August 10, 2020

From Poetry to Song: A Russian Poet's Work Makes a Debut


From Poetry to Song: A Russian Poet's Work Makes a Debut
A new album by classical composer Mark Abel features four musical adaptations of Tsvetaeva's poetry— a first for the English-language genre. Mark Abel

For most in the English-speaking world, the name Marina Tsvetaeva is obscure. While often revered as one of the greatest Russian poets of the early Soviet period, Tsvetaeva's work has by-and-large failed to garner an international audience.

One American artist, however, has recently completed a project putting Tsvetaeva's work to music in English – reportedly the first time her poetry has been adapted to classical music in English.

In his new album, The Cave of Wondrous Voice, California-based journalist-turned-musician Mark Abel focuses his talents on creating a masterful chamber-music sound, including a groundbreaking song cycle of four of Tsvetaeva's poems. 

Ten years ago, Abel came across Tsvetaeva's poetry for the first time. When he decided to write a 14-minute cycle based on some of her work, Abel enlisted the help of Profesor Alyssa Gillespie of Bowdoin College, a leading scholar of Tsvetaeva. Together, Gillespie and Abel were able to put four of her these poems to music, the first time they've been presented in the medium in English.

"Alyssa's work is on a very high level, and I'm so pleased that she wanted to collaborate," Abel told Russian Life, "Obviously, we both feel that Tsvetaeva is still underrepresented – and we wanted to do something about it."

A portrait of Marina Tsvetaeva
Marina Tsvetaeva's poetic works served as the basis for four new songs.

The life of Marina Tsvetaeva was far from rosy. Born to an intelligentsia family in pre-revolution Moscow in 1892, she left Russia in 1922 after suffering through famine and civil war, which claimed the life of her daughter. She and her family lived in poverty, traveling between various cities in Europe. Upon her return in 1939, she found a Stalinist Russia shrouded in suspicion and repression. Her husband and daughter were both arrested on charges of espionage in 1941. Her husband was killed, and Tsvetaeva hanged herself shortly after.

Tsvetaeva's poetry often reflects the hopelessness and despair of her situation. Themes of homesickness, loneliness, and forlorn hope pervade her work. This manifests itself in raw verses that are difficult to translate and access for foreign listeners. According to Abel, the poetry presents "incredible diversity, emotional intensity and sheer output – truly astonishing considering the tremendous difficulties she encountered in life."

Abel's musical iteration reflects this bleakness skillfully, with the powerful and stirring voice of Grammy-winning soprano Hila Plitmann lending the poetry a haunting quality.

In Professor Gillespie's words, Abel's work "emphasizes expressivity, emotion, and turns of phrase over melody and rhythm. Every psychological nuance, every tiny shift in mood and idea is reflected in his music. I find it refreshing, exciting, and extraordinarily revealing."

The album has already received glowing critical praise.

Mark Abel's album, The Cave of Wondrous Voice, is available for preview and purchase from Delos Music here. Live premieres of the new music were scheduled for this fall, but have been postponed, hopefully only until spring 2021.

Be sure to check out Abel's personal introduction to the album here.

 

You Might Also Like

Writers in Isolation
  • May 01, 2020

Writers in Isolation

Russian literature is rich with experiences of isolation. We check in with a few famous writers of the past.
The Poet's Fate
  • June 01, 1999

The Poet's Fate

Alexander Pushkin's work was inextricably bound up with his personal life and with his tragic death, foretold in his masterpiece, Yevgeny Onegin.
Ahead of Her Time
  • October 01, 1997

Ahead of Her Time

Our calendar feature looks at the life and struggles of Marina Tsvetaeva, one of this century's greatest poets.
The Poet of Passions
  • September 01, 2007

The Poet of Passions

Marina Tsvetaeva was born to wealth, but her adult life was shaped by hardship and tragedy. For this reason, her literary work is all the more passionate and enthralling.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955