"From the Black Box" by Kirill Molchanov: Sergey Yakovenko's artistic reading of the musical and prose text of the vocal cycle

Podguzova Oksana Alekseevna ORCID: 0000-0001-8856-7308 Postgraduate student; Department of Musicology and Composition; M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov State Medical University 36 Marxistskaya str., Moscow, 109147, Russia oksana9.11@yandex.ru

Among the forgotten, little–known, but very bright and interesting works in the repertoire of the singer, People's Artist of Russia Sergei Borisovich Yakovenko (1937-2020) is the vocal cycle "From the Black Box" (1967) by Kirill Vladimirovich Molchanov (1922-1982). The performer and the composer had a creative and personal friendship. The first song with which Yakovenko appeared on stage in his youth, doing amateur art, was "Remember" by K. Molchanov (art. A. Dostal). As a radio soloist, the singer recorded many of the composer's songs to the radio foundation. Among them is the "Oriole" (art. N. Zabolotsky), which the performer loved very much. Especially for the singer, the composer changed Pavel's tenor part in the opera "Romeo, Juliet and Darkness..." (1963) to a baritone one. He also wrote, based on the singer's voice, the vocal cycle "Love" (art. of modern poets from different countries), which he dedicated to Yakovenko.

"From the Black Box" is one of the original compositions by K. Molchanov, created for a male voice accompanied by a piano and a reader. It should be noted that there were three more such works in Yakovenko's repertoire: "Amethyst" by S. Balasanyan (art. E. Mezhelaitis), "Pushkiniana" by M. Koval (art. A. Pushkin), "Northern Poem" by V. Solovyov-Sedoy (art. G. Gorbovsky). Performing the cycle "From the Black Box", the singer performed in different guises (sings and reads poetry), creating an original "philharmonic" theater. He was always in search of new forms of chamber performance, so he was attracted to works in which the authors used a synthesis of various artistic means. Yakovenko believed that poetry should be heard in concert programs, because "the poetic word, contrasting with the music in its texture and at the same time, connected with it by the commonality of content, unity of idea, lifts the emotional sound of the program, facilitates its perception by the audience. <...> Chamber programs should differ not only in the names of the composers put on the poster, but also in the ways of their embodiment: one program requires the performer to be extremely restrained and academic, tailcoat and laconic gesture, the other – acting freedom and scope, some characteristic details of costume, stage decorations and light score" ^{[1, c 97-98]}.

In the home archive of S. Yakovenko keeps the clavier of the vocal cycle "From the Black Box" (1967) and an audio recording of the composition performed by him together with the artist of the Gorky Moscow Art Academic Theater Zinovy Toboltsev (1911-1986). This manuscript is an album-size keyboard of 260x380 mm, made on thick, matte paper, yellowish tint with dilapidated edges. The text of the numbers intended for the reader is typed on a typewriter, and the vocal episodes are written in a neat, even handwriting. There is an author's pagination in the keyboard (66 pages in total), with the exception of the first two pages (the title page and the "Introduction"), which remained without numbering. Therefore, the total number of pages of the manuscript is 68. In 1970, the vocal cycle "From the Black Box" was published in the publishing house "Soviet Composer". A comparative analysis of these notes with the manuscript revealed minor differences. First of all, we note that in the published clavier, the text No. 12 "Breathe, breathe!" was replaced by "Little David's Obituary" (in the audio recording, "Little David's Obituary" sounds, possibly proposed by Molchanov during rehearsals with the performers). Let's emphasize the differences in the title of the cycle: in the manuscript – "From the black box" and "<...> novels", and in the published notes – "The Black Box" and "<...> romances". The keys also have a different number of pages. There are 60 of them in the published composition, which is due to the fact that in the handwritten version after each vocal number there is a blank page (there are 8 of them), as well as the presence of one page with the contents of the cycle in the published keyboard. It should be noted that the musical text of the eight vocal numbers in the manuscript is set out more broadly and occupies 50 pages, and in the edition of the "Soviet Composer" – 47. All this did not have a significant impact on S. Yakovenko's interpretation, therefore, the manuscript of the vocal cycle is used in this article, since the singer had these notes at his disposal during the preparation of the composition for performance, which contain his remarks.

The composer himself called the vocal cycle "From the Black Box" "melodies, ballads, novels", like the Czech writer and journalist Ludvik Ashkenazi (1921-1986), the author of many children's fairy tales, short stories, short stories. His book "The Black Box" (1964, translated from the Czech by M. Rellib and V. Krivosheev), which the composer addressed, is a sequence of 66 photographs from the time of the Second World War (their authors are not known) with prose and poetic texts (a kind of "comments" on visual images) that were previously presented in a number of photo albums and in the magazine "Czech photo". Molchanov selected 17 Ashkenazi texts for different photographs and arranged them in a certain sequence (Table 1).

