The romance came to us from another culture, but throughout its history, having absorbed the harmony of the Russian soul, the traditions of Russian music, it has become a primordially Russian genre, understandable and desired by the public of all ages. Among the galaxy of great musicians who performed romances, three names intuitively arise: Alexander Vertinsky, Isabella Yurieva and Boris Shtokolov.
Having become a genre of Russian music, in the 18th century the romance changed greatly over three centuries, turning from a rather frivolous, as it was in Spain, into a piece of music that is complex in content and form. A significant role in this was played by the skill of the performers, who endowed him with special depth and soulfulness. Performers of songs of different styles included romances in their repertoire.
Laugh, clown
Alexander Vertinsky, whose creativity flourished at the beginning of the 20th century, successfully failed the exam at the Moscow Art Theater, where Konstantin Stanislavsky himself was the examiner. He "did not believe" in Vertinsky's acting talent due to a speech impediment. It's a paradox, but the letter "r", which did not allow the actor to fulfill his dream, became his calling card, as well as the image of Pierrot invented by him.
Arietki Pierrot, in fact, are poems of their own composition, set to their own music, musical tragicomic miniatures, in which every visitor to the cabaret (in which Vertinsky often performed during these years) could see himself. A snow-white mask, suddenly appearing in a bright ray of light, comes to mind at the first sounds of his verses: "Tango Magnolia", "Your fingers smell of incense", "You were dressed in muslin in the evening."
My gentle friend
Remember these lines? "My gentle friend, I often shed tears …" They say that the romance with Isabella Yuryeva began with her first appearance on the stage. The "White Gypsy", as she was sometimes called, was from Rostov, and all her life she "bathed" not only in the people's love, but also won the hearts of the Soviet "generals" and American millionaires.
In fact, there were two "stars" in her life - this is a romance and her husband Joseph Arkadiev, under whose "light" she became known to the whole world and went a long, happy creative path.
The fate of man
The name of Boris Shtokolov is heard not only by contemporaries of the Second World War, but also by the younger generation. "Burn, burn, my star", "Coachman, do not drive the horses", "Misty morning, gray morning." Who knows, don't give Marshal G. K. Zhukov of the directorate of the special school of the Air Force, where Shtokolov studied, the order to send him to enter the Sverdlovsk Conservatory, we would have heard in his performance the masterpieces of Russian romance.
The magnificent deep expressive bass, according to his fans, courageous and gentle at the same time, conquered not only compatriots, but also foreign audiences. For the whole world, Shtokolov was and remains a symbol of the Russian soul: powerful strength and generosity.
