Smirnov D. Midnight Verses. Cantata for female choir, mezzo-soprano and two pianos

Poetry is akin to vocal. Their natures are alike. Pronounced words strives for being poured to the sung word. The composer skilfully reveals the main paradox of the choral lyrical genre when something utterly bosom is openly sung by the large group of people the way making the listener forget about the collective sort of performance. The words are penetratimg inside your heart, as if two human-beings are exchanging their feelings, directing them straight to each other's mind. Only one whole breath is left, one indivisible intonation…

The cantata “Midnight Verses” to the poems by Anna Akhmatova refers to 1982, having been firstly performed in 1983 on the stage of the Petersburg Kapelle Concert by the Women's Choir of the Rimsky-Korsakov Music College conducted by the author himself. The “Midnight Verses” enjoyed popularity among the female choirs in Russia and abroad. The masterpieces by the great poetess Anna Akhmatova won the hearts of the Serbian, Greek and Bulgarian singers, so as the Petersburgian State Hertsen Pedagogical University Choir, Petersburgian Chamber Youth Choir conducted by Yulia Hutoretskaya, Children's TV and Radio Choir conducted by Stanislav Gribkov, Music School ?26 conducted by Lev Ansheles, Choral studio "Sparkle" conducted by Vladimir Komarov. The cantata “Midnight Verses” was recorded at the Petersburg radio.

Contents:

1. INSTEAD OF DEDICATION (Music text example)
2. ELEGY BEFORE THE SPRING
3. FIRST WARNING
4. THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS
5. THIRTEEN LINES
6. CALL (Music text example)
7. NIGHT VISIT
8. FINALLY
9. INSTEAD OF POSTFACE