Songs by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943); Nikolai Medtner (1880–1951); and others

As Bard’s Scholar-in-Residence, Philip Ross Bullock, discovers in a concert with commentary many of the composer’s songs were inspired by women. He dedicated them variously to Vera Skalon, his teenage sweetheart; Anna Ladyzhenskaya, with whom he became infatuated; Natalya Satina, the cousin he would defy the church to marry; Mariya Olferyeva, his brother’s common-law wife; and Antonina Nezhdanova, the great soprano who not only premiered his famous Vocalise, but collaborated closely on its creation. Rachmaninoff also set songs to texts by distinguished Russian female poets, including Marietta Shaginyan, who likewise inspired songs by the composer’s lifelong friend and correspondent Nikolai Medtner.

commentary by Philip Ross Bullock

Rebecca Ringle Kamarei, mezzo-soprano
Tyler Duncan, baritone;
Erika Switzer, piano;