Notes and Editorial Reviews
Stravinsky’s songs are the most underappreciated corner of his
œuvre
, for many reasons. Song-lovers are partial to German
Lieder
and French
chansons
, the great repertoire of Russian songs—Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff—lies beyond the scope of most recitals, except for a few well-trod favorites. Stravinsky seldom probes the romantic
Zeitgeist
of the 19th century, but his songs are exceptionally lovely, far more accessible than the rest of his music would suggest. This Belgian disc, which contains
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about two-thirds of them, couldn’t be more welcome, now that “The Igor Stravinsky Edition” is no longer available.
Stravinsky arranged several of his piano accompaniments for various instrumental groups later in life; Olga Romanko has chosen to perform the revisions where they exist. Note that the
Four Russian Songs
for voice, flute, harp, and guitar (which are not included here) are not the same set as the
Four Russian Songs
for voice and piano (which are).
Ms. Romanko is that
rara avis
, a leading opera diva who is perfectly comfortable in the song repertoire. There is no hint of the opera stage here, which would ruin the children’s songs in particular. Her soprano, lightened for this role, is clear and clean; even without being able to follow the Russian texts at speed, the listener can tell that her involvement with the texts and music is total. This is especially evident in the many songs for children, which are in turn one of Stravinsky’s strengths, lovelier and more sympathetic even than Mussorgsky’s. “The Bear, a fairy tale with a song” is a narrated children’s tale, followed by “The Bear’s Song.” Ms. Romanko is a wonderful children’s storyteller, even though I cannot understand her words. Most of these songs are in Russian, and I prefer Romanko to the various singers in “The Igor Stravinsky Edition,” not only because it is her native language, but also because her voice and style are more pleasing.
Petit Ramusianum harmonique
—an homage to the poet C. F. Ramuz, co-creator of
L’histoire du soldat
—is also a combination of speech and song, this time in French, in which Ms. Romanko proves equally charming. It must be admitted, however, that her intriguing but inconsistent English does no favors for Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas, or “The Owl and the Pussy-cat.” For the Shakespeare, stick with the recent Emma Kirkby recording on Arte Nova.
The recording captures Romanko’s voice ideally, but the accompanists, especially the chamber ensemble, are too far in the background. For the majority of these songs, written and sung in Russian, we are given transliterated texts plus translations into one other language, either French or English. Songs in those two languages receive no translations. This delightful disc is by no means a Stravinsky oddment but a source of glorious music, highly recommended to all.
FANFARE: James H. North
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Works on This Recording
1.
Storm Cloud by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Victor Samoilenki (Piano),
Olga Romanko (Soprano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1902; Russia
Language: Russian
2.
Mélodies (2), Op. 6 by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Olga Romanko (Soprano),
Victor Samoilenki (Piano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1908; Russia
3.
Poems (2) of Konstantin Bal'mont by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Olga Romanko (Soprano),
Victor Samoilenki (Piano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1911/1954; Russia
4.
Japanese Lyrics (3) by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Victor Samoilenki (Piano),
Olga Romanko (Soprano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1912-1913; Switzerland
5.
Little Songs (3) "Recollections of my childhood" by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Olga Romanko (Soprano),
Victor Samoilenki (Piano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1906/1913; Russia
6.
Pribaoutki by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Olga Romanko (Soprano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1914; Switzerland
7.
Pastorale for Soprano and Piano by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Olga Romanko (Soprano),
Victor Samoilenki (Piano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1907; Russia
8.
Cat's Cradle Songs (4) by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Olga Romanko (Soprano),
Victor Samoilenki (Piano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915-1916; Switzerland
9.
Trois histoires pour enfants by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Olga Romanko (Soprano),
Victor Samoilenki (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915-1917; Switzerland
10.
Berceuse by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Victor Samoilenki (Piano),
Olga Romanko (Soprano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1917
11.
Russian Songs (4) by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Victor Samoilenki (Piano),
Olga Romanko (Soprano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1918-1919; Switzerland
12.
Petit Ramusianum harmonique by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Olga Romanko (Soprano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1937; France
13.
Three Songs from William Shakespeare by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Olga Romanko (Soprano),
Victor Samoilenki (Piano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1953; USA
14.
In memoriam Dylan Thomas by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Olga Romanko (Soprano),
Victor Samoilenki (Piano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1954; USA
15.
The Owl and the Pussycat by Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Victor Samoilenki (Piano),
Olga Romanko (Soprano)
Conductor:
Alexander Golyshev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1966; USA
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