"Angel" by Alexander Varlamov. Anton Belov, Baritone; Oleg Timofeyev, 7-String Guitar

Emerald
Music by Boris Fomin
Text by Anatoly D'Aktil (O. Iokhim) 

No, neither the crimson ruby, nor the purple amethyst, 
Nor the diamond, shining with its obnoxious whiteness, 
Can compare with the radiant severity 
Of your cold eyes, 
As much as this finely cut 
Dark-green emerald, 
That keeps the mystery of ancient ores, 
That isn’t burned by any fire, 
That isn’t in love with anything in this world. 
  
I cannot withstand the pains of these torments; 
May the years of separation ameliorate them, -- 
So that in the bright gold of my memories 
You shone forever, 
Like this finely cut, 
Dark-green emerald, 
That keeps the mystery of ancient ores, 
That isn’t burned by any fire, 
That isn’t in love with anything in this world.

Emerald (Boris Fomin) Anton Belov and Oleg Timofeyev

“My Dear Mother” or “The Song about the Rushnyk” (embroidered towel-cloth) (Ukrainian: Пісня про рушник) is a popular Ukrainian song based on a poem by Andriy Malyshko. The poem and song recount a lyrical hero whose mother gives him a rushnyk, an embroidered cloth serving as a sort of familial talisman through one's life cycle, draped over religious icons and ritual foods or as a prosperity blessing at weddings. It was set to music by composer Platon Maiboroda for the soundtrack of the 1958 Soviet film Young Years (Ukrainian: Літа молодії).
In this version you hear baritone Anton Belov with an improvisatory accompaniment by Stanislav Serebriannikov, piano.

My Dear Mother (Пісня про рушник)--a Ukrainian Song

A beautiful rendition of a "Sonnet" by persecuted Ukrainian composer Vasyl Barvinsky. 

Anton Belov, Baritone
Stanislav Serebriannikov, Piano

Cонет (Sonnet)
Music by Vasyl Barvinsky (1888-1963)
Text by Ivan Franko (1856-1916)

Blessed art thou among women,
The joy of souls, and the blessed sun,
The source of happiness, all sprinkled with tears,
Oh, my paradise, my torment, and my song!


My queen, the lowest among the people
You elevate to the heights of your throne,
And to the depth of suffering, tears, and filth,
You cast down those how wear the crown.

For you, all hearts of men are equal,
Your kiss ennobles every soul,
You transfigure tears into diamonds.

Your touch transforms thorns into roses.
And rests upon the hearts like a sweet charm,
Awakens all, rejuvenates, and intoxicates.

Vasyl Barvinsky--Sonnet (poetry by Ivan Franko)

"Do you Hear, my Brother?" also know as "the Cranes" is a requiem in which the migrating birds symbolize exile of Ukrainians from their land.

Anton Belov, Baritone
Stanislav Serebriannikov, Piano

Чуєш брате мій (Do You Hear, my Brother)
Levko Lepky (1888-1971) arr. by L. Revutsky

Text by Bohdan Lepky (1872-1941)

Do you hear, my brother,
My dear, comrade,
Flying away there, in a grey line,
Are the cranes, for winter.
 
Crying: kroo-kroo-koo,
In a foreign land I'll die,
By the time I fly across the sea,
I'll wear away, my wings,
I'll wear away, my wings,
 
Glimmering in our eyes
Is their endless road,
Perish, perish, in the dark mist
All traces, of the cranes.
 
Crying: kroo-kroo-kroo,
In a foreign land I'll die,
By the time I cross the sea,
I'll wear, away my wings,
I'll wear away, my wings,
kroo-kroo-kroo...

Чуєш, брате мій (Do you Hear my Brother?) By Bohdan and Lev Lepky

This is the most famous of all Ukrainian melodies. It is performed here with an improvisatory accompaniment. 

Stanislav Serebriannikov--Piano
Anton Belov--Baritone

The night is so moonlit, so starry, so bright
There's so much light you could gather needles*
Come, my love, weary with toil
If just for one minute to the grove
 
Don't be afraid to get cold, honey
It's warm, there's neither wind nor clouds,
I will hold you close to my heart, which is as hot as flame
I will hold you close to my heart, which is as hot as flame

Ніч яка місячна (Oh, what a Moonlit Night)--a Ukrainian Folk Song

A setting of Psalm 94 by the persecuted Ukrainian composer Vasyl Barvinsky. 

Anton Belov, baritone and Stanislav Serebriannikov, Piano

Псалом Давида (A Psalm of David)
Music by Vasil Barvinsky (1888-1963)
Text: Psalm 94, Adaptation by Panteleimon Kulish (1819-1897)

Oh God of vengeance, reveal thyself! 
Be enthroned amongst thy people.
Come to render judgement upon the earth.
Deliver thy reward for arrogance.
How long, oh Lord, how long, 
Shall the wicked rejoice?
How long will they boast,
And take joy in their iniquity? 
How long shall the evil men abuse your people?
He that teaches man knowledge, shall not he know?
The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man,
That they are vanity.
Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD,
And teachest him out of thy law;
That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity,
Until the pit be dug for the wicked.
For the LORD will not cast off his people,
Neither will he forsake his inheritance.
But judgment shall return unto righteousness:
And all the upright in heart shall follow it.

