diction in art songs...

[michael.pushkin]

I too give Russian classes in Russian diction at our local conservatoire.
We've recently listened to CDs of Tchaikovsky and Rakhmaninov songs
performed by the likes of Khvorostovsky and Leiferkus, with similar kinds of
inconsistences to those you describe. For example, 'ery' is pronounced
sometimes as a 'ery', if only at the very start of a sustained note, and
sometimes simply as a Russian 'i', with no hint of a 'ery'. It's confusing
for the student singers, but also heartening and reassuring for them: 'If
even world-class native Russian singers can't make their minds up, we can't
be criticised too strongly' etc.

Mike Pushkin
CREES, ERI, University of Birmingham
and
Birmingham Conservatoire


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Denner" <mdenner at STETSON.EDU>
To: <SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 8:36 PM
Subject: [SEELANGS] diction in art songs...


Anyone have a good, practical, and efficient guide to Russian diction for
singers?



I'm helping a couple of members of our conservatory. They're singing романсы
and art songs. I have seared on my brain Avanesov's Русское литературное
произношение from a grueling class with Larry Richter, but I don't know how
valid those norms are for contemporary performances of art songs.



For instance: Listening to a variety of interpretations of Rakhmaninov's
Сумерки, I hear very different pronunciations. One older version (Chanos,
Naoumenko), seems to follow Avanesov's directions: doesn't reduce the O
except word-initial and Naumenko pronounces the -E- in a participle as /ye/.
Восходят he sings /восходят/ and not /васходит/, etc...



A newer version (Atoll, Dodoka) - observes all the norms that I associate
with R1 speech, including a /yo/ in the past-passive participle and all the
non-word-initial O's and unstressed я --> /и/, etc.



So, if this song were to be performed in Moscow, today, what model of
diction would one probably use? (I realize that this question is probably
not as simple as it's posed, but I guess I'm looking for popular
expectations.)

~mad
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
   Dr. Michael A. Denner
   Editor, Tolstoy Studies Journal
   Director, University Honors Program


   Contact Information:
      Russian Studies Program
      Stetson University
      Campus Box 8361
      DeLand, FL 32720-3756
      386.822.7381 (department)
      386.822.7265 (direct line)
      386.822.7380 (fax)

      google talk michaeladenner
      www.stetson.edu/~mdenner




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