Lermontov Songs

LERMONTOV SONGS. The collection includes three vocal cycles by Dmitri N. Smirnov, written for high (or medium) voices and cello set the poems by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov (1814-1841): "The Stony Path," Op. 138a, 2002, "The Lonely Wanderer," Op. 153, 2008 and "From the Pine to the Moon," Op. 159, 2009. The first cycle, originally written for soprano, cello and piano, was commissioned by the American cellist Nina Kotova, who performed this on February 9, 2003 in Austin, USA, with soprano Laura Claycomb and pianist Jose Feghali, piano. Soon, two versions were made for a duet of soprano and cello, performed repeatedly in England, and for a tenor (or lower soprano) and cello. The first movement of the tenor version is published in the appendix at the end of the collection (the second movement has not been modified and is the same as the soprano version). There is also a version of the romance "The Star" from the third cycle, for the reciter (Sprechstimme) and the cello. On the initiative of Alexandre Nikolaevich Kniazev, a poet and translator, all these compositions, in whole or in part, as well as the initial version of the romance "Mountain Peaks" (for voice and piano), were performed at concerts in St. Petersburg, recorded at the Petersburg Recording Studio, and issued on CDs "Poetry of Lermontov in music," vol. III - JMR CD 017, 2008 and vol. IV - JMR CD 024, 2014/2019. Two tenors participated in this project: Anton Rositsky and Alexander Kulinkovich, mezzo-soprano Daria Rositskaya, cellists Dmitry D. Yanov-Yanovsky and Andrey Ivanov, pianist Olga Mityokina, and Alexandre N. Kniazev as a reciter. All Russian texts in this edition are provided with English transliterations and translations made by the composer himself and signed by his literary pseudonym D. Smirnov-Sadovsky. Contents: THE STONY PATH, Op. 138a, 2002, 1. The Path; 5 2. Farewell; 12; THE LONELY WANDERER, Op.153, 2008, 1. Prelude (solo cello) 16; 2. The Angel 18; 3. Interlude I (solo cello) 22; 4. Loneliness 24; 5. Interlude II (solo cello); 26; 6. Mountain Heights (from Goethe) 28; FROM THE PINE TO THE MOON, Op.159, 2009, 1. In the wild North... (from Heinrich Heine) 30; 2. Clouds 34; 3. The Cliff 36; 4. The Star 38; 5. The Moon 40; Appendix: The Path, Op. 138a/1, version for tenor (or lower soprano) and violoncello 42; The Star, Op. 159/4 version for reciter (Sprechstimme) and violoncello 50.