<<  -- 4 --  Maria Nockin    AN INDELIBLE IMPRESSION

The finale of this disc is devoted to Modest Mussorgsky's Songs and Dances of Death in Dimitri Shostakovich's boldly dramatic orchestration of 1962. (There are other orchestrations of this cycle by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov.)

The texts were written by Count Arseny Golenishchev-Kutuzov with whom the composer had at one time shared a house. In each poem Death takes on a different identity in order to entice its victim into the land of no return.

In the 'Lullabye' Podles portrays three characters with different voices. The clear and unemotional voice of the narrator sets the scene. A much more agitated voice is that of a mother trying to comfort her seriously ill child who has been restless all night. Finally, we hear the sumptuous, velvet tones of Death which finally lulls the child into eternal sleep as the horrified mother looks on. Each character has its own sound as Podles relates this eerie tale and the result is riveting vocal drama.

In 'Serenade' it is a young woman who cannot sleep because she is suffering from an illness. Although she longs for life's joys, she becomes enchanted by the music of a mysterious knight who serenades her with wonderfully inviting rhythms. In this song there is always a note of foreboding in Podles' voice. The listener knows what is going to happen but he, too, is under the enchanting spell of the knight. At the very end, when Podles' glorious voice rises to a great crescendo, the inevitable takes place and the knight proclaims victory with trumpet-like tones.

The 'Russian Dance' begins in a cheerful mood as a man leaves a party and starts walking home through familiar fields. Unfortunately, we soon learn that he is drunk and cannot find his way. Alone in the night he meets Death who lures him into the forest, singing of summer. A storm comes up and the drunk collapses in the snow. Podles, again portraying a deceptive grim reaper, has a soft and sinuous voice for speaking to the drunkard and bold ringing tones for calling forth the winter storms that will take his life before dawn.

In some of these songs Death can be seen as a deliverer from suffering, but in the last poem, 'The Field Marshall' there is nothing consoling about the victory of the grave. Here Podles portrays Death, seen as a woman riding a horse and exulting over a battle field of corpses. Her extensive range and ability to vary the colors of her voice enable her to make an indelible impression with this character who exclaims that all the warriors, no matter which side they fought on, are now united in her army and will never fight again.

These selections may not appeal to every lover of classical vocal music, but they are incredibly well done and will long be treasured by those who appreciate them.