Lagniappe Volume 8

Pyotr Ivanovich Slovtsov:
Russian Tenor

VOCAL
Pyotr Ivanovich Slovtsov: Russian Tenor
Total time: [73:52]

SLOVTSOV IN OPERA

ACOUSTIC RECORDINGS

1. MAYSKAYA NOCH’: Spi, moya krasavitza [Levko’s aria] (Rimsky-Korsakov) 4:08
  Russian Gramophone, 24 October 1913; (2871 ½c) 0222011  
2. SNEGUROCHKA: Polna chudes moguchaya priroda [Tzar Berendy’s aria] (Rimsky-Korsakov) 3:01
  Russian Gramophone, 24 October 1913; (2872c) 0222012  
3. NERO: O pechal i toska (Rubinstein) 4:17
  Artistotipia, ca. 1915; (302) Artistotipia 302  
4. DEMON: Obernuvshis sokolom [Prince Sinodais aria] (Rubinstein) 3:00
  Artistotipia, ca. 1915; (309) Artistotipia 309  
5. LOHENGRIN: Mein lieber Schwan! (Wagner) 4:11
  Metropol, ca. 1915; (2636) 2636  
6. FAUST: Salut! demeure chaste et pure (Gounod) 4:10
  Artistotipia, ca. 1915; (300) Artistotipia 300  
7. WERTHER: Pourquoi me réveiller (Massenet) 2:53
  Artistotipia, ca. 1915; (303) Artistotipia 303  

ELECTRIC RECORDINGS

8. LES PÊCHEURS DE PERLES: Je crois entendre encore (Bizet) 3:55
  Mus Trust, ca. 1934; (0570) Mus Trust 0570  
9. RUSALKA: Nevolno k etim grustnym beregam [The Prince’s aria] (Dargomyzhsky) 4:22
  Mus Trust, ca. 1934; (0568) Mus Trust 0568  
10. DUBROWSKI: O, dai mne zabven’e [Vladimir’s aria] (Napravnik) 3:19
  Mus Trust, ca. 1934; (0569) Mus Trust 0569  
11. EUGENE ONEGIN: Kuda, kuda vi udalilis [Lenski’s aria, Act II] (Tchaikovsky) 4:43
  Mus Trust, ca. 1934; (0699) Mus Trust 0699  

SLOVTSOV IN SONG

Acoustic Recordings

12. O, Bozhe, kak khorosh prokhladniy vecher (O God, how beautiful is this cool night) (Amani) 3:18
  Russian Gramophone, 15 September 1913; (5022ae) 222339  
13. Ne govorite mne, on umer (Don’t tell me he died) (Rechkunova) 1:35
  Russian Gramophone, 15 September 1913; (5023ae) 222353  
14. Ya vnov’ odin (Alone again) (Borodin) 3:15
  Russian Gramophone, 25 October 1913; (18026b) 222389  
15. Rastvorilos okno (I opened the window) (Tchaikovsky) 1:52
  Russian Gramophone, 11 September 1913; (4987ae) 222234  
16. Kolybel’naya pesnya (A lullaby) (Tchaikovsky) 3:08
  Pathé, 1912; (22350) 22350  
17. Sred’ shumnogo Bala (Amid a noisy ball) (Tchaikovsky) 2:10
  Pathé, 1912; (22351) 22351  
18. Skroy menya, burnaya noch’ (Hide me, stormy night) (Dargomyzhsky) 2:35
  Russian Gramophone, 11 September 1913; (4989 ae) 222338  
19. Sladko pel dusha solovushka (Sweetly sang the nightingale) (Gliere) 2:39
  Russian Gramophone, 11 September 1913; (4986ae) 222233  
20. Ya opyat’ odinok (I am alone again) op. 26, no. 9 (Rachmaninoff) 2:12
  Russian Gramophone, 25 October 1913; (18024b) 222388  

ELECTRIC RECORDINGS

21. Travushka (Grass) (Varlamov) 2:31
  Mus Trust, ca. 1934; (563) 563  
22. Wiegenlied (Flies)* (Varlamov) 2:42
  Mus Trust, ca. 1934; (565A) 565
*Formerly attributed to Mozart
 
23. Am Meer [no. 12 from Schwanengesang] (Schubert) 3:42
  Mus Trust, ca. 1934; (564) 564  

Accompaniment: Tracks [1-11] accompanied by orchestra; Tracks [12-13, 15-23] accompanied by piano; Track [14] accompanied by piano and violin

Languages: All tracks sung in Russian

 


Producer: Ward Marston

Audio Conservation: Ward Marston

Booklet Design: Takeshi Takahashi

Marston would like to thank Dennis Brew, Donald Hodgman, Peter Lack, and Andreas Schmauder for their help in producing this issue.

Little is known about Pyotr Slovtsov. He was born in Ustianskoye, Siberia, and his vocal talents were discovered early. He studied with Ivanov-Radkevich, a noted composer and teacher. Slovtsov attended the Warsaw University law school (1909) and subsequently entered the Moscow Conservatory under I.Y. Gordi. He made his operatic debut with the Kiev Opera in 1912, and sang there until 1915, when he joined the Petrograd People’s House Theatre and appeared alongside Chaliapin. His repertoire included Faust, Rusalka, and Prince Igor. In 1920 he and his wife, the singer M.N Rioli-Slovtsova moved to Krasnoyarsk where they taught and sang together. In 1928 he was appointed professor of music at the Moscow Conservatory, but continued his career appearing at the Bolshoi in a wide variety of popular roles. He was heard as a guest in a number of regional houses and at the Mariinsky and was active until his early death in 1934 at the age of 48. Slovtsov’s records are extremely rare and sought-after by a small number of collectors; even in the 78 world, Slovtsov is not a household name! Yet, reviews of the time place him on firm footing with Alchevsky, Davidov, Vitting, and Labinsky, and possibly Sobinov, Smirnov, and Figner.