Table 1

As can be seen from the table above, reading and singing alternate in the vocal cycle. Yakovenko sometimes acted as a reader himself. According to the singer, he preferred to be on stage alone, alternating between singing and reading the text, although sometimes the text was read by Z. Toboltsev. The episodes that the reader performs are sometimes large numbers, not epigraphs or an introduction, they reveal and continue the line of the plot development. Note that the composer retains the original title of each novella, with the exception of one of them: No. 6 is called "Morning" (L. Ashkenazi – "Dew"). Molchanov, following the text, makes adjustments, makes minor cuts. So, in No. 13 "The Wall" he omits the lines "Look, ladies, you have fresh cabbage in your wallet!", focusing on the names of Jews who died in prisons, that is, he talks about the Holocaust, one of the greatest tragedies in the history of mankind. At the end of No. 5 "The Sun", the composer repeats the first phrase "Children are small creatures", thereby creating a ring composition. In No. 15 "Military Orchestra" the composer places the first line "Who knows: was it or will it just be?" at the end of the issue with the remark "talking", mp, as if leaving hope for the best.

Revealing the title of the work, the author emphasizes in No. 1 ("Introduction") that the black (symbol of death) casket was "filled to the top with faces" that are "immortalized by light and permeated by darkness" ^{[2, p. 2]}. And it becomes a kind of epitaph, a memory of the fate of many innocent people. The plot develops as follows: the birth of a child, the events of his childhood, the bitter memories of a woman, the tragedy of war, death. At the same time, different characters arise (a mother bending over a child, a girl, a woman looking for her name on a tombstone, a corporal) who go through the trials of time. The image of war, as a symbol of suffering and death, constantly reminds of itself, is wedged into childhood paintings (No. 2-6), into the reflections of the author-hero about the difficult fate of women (No. 7-11), about the tragedy of the Holocaust (No. 12-13), about military events (No. 14, No. 15), including mention of the atomic bomb the bomb (No. 5, No. 15). And only once does a bright memory of a happy time arise (No. 6). The cycle (No. 17) ends with the image of sleep as a symbol of "eternal rest". It is characteristic that the composition has an end-to-end form, a single musical and dramatic movement of vocal paintings and scenes, which, as in a mono opera, create a feeling of a reviving story of a witness to the events that took place. The musical plot includes genre episodes, which enhances the role of scenography and sound-imaginative images. And Sergey Yakovenko expressively accurately recreates the imaginative world of the work, reveals its deep psychological character, and creates vivid, memorable paintings. In No. 1, "Who are you?" the singer leads a monologue on behalf of a mother bent over a baby. Softly (mp), softly, in falsetto, with tenor colors in his voice, with a hidden delight in his voice, through a "half-whisper" he addresses the child: "How I want to talk to you, Fish." The character of the vocal part is close to colloquial speech: short durations, repeated repetition of one sound. Before the phrase "I so want to talk to you, Fish", Sergei Borisovich's hand indicates the remark meno. With the words "How I want to hear you say it", mp, the singer gradually increases the sound of his voice over the course of seven bars to mf. From the remark "Are you really going to become an ordinary peasant", Yakovenko's voice is filled with new colors: anxiety and anxiety. He gradually increases the sound and accelerates the tempo, preparing the climax, which he performs chanting, ff, emphasizing each syllable. Suddenly everything calms down, ppp, the tempo slows down (poco meno mosso) and the singer with his mouth closed, p, but still in a restless state, pulls the sound e of the first octave, which lasts a whole note, from glissando down to es of a small octave (Figure 1).

Figure 1. K. Molchanov. The vocal cycle "From the black box".

No. 3 "Who are you?"

The cycle No. 17 "Dreams" ends, resembling a lullaby. This is the shortest episode of the cycle, it lasts 2 minutes and impresses with its amazing simplicity. It is characterized by a slow tempo (Largo), the quietest dynamics (pp, ppr). Here, the singer's part consists of two phrases: "Do not wake women up too early, they have the sweetest dreams in the morning." Yakovenko's voice sounds quiet (pp), light, while every word is clearly audible.

In the episode "The Wall", the singer emphasizes a strong contrast: an expressive beginning (reminiscent of a scream) and almost crying at a slow pace, with repeated repetition of one sound in the vocal part, descending semitone moves, minor fret (h-moll, c-moll, h-moll).

In accordance with the genre and figurative basis, the performer recreated almost visible theatrical images in all vocal episodes. Yakovenko had the ability "to cover the work as a whole, to understand its dramatic basis, to correctly place semantic accents. <...> he is not only a wonderful actor, but also a sensitive director <…>. He is characterized by open, even journalistic communication with the public, to whom he either "broadcasts" with the oratorical force of conviction, or in a friendly way "tells" about the thought-out, experienced" ^{[3, p. 73]}. In the "Military Orchestra" – against the background of marching piano chords, he literally chants every word. The singer seems to transform into a corporal, pronouncing the text on his behalf: "Ah, Maine Goth! Such an orchestra, and not a single boy running after...". And in "Blues about Coffee Grounds" Yakovenko's voice sounds hidden, interspersed with blues motifs in the piano part (Figure 2).

Figure 2. K. Molchanov. The vocal cycle "From the black box".

