Veniamin Basner (1925–1996) the distinguished Russian composer, whose heritage includes the works for music theatre, so as the symphonies, concertos, chamber music. Basner's songs are the most popular sphere of all his creations. Remember such hits as “What Motherland Begins With”, “At the Nameless Level”, “Twas not long Ago...”.
The cycle “Eight Poems to Anna Akhrnatova” (1977) represents the composer's lyrical philosophical side of his talented nature. This cycle is one of the most moving interpretations of Akhmatova's poetry with songfulness and tragic element inherent to it together with simultaneous chamber and large-scaled attitude. Basner managed to merge vocal simplicity, ingenuousness of textual pronunciation with complicated musical language peculiar to the 20th century. Having chosen the widely known verses by Akhmatova, which already enter the classics of world literature, Basner finds his affectivee emotional hint and even genre feature. So as Anna Akhmatova's poetry, growing from the European literature, Basner's miniatures асе impregnated with European vocal traditions, from Schubert to Shostakovich and Sviridov.
The cycle is dedicated to Yevgenia Gorokhovskaya, the wonderful Petersburgian singer.
Contents:
De Profundis (Music text example)
The Third Zachatyevsky
Everything is Plundered, Betrayed, Sold
Let’s not Drink From the Same Glass
Ditty
You Won’t Be Even Alive
Bury, oh, Bury Me, the Wind!.. (Music text example)
Summer Garden