Boris Shtokolov- Pis'mo k materi (Letter to Mother) (Esenin)

Boris Timofeevich Shtokolov (1930-2005) is a name unfamiliar to most music aficionados in the West. Although he was was an extremely popular singer in the former Soviet Union (and my personal favorite bass), his exposure to audiences beyond the Iron Curtain was limited- his tours abroad were not frequent, and recordings are relatively sparse for an artist of his stature. A graduate of the Ural State Conservatory in Ekaterinburg, he was THE leading bass at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg for much of his 30 year tenure there (1959-89) and is still considered the finest interpreter of old Russian romances and folk songs.

His voice was a genuine basso profondo- very dark, rotund, and powerful, but at the same time perfectly controlled, even, and flexible throughout its entire range, with an effortless top. The timbre is smooth as velvet, never harsh, and instantly recognizable (a characteristic of many great singers, it seems), and Shtokolov's trademark diminuendos and floated pianissimos are nothing short of miraculous, unmatched by any other bass in my listening experience. These are used to haunting effect in V.Lipatov's song "A Letter to Mother", a setting of Sergei Esenin's sombre 1924 poem about utter hopelessness and disillusionment with life, from the broken Russian alcoholic's point of view. A translation of the poem, which I highly recommend for non-native listeners, can be found at the following link:

http://www.russianlegacy.com/russian_culture/poetry/esenin/letter_to_mother.htm

If you are unfamiliar with the art of Boris Shtokolov, you're likely to find his voice to be a truly memorable discovery.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Russian
• bass
• basso
• profondo
• Boris
• Shtokolov
• Борис
• Штоколов
• Sergei
• Esenin
• Pis'mo
• materi
• Letter
• to
• Mother
• song
• V.Lipatov

[jurek46pink]

This is a great thing, both for poetic and musical message, that great voice included.

I only regret (much) that the sound was - remasterd ? - in such a way that high sounds (trebles) were cut off. For me it is a pity.

[khankonchak]

Hmmm...it could just be your speakers, or some other technical issue. No such problems here- the remastering is acutally quite good, and the recording sounds wonderful on my system. Strange...

[khankonchak]

I'm so glad to see listeners enjoying this memento of a great, great artist. I had the unbelievably good fortune of catching him in recital at the Maly Zal of the Philharmonic in St.Petersburg in 2003- it must have been one of his last concerts. Towards the end of Shtokolov's life the voice had become a bit brittle and hoarse, but his singing had lost none of its expressiveness or capacity to stir the soul. Tears welled up in my eyes that evening, as they did when he passed, on January 6, 2005.

[Phaidra69]

Не буди того, что отмечталось ,

Не волнуй того, что не сбылось, -

Слишком раннюю утрату и усталость

Испытать мне в жизни привелось .

И молиться не учи меня . Не надо !

К старому возврата больше нет .

Ты одна мне помощь и отрада .

Ты одна мне несказанный свет .

[Dobrib]

What a discovery!Thank you.

[MrPAN52]

magnifique interpretation d'un poeme de Esenin!

[bendfeldtf]

Would greatly appreciate English/ Spanish translation of this beautiful ballade by a marvelous deep touching, sensuous and superb voice of B Shtokolov

[Sadiesexy]

Wow, this was great.

[Sedraen]

This man had an amazing voice. I don't think I've ever heard anything quite like it. A basso profundo with an effortless upper range and a voice like silk.

[raggedclown]

I came home from Russia in 1986 with an LP, long since worn out, of musical settings of Yesenin's poetry. The whole album was good, but I loved this song most of all. I haven't heard it for about 20 years, so thank you so much, bol'shoye tebe spacibo!

[abracadabranque]

Belle couleur.

[Aetion]

What a gem! Straight to the favourites.

[cathygentle]

Esenin has always been my favorite Russian poet! Ты одна мне помощь и отрада, Ты одна мне несказанный свет.

[iammotorocker]

У меня на пластинке эта песня была...

[ingriddoppler]

@CraigFrancisSoto Sono veramente in debito verso te for having introduced me to this voice. BRAVISSIMO!!!!!