Bells of Dawn

This is Ondine’s third release with the Russian star baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and is devoted to sacred works by Russian composers and Russian folk songs. Hvorostovsky is recognized as one of the leading baritones of today and is an international presence in famous opera houses throughout the world.

The title song of the album, Georgy Sviridov’s Bells of Dawn, is an atmospheric work creating an otherworldly and remote landscape. The music for this disc has been especially chosen to entice the listener into the beauty of traditional Russian music as well as the skill and craft of contemporary composers in maintaining this tradition for the future.

Hvorostovsky is accompanied by the prestigious Russian Grand Choir ‘Masters of Choral Singing’, a choir which showcases the best traditions of Russian choral singing, under the direction of Lev Kontorovich.

Lieder von Khristov, Chesnokov, Burmagin, Arkhangelsy, Varlamov, Shashina, Sviridov & Russische Volkslieder

1. Praise the name of the Lord (Khvalite imya Gospodne)
2. Blessed is the man (Blazhen muzh)
3. Pre-eternal counsel (Sovet prevechnïy)
4. Hear my prayer (Da ispravitsya molitva moya)
5. From my youth (Ot yunosti moyeya)
6. The wise thief (Razboynika blagorazumnago)
7. Symbol of faith (Simvol verï)
8. A snowstorm sweeps the street (Vdol' po ulitse metelitsa metyot)
9. The do not let Masha... (Ne velyat Mashe za rechen 'ku khodit')
10. There is not one path through the fild (Ne odna vo pole dorozhka)
11. The lonely coach bell (Odnozvuchno gremit kolokol' chik)
12. Farewell, my joy (Proshchay, radost')
13. The fog has fallen onto the field (Uzh kak pal tuman)
14. I walk my path alone (Vïkhozhu odin ya na dorogu)
15. Oh, night (Akh tï, nochen'ka)
16. The bells of dawn (Zoryu b'yut)

"The singing here...is more sophisticated than you might expect to hear in your average Russian church on a Sunday morning but Hvorostovsky does not over-egg it. In the characteristically lush harmonies of Pavel Chesnokov's anthems, Hvorostovsky strikes a note of artless sincerity...[in the Varlamov song] he is equally in his element."
Gramophone Magazine - November 2014

"His entirely unaccompanied renditions of There Is Not One Path Through The Field and Farewell My Joy are extraordinarily moving, and worth the price of the disc by themselves, but the set as a whole is beautifully performed...The excellent recording was made at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow. Where better?"
International Record Review - December 2014