Korchmar G. “The One I Love”. Poem for piano. Rubinstein A. Introduction to the 3rd scene and aria of Sulamith

Grigori Korchmar (born in 1947) got his higher musical education at the St Petersburg State Conservatoire. His teachers were Vadim Salmanov (composition) and Pavel Serebryakov (piano). Being the author of nearly 140 compositions, Korchmar embraces theatre, symphonic, choral, vocal and instrumental chamber genres. His creativity is peculiar for the works for all ages and instrumental casts, so as the transcriptions of the other composers' pieces. Korchmar's compositions are performed by the famous symphonic and choral groups, ensembles and soloists. The composer's music enjoys its popularity in the Russian regions, the majority of European countries, so as America and Asia. Many of Korchmar's masterpieces were published by various native and foreign publishing houses. Some of them were recorded to the CDs. 

The poem for piano called “The One I Love...” is published for the first time. It was composed in 2003 having been ordered by the Organization Committee of the International Competition “The Performer — the Composer”, taking place in St. Petersburg. The piece is an obligatory composition for the participants of the Fourth Competition devoted to 175th anniversary of Anton Rubinstein's birthday. Grigori Korchmar's offering to this significant date is based on the thematical material by the great Petersburgian composer and pianist Anton Rubinstein. The primary source of Korchmar's poem for piano is also suggested as the supplement. Korchmar was inspired by the excerpt from the opera “Sulamith” by Anton Rubinstein. Together with such operas as “Moses” and “Maccabeus” this theatre creature may be referred to the so-called “biblical operas” of Rubinstein vast artistic sphere. The Petersburgian composer seemed to have evoked in “Sulamith” the Old Testament with its Song of Songs, passionate Solomon's outburst, apotheosis to love and faithfulness. The published excerpt is the beginning of the third scene with the main character's aria, eagerly trying to approach the hour of her meeting with the beloved man. Expressive melodious fluctuations of the oriental nature became the kind of the main ground for Grigori Korchmar. The text used by Rubinstein sometimes coincides with the fragments of the Song. Thus it was borrowed by Korchmar as the epigraph to his composition. The title of Korchmar's poem “The One I Love” is the line of the Song, passing as the whole episode's refrain. Agitated mind, extremely exalted spirit make the whole atmospere respond the final phrase of the epigraph desperately and touchingly exclaiming: “.. .that I am faint with love”.