Galina Grigorjeva (b. 1962)
Nox vitae (2006/2008)
Diptych (2011)
God is the Lord for cello and male-voice choir (2014)
Prayer for cello and male-voice choir (2005, arr. 2014)
Agnus Dei (2022)
In Paradisum (2012, rev. 2014)
Theodor Sink (cello), Estonian National Male Choir/Mikk Üleoja
rec. 2012-22, Estonian Concert Hall, Tallinn, Estonia
Texts and translations
Toccata Classics TOCC0679 [67]
Let me first acknowledge with deep thanks Evi Arujärv’s illuminating and well-informed booklet notes. My review quotes from them in a direct and indirect manner.
Galina Grigorjeva’s music is “deeply rooted in Russian culture and spirituality, Old Russian folklore and sacred Orthodox music”. This can be heard equally well in her sacred and profane works. A case in point is the choral suite Nox vitae on poems by Innokenty Annensky (1856-1909), who – alongside Anna Akhmatova, Nikolai Gumilev, Sergey Gorodetsky and Osip Mandelstam – belonged to the Acmeism movement in Russian symbolist poetry at the beginning of the twentieth century. For those poets, the wonder and tragedy of being human found expression in each moment of life. The suite’s five movements show a wide range of choral expression triggered by the poems.
In Nocturno, man stands alone in the dark night considering the unstoppable passing of time: “Listen […] it’s a predator, a mighty bird, its name is Time”. The music builds up stepwise before reaching its full, wide-ranging expressive register. Romance without Music expresses a wistful longing for love but its mood is rather nervous and unsettled. October Myth sings of the solitary human soul, whose message is conveyed by a solo part. Here the influence of sacred Orthodox music may be heard; the basses’ evocation recalls priest-like singing. In stark contrast, Cake-walk on the Dulcimer evokes – almost graphically – some mechanical, prosaic aspects of life. The choir is here divided into two groups: one sings the words, the other provides accompaniment of sorts. In The Snow is Falling, images of death and love are again intertwined. The last words suggest appeased renewal: “If one fell asleep / but not for eternity, / if one fell asleep, / just to wake up later, / but under the azure sky… / A new, happy beloved sky…” Nox vitae thus concludes with a beautiful final meditation. The cycle is one of the gems in this selection. The wonderfully firm bass line reappears elsewhere in the programme.
The somewhat shorter Diptych comprises two Russian Orthodox settings. One is akin to the traditional Nunc dimittis. The other, Do not lament me, O Mother, is a prayer of Byzantine origin which depicts the death of Christ. The reference to the orthodox church music is quite clear.
God is the Lord, based on Psalm 117, is set as a joyful proclamation in the style of a Slavic church hymn. It functions as a refrain of sorts. The exuberant contributions of the cello are offset by a more austere material presented by the choir. The cello part, quite demanding, explores a wide range of expressive moods, at times harking back to folk music, at times rather more modern. It is all quite impressive.
Prayer, heard here in a recent version for cello and male-voice choir, exists in several versions: saxophone and organ (2005), cello and organ, cello and string quartet, cello and piano (2011), saxophone and string quintet (2012), saxophone and string orchestra (2013). The piece may be regarded as a concerto for cello and chorus; the choral part consists only of wordless singing. Near the end of the work, two solo voices intone the prayer proper, “Hallowed be your Name. Lamb of God”. This is a gripping, beautiful, expressive work. I wonder if I am the only one to detect traits that one might associate with Vaughan Williams; it may be a mere coincidence due to some modal-inflected writing here. Theodor Sink’s cello playing is virtuosic and flawless.
In Agnus Dei, Grigorjeva develops the short text into a long meditation achieved by almost hypnotic repetition. Its effect is emphasised by the opposition of halves of the sentences. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi is sung in a powerful forte, whereas the echoing miserere nobis and dona nobis pacem are expressed in a delicate piano. The strength of the piece definitely depends on this duality.
The last work here is a short setting of In Paradisum, a section of the traditional Requiem Mass. The piece was commissioned by the International Choir Festival Tallinn 2013 to be performed by female and mixed choirs. The present arrangement, made for the Estonian National Male Choir, is an apt conclusion to this generously varied choral recital.
The impeccable Estonian National Male Choir sings the whole selection beautifully. Cellist Theodor Sink’s contributions are faultless. Evi Arujärv’s notes are, as I said earlier, excellent. In short, this is a fine release that deserves to be heard.
Hubert Culot
Help us financially by purchasing from
