Libbey suggests - Maestro Rostropovich is a fantastic conductor with impeccable musical instincts and phenomenal insight. Moreover, he might as well be the ONLY person to conduct these works because his personal affiliation with the composers allowed for unprecedented level of expertise. Just listen to his complete cycle of Shostakovich's symphonies or "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" for more examples of brilliant conducting.

The satires were written by Sasha Cherniy at the beginning of the century, but once set to music to Shostakovich they became a weapon against the Soviet regime and as a result subsequently banned, with a particular emphasis on "The Descendants".

Now, not only Vishnevskaya has the most expressive voice, it is also one of the most beautiful voices ever recorded. Hers is a true spinto without the usual "pushed up" meaning to it that characterizes most other spinto voices. As to Tebaldi, for instance, this sound came naturally to her and allowed for immense power and incredible vocal range. This recording with its customary Melodiya problems hardly does it justice. Turn to "Boris Godunov", "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk", or "Turandot" to hear it at its full glory. Philips used to carry a great CD called "The Early Years"; look for it. No, she did not sing "too many Leonoras" -- that's a gross mistake; while Leonora in Fidelio was her Bolshoi leading role debut, her favorite role was Aida and with it she subjugated the greatest opera houses, MET included. Had you heard it, you would not guess it's the same voice! The so-called "ugly" overtones in Songs and Dances of Death are clearly done on purpose: Vishnevskaya here acts with her voice to imitate Death the character, making it terrifyingly vivid and real. Same goes for "shrieking" on fast passages, here she uses a folk-song like approach, emphasizing the close connection that Russian composers have to their roots. Had this disc included other Mussorgsky songs, particularly "Where art thou, little star?" everyone would be astonished how enchantingly beautiful her voice could be. Another example is her Liu in Turandot, when she sang opposite Franco Corelli and Birgit Nilsson; it's available both on Myto and Opera d'Oro. Finally, one of the greatest musical achievements is Britten's War Requiem. Once again, it was written FOR her voice and she set an unsurpassed standard for it. Power, grace, and fully involved approach to music are her trademarks, this CD is really a small example but it's extremely important in terms of first performances of great works of great composers.

Viva Vishnevskaya.......1999-11-11

What we have here is a result of a unique teamwork of musical giants of the 20th century. Shostakovich, Vishnevskaya, Prokofiev and Rostropovich are not the names one dismisses lightly (well, not in the Stalinism-free world). One uses here a term `team work' because at the time the items on this disk were recorded, an outstanding musical performance was conceded possible only as a result of a team effort. In this case a team of Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich. Though Vishnevskaya is a soloist, she is not a singer delivering pretty songs - she is an `instrument' contributing to the total framework of emotionally charged compositions. This music can only gain from such an approach. Hers is not a beautiful voice, but it is expressive and emotional.

In `Songs and Dances of Death' Vishnevskaya is not afraid to sound ugly if the mood of the song so requires. At the same time it is not simply `doom and gloom' that the singer strives for- but a more complex atmosphere of hopelessness and despair. (One tends to think that the reason for the lack of hilarity in Russian music accounts less for the idea that Russians are boring hypochondriacs and more for the fact that Russian life had generally showed (and still does) little happiness. Vishnevskaya has an extensive vocal palette and uses it abundantly in order to reach her goal. To see the singer's prowess in this field one only has to compare hers to the recordings of the cycle by Hvorostovsky.

The satires cycle is outstanding for its witty and sarcastic text and Shostakovich's clever use of popular melodies. It is a shame that the booklet does not include the text of the songs and just the resume - despite Vishnevskaya's expressiveness, people who do not speak the language are going to miss on some of the songs' impact.

What one finds questionable here is some aspects of Vishnevskaya's vocal technique - when sang at forte, her top notes become unsteady and, very often, shrill and wobbly (too many Leonores, perhaps?). She is better in the slower passages where she can expand her voice and float her higher notes with greater freedom.

Tracks:

The Ugly Duckling, Op.18 - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Three Songs To Words, Op.73: The Pines - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Three Songs To Words, Op.73: The Rosy Dawn is Coloring The East - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Three Songs To Words, Op.73: To Your Room - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Arrangements Of Traditional Russian Songs, Op.104: White Snow - Lyubov Sokolova/Yuri Serov
Arrangements Of Traditional Russian Songs, Op.104: The Monk - Lyubov Sokolova/Yuri Serov
Arrangements Of Traditional Russian Songs, Op.104: Green Grove - Lyubov Sokolova/Yuri Serov
Arrangements Of Traditional Russian Songs, Op.104: Summer Elderberries (A Wedding Celebration Chant) - Lyubov Sokolova/Yuri Serov
Two Duets: Everybody Gets Married - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Sergei Aleksashkin/Yuri Serov
Two Duets: The Glorious Moscow Road - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Sergei Aleksashkin/Yuri Serov
Green Jar - Sergei Aleksashkin/Yuri Serov
Seven Songs, Op.79: Song Of My Homeland - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Seven Songs, Op.79: Stakhanovka (A Model Female Worker) - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Seven Songs, Op.79: Over The Polar Sea - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Seven Songs, Op.79: Seeing Off - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Seven Songs, Op.79: Bravely Forward! - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Yuri Serov
Seven Songs, Op.79: A Cossack Was Strolling The Town - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Yuri Serov
Seven Songs, Op.79: Hey, Down The Road - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Yuri Serov
Three Songs For Children, Op.68: The Chatterbox - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Three Songs For Children, Op.68: A Sweet Song - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Three Songs For Children, Op.68: Piglets - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
To My Homeland - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Yuri Serov
Soldiers' Marching Song - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Two Poems, Op.9: There Are Other Planets - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Two Poems, Op.9: The Boat Pushed Off - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.27: The Sun Has Filled The Room - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.27: Real Tenderness - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.27: Memory Of The Sun - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.27: Hello! - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.27: The Grey-Eyed King - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.36: Incantation Of Water And Fire - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.36: The Voice Of Birds - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.36: The Butterfly - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.36: Remember Me! - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.36: The Columns - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Arrangements Of Traditional Russian Songs: A Dream - Lyubov Sokolova/Yuri Serov
Arrangements Of Traditional Russian Songs: Dunyushka - Lyubov Sokolova/Yuri Serov
Arrangements Of Traditional Russian Songs: I See My Friend Nowhere - Lyubov Sokolova/Yuri Serov
Arrangements Of Traditional Russian Songs: Behind The Forest - Lyubov Sokolova/Yuri Serov
Six Songs, Op.66: Zheliznyak The Guerilla Chief - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Six Songs, Op.66: Anyutka - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Six Songs, Op.66: The Country Grows - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Six Songs, Op.66: Through Snow And Fog - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Six Songs, Op.66: Behind The Hill - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Six Songs, Op.66: Song To Voroshilov - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Five Songs, Op.89: The Son Of Kabarda - Sergei Aleksashkin/Yuri Serov
Five Songs, Op.89: Tankman's Oath - Sergei Aleksashkin/Yuri Serov
Five Songs, Op.89: Soldier's Girlfriend - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
Five Songs, Op.89: Fritz - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Yuri Serov
Five Songs, Op.89: Song Of The Brave - Konstantin Pluzhnikov/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.23: From Under The Roof - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.23: A Gray Dress - Andrey Slavny/Yuri Serov
Five Poems, Op.23: Trust Me - Victoria Yevtodieva/Yuri Serov
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