Elisabeth Söderström: The complete "12 romances Op. 21" (Rachmaninov)

12 romances (Op. 21):
I. Sud′ba 00:00
II. Nad svezhey mogiloy 06:40
III. Sumerki 08:37
IV. Oni otvechali 10:56
V. Siren' 12:40
VI. Otryvok iz A. Myusse 14:33
VII. Zdes′ khorosho 16:30
VIII. Na smert′ chizhika 18:36
IX. Melodiya 21:28
X. Pred ikonoy 24:40
XI. Ya ne prorok 28:28
XII. Kak mne bol′no 30:02

Rachmaninov, Sergiej (1873-1943) -composer
Elisabeth Söderström -soprano
Vladimir Ashkenazy -piano

Playlist: The art of Russian song: Glinka, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky...: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdM8VSWYvcWEFAIPSACJP3UM0xNDdnl-R

Scores:
I. http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/3/3d/IMSLP07289-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._1.pdf
II. http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/e/e9/IMSLP07290-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._2.pdf
III. http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/3/37/IMSLP07291-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._3.pdf
IV. http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/4/4d/IMSLP07292-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._4.pdf
V. http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/2/2f/IMSLP07293-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._5.pdf
VI. http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/a/a3/IMSLP07294-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._6.pdf
VII. http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/9/95/IMSLP07295-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._7.pdf
VIII. http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/6/6c/IMSLP07296-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._8.pdf
IX. http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/a/a3/IMSLP07297-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._9.pdf
X. http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/2/2b/IMSLP07298-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._10.pdf
XI. http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/c/c1/IMSLP07299-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._11.pdf
XII. http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/b/be/IMSLP07300-Rachmaninov_-_Op._21__No._12.pdf

This was Rachmaninov's fourth collection of songs, and all but the first of them date from 1902. By this time he had begun to regain his confidence following the depression and loss of artistic sense that resulted from the catastrophic failure of his First Symphony in March 1897, which owed more to the possibly drunk Glazunov's poor conducting than to the young composer's fairly impressive composition.
The first song in the collection, "Fate," was written in 1900 and is by far the longest of the 12. Indeed, the others here are quite short, being of two- or three-minutes' duration, about the usual length of most of the composer's previous efforts in the genre. "Fate" was said to be inspired by Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, whose dominant motto has been linked to fate, though never positively. The texts of the song derive from Alexei Apukhtin and the music is rather ponderous and overly dramatic. The second item, "By a fresh grave," is a setting of a poem by Semyon Nadson, as is the ninth, "Melody." The former broods over sorrow and loneliness and the latter deals with the sounds of nature a man desires to hear at the moment of his death. The former is morose and dramatic, while the piano theme and vocal line in "Melody" flow beautifully.
"Twilight," a poem by Jean-Marie Guyot, is a delicate, lyrical creation about a pensive woman looking through a window at a darkening sky. "They replied," on Victor Hugo texts, offers vigorous piano accompaniment and a gentle vocal line to enact the text about men on the run seeking love. "Lilacs" is one of the better known songs here, not least because it is only one of two that the composer transcribed for piano. The text, from Ekaterina Beketova, deals with scenes of nature, and the music is bright and cheery, though tinged with a hint of sadness near the end.
"Fragment from A. Musset" is about the suffering of loneliness, and Rachmaninov's music on Musset's texts is dark and effective. "How peaceful" and the collection's last song, "How painful," are settings of poems by Glafira Galina. The former presents a stark contrast to the Musset song. The text speaks of the joy of being in solitude with nature and God, and the music is simple and vibrant, deftly evolving from the singer's initial phrase. "How painful" features a dark theme to express a text in which the poet wants to hasten the arrival of old age as a means to lessen grief.
"On the death of a Linnet," on texts of Vasily Zhukovsky about the death of a pet bird, features an attractive melody for the singer and a piano part with some interesting counterpoint. The tenth item, "Before the icon," on words of Arseny Golenischev-Kutuzov, is religious is both in text and music, Rachmaninov subtly capturing a contemplative and serene mood. "I am not a prophet," the penultimate offering, effectively continues the religious vein. It is based on texts by Alexander Kruglov.

Source: http://www.allmusic.com/composition/songs-12-for-voice-piano-op-21-mc0002394138

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