Edward Johnson writes…
Tchaikovsky wrote over 100 songs but only a few have become well-known. I particularly like them sung by some of the splendid singers of the 78rpm era whom you never hear on the radio these days, unless I’ve missed them. I also like them sung in English translations with orchestral accompaniments. It should be noted that Tchaikovsky would never have expected non-Russians to sing in his own language, which is why his published songs invariably had at least one translation in a European language.
For starters, here’s Australian baritone Peter Dawson in an excellent rendition of “Don Juan’s Serenade” … “Veiled in purple gloom of midnight, lies the golden land asleep …”
Equally affecting is the superb Richard Tauber in “At the Ball” … “The lights in the ballroom were gleaming, the couples a-whirl in the dance …”
We turn from songs to “The Queen of Spades” and Joan Hammond in Lisa’s Aria … “Twill soon be midnight now and Herman, not here, not here …”
Back to songs and Tchaikovsky’s most famous one, “None but the Lonely Heart” sung by the Ukrainian baritone Igor Gorin on a 1930s RCA Victor 78 …
Next, no longer in the 78rpm era but from a 1962 broadcast of Britten conducting Tchaikovsky, we hear Peter Pears in a “Children’s Song”: Legend “Christ in His Garden” …
Finally, just for fun, we go back to “Don Juan’s Serenade” and hear the American baritone Nelson Eddy unaccountably singing in somewhat curious French on a 1940 Columbia 78 ….
I hope these little vocal morsels prove enjoyable!