In Memory of Valentina Levko 'Star of the Bolshoi' (1926 - 2018) | Popular Russian Songs

Valentina Levko was another in the glorious line of Russian 20th-century contraltos who in some ways defined the sound of Russian opera for ears, both Eastern and Western, which were often discovering the rich tradition of Russian opera for the first time through recordings. Levko's name, however, unlike compatriots such as Elena Obratzova, never travelled as far or as well. Committed to her contract at the Bolshoi, she spurned several opportunities to make a name for herself in the West, with the lucrative recording contracts that would surely have followed. And yet hers was, as this important set reveals, a voice and dramatic presence firmly in the mould of greats of the past such as Zara Dolukhanova.

This video contains the 7th volume of the complete Valentina Levko: Star of the Bolshoi box-set. To download and stream the complete album click here: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/StaroftheBolshoi

00:00:00 Alexei Verstovsky - The Little Bell (F. Glinka)
00:03:11 Mili Balakirev - Embrace me, kiss me (Koltsov)
00:05:47 Alexander Varlamov - I feel sorry for you
00:08:57 Alexander Varlamov - Oh, do not kiss me
00:10:30 Alexander Gurilyov - Girl’s Sorrow (Koltsov)
00:15:01 Pyotr Bulakhov - And this world has no eyes
00:17:15 Pyotr Bulakhov - Do not stir up memories (Davidov)
00:21:39 Alexander Diubiuk - Do not scold me (Razorenov)
00:25:34 Alexei Verstovsky - The Old Husband (Gipsy song after Pushkin)
00:27:56 Pyotr Bulakhov - Russian Carriage-and-Three (Viazemsky)
00:30:32 Alexander Varlamov - Red Sarafan (Tsyganov)
00:34:04 Song of Ilinichna (Music for a Tragedy by Nestor Kukolnik ‘Count Kholmski’)
00:35:57 Oh, if I had known (Gypsy Song – Dmitriev)
00:40:55 I loved him (Koltsov)
00:43:52 Reminder
00:49:48 I loved you (Pushkin)