"Ave Maria" is a much-recorded aria, composed by Vladimir Vavilov around 1970 and often misattributed to Renaissance composer Giulio Caccini. Vavilov himself published and recorded it in 1970 on the Melodiya label with the ascription "Anonymous". It is believed that organist Mark Shakhin, one of the performers on the "Melodiya" LP, first ascribed the work to Caccini after Vavilov's death, and gave the "newly-discovered scores" to other musicians. The organist Oleg Yanchenko then made an arrangement of the aria for a recording by Irina Arkhipova in 1987, after which the piece came to be famous worldwide. [1] [2] [3]
Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto, organised by the composer himself, very closely follows certain passages in Alexander Pushkin's 1825–1832 novel in verse, retaining much of his poetry. Tchaikovsky's friend Konstantin Shilovsky contributed M. Triquet's verses in Act 2, Scene 1, while Tchaikovsky himself arranged the text for Lensky's arioso in Act 1, Scene 1, and almost all of Prince Gremin's aria in Act 3, Scene 1.
Giulio Romolo Caccini was an Italian composer, teacher, singer, instrumentalist and writer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was one of the founders of the genre of opera, and one of the most influential creators of the new Baroque style. He was also the father of the composer Francesca Caccini and the singer Settimia Caccini.
The Queen of Spades or Pique Dame, Op. 68 is an opera in three acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on the 1834 novella of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, but with a dramatically altered plot. The premiere took place in 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
"Ellens dritter Gesang", in English: "Ellen's Third Song", was composed by Franz Schubert in 1825 as part of his Op. 52, a setting of seven songs from Walter Scott's 1810 popular narrative poem The Lady of the Lake, loosely translated into German.
The Ave Maria is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus.
People's Artist of the Russian Federation, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an honorary and the highest title awarded to citizens of the Russian Federation, all outstanding in the performing arts, whose merits are exceptional in the sphere of the development of the performing arts.
The Tsar's Bride is an opera in four acts by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, the composer's tenth opera. The libretto, by Ilia Tyumenev, is based on the drama of the same name by Lev Mey. Mey's play was first suggested to the composer as an opera subject in 1868 by Mily Balakirev. However, the opera was not composed until thirty years later, in 1898. The first performance of the opera took place in 1899 at the Moscow theater of the Private Opera of Savva Mamontov.
Inese Galante is a Latvian soprano opera singer. Galante is known for a great beauty of tone, nuanced pianissimos and sensitive command of dynamics and colour. Her performance of Vladimir Vavilov's Ave Maria, from her "Debut" album (1995) attracted worldwide interest in the piece.
Vladimir Fyodorovich Vavilov was a Russian guitarist, lutenist and composer. He was a student of Pyotr Isakov (guitar) and Johann Admoni (composition) at the Rimski-Korsakov Music College in Leningrad.
Cello Moods is an album recorded by the British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and, principally, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under James Judd in 1998 for Philips. It is a collection of classical pieces either originally written for or adapted for the cello and orchestral accompaniment. The CD combines such familiar pieces as César Franck's "Panis angelicus" with rarities such as Glazunov's "Melodie".
Vladimir Borisovich Kuzmin is a Russian rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter.
Kolibri is a Soviet and Russian experimental pop/rock group formed in 1988 in Saint-Petersburg playing an eclectic brand of baroque pop blended with elements of post-punk, cabaret, chanson and dominated by vocal harmony. In their heyday Kolibri, according to rock historian Andrey Burlaka, combined ironic high posturing with touchingly humane attitude, writing and performing songs that were described variously as exquisite, depressive, extravagant, romantic, naive, sophisticated and decadent. The band released six studio albums which were well received by critics both in Europe and in Russia but never had any commercial success.
Olesya Rostovskaya is a Russian composer, theremin player, carillonneur, organist, and zvonist.
Rudolf Borisovich Barshai was a Soviet and Russian conductor and violist.
Autumn Exhibition of Leningrad artists of 1962 opened in State Russian Museum become one of the largest Art Exhibition of 1962 in the USSR.
Sancta Maria is a Latin-language soprano aria arranged by Steven Mercurio based on the Intermezzo from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana, composed by Pietro Mascagni. It uses some of the same lyrics as Ave Maria and has become a popular concert piece. It also has been recorded by several singers, like Sissel Kyrkjebø, Charlotte Church, Katherine Jenkins and the tenors Andrea Bocelli and Friar Alessandro.
People's Artist of the RSFSR was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, actors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achievements in the arts, and who lived in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR). This title was one rank below Honored Artist of the RSFSR and one above People's Artist of the USSR.
Inessa Alekseyevna Kovalevskaya is a Soviet and Russian animation director at Soyuzmultfilm known for her musical animated films and The Bremen Town Musicians in particular. She is a member of ASIFA. She was named the Merited Art Worker of the Russian Federation in 2002.