Russian Songs
Satires (Pictures of the Past), opus 109; Musorgsky: Detskaya (The Nursery); Prokofiev: Five Poems of Anna Akhmatova, opus 27; Britten: Ekho poeta (The Poet's Echo), opus 76.
Joan Rodgers (soprano), Roger Vignoles (piano).
Hyperion CDA67355. DDD. TT 58:55.
Recorded All Saints Church, East Finchley, London, 15-17 July 2003.

Shostakovich: Complete Songs, Volume 4 - 1932-1968: The Unknown Shostakovich
Song of the Counterplan from the film Counterplan, opus 33[a]; The Tender Maiden from the film The First Echelon, opus 99 (listed as Tender Girl Song from The First Train)[b]; Daybreak (The Dawn is Rising)[c] and Song of Peace[d] from the film The Meeting on the Elbe, opus 80; Lullaby[e] and Song of the Lantern (The Little Lantern Song)[f] from the concert spectacle Victorious Spring, opus 72; There Were Kisses (We Had Kisses), sans opus X[g]; Spring, Spring, opus 128[h]; Satires (Pictures of the Past), opus 109[i]; Antiformalist Rayok, sans opus X[j].
Victoria Evtodieva (soprano)[b,d,e,f,i], Liudmila Shkirtil (mezzo-soprano)[b], Mikhail Lukonin (baritone)[a,c,d,g], Fyodor Kuznetsov (bass)[h,j]; Yuri Serov (piano); St. Petersburg Youth Chamber Choir, Yulia Khutoretskaya (artistic director and conductor)[j].
Delos DE 3313. DDD. TT 55:09.
Recorded St. Catherine Lutheran Church, St. Petersburg, 23 January, 8 and 16 February, 2002.
[c,e,g]World premiere recordings.
[h]World premiere recording of original score.

Shostakovich's Satires takes a critical view of life in the Soviet Union, under the disingenuous subtitle Pictures of the Past. Sasha Chorny's pre-World War I verses have lost little of their social relevance today. In 1960 they provided Shostakovich with an opportunity to skewer such targets as art critics, Philistinism, and the new Soviet idealism. The cycle has gained renewed attention recently. In the last issue of the Journal (DSCH No. 21), I reviewed two new releases of the work, a reissue of the classic Vishnevskaya/Rostropovich performance on EMI Classics (7243 5 62829 2 6) and a lively new version by Magdalena Kozená on Deutsche Grammophon (471 581-2). Two more performances now emerge, one by Hyperion's Joan Rodgers and another by Delos' Victoria Evtodieva.

Joan Rodgers possesses a polished, bright-toned soprano with a healthy Slavic vibrato and a distinct coloratura sensibility. The strength of her performance draws on each of these elements. She also has a way of bringing the texts of these Satires to vibrant, engaging life. Her flexible dynamic range seems to expand the work's expressive range. Her satirical inflections are well honed, lending a dignified projection to the work. She gives the verses her handsome best, dramatizing the haughty exhortations in Misunderstanding and in the irregular lines leading up to the climactic repetition of "Mavra, Mavra, Mavra". Her theatrical flair is evident in her exclamations of wonder and delight in Spring Awakening and in the dramatic turns of the final Kreutzer Sonata.

Victoria Evtodieva is a soprano of very different stripe. The vulnerable quality in her voice gave true distinction to her performance of the Blok Romances in Delos' second volume in this series (DE 3307; reviewed in DSCH No. 18). And here again, in Satires, her focus on each phrase suggests a strong personal involvement in the text, enhanced by closer microphone placement, in contrast to the more extroverted projection of Rodgers. Evtodieva offers a beautifully lyrical and expressive rendition of Satires, as can be heard in the soaring lines of Spring Awakening. She also projects most effectively the shifting postures in the quotes within Misunderstanding. At the same time it seems that Evtodieva takes the music of this cycle a little too seriously, holding back on the inflections that would provide more of the comic edge that the notes cry out for.

While Rodgers' and Evtodieva's recitals may lack the cabaret spirit and more playful inflections that Vishnevskaya and Kozená bring to their performances of Satires, their renditions are nevertheless worthy. The operatic version of Rodgers and the more staid version of Evtodieva carry the work well and each will give much pleasure for its virtuosity and refinement.

The remaining cycles on Joan Rodgers' recital disc comprise a colourful programme. Rodgers offers an engaging rendition of Musorgsky's Nursery cycle, and brings out with equal vitality the sweet, pensive melodic turns in Prokofiev's early Akhmatova cycle. She also does justice to the sensitive moods and wide ranging subjects of Pushkin's lyrics in Benjamin Britten's Poet's Echo cycle.