The Psalm of David--Vasyl Barvinsky

Music by Vasyl Barvinsky
Text by Bohdan Lepky

Anton Belov, Baritone
Stanislav Serebriannikov, Piano

All things around me into slumber lapse
And heavy calm;
Only the night wind at my casement flaps
Its mournful psalm
Now through the window-panes are vaguely heard,
Now here, now there,
The raindrops falling like quicksilver-curd
Heavy and rare.
And at the door a gentle tap resounds
In soft demands—
Mysterious yet most familiar sounds
Of unseen hands.
“Who goes there?” is the question I profess.
“’Tis I, ’tis I,
Even your old companion, weariness,
Comes with a sigh.”

Вечором в хаті (At NIght in My House)--Vasyl Barvinsky

Чого менi тяжко (Why am I so burdened)
Music by Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912)
Text by Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861)

Why do I feel so heavy? Why so weary?
Why does my soul in wailing grief lament
Like a starved child? Ah, heart oppressed and dreary.
What do you wish? What is your discontent?
Are you for food, or drink, or sleep aspirant?
Sleep, then, my soul! Forever sleep apart,
Shattered, uncovered… Let the senseless tyrant
Rage ever on… Close, close your eyes, my heart!

Чого менi тяжко (Why am I so burdened) by Mykola Lysenko

Реве та стогне Днiпр широкий (The Dnipro was roaring and moaning)
Music by Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912)
Text by Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861)

The mighty Dnieper roars and groans,
The angry tempest, howling, bends
Tall poplars to the very stones
And down the stream great billows sends.
The pale moon at that hour of night
Kept peering from a cloudy bank
And like a ship on waters bright
In misty waves it rose and sank.
No cock’s crow with the darkness strove
Or hailed a sky with dawning streaked;
The owls were hooting in the grove,
The ash-tree without ceasing creaked.

Реве та стогне Днiпр широкий (The Dnipro was roaring and moaning) by Mykola Lysenko

Anton Belov, Baritone
Stanislav Serebriannikov, Piano

Минають днi (The Days Pass By)
Music by Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912)
Text by Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861)

The days go by, the nights go by,
The summer's passing; yellow leaves
Are rustling; light deserts the eye,
Thoughts fade away and feeling sleep -
All falls asleep. And I don't know
If I'm alive or but so-so,
Just floundering about the earth,
For I know neither rue nor mirth...
Where art thou, Fate? Where art thou, Fate?
No fate have I at all!
If You begrudge good fortune, Lord,
Let evil fate befall!
Don't let me walk around asleep,
A dead heart in my breast,
And roll about, a rotten log,
A hindrance to the rest.
Oh, let me live, live with my heart
And love the human race,
But if not that ... then let me curse
And set the world ablaze!
It's terrible to lie in chains,
To rot in dungeon deep,
But it's still worse, when you are free
To sleep and sleep and sleep -
And then forever close your eyes
And leave not even a trace,
So that the fact you lived or died
No whit of difference makes!
Where art thou, Fate? Where art thou, Fate?
No fate have I at all!
If You begrudge good fortune, Lord,
Let evil fate befall!

Минають днi (The Days Pass By) by Mykola Lysenko

Anton Belov, Baritone
Stanislav Serebriannikov, Piano

Безмежнеє поле (The Boundless Field)
Music by Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912)
Text by Ivan Franko (1856-1916)

Oh, boundless plain of snowy dunes,
Release me, give me freedom!
Alone on a horse, amid your expanse,
With unbearable pain in my heart.
Carry me o’er the field, my steed,
Like the wind that blows the snow.
Can I ever escape the dreadful pain
That tears my heart asunder?

Mykola Lysenko--Безмежнеє поле (The Boundless Field)

Anton Belov, Baritone
Stanislav Serebriannikov, Piano

Music by Myroslav Volynsky
Text by Vasyl Symonenko

Ну скажи — хіба не фантастично,
Що у цьому хаосі доріг
Під суворим небом,
Небом вічним,
Я тебе зустрів і не зберіг?
Ти і я — це вічне, як і небо.
Доки мерехтітимуть світи,
Будуть Я приходити до Тебе,
І до інших йтимуть
Горді Ти.
Як це все буденно!
Як це звично!
Скільки раз це бачила Земля!
Але ж ми з тобою…
Ми не вічні,
Ми з тобою просто — ти і я…
І тому для мене так трагічно
Те, що ти чиясь, а не моя.

