Nina Dorliak (soprano) & Sviatoslav Richter (piano)

[Lance]

Nina Dorliak, soprano - Sviatoslav Richter, piano
Songs of Glinka, Dargomyszky, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff
Schumann, Prokofiev, Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Liszt,
Weckerlin, Debussy, and Popular French Songs
Cascavelle VEL 3041 [3 CDs] [Mono, ADD]
Recordings made in Moscow, Russia, 1943
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Not much needs to be said about Sviatoslav Richter, the most recorded pianist in the world. Richter was born in 1915 and died in 1997. His presence today is sorely missed among record collectors and concert-goers, but his recorded legacy lives on more than ever. Soprano Nina Dorliak was born in 1908 and died in 1998. They have long been considered man and wife, but I believe they really weren't married "officially" until they were at the end of their lives. Rumor has it they were married for "legal" reasons. Rumors also abound about their "alternate" lifestyles. They lived together but rarely traveled together, and they never had children. But who cares about any of this? It is their music-making that is always of primary importance.

I knew Nina Dorliak's voice only through a few LP recordings of Shostakovich's and Prokofiev's music, but not too much else. The transfers of those original Melodiya recordings to LP were badly done and were difficult to listen to with any repeated hearings.

After a long search, I finally acquired the Swiss Cascavelle three-CD set mentioned above. Costs for this set ranges between $50 and $100/USD. Having ordered it many times in the USA and Europe, it never seemed to come through. I have also heard each of the three CDs, not in succession, but at different intervals. I am impressed with the artistry of Nina Dorliak, whose singing is further enhanced by the presence of Sviatoslav Richter. They work well together, and he is found, in these 1943 recordings, to be a most sensitive and outstanding piano partner.

Not all of the recordings in this set are with Richter as piano accompanist. Disc three contains two settings by JS Bach accompanied by composer/organist Alexandre Goedicke. Vera Choubina is the pianist in 13 other songs, but there is enough with Richter to make the set most collectible for Richter fans.

Almost everything is sung in Russian, even the Schubert songs, which unfortunately, do not include many his most famous songs. But Dorliak's diction and vocal qualities are excellent throughout. You will hear a few songs sung in the original language. None of this is outlined anywhere in either of two booklets that accompany the set, and all titles are shown in French in the primary booklet. The accompanying documentation leaves you scratching your head at times.

After listening to all the songs by the composers shown above, it is my feeling that some of Dorliak's most convincing singing is in the Glinka, Dargomyszky, and Prokofiev songs. I would also question the tempi in some of the Schumann songs, slower than any others I've heard. But one thing is quite clear: Dorliak learned to sing well in her native Russia ... there is not that ugly wide vibrato and nasal quality we often associate with Russian singers, and she knows how to express heartfelt expression in her vocalism. Hers is a bright, clear soprano and embraces the full range of emotions, and she has a most keen sense of pitch.

This is not a set for everyone, but certainly for collectors of Sviatoslav Richter and for those interested in great Russian singers - or any singers! Processing is from either LP transfers or original 78-rpm discs, and much of this set is taken from live concert recordings. There's plenty of popping and clicking but none so obtrusive that it makes for annoying listening.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will become (if it isn't already) a highly sought collectors' item for those interested in Sviatoslav Richter's complete pianistic art.

[Peter Schenkman]

The problem with the Richter/Nina Dorliak three disc set on Cascavelle is that as Lance correctly points out quite a number of songs are not with Richter and to my ears Dorliak is just not in Richter’s league as an artist. For the true measure of what Richter could do when working with the voice one need only to turn to the remarkable work that he did with Fischer-Dieskau, more of an equal partnership. The Dorliak material is really for those who insist on having every note recorded by Richter.

Nina Dorliak and Richter were never officially married, at least while both lived. For estate purposes and probably with the usual accommodations the marriage took place after both were dead, at least that’s my understanding.

Peter Schenkman

[Lance]

The problem with the Richter/Nina Dorliak three disc set on Cascavelle is that as Lance correctly points out quite a number of songs are not with Richter and to my ears Dorliak is just not in Richter’s league as an artist. For the true measure of what Richter could do when working with the voice one need only to turn to the remarkable work that he did with Fischer-Dieskau, more of an equal partnership. The Dorliak material is really for those who insist on having every note recorded by Richter.

Nina Dorliak and Richter were never officially married, at least while both lived. For estate purposes and probably with the usual accommodations the marriage took place after both were dead, at least that’s my understanding.

Peter Schenkman

I was eagerly awaiting comments from Mr. Schenkman, knowing his love and fascination for the art of Richter.

When these recordings were made (1943), Richter was 28 years old and Dorliak was 35. Neither was known outside Russia at this time, but they were both well known within the borders. Richter's career was just getting off the ground and, as the story goes, after hearing Dorliak in recital, he asked her if he could be her assisting artist. He was obviously quite taken with the quality of her voice and its musical expression. I don't believe they recorded together too much after these 1943 recordings.

But our Mr. Schenkman is quite correct. The collaborations with Fischer-Dieskau pair two artists of extraordinary and comparable musicality ... certainly one of the "dream collaborations" that, thankfully became a reality, at least to some degree. (I also consider Horowitz's collaboration with Fischer-Dieskau also a dream collaboration though in reality, Richter is the better piano partner in German [/i]lieder[/i] and art song at least to my ears.)