From the start of Delos' admirably organized, internationally acclaimed survey of the complete songs of Shostakovich, the ensemble at hand has invariably provided the kind of close attention ideally suited to this repertoire. Each release has constituted a treasure of both interpretation and discovery. The series has featured complete, multilingual texts to each of the works; the regular appearance of world premiere recordings that Delos humbly neglects to acknowledge; and the topical or chronological grouping of songs on each disc. Volume 1 covered the songs written between 1950 and 1956 (DE 3304; reviewed in DSCH No. 18); Volume 2, The Last Years, the songs between 1965 and 1974; Volume 3, The Early Works, the years 1922 to 1942 (DE 3309; reviewed in DSCH No. 20). With most of the major works accounted for, the current volume reaches deeper into the undiscovered corners of the catalogue and digs up a lightweight programme of rarities and more world premieres.

The long-awaited restoration of Rayok to the catalogue in a brand new performance is one of the highlights of this fourth instalment of Delos' series. Rayok, the only work in Shostakovich's catalogue with a libretto of his own authorship, may have begun as a private spoof to be heard only among an inner circle of friends. Yet, as the years went by, Shostakovich seems to have been preparing it for posterity. Two decades after the initial draft, he was still making additions as if the inspiration were still fresh. How persistent are the wounds to the psyche! Rayok exacts sweet revenge against his oppressors for the many humiliations inflicted upon him. It is a hilarious and priceless send-up.

Work on Rayok began only months after the notorious reprimands of 1948. It is based on a Musorgsky vocal work of the same name that also satirizes the relationship between artist and authority. But Shostakovich's Rayok takes the plot a step further, fleshing out a saucy little drama with singing parts for a host, three main characters, and a group of musical figures collectively sung by a chorus. The libretto consists of extended arias by each of the three principals who in turn espouse what good, Realist, ideologically sound music should and must consist of. The arias, in their linguistic mannerisms and musical inflections, are redolent of the Party's top bureaucrats, suggesting, in the characters of Yedinitsin, Dvoikin and Troikin (Firstman, Secondman and Thirdman), the figures of Stalin, Andrei Zhdanov, and Dmitri Shepilov, respectively. The various musical quotations include Stalin's beloved folksong, Suliko, in the first aria; a lezghinka in Dvoikin's aria; and Kamarinskaya, a popular song by Tikhon Khrennikov, among others, in the third. A recurring theme and Shostakovich's gift for musical continuity hold this mirthfully mischievous drama together.

Only four recordings of the work have appeared prior to this one, and no two of them are exactly the same. This is partly due to the history of the work and to the various arrangements that have been made of it. Rayok was written in phases over a period of two decades. As already mentioned, it was roughly sketched out in 1948, up to but not including the part of Troikin. This character was added in 1957 after the Second Congress of Musicians, which was presided over by Zhdanov's successor, Shepilov. This version concludes with the Kalinka chorus. A finale, consisting of an extension of Troikin's aria with interspersions by the chorus, was written between 1965 and 1968 but only discovered in May 1989. Rostropovich's premiere recording of the work (Erato ECD 75571; deleted; reissued on Elatus 0927-49621-2) uses the 1957 version in a performance that predates by a few months the discovery of the new finale. All subsequent recordings use the completed 1968 version.

Rayok is alternately referred to as either a cantata or an opera, depending on whether a solo bass or different players sing and act out each of the main roles. In the mid-1990s two cantata versions appeared within a year, each in fresh instrumental arrangements and each featuring bass Aleksei Mochalov, who single-handedly takes on the various roles. The first of these (Triton 17 008; deleted), performed by the Moscow Chamber Music Theatre Orchestra under Anatoli Levin, uses an orchestration by Boris Tishchenko; in the second (Music Masters 01612 67189-2; deleted), Vladimir Spivakov leads his Moscow Virtuosi in his own percussion-spiked instrumentation (both releases were reviewed in DSCH No. 9). The latter performance is a personal favourite. Mochalov combines campy spirits with an exceptionally deep, resonant bass whose authoritative weight wonderfully reinforces the sense of mock pomposity. High points in the Spivakov include saucy percussion accents and the madcap fervour of Dvoikin's "it must always be authentic" section; in the Tishchenko orchestration used by Levin, the bleating tuba in Troikin's recitation of Russian composers in waltz time. The Rostropovich recording presents the work in its operatic format (in two versions, Russian and English, back to back on the same disc). In comparison to later renditions, this one is somewhat darker and more heavy-handed, yet the various performers are not lacking in the necessary satirical bite. Another operatic performance, this time in piano score, was released on Le Chant du Monde/Saison Russe in 1993 (LDC 288 075; deleted).

The Delos performance presents the composer's final version in cantata form with piano accompaniment alone. Fyodor Kuznetsov steps into the various roles with all due ceremony and a subtle twist of sarcasm. His resonant bass projects the mock heaviness of the proceedings quite effectively. He also makes good of key moments of levity in the roles of the principals. Note the rising inflection on Dvoikin's words, "musical torture machine", the joviality of the "hey Glinka Kalinka" section later in the same aria, and the wrongly accented pronunciation of Rimsky-KorSAH-kov in Troikin's waltzing recitation. Though Kuznetsov carries off the drama quite well, I still think he might have injected a little more stylisation into the parts. This is true especially in light of the burlesque-like enthusiasm of the chorus whose spirited interjections liven up the proceedings. In my review of Volume 2 of Delos' series, I found Kuznetsov's comic sensibilities showing strong in his wonderful rendition of the Lebyadkin Verses, but coming up a bit short in his rendition of the Preface and the Krokodil Romances. Nevertheless, in the present recording, the listener is bound to get more than a few chuckles out of Kuznetsov's delivery and the ensemble work. In short, this is a classic performance of Rayok.

