#002

Evgeny Mikhailovich Belyaev (Евгений Михайлович Беляев) sings Lovely Moonlit Night with the Alexandrov Ensemble, conducted by Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov at the Albert Hall, London, 1963.

"How beautiful is the spring night! how bright the moon! Come and meet me, my love; come but for a little while, and I shall be the happiest man on earth. Look how the mist spreads over the fields--but if you are cold, my love, I shall press you to my heart."

As far as I know, the usual 1963 recordings of this, repeated on most CDs, were made at the Abbey Road studios in London, but this recording of the live Albert Hall concert itself is rarely heard. This recording was put onto tape, then vinyl for sale in Russia, then later digitalised in Russia, so it has come on a long journey to us here on Youtube.

The Albert Hall was the only indoor space big enough for the Ensemble in 1963. It's a huge and very high circular space, holding at least 5,500 people - and it was full at that concert. The acoustics are famously so difficult that the audience up in the "gods" hear the music long after they see the conductor wave his baton, or the drummer beat his drum. Yet this recording is, I think, more satisfying than the studio recordings.

Photo locations: Castle Museum, York; Pannal Railway Station, North Yorkshire. I was waiting for the train at some ungodly hour of the morning, and there was this wonderful sky and loads of commuters, and not one commuter saw it. Well I guess they can see it now on their computers while surfing at work.
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"Народный" вариант стихотворения М.П. Старицкого

Нiч яка мiсячна, зоряна, ясная!
Видно, хоч голки збирай.
Вийди, коханая, працею зморена,
Хоч на хвилиночку в гай.

Сядемо вкупочцi тут пiд калиною -
I над панами я пан!
Глянь, моя рибонько, - срiбною хвилею
Стелеться полем туман.

Гай чарiвний, нiби променем всипаний,
Чи загадався, чи спить:
Он на стрункiй та високiй осичинi
Листя пестливо тремтить.

Небо незмiряне, всипане зорями, -
Що то за божа краса!
Перлами ясними ген пiд тополями
Грає краплиста роса.

Ти не лякайся, що нiженьки босi
Вмочиш в холодну росу:
Я тебе, вiрная, аж до хатиноньки
Сам на руках однесу.

Ти не лякайся, що змерзнеш, лебедонько,
Тепло - нi вiтру, нi хмар:
Я пригорну тебе до свого серденька,
А воно палке, як жар.

Ти не лякайся, що можуть пiдслухати
Тиху розмову твою:
Нiчка поклала всiх, соном окутала, -
Анi шелесне в гаю.

Сплять вороги твої, знудженi працею, -
Нас не сполоха їх смiх.
Чи ж нам, окраденим долею нашею,
Й хвиля кохання - за грiх?
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Albert Hall 1963 playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list...