The Russian Centre for Science and Culture recently presented a musical evening, Russian Romances and Arias, given by baritone Joseph Lia, accompanied by the Russian pianist Elena Lebedeva.

The recital began with two romances by Mikhail Glinka. The first, The Fire of Longing Burns in my Heart, was inspired by the poetry of Pushkin. The second, sung in Italian, Mio Ben Ricordati (Remember, my beloved), is based on the first stanza of a poem by the 17th-century Italian poet, Pietro Metastasio.

In contrast, the following three songs conveyed the melancholy tones of the voice: The Pretty Girl No longer Loves Me by Boro-din, “None but the Lonely Heart” by Tchaikovsky and finally Amidst the Din of the Ball, again by Tchaikovsky.

Following these, Lebedeva performed Tchaikovsky’s piano work Dumka in C Minor, written in February 1886 and subtitled Russian Rustic Scene. This is a one-movement piece that portrays Russian rustic life. The work is marked andantino cantabile and was performed with a liveliness that brought out the spirit of the work.

Three songs by Rachmaninoff followed: the subdued, yet wrenching Everything I Had, I Was With Her and the expressive In the Silence of the Mysterious Night.

Lebedeva performed Mercutio from Prokofiev’s 10 Pieces For Piano from Romeo and Juliet. The work captures Mercutio’s playful nature well.

The concluding works performed were three arias from Russian operas. Lia started with the demonic aria I am one, who you listened to, the third Romance of the Demon from Rubinstein’s opera, Demon.

You Wrote to Me, from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, is a poignant aria, where Onegin confesses the reasons why he cannot marry. The final song was Epithalamia (A wedding song), the only surviving aria from Rubinstein’s opera Neron.

Lia’s fine, at times sentimental, baritone voice lent itself beautifully to these songs and arias, which were superbly accompanied by Lebedeva.