One of the shortest, if not the shortest work to occupy an opus number in the Shostakovich catalogue is the two-and-a-half-minute song, Spring, Spring, to words by Pushkin. The verse expresses exasperation with the melancholy brought on by the arrival of Spring and a longing for the "blizzards and long dark of Winter's night." What a deliriously morbid inspiration to catch the eye of the ailing Shostakovich in 1967! With its broad lines and nervous filigrees cast over hollow, eerily roaming harmonies, Fyodor Kuznetsov captures every dark nuance as he brings the song to its chilling peak. This is the world premiere recording of the original score. A previous issue of the work, orchestrated and performed by Rozhdestvensky, leading the USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra with bass Yevgeny Nesterenko, appeared on a Melodiya LP (C10 26307 004) and was later reissued on a BMG/Melodiya 2-CD release (74321 59058-2; deleted; reviewed in DSCH No. 11).

Of all Shostakovich's catchy numbers, the Song of the Counterplan, with which the album begins, is probably the best known within and outside Russia. Its theme gained international popularity in the early 1940s in its arrangement as the "United Nations Hymn" (the united nations in question being the wartime Allies rather than the later global organisation). The song was originally written for the 1932 movie, Counterplan, co-directed by Sergei Yutkevich. The informative liner notes, written by pianist Yuri Serov, quote Yutkevich's account of Shostakovich writing and rewriting the song. Shostakovich, we are told, produced "numerous sketches" as he strove for "agility, springiness, and pliability". It is rather surprising that Shostakovich, otherwise noted for his quick working methods, would have to work so hard at refining such a spontaneous sounding gem. Baritone Mikhail Lukonin brings off a lively yet dignified version of the song, offering a handsome contrast to the jingle-like rendition recorded elsewhere for chorus and orchestra (see reference below).

The Tender Girl Song from the 1956 film The First Echelon is a hauntingly affectionate duet for two female voices that, in the current version by Victoria Evtodieva and Liudmila Shkirtil, gratifies completely.

Shostakovich's long-term collaboration with the capable but undistinguished lyricist Yevgeni Dolmatovsky has often puzzled scholars and commentators. The liner notes provide some plausible speculations on their creative alliance. Simply put, the two men got along well. And Dolmatovsky's politically harmless if not outright pandering dishwater (most notably in Song of the Forests) provided Shostakovich with just the right inoffensive texts for troubled times. The two Dolmatovsky songs on this disc, Dawn is Rising and Song of Peace, both from the film The Meeting on the Elbe, are hearty numbers (the jacket and the liner notes incorrectly state that Song of Peace comes from film The Fall of Berlin, a mistake originating with Sovetskii Kompozitor's published score). Both are sung by Lukonin who, in Song of Peace, is joined by Victoria Evtodieva in the disc's other duet; a particularly stirring performance.

The music to the concert spectacle Victorious Spring consists of three songs scored for soprano and tenor soloists, choir and orchestra. The two songs that Shostakovich arranged for piano accompaniment are included on this disc. Both are sung beautifully by Victoria Evtodieva. The Little Lantern Song enjoyed great popularity in Russia for obvious reasons: it's a real charmer.

Finally, We Had Kisses, is an undated song with lyrics by Dolmatovsky that Shostakovich most likely wrote in the mid-1950s around the time of his marriage to Margarita Kainova (so speculates the annotator). It is sung with amorous warmth by Lukonin.

As far as I can determine, three songs make their world premieres on this CD: Dawn is Rising, the Lullaby from opus 72, and We Had Kisses. The remaining songs have appeared in various forms on one or another obscure and long-forgotten Melodiya LP (one particularly nice compilation of these and other Shostakovich songs for chorus and orchestra was found on the 10-inch D 5062-3).

The exceptional liner notes on the Delos disc, as already noted, were written by Yuri Serov, the very gifted accompanist in this series. I have praised Serov's pianism in previous reviews of these discs for his complete command of the Shostakovich idiom. He is everything one looks for in an accompanist. In the music of lighter vein, he sparkles with wit when appropriate, displaying flashes of personality while maintaining full support of the soloist. The included booklet contains a complete set of texts in both phonetic Russian and English. Noteworthy is the English translation of the Rayok libretto, the best and most fluent I've seen so far.

There are any number of features that make this Delos CD highly recommended, not least among them the fact that many of the rare songs contained within may not find their way to disc again for quite some time. This edition is a worthy addition to a distinguished series.

Louis Blois
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