Emil tells us that the recital was very impromptu, and he didn't have any time to practice with the local "Konzertmeister". He also feared that he was a bit rusty, having only trained chess and not singing for many weeks. "Still it was great fun," says Sutovsky.
The first song is quite famous and deals with the exploits of a 17th century Russian hero. Stenka Timofeyevich Razin, born in 1630, died in 1671, was a Cossack leader who headed a major uprising against the Tsarist bureaucracy in southern Russia. He started off as a diplomat, a pilgrim and then a robber chief who extracted fees from vessels passing up and down the Volga. He sailed into the Caspian Sea, ravaged the Persian coasts and massacring the inhabitants.
Stenka Razin sailing in the Caspian Sea
(painting by Vasily Surikov in the Russian Museum, St Petersburg)
He established a Cossack republic along the whole length of the Volga, and then advanced against Moscow. Razin was ultimately routed and fled down the Volga. In 1671 he was captured and taken to Moscow, where, after torture, he was quartered alive in the Red Square. The whole story reminds one of William Wallace. Stand by for a new Mel Gibson extravaganza.
Common people were fascinated by the adventures of Stenka Razin. He became the subject of a symphonic poem by Alexander Glazunov and a cantata by Shostakovich. But most famously Stenka Razin is the hero of a popular Russian folk song, written by Dmitri Sadovnikov.
GM Emil Sutovsky, 2648, sings Sten'ka Razin
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Russian (transcription) Iz-za ostrova na stryezhyen', Na pyeryednyem Styen'ka Razin, Pozadi ikh slyshyen ropot: Etot ropot i nasmyeshki Brovi chyornyye soshlisya, "Vsyo otdam, nye pozhalyeyu, A ona, potupya ochi, "Volga, Volga, mat' rodnaya, "I chtob nye bylo razdora Moshchnym vzmakhom podymayet "Chto-zh vy, chyerti, priunyli? Iz-za ostrova na stryezhyen', |
Translation Jacob Robbins, 1921 From beyond the wooded island On the first is Stenka Razin But behind them rose a whisper, Stenka Razin hears the jeering His black brows have come together "I will give you all you ask for, "Volga, Volga, mother Volga, And that peace might rule as always With a sudden, mighty movement, Now a silence like the grave sinks "Dance, you fool, and men, make merry! From beyond the wooded island |
Other translations are available here
If you enjoyed Sten'ka Razin you may want to listen to Emil singing an aria "Notte e giorno faticar" from Act I, Scene I of the Italian opera, Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is sung by Leporello, a servant of Don Giovanni, in the courtyard of the Commandatore's palace. Leporello complains that he always has to do the boring work, while his master, Don Giovanni, gets to dally with beautiful women.
| Italian original Notte e giorno faticar, |
Translation by Leonora McClernan Day and night slaving away, |
Note that both movies were filmed for the Russian Chess Federation website, and first appeared at in the Poikovsky tournament report.
Lajos Portish is also a bass-baritone singer. At last year's European Championship in Kusadasi, Turkey, he sang Santa Lucia for the closing ceremony audience – and to the utter delight of the Playchess.com visitors, who saw and heard it live on the chess server.
Former world champion Vasily Smyslov is also a baritone, who in his youth
auditioned in the Bolschoi Theater and, at the age of 75, produced
his first CD of Russian romances. In May 2001, exactly 50 years after the first
audition, Smyslov sang again in the Bolshoi Theatre – in celebration of Anatoli
Karpov's 50th birthday.
You can listen to the Taimanovs play Mozart's Concerto for two pianos in E-flat, KV 365 Rondo Allegro, with the Leningrad Chamber Orchestra. Click here to replay the MP3 wav file. |
World
championship Mark Taimanov is an accomplished concert pianist who together
with his wife Lyubov Bruk played a series of concerts across the USSR
and in foreign countries. Their best performances have been released by
Philipps and are part of the prestigious collection that presents the
100 greatest pianists of the 20th century.
