Russian Songs and Arias
Sergey Vasil’yevich RACHMANINOV (1873 - 1943)
1. Vocaliz (Vocalise), Op. 34, No. 14 [7:07]
Pyotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840 - 1893)
The Queen of Spades
2. Otkuda eti slyozï (Why do you flow, my tears?)(Act 1
sc. 2) [4:22]
Nikolay Andreyevich RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844 - 1908)
The Tsar’s Bride
3. V Novgorode (In Novgorod)(Act 2) [6:07]
4. Ivan Sergeich (Ivan Sergeyevich) (Act 4) [5:37]
Sergey Vasil’yevich RACHMANINOV
5. Ne poy krasavitsa (Do not sing to me, my beauty), Op. 4, No.
4 [4:24]
Francesca da Rimini
6. O, ne rïday, moy Paolo, ne nado (Oh, do not weep, my
Paolo) (Scene 2) [2:45]
Pyotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY
The Queen of Spades
7. Uzh polnoch’ blizitsya ... Akh, istomilas’ ya
(Midnight is near ... I am tired) (Act 3, Scene 2) [4:54]
8. Kabï znala ya (Had I known), Op. 47, No. 1 [5:53]
9. Ya li v pole da ne travishka bïla? (Was I not a blade
of grass in the field?), Op. 47, No. 7 [6:27]
Eugene Onegin
10. Puskay pogibnu ya (Even if it means I perish), Letter Scene
(Act 1, Scene 2) [12:27]
Dinara Alieva (soprano)
New Russia State Symphony Orchestra/Dmitry Yablonsky
rec. Studio 5, Russian State TV & Radio Company KULTURA, Moscow,
28 August - 3 September 2011
The Russian texts and English translations are available online
NAXOS 8.572893 [60:04]
Born in Baku in Azerbaijan and studying at the Music
Academy there, Dinara Alieva has been very successful in a number of
competitions lately, including Operalia in Milan 2010, Francesco Viñas
in Barcelona, Maria Callas in Athens and Elena Obraztsova in St Petersburg.
She has also appeared at many of the prestigious opera houses and is
booked several years ahead.
Judging by this debut recital she seems well equipped to pursue a glorious
career for years to come. Rachmaninov’s ubiquitous Vocalise
is as good a test as any song or aria when it comes to voice production,
beauty of tone, legato and technical accomplishment. She has it all,
including a fine trill. What we can’t judge from that piece is
her dramatic ability and her handling of text. The first act aria from
The Queen of Spades is a good touchstone in those respects and
she certainly doesn’t lack dramatic intensity. Though my Russian
is poor I was still able to catch quite a lot of the words.
Two arias from Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar’s Bride
follow next. This is R-K at his very best: melodious and with admirable
orchestral colours. In particular the aria from act IV is truly lovely
and it is difficult to imagine it better sung.
Back to Rachmaninov and one of his earliest songs, here presented in
a beautiful orchestral arrangement by Ruben Stepanyan. From the opera
Francesca da Rimini, based on the story from Dante’s Inferno,
we get Francesca’s aria from the second scene. It is voluptuous
music and the tessitura is high-lying, but that doesn’t bother
Dinara Alieva at all. She sings it with bell-like clarity.
The rest of the disc is devoted to more Tchaikovsky. First more from
Queen of Spades and the aria from Act III which is one of the
highlights - both of the opera and this disc. Then two songs from his
Op. 47 - again wonderful music and it is interesting to hear them with
orchestral accompaniment. I have been lucky to hear several superb readings
of Tatiana’s role in Eugene Onegin in various opera houses
across the years: Maria Fontosh, born in Ukraine, in Stockholm some
years ago and somewhat later Soile Isokoski in Helsinki. Dinara Alieva
is in their league, deeply inside the role and with glorious youthful
tone.
I am also full of admiration for the playing of the New Russia State
Symphony Orchestra under the inspiring direction of Dmitry Yablonsky.
The sound is first class too. This is a recording to treasure!
Göran Forsling
