The weeping willows are slumbering / Дремлют плакучие ивы / - Russian Romance.

The weeping willows are slumbering.
Creators - Veniamin Basner - Mikhail Matusovsky
Performers:
Joanna Nemo - Soprano
Hector Martin - Rhythmic guitar and Solo guitar
Musical arrangements - Hector Martin
Dogs - Russkaja Borzoi breeds, puppy Xawier and his Mom, kindly loaned - Kennel Smirnoff DK. Our Borzoi, - Boris and Puszka, and dachshund - Tytus also participate.
Informal NEMO Group
Studio NEMO 2025
Russian Romances for female voice and two guitars.
Russian Romances are as important to Russians as Tango is to Argentines or Fado is to Portuguese. And just as Fado and Tango are very well known, Russian Romances are not. Russian Romance is a small piece sung to the accompaniment of two guitars or a piano, Fado, for example, is played only to classical guitar and Portuguese guitar.
Russian Romances are divided into two genres. One genre is the Russian Romance, usually sung on various occasions in Russian homes, manors and palaces, simply in salons. The second genre is the Romances sung by Russian Gypsies accompanied by a larger ensemble, often with the violin as a solo instrument. Russian Romances are undoubtedly the most romantic and nostalgic pieces we know. The difficulty of performing Russian Romances lies in the fact that they are played on two Russian guitars. The Russian guitar is very similar to the Spanish classical guitar, except that the Russian has seven strings and is tuned to the so-called chord, similarly to the seven-string Brazilian guitar. The Russian Romance itself is not technically difficult to perform, the problem is a very characteristic interpretation, unique mood, lyrical guitar music and, in addition, the poetry of the lyrics, full of romanticism, passion, longing, which can move everyone. This music forces you to experience strong emotions. No one in other countries has ever tried to sing Fado. Has anyone tried to sing Russian Romances? Once before the war, an Englishwoman - Deanna Durbin. And in Poland, for example, Mieczysław Święcicki and other performers. We, as non-Russians, will also try. Our romances are performed in the most classical form for a soprano and two Spanish six-string guitars. We tried to arrange them so that they sound like romances sung and played at the turn of the last century, i.e. before and after 1900 until the period of the Russian Revolution. In Poland, Russian Romances are sung relatively often and they sound different, we tried to make them sound like the original, but did we succeed?
Enjoy listening.