Work

Programme Note

In 1977 John Ritchie set four poems from the English translation of Doctor Zhivago by Max Hayward and Manya Harari, and the songs were first performed in Durham in 1978. The extensive use of both ends of the vocal range fulfils the breadth demanded by the poem’s Russian originas, yet without recourse to cluttered or overly thick textures.

Text Note:

Text by Boris Pasternak translated by Max Hayward and Manya Harari

Difficulty:

Advanced

Influences:

• Russian
• Language and Literature
• Seasons
• Night

Performance History

	11 May 1990	Performed by Margaret Lion (piano) and Marion Olsen (mezzo soprano) at St John’s Smith Square in London
		Margaret Lion
	25 May 2008	Winter Night from Four Zhivago Songs was performed by the Whangarei Choral Society, conducted by Virginia Hill Winter Night from Four Zhivago Songs was performed