Oriented on making people closer

The Department of Sheet Music and Sound Recordings of the Russian State Library presents an exhibition, dedicated to the 130th anniversary of Sergei Yesenin (1895–1925), a poet who had a significant influence on composers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The exhibition features musical works of various genres: romances, songs, vocal cycles, cantatas, choral works, operas and music for theatrical productions, as well as children's songs. Visitors will be able to get acquainted with both famous and new works by modern composers.

The exhibition includes sheet music for the vocal cycle "Persian Motifs" by the outstanding Turkmen composer Nury Khalmamedov based on Yesenin's poems. The cycle, created between 1969 and 1971, is a magnificent musical arrangement of Yesenin's poems. Romances from this cycle are often included in the programs of the Moscow International Arts Festival “Sounds of Dutar” named after Nury Khalmamedov.

In 2018, in honor of the 80th anniversary of Nury Khalmamedov's birth, the cycle "Persian Motifs" was presented in the Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky. The organizer of this concert was the organizing committee of the festival "Sounds of Dutar".

Consisting of six parts, this cycle masterfully combines European and Eastern musical traditions. Its uniqueness lies in the use of a plot progression, characteristic of Turkmen folk destans. The narrative develops not through a sequence of events, but through emotional and psychological relationships, which creates a deep and holistic image.

The exhibition also features a collection of selected vocal works by Mamed Guseinov, published for the 260th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Arts in 2017, with illustrations and an introduction by People's Artist of the USSR and Russia Zurab Tsereteli (1934-2025). The collection includes a cycle of poems by Yesenin, "Pearl Drops", consisting of four romances, including "My Golden Land!", "The Air is Transparent and Blue...", "Pearl Drops" and "Goodbye, My Friend, Goodbye..." - the poet's last poem.

Yesenin was called an outstanding singer of Russia. He was able to convey in poetry the feelings of a modern person, his love for nature. Contemporaries noted his musicality, his ability to accompany himself on the accordion, balalaika or guitar.

Yesenin's poems became folk songs, and many composers and performers turned to his work. Among those who performed songs based on his words were Vadim Kozin, Ivan Kozlovsky, Elena Obraztsova and others. Mikhail Gnesin and Dmitry Kabalevsky wrote romances and songs based on his poems. Choirs were created by Mikhail Krasin, Alexandra Pakhmutova, Georgy Sviridov... Of particular interest are the editions of romances and songs published in the first years after the poet's death, including the poem "The Last Letter" with an added quatrain by Alexander Vertinsky.

ORIENT

Photo: rsl.ru/Foundation "Sounds of Dutar"