Every spring, the Music Academy Chorus of Northwestern University is transformed into part of a unique course in Russian music and literature, taught jointly by Natalia Lyashenko of the NU School of Music and Irwin Weil, Professor Emeritus of Russian and Russian Literature.
The undergraduate students who take this class find themselves immersed in Russian culture through the experience of Russian music, as they are coached to sing excerpts from famous Russian operas alongside members of the community, who populate the choir for the rest of the academic year.
The choir's upcoming concert on June 3 will feature music of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alexander Borodin, including the famous "Polovtsian dances" from Borodin's opera Prince Igor. The concert will take place at 8:00 p.m. at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, IL.
(Full disclosure: I was a member of the Music Academy Chorus earlier this year, and in years past, although I am not singing with them for this concert.)
Lyashenko draws on her deep knowledge of Russian opera to impart the finer nuances of the music to choir members. Before she came to the U.S., she directed the opera theater chorus of the Novosibirsk State Opera in Russia in more than 50 new productions. She also directed opera productions in Japan and taught at Iowa State University before she came to Chicago and joined the faculty of Northwestern University.
"Being a Russian musician, there is all this incredible music that was composed in Russia I wanted to share... I believe that it can enrich everyone," Lyashenko said to me before rehearsal on Tuesday evening, describing her reasons for starting the class eight years ago.
"I came to Professor Weil because opera is language-related, and many [Russian] opera composers use original plays or novels by famous Russian writers," she explained.
Professor Weil was more than willing to listen to her ideas. "When Natasha said, 'why don't we do a course in Russian opera,' I said 'Where have you been all my life? I've been dying to do that for years,'" he recalled. "And that's how it got started."
In his class for NU undergraduates, Professor Weil describes the literary and historical background of the Russian music the choir is singing, and he also coaches the whole choir in Russian pronunciation. The libretto of Prince Igor was based on a Russian epic poem from the 13th Century, which presents certain challenges for modern singers.
"It's difficult to process at the beginning, but the music helps," Lyashenko said about the opera's Russian text.
Weil agrees that the music helps the singers to understand the unfamiliar words. "I believe that one of the best ways to 'get' that Russian poetry, if you don't know the language, is not necessarily in translation,...but with music," he said. "When they're [singing] the words with the music, it seems to me that they get a sense of the harmony and the beauty of the poetry, as well as the music.
"That's why I'm so enthusiastic about this course. I think it's one very, very good way for Westerners to appreciate Russian poetry, which is magnificent."
The choir will also sing Three Russian Songs by Rachmaninoff and "Bogorodice Djevo" from his Vespers.
Lyashenko said that the political situation in Ukraine also influenced her choice of repertoire for the concert.
"When this situation in Ukraine [began], I added a couple of more pieces: one piece in the Ukrainian language, a Ukrainian folk song. And we will also sing a medley of American folk songs," she said.
The evening will also hold arias from Prince Igor sung by three soloists: bass David Govertsen, tenor Jonathan Tay, and soprano Tatsiana Dybal, a native of Belarus who often solos with the choir. She will also sing a song by Rachmaninoff that has a distinctive Georgian atmosphere and flavor.
"This program has connections with the folk culture of three countries," Lyashenko observed. "The goal is to get the sense and smell and color of the music."
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