Ну скажи — хіба не фантастично (Tell, me--isn't it fantastic?) Myroslav Volynsky

Alexander Rosenblatt, Ukrainian Rhapsody
Stanislav Serebriannikov, Piano

Recorded live at Linfield University, February 29, 2024

Ukrainian Rhapsody (Alexander Rosenblatt)

Rachmaninoff - -Ostrovok

Pushkin - -Ya Vas Lyubil

Pushkin - -Ya Pomnyu

Glinka - -Doubt

Chizhik

Zdes Khorosho

Vesennie Vody

7 Vocalise

3 Margaritki

Boris Alekseyevich Prozorovsky (Russian: Борис Алексеевич Прозоровский; 30 June 1891 in Saint Petersburg, Imperial Russia – 1937 in USSR) was a Russian composer and songwriter who specialized in the genre of Russian romance. Many of his best-known songs ("Rings" "Caravan", "Ships", among others) were originally performed by his protégé and one-time partner Tamara Tsereteli, who recorded some in 1927 (for the Muzpred/Muztrest record label), the year Prozorovsky's career reached its peak.
This song was written in 1920 specifically for Tsereteli when she was 19.
In 1929 the All-Russian Musicians Union's Conference declared the whole genre of Russian romance 'counter-revolutionary'. In 1930 Prozorovsky was arrested and spent three years in Gulag. After the release he continued to perform (now with pianist Daniil Olenin), but in 1937, at the height of the Great Purge, was arrested again and executed.

Вам 19 Лет (You are 19). Anton Belov, voice and guitar. Music by Boris Prozorovsky

Ветка Сирени (A Lilac Branch). Music by A. Voloshin.  Anton Belov, Voice and Guitar

Here is one more: "What I must say" by Alexander Vertinsky. In 1917 Vertinsky witnessed the funeral of Russian solders slaughtered by the revolutionaries. He was profoundly moved by their "useless" sacrifice. This song was later banned by the government, but my generation became familiar with it through a version by Boris Grebenshikov--the leader of the legendary underground rock group Aquarium. 

I don’t know why or who needed this,
Who sent them to their deaths with an unquivering hand,
But so uselessly, in such an evil and needless fashion,
They were sent off into their eternal peace.

The uncaring onlookers silently adjusted their fur coats 
And a woman, with a contorted face
Was kissing a dead man’s blue lips
And threw her wedding ring at a priest. 

They threw spruce branches at them, they covered them in dirt,
And later went to their homes to quietly say to each other,
That it is time they put an end to this nonsense, 
And that soon we will all begin to starve. 

And no one even thought of just falling on his knees
And to tell these boys, that in this talent-less country
Even the bright acts of heroism are mere steps
Into an endless abyss toward the unreachable spring.

I don’t know why or who needed this,
Who sent them to their deaths with an unquivering hand,
But so uselessly, in such an evil and needless fashion,
They were sent off into their eternal peace.

То Что Я Должен Сказать (What I must say). Music by A. Vertinsky. Anton Belov, voice and guitar

Anton Belov, Baritone
Oleg Timofeyev, 7-String Guitar

I was bidding you farewell by the train car,
During these final moments, I was full of sadness,
And while we were both consumed by our memories,
You threw me a branch of lilacs.
 
The harsh knell of the bell woke us up from our dreams,
The streams of doubts swept over us.
And as the train left the station, 
In tears, I was kissing the branch of lilacs. 
 
The train disappeared in the grey mist, faraway,
The evening shadows were floating by,
I walked home aimlessly, by a dusty road,
Holding the sole branch of lilacs.
 
I returned home… This evening carried away
All the hopes, all the joys and desires…
This night, the lilac branch bloomed again,
From caresses and tears...

"A Lilac Branch" a Russian Romance by Voloshin

Anton Belov, Baritone
Oleg Timofeyev, Seven-String Guitar

Text by K. Podrevsky

How much I desire to believe, if only once, and for the last time,
Why should I care what would come later?
Love cannot be understood, it cannot be measured,
There, at the bottom of the soul, it is as dark as the river depths.

May this bottomless depth,
May this misty distance
Bind us today
By a think thread,
Your green eyes,
Your lying words,
And this ringing song
Have drove me out of my mind.

The ray of sun will shine through the close shatters,
And my head is still spinning a little bit,
Our recent conversation still rings in my ears,
Like a guitar chord, your words are still ringing.

Refrain…

I don’t need anything, not these belated regrets,
My peace I cannot restore again.
How much I desire, at least once, for a few moments
To look into the depth of the river without fear.

Refrain…

"Your Green Eyes" a Russian Romance by Fomin

Variations on "Ochi Chernye" by Fedor Kondenko.  Oleg Timofeyev, the 7-String Guitar

A song from the WWI/Revolution era by Alexander Vertinsky:

I don’t know why, or who needed this,
Who has sent them to their deaths with an unshaking hand
But so uselessly, in such an evil and useless fashion
They sent them to the eternal peace.
 
The indifferent onlookers silently wrapped themselves in fur coats,
And a woman with a contorted face
Was kissing a dead man’s blue lips, 
And threw a wedding ring at a priest.
 
They threw spruce branches at them, they covered them in mud 
And the public went home, while quietly murmuring,
That it's high time they put an end to this nonsense, 
And that soon, we will begin to starve. 
 
And no one even thought of simply falling on the knees
And telling these boys, that in this talentless country,
Even the bright acts of heroism are mere steps,
Into an endless abyss toward the unattainable spring.
 
I don’t know why, or who needed this,
Who has sent them to their deaths with an unshaking hand
But so uselessly, in such an evil and useless fashion
They sent them to the eternal peace.

Popular tracks by Anton Belov 1