I Am Your Voice
In my young years I do not think I was very much into poetry but I did like learning poems by heart (it is a compulsory part of every literature class in Russia). A lot changed when I found in our home library two books. Poems by Anna Akhmatova and Eduard Asadov. It was the time when I realized how powerful words could be.
Today I would like to share with you a project I came across in VKontakte. It is called “I am your voice”. It is a tribute album devoted to Anna Akhmatova, which includes ten songs performed by popular Russian singers – Polina Gagarina, Elena Temnikova, Lolita, Tosya Chaikina, Zhenya Lyubitch, ANIKV, polnalyubvi, IOWA, Erica Lundmoen and Akh Astakhova. All of them chose Akhmatova’s poems themselves.
Anna Akhmatova’s lyrics is very deep and profound. Reading her lines, I always thought that I could physically feel her pain. I believe that each singer found the poem that touched her in this or that way, that is why they are so well sung.
To my mind music and poems are universal languages. Even if you do not speak Russian, you will be able to comprehend the idea of each one. Do find time to explore the beautiful world of wonderful poetry.
The project was also joined by the photographer Kseniya Zasetzkaya and the team of Marina Roy who were in charge of the singers’ looks.
As the project creators state, they chose the title based on Akhmatova’s work “To the many” written in 1922. The album came to light on March 5. Anna died on March 5, 1966, 55 years ago.
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To the many by Anna Akhmatova
I – am your voice, the warmth of your breath,
I – am the reflection of your face,
The futile trembling of futile wings,
I am with you to the end, in any case.That’s why you so fervently love
Me in my weakness and in my sin;
That’s why you impulsively gave
Me the best of your sons;That’s why you never even asked
Me for any word of him
And blackened my forever-deserted home
With fumes of praise.And they say – it’s impossible to fuse more closely,
Impossible to love more abandonedly…
As the shadow from the body wants to part,
As the flesh from the soul wants to separate,
So I want now – to be forgotten.Я – голос ваш, жар вашего дыханья,
Я – отраженье вашего лица.
Напрасных крыл напрасны трепетанья,
Ведь всё равно я с вами до конца.
Вот отчего вы любите так жадно
Меня в грехе и в немощи моей,
Вот отчего вы дали неоглядно
Мне лучшего из ваших сыновей.
Вот отчего вы даже не спросили
Меня ни слова никогда о нём,
И чадными хвалами задымили
Мой навсегда опустошённый дом.И говорят – нельзя теснее слиться,
Нельзя непоправимее любить…
Как хочет тень от тела отделиться,
Как хочет плоть с душою разлучиться,
Так я хочу теперь – забытой быть.1922
The thought of creating such an album is a tribute to Anna Akhmatova. We haven’t just picked the title. It is the voice of the poetess that speaks to us through the voices of modern singers and her mastery reaches the audience through the prism of our era, continuing to live today. Moreover, the idea of the album is that women did not only listen but also heard. - Alexander Bostan, a creative producer in VKontakte
VKontakte worked on the project together with the label "First Music". "I am your voice" is now available in VKontakte Music or in BOOM app. As producers state it will be available on other platforms in a month. There is also a page containing additional materials – different photos of the project participants from the shooting.
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