No. 7 "Blues about coffee grounds"

The implied dialogue that sounds at the end of the episode "Sunshine" is expressive. The singer performs the child's phrase "mom, look, mushroom" in a spoken voice, and the words "mom, look" are anxious, f, and "mushroom" is confused, in a whisper. Yakovenko's voice intonation accurately conveys the condition of a child who saw a nuclear "mushroom" in the sky after the explosion of an atomic bomb (Figure 3).

Figure 3. K. Molchanov. The vocal cycle "From the black box".

No. 5 "The Sun".

The singer has repeatedly written and said that for the interpretation of each vocal composition, "the truth should be sought in the synthesis of verbal expressiveness, which dramatic actors teach us, and impeccable vocal and technical skills..." ^{[3, p. 75]}. This manifested itself in the interpretation of intonationally complex vocal compositions, such as "From the Black Box". So, in the number "Who are you?" in almost every bar there are jumps to non, septim, sexta, fifth, quart or tritone, which Yakovenko performs easily and freely. Jump to nono (d of the small octave – e of the first octave) on the words "I want to", he sings softly, mp, conveying a tremulous and tender attitude to the child, instantly "taking off" with his voice to the note e of the first octave, which lasts one sixteenth in the sextole. We will also highlight the abundance of moves for a small second when moving eighth and sixteenth on the words "Fish", "joy", "you will become ordinary", "will it really come", "also to someone", "voice", "goldfish".

The vocal cycle "From the Black Box" contains many metrorhythmic difficulties. All eight vocal episodes have a variable size, which is due to the literary basis of the composition, written in verlibra, free verse. So, in the episode "Who are you" there is a frequent change of size (4/4, 2/4, 5/4, 6/4). Similarly, an even more active size change is typical for the episode "Marijuana" (3/4, 5/8, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 4/4). Variable size is found in other numbers, among them – "Cigarette" (4/4, 2/4), "Military Band" (4/4, 2/4, 6/4 occurs in only one measure), "Dreams" (4/4, 5/4, 2/4). Yakovenko overcomes these "transitions" from one size to another easily and freely, emphasizing the emotional diversity of the text and music. Almost everywhere there are syncopations, a combination of trioles and duoles, in the episodes "Who are you" and "Sunny" – sextoles and quintoles. Let's emphasize the complex rhythm in the episode "Blues about coffee grounds", where the pattern of the vocal part of each phrase begins with syncopation, intervals are often paired with a dotted rhythm and with trioles.

The composition of the composition is such that it includes abrupt changes not only in moods, but also in poetry – singing. Brief introductions in individual numbers of the cycle require quick fine tuning to the desired key. So, in the episode "Who are You?" the intro is one dissonant chord. At the same time, the first sound of the vocal part is "hidden" in the depths of the piano. Another example, before the episode "Cigarette" in the keyboard, Yakovenko's hand in a simple pencil indicates the remark "a small pause", obviously necessary for understanding the novella "Women" located in front of him, as well as for quickly switching from reading to singing, since the introduction, as is often found, consists of one interval – the octave es- es. A similar decision is made in other episodes, including "The Wall" and "The Sun".

The composition is permeated by the warm intonations of the melodic composer Kirill Molchanov, making the heart tremble. At the same time, the musical language of the composition is complex in a modern way, it includes speech, declamatory phrases, sharp throws of intonation, various types of melody from broad-chanted to recitative-declamatory, which the performer expressively emphasizes. Yakovenko performs individual lines in the vocal numbers of the cycle in a conversational manner ("Who are you?", "Military Orchestra"). The vocal number "Cigarette" is based on a special combination of singing and reading: in the extreme sections of the form, Yakovenko sings softly, softly in the upper register (e and d of the first octave), and in the middle part he reads the text against the background of an almost improvisational piano sound (12 bars). The composer's remark: the piano plays "quietly, very freely, as a pianist improvises in jazz during a break between numbers" (Figure 4).

Figure 4. K. Molchanov. The vocal cycle "From the black box".

No. 9 "Cigarette".

There are also many difficulties in the ratio of the vocal part and the piano accompaniment. Let's give an example: against the intermittent background of the decomposed reduced triad, the performer is entrusted with replicas (legato), which are interspersed with recitation ("Marijuana"). In No. 13 "The Wall", the vocal part is accompanied by a gradual movement of sixteenth durations in a sextole with an abundance of semitone moves (vol. 7-9).

The analysis of the vocal cycle "From the Black Box" and the preserved audio recording of the composition performed by S. Yakovenko Z. Toboltsev showed that the complex figurative world of music and words of the reader, in which heart warmth and pain, death and life, hope and love, surprise and fear are combined, reveals expressively precisely, psychologically subtly and theatrically visibly. The singer called this composition deeply tragic and performed it as a kind of "vocal requiem" with a sense of compassion. The enormous talent, bright personality, and artistry of the outstanding master of the twentieth century, Sergei Borisovich Yakovenko, made it possible to reveal a huge panorama of time in which death, pain, humiliation, and hatred accumulated in the "black box" of the inhuman time of crimes against everything human that is in life. Indeed, it is: Sergey Yakovenko "walked flawlessly in the "psychological fairway" of the musical and poetic text. And in each fragment he achieved such truthful and logical expressiveness that it is difficult to imagine the possibility of any other solution" ^{[3, p. 75]}.