Earwitness #1: Prologue, the ‘Russian egg’ of Sergei Diaghilev. ‘Everything in memory of you…’, our series about Russian music of the 20th century. From 1906, impresario Sergei Diaghilev served up Paris his ‘historic’ concert series, the Saisons Russes, that would in 1909 result in the world famous Ballets Russes. On today’s menu, works by Aleksandr Borodin, Modest Moesorgski, Nikolaj Rimski-Korsakov and Igor Stravinski.
‘Everything in memory of you’. This line of poetry by Alexander Pushkin from 1825, poetess Anna Akhmatova gave as a motto to her Northern Elegies, a cycle of poems she wrote in one of the darkest periods of her country and her life, between 1940 and 1955. With that, we are thrown into the heart of Russia in the 20th century: the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War. With these two great Russian poets we try to approach the soul of Russia.
Part 1. Prologue: the ‘Russian egg’ by Sergei Diaghilev.
The Ballets Russes, who celebrate their centenary this year, accelerated the modernist movement in the arts with their ‘Russische Gesamtkunstwerke’. Tonight we bring you some dishes from Diaghilev’s menu with works that even nowadays is still seen by many as an appetizer when getting acquainted with Russian classical music.
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (1833-1887).
1. From the opera Prince Igor (1888), second act, Chorus of the Polovtsian Maidens, ‘Without water in the afternoon sun’ and Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens.
Choir and orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater Moscow conducted by Mark Ermler, with Margarita Miglau, soprano, as Polovtsian Maid.
Melodija, MEL CD 10 00413
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839-1881).
2. From the opera Khovanshchina (1872-1880), 4th act, 3rd scene, Dance of the Persian Slaves, in the orchestration by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Sofia National Opera Orchestra conducted by Atanas Margaritov.
Capriccio 10 789-91
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908).
3. Symfonische Suite Sheherazade (1888), opus 35.
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev.
EC 3613-2
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (1882-1971).
4. Suite from the ballet The Firebird (1910) in the version of 1919.
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Deutsche Grammophon 445 538-2
