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Sergei Taneyev’s output was modest, his published works running to just
36 opuses, but it is notoriously difficult to pin down. Early works can seem
late, through high number designations, such as the early string quartets,
published after his death as Nos. 7–9. And many other works not published in
his lifetime never received opus numbers at all. This album presents “The
complete song opuses for voice and piano,” a carefully worded claim, omitting at
least 20 songs that were never collected into opus sets. The chronology of the
published songs broadly follows the opus numbering, but the relatively high number
of the op. 17 10 Romances is misleading. It was published in 1905, the set made
up mostly of earlier songs, some of which he revised for pubication, plus two
new ones. This was effectively the start of Taneyev’s retirement, the year he
stood down from his position at the Moscow Conservatory. The later sets, all designated
“Poems” were written in 1908 (op. 26) and 1911–12 (opp. 32—34). Taneyev’s
choices of texts are catholic, if sometimes obscure. The op. 17 songs begin
with texts by Shelley, translated into Russian by Balmont, but continue with
Russian poets: Fet, A. K. Tolstoy, Nekrasov. The op. 26 set are all of Russian translations
of foreign poets—French, German, English, Spanish, Italian—while the last three
opuses all set the poetry of Yakov Polonsky, a popular poet of the 19th century,
working in Pushkin’s milieu.
The intricate counterpoint that characterizes Taneyev’s orchestral,
choral, and chamber music is entirely absent here. Instead, lyrical vocal lines
are accompanied by conventional, if sometimes florid, piano accompaniments.
That simplicity is usually a virtue, allowing the melody and the words to come
through without competition. But the sheer simplicity of the accompaniments can
be surprising—the fourth song of the op. 10 set, for example, “The blessed star
has gone”—plays out over a pastiche of the “Moonlight” Sonata. In the later
songs, Taneyev occasionally indulges in evocative scene setting. Op. 26/4 is
titled “Stalactites,” and the piano accompaniment evokes the sound of water
dripping in a forgotten cave. And the last song of the op. 32 set, “The Winter
Road,” is propulsive and menacing, in the spirit of Schubert.
These songs are rarely recorded as complete sets, so the present album
is of considerable documentary value. Unfortunately, the performances and
production standards are no more than serviceable. The liner note (by pianist
Lynn Kompass) points out that the designation “Romances” referred to a sentimental
song style in the 19th century. Accordingly, all of the five singers present
the vocal lines in a operatic, coloratura style. It is hard to question the commitment
and passion of the results, but none of the voices match the musical demands. It
shouldn’t be necessary to have Russians singing this music, though this is the
only recording I’ve found not to be sung exclusively by a Russian singer, but
the Russian qualities of focused tone and cleanly articulated consonants are noticeably
absent. The best pronunciation comes from mezzo Janet Hopkins, while the most
musically satisfying performances are from soprano Marciá Porter and tenor Hugo
Vera. Pianist Lynn Kompass makes a good job of setting the mood and atmosphere for
each song, though she is hampered by the recessed sound of the piano, which,
while balanced well against the singers, sounds distant in the sound picture. The
singers themselves are reasonably well captured, though with more resonance than
this often-intimate music requires.
Documentation is skimpy. A full track listing tells us who is singing
when—the singers interchange almost continuously, though their voices are
sufficiently similar to allow continuity. No texts are printed, but a link and
QR code take you to a pdf online with the English translations, though not the
sung Russian texts.
No claim is made for any of these to be first recordings, but the scarcity
of currently available competition suggests that any previous complete sets
were on long out of print Melodiya LPs. The only other complete opus set that
appears to be available is an MDG release featuring mezzo Marina Prudenskaya
and pianist Olga Gollej in the op. 34 Poems (3071917). Elsewhere, individual numbers
turn up on celebrity recitals, the most high profile being Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s
2013 release in this moonlit night (Ondine 12162), with pianist Ivari
Ilja. Hvorostovsky includes op. 17/5, 9, 10; op. 26/6, 9; and op. 32/4. It is
hardly fair to compare any of the singers here to him, but it is fair to say that
Hvorostovsky raises this music to a completely different level.
This review appears in Fanfare magazine issue 43:6.
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