Weinberg: Songs in Russian for Bass Voice - Tomasz Raff (2 CDs)

The last decade has seen an explosion of interest in the music of Polish-born Soviet composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg, an extremely productive composer with an output ranging from a Requiem to circus music. His musical style was extremely varied, and his richly-coloured palette ranges from folk elements to dodecaphonic techniques. Folk-music elements were not only of Polish and Russian origin, but also Jewish and Moldavian (some of his ancestors had come from Moldova).

While much of the recent focus has been on Weinberg’s epic-scale music for orchestra, he also composed a substantial number of songs and song cycles, which share similarities with those of his great mentor Dmitri Shostakovich.

Northern Flowers is proud to release a significant addition to the Weinberg discography: the world premiere recordings of six song cycles by Weinberg, sung by one of his leading interpreters, Polish bass Tomasz Raff.

Mieczysław Weinberg: “Songs for No-one”
Complete Songs in Russian for Bass Voice
World Premiere Recordings
From the lyric poetry of Vasily Zhukovsky, Op. 116 (1976)
1 When I was loved (Когда я был любим) 4:17
2 A li#le Flower (Цветок) 3:58
3 Wanderer (Путешественник) 4:48
4 Ring (Кольцо) 2:23
5 Fate (Судьба) 5:28
6 Prisoner to the Bu#er=y that =ew into his cell
 (Узник к мотыльку, влетевшему в его темницу) 6:18
7 Night (Ночь) 3:09
8 A li#le Leaf (Листок) 5:04
9 Poor Man’s Song (Песня бедняка) 5:23
10 [A. S. Pushkin] (А. С. Пушкин) 6:45
From the lyric poetry of Evgeny Baratynsky, Op. 125 (1979)
11 My meagre GiU (Мой дар убог) 2:38
12 Old Man (Старик) 2:13
13 Waterfall (Водопад) 3:32
14 There were Storms… (Были бури…) 3:08
15 Slave to a lingering Dream (Раба томительной мечты) 4:10
16 Spring, spring! (Весна, весна!) 3:05
17 Muse (Муза) 4:24
From the lyric poetry of Afanasy Fet, Op. 134 (1981)
18 I have come to you with a Greecng (Я пришёл к тебе с приветом) 2:36
19 It must be you (Ето, наверное, ты!) 3:32
20 Fragrant Night (Благовонная ночь) 4:05
21 And so the Dawn, the Dawn! (И заря, заря!..) 4:12
22 It’s all Spring! (Это всё весна) 1:46
23 Signs (Приметы) 6:03
24 Do not run away (Не избегай) 2:55
25 The midnight Blizzard murmured (Шумела полночная вьюга) 4:49
26 Ball (Бал) 3:15
27 Life has passed by (Жизнь пронеслась) 4:49
Three romances on verses of Soviet poets, Op. 78 (1962-3)
28 Spark (Огонёк) text: Alexander Yashin 3:00
29 Alarm Clock (Будильник) text: Viktor Sosnora 1:51
30 A Man walks alone through the World…
 (Человек пошёл один по свету…) text: Evgeny Vinokurov 1:25
Six Shakespeare Sonnets, Op. 33
31 Sonnet 55 "Not marble, nor the gilded monuments" 3:00
32 Sonnet 63 "Against my love shall I be as I am now" 3:50
33 Sonnet 64 "When I have seen by Time’s fell hand defaced" 2:12
34 Sonnet 154 "The li#le Love-god lying once asleep" 2:11
35 Sonnet 71 "No longer mourn for me when I am dead" 4:16
36 Sonnet 66 "Tired with all these, for resrul death I cry" 4:32

Tomasz Ra%, bass
Liana Krasyun-Korunna, piano (Opp. 116, 134 & 78)
Mischa Kozłowski, piano (Opp. 125 & 33)