Pauline Viardot sings Pushkin: New edition for the 200th birthday in 2021

Michelle Pauline Viardot-García, née García, (* July 18, 1821 in Paris; † May 18, 1910 there) was one of the most famous and versatile artists of the 19th century. In the second half of the 19th century she had a major influence on the musical life of her time in various countries, above all in France, Germany, England and Russia. She sang, composed and taught, she arranged and edited works by other composers, collected folk song texts and melodies, organized musical salons and also conducted extensive correspondence.

Live and act

In addition to her training as a composer under the direction of Anton Reicha, the young Pauline García felt “irresistibly” drawn to the piano. Her playing and her compositions were very much appreciated by her teacher Franz Liszt. She speaks six languages fluently. From 1863 she settles in Baden-Baden with her husband and four children. Musicians, poets, painters and other important personalities of their time met in their domicile there, which in addition to a villa also included a garden theater and an art and lecture hall.

Composer

In Baden-Baden, Pauline mainly devotes herself to composition and draws inspiration from Russian poetry under the influence of Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883). She had met Russian poets in the winter of 1843 while on tour in St. Petersburg. This was the beginning of a very close 40-year relationship between Turgenev and the Viardot family. Turgenev teaches Pauline Russian and lives in her house until the end of his life. Pauline’s husband, Louis Viardot (1801–1883), a reliable support at her side, translated many Russian writers together with Turgenev.

Anniversary Edition

For her 200th birthday in 2021, a collection of songs has now been published: “Pauline Viardot sings Pushkin: 16 songs based on poems by Pushkin”, edited by Marc Pierre. In this collection, the 16 songs by Pauline Viardot, based on poems by Alexander Sergejewitsch Pushkin (1799–1837), are now summarized for the first time – in French and Russian versions. These melodies are a remarkable example of the rich cultural collaboration between Russia, France and Germany. Pushkin’s poems were highly valued in Russia for their brevity, rhythm ‘and harmony.