Lebrecht Weekly – Georgy Sviridov: Russia Cast Adrift (Delos)

0

The texts of this song cycle were written by Sergei Yesenin between 1914 and 1920, a period of world war, revolution and civil war. Yesenin committed suicide in 1925 at the age of 30. His poetry is steeped in religious ritual, village life and bucolic imagery.

The music was composed in 1977 by the contemplative, conservative Sviridov, who was born in the thick of Russia’s metamorphosis. His idiom – narrative, tonal, almost static at times – reflects the stand-off between political upheaval and the impervious cycles of nature.

The half-hour cycle is sung here in an orchestral setting made specially for the baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, who recorded it once before on Philips with piano. Hvorostovsky, a young friend of Sviridov’s, is imposingly authoritative. Every line is inflected with drama, every cadence with a precise calibration of vibrato. Even without much understanding of the Russian language, the interpretation is compelling. Is there a better living singer of Russian Lieder?

One wishes he had sung more: half an hour is short measure for a full CD.

-Norman Lebrecht

Sign on to the blogfeed: www.slippedisc.com

Visit the website: www.normanlebrecht.com

80%
80%
  • 4
  • User Ratings (1 Votes)
    4
Share:

About Author

Norman Lebrecht is a prolific writer on music and cultural affairs. His blog, Slipped Disc, is one of the most popular sites for cultural news. He presents The Lebrecht Interview on BBC Radio 3 and is a contributor to several publications, including the Wall Street Journal and The Standpoint. Visit every Friday for his weekly CD review // Norman Lebrecht est un rédacteur prolifique couvrant les événements musicaux et Slipped Disc, est un des plus populaires sites de nouvelles culturelles. Il anime The Lebrecht Interview sur la BBC Radio 3 et collabore à plusieurs publications, dont The Wall Street Journal et The Standpoint. Vous pouvez lire ses critiques de disques chaque vendredi.

Leave A Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.