Album Notes

A new album of Russian Romances and Traditional Songs recorded by classical singers Nika Leoni and Dmitri Magsevi. The album features a selection of Russian Romances - songs from the Romantic "salon music" genre of the 19th and 20th centuries. These soulful melodies are innate for most Russian audiences and are also universally appealing to any listener. The songs, intimately set to a guitar accompaniment (with some violin embellishment in three of the songs), express a nostalgic longing for love, youth, and happiness. The songs chosen for this album are among the best representatives of this unique style. Several of them are set for two voices (musical arrangement by Nika Leoni) - something that is rarely done in this genre. The result is a distinctive sound, a harmony of voices within the melody, supported by a rich and melodious instrumental accompaniment.

Dark Eyes is probably the most widely known and performed song in the presented repertoire of Russian Romances. The songs chosen for this album make an exquisite set of the best representatives of this style. The musical arrangement for two voices delights with its unique sound supported by the richness of the guitar accompaniment and the lyricism of the added violin part. The classical interpretation of the songs is well served by the singers performances. Their voices harmonize in duos with clear resonance and dynamic expression. This music brings feelings of joy and nostalgia to any Russian soul, but for the non-Russian listeners (who are provided with a poetic translation of the lyrics) this is an exciting journey to this rare genre and an equal listening enjoyment.