Boris Gmyria- O cease thy singing, maiden fair(Rachmaninoff)
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Boris Gmyria (1903-1969)
While many Soviet-era singers (i.e. Mark Reizen, Maxim Mikhailov, etc.) have become fairly well-familiar to record collectors, other artists of formidable reputation in their native land remain unknown to most Western listeners. Such is the case of Ukrainian bass-baritone Boris Gmyria, who was born in the town of Lebedin in 1903 and spent most of his career far from the major musical centers of Moscow and St. Petersburg. As a young man he studied at the Kharkov Construction Institute and began formal vocal training relatively late, graduating from the Kharkov Conservatory only in 1936. That same year, however, he was accepted into the Kharkov Opera Theater, where he made his debut as the Sultan in Gulak- Artemovsky's "The Zaporozhye Cossacks beyond the Danube". By 1940 Gmyria had become a member of the Kiev Opera, where he remained for the next 17 years, and it was during this tenure that he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR (1951). He was greatly admired by colleagues and composers alike- the latter included Dmitri Shostakovich, who chose him for the premiere of his 13th symphony, "Babi Yar" (Gmyria eventually demurred).
Gmyria's reputation is not based only on his operatic interpretations. He was also esteemed for his considerable skill in the art song genre, with a repertoire that included everything from Schubert's "Winterreise" to Rubinstein's "Persian Songs". His talents are much in evidence in the example I've selected for Gmyria's RUclips debut: the well-worn Rachmaninoff romance "Ne poi, krasavitsa" ("O cease thy singing, maiden fair"), Op.4, No.4, with text by Aleksandr Pushkin. Gmyria is a master of painting with words, imbuing each phrase with gentle longing and nostalgia. The sound is utterly smooth and liquid, glowing softly like molten metal, while the singer's legato is simply flawless, recalling Reizen's "bel canto" manner of singing. Gmyria's voice also remains under complete control at all times, as can be heard in both the sustained head tones and the composer's evocative melismata. And while Gmyria's pianissimos do not quite match the haunting quality of Shtokolov's, they are quite beautiful in their own right. He is acompanied here by Lev Ostrin; unfortunately, I do not know the date of the recording.
For those interested in further investigating Gmyria's singing, I would recommend his 1962 recording of Rimsky-Korsakoff's opera "Mozart and Salieri", available on the Lys label.
What a wonderful voice. Living in the USA,I was totally unfamiliar with him. Sadly,it makes me really wonder just how many superb singers,musicians and other artists we never heard or saw here because of the 'Iron Curtain'.
Magnifico...una voce come quelle che dovessero esistere per sempre..io non lo conoscevo..grazie per farmi ascoltare per prima volta un artista come questo..assai completo!
Mi piacerebbe udirlo nel Gremin...e quanto!
Un'abbraccio,amico mio!
nina
Very sensitive, emotional, with well mastered, but discernible, strength; I truly enjoyed this version! Thank you!
Бесподобно! Проникает глубоко в душу, растапливает комочек льда в сердце, хочется слушать и слушать
... слушать и попутно думать о Грузии, о её судьбе, о судьбе её дев. ...
Bravissimo khankonchak!Please keep these 'obscure'great Russian and other Slavic singers coming on your RUclips channel.I thought I was familiar with most of the established opera singers from the 30's or 40's to the present.But after viewing your entries on RUclips I really have to wonder just how many superb Slavic singers there are that I don't know at all.With respest to Gmyria,I agree with your assessment.A great voice.Your contributions to RUclips are deeply appreciated.Mille grazie.
Hi is Ukrainian.
You watch so that the iron curtain does not cover you again and deprive you of common sense. After all, how can you explain the fact that you do not know elementary - the Russian Empire and the USSR - it is far from only "Russian"! Without Ukraine, there would be no Russia, let alone the Russian Empire and the USSR. Singing titans Borys Hmyrya, Mykhailo Hryshko, Oleksiy Kryvchenya, Bela Rudenko, Oleksandr Voroshilo and many others. - UKRAINIANS! You should be ashamed not to know that.
Interprétation émouvante et musicalité exceptionnelle!Merci.
А я подписался 69 на Катюшу Касандрову))
Буду просматривать её видео. ))
beautiful - many thanks for posting.
the most natural recording I have of Gmyria is
"Dargomyzhsky Romances" LP on Melodia and theres much more depth and presence than heard on CD. There is a nice CD
Boris Hmyria "Opera Arias" Great Hall label cd
1. Holofernes" aria and war song
2. Susanin"s aria
3. Farlaf"s Rondo
4. Ruslan"s aria
5. Pimen"s monologue
6. Death of Boris
7. Konchak"s aria
8. Song of the Viking"s guest
9. Gremin"s aria
10. Kochubei"s aria
11. Kene"s aria
12. The Old Gypsy"s tale
morceau que j'aime par dessus tout, formidablement interprète. Si beau! Surtout le pianissimo de la fin! A 3 mn 35!!!
Brilliant! Bravo! Let us not forget the glorious John McCormack version with Fritz Kreisler on violin either.
Magnifico cantante, suma expresividad y un Maestro en el manejo de todos los recursos de su estupenda voz, y magistral manejo de la media voz.-
exactly ! this ιis the order and this the CD i had bought many years ago in Athens ! an amazing CD with the most beautiful arias from the russian operas , for the voice of bass ! it was then , that i heard for the first time the divine voice of Boris Gmyria !....
Thanks for the upload... It's the most beautiful interpretation of this most beautiful song that I've ever heard! I've known it for some years. The Swedish Elisabeth Söderström, accompanied by Vladimir Ashkenazy, has a very good interpretation too; but I find more "natural" to have a MAN singing thIs song to a GIRL!...
I don't get tired of listening, over and over again, to this most extraordinary song, superbly sung by the superb Boris Gmyria!. Thanks Rachmaninoff, thanks Boris Gmyria for SO MUCH BEAUTY!!!...
I totally agree!! This is my best version.
How is it that so many of the early eastern European basses, with their big voices, so often have such beautiful pianissimi? Damn I wish I could do that consistantly!!
@khankonchak
amazing voice...
marvelleuse!
thank's a lot!
WOW!
MusashiTzu is correct. I neglected to mention the Gmyria anthology on the Preiser label, in their "Lebendige Vergangenheit" series (all opera arias though, no songs). It's well worth the investment!
i have some cd with Boris Gmyria, which bought in old shops , here , in Athens .from the first moment i heard his voice , loved that amazing color , absolutely russian color , his wonderful legato and all these crescendo and decrescendo he knew so well to do . A True Master of singing !
Hi is Ukrainian.
Beaucoup de sensibilité.
@CraigFrancisSoto He is Ukrainian and he is not known to the west because of the Iron Curtain
Forget about the volume for a while. Sing a little slimmer in the high without carrying up all your chest tone. Soft vocals chords all the way. Train and train and good luck. It is difficult. Don´t I know that!!!