Concert ‘Stephan Delusto. Gentry Romances’ in the Shalyapin Museum with the piano part performed by Asya Ardova. February 18, 2005

Written by Asya Ardova. Posted in My advice

As I don’t have the record from that concert of 2005, I made 3 soundtracks —“Ardova Asya.Improvisation to Stephan Delusto”, “Ardova Asya.Entre’acte to Stephan Delusto” and “Ardova Asya.Capriccio to Stephan Delusto” composed and performed by Asya Ardova (piano) on the page ardSOUND of ardisonata.net

This is a story about the concert having been planned to be hampered and ruined by its official organizers — my senior and junior colleagues from the Compozitor Publishing House - St.Petersburg, but success came to me, because this is love to music to have supported me and my soloist inspite of all the circumstances and cruel plots. bonapart

I fortuned to represent the romances by Stephan Delusto called ‘Romances de la noblesse’, translated to English as ‘Gentry Romances’. Being the descendant of the prisoned Napoleon officer during the war of 1812 Stephan was entirely Russified making his career already as the successful Russian official, whose passions were poured to mostly touching romances. They are getting under your skin, making you ponder about the talented, but long forgotten composer of the 19th century, whose vocal miniatures were so very fashionable that time. The piano part, which I performed there is simultaneously refined and ample.

Actually the romances represent all the known sub-genres of this sphere, i.e. elegy, ballad,barcarolle. However, I was really striken by the Romance-prayer. A man asks the God to give him absolution, consolation and peace. Ascetic piano accompaniment with chords and melodious line resembles Russian utility church chants by its submissive cadances and close choral facture in crotchets.
When the utmostly strict and doleful prayer finishes there suddenly comes the triplet roaring piano facture, and the voice imploring outburst: ‘set me free from burning fascination of her eyes, for nothing else but this glance, leads me to sin...’. This romance seems to be the portrait of Stephan Delusto himself, whose mysterious life was nourished by the French and Russian natures.

I accompanied to Mrs Raisa Delusto, wife of Mr Lev Delusto, descendant of our hero Stephan. It was the kind of a chamber drama action in true French style.