Kalinka (song)
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"Kalinka" (Russian: Калинка) is a Russian song written in 1860 by the composer and folklorist Ivan Larionov and first performed in Saratov as part of a theatrical entertainment that he had composed.[1] Soon it was added to the repertory of a folk choral group.
The refrain of the song refers to the kalinka, which is the snowball tree (Viburnum opulus). It has a speedy tempo , light-hearted and cheerful lyrics.
Lyrics [edit]
| Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
|
Калинка, калинка, калинка моя! Ах, под сосною, под зеленою, Калинка, калинка, калинка моя! Ах, сосёнушка, ты зеленая, Калинка, калинка, калинка моя! Ах, красавица, душа-девица, Калинка, калинка, калинка моя! |
Kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya! Akh, pod sosnoyu, pod zelenoyu, Kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya! Akh, sosyonushka ty zyelyenaya, Kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya! Akh, krasavitsa, dusha-dyevitsa, Kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya! |
Little cranberry, cranberry, cranberry of mine! Ah, under the pine, the green one, Little cranberry, cranberry, cranberry of mine! Ah, little pine, little green one, Little cranberry, cranberry, cranberry of mine! Ah, you beauty, pretty maiden, Little cranberry, cranberry, cranberry of mine! |
Recordings and cultural influence [edit]
Kalinka, as performed by Italian American operatic bass and actor Ezio Pinza, appeared in the 1953 film Tonight We Sing. The picture was a semi-biography of Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin who famously sang and, during the early days of recording, recorded the song for HMV/Victor. Pinza's recording was included on the 10-inch LP soundtrack album release of the same year, coincidentally from RCA Victor.
In 1993 the Welsh tenor Wynford Evans sang "Kalinka" at Cardiff Arms Park Stadium accompanied by the largest ever male choir of 10,000 voices, known as the World Choir. The concert also featured among others, Shirley Bassey and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes.
In 1998 the Danish band Infernal covered the song to popularity in Scandinavia.
In 2000, the German female group Yamboo performed a techno/pop version of the song, using only the chorus and adding their own English lyrics to the song. Yamboo performed Kalinka in Berlin, Germany on New Years Eve the same year.
The 2000 OVA Labyrinth of Flames both contain the song as their ending theme.
In 2003, Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea FC. Since then, "Kalinka" has been associated with the London based football club and is often played before or after important matches, including the Champions League clashes with FC Barcelona and the League Cup final.
Part of Kalinka can be found in the Arsenium song "Love Me, Love Me" from 2005.
In 2008, the Russian singer Alexey Vorobyov also has a song called New Russian Kalinka (in English) and Novaya Ruskaya Kalinka (in Russian), which is a cover of the song.
A balalaika version of Kalinka can be found in a record shop, at the map "Terminal", in the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, released by Activision in 2009.
In 2010, Russian countertenor Vitas covered the song on his album Masterpieces of Three Centuries.
The 2011 Hindi film '7 Khoon Maaf' directed by Vishal Bhardwaj features a track called 'Darling' and 'Doosri Darling' which is a cover with its own lyrics in Hindi.
On the Italian television show, Non è la RAI, Russian contestant Yelyena Mirzoyan performed the song during the third season of the show.
A techno infused version of "Kalinka" plays when Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk scores a goal.[2]
A video called 'Trust me I'm an Engineer' on YouTube also has some part of the song with Kalinka's notes.
Mr Kalinka [edit]
It was Dmitri Oleg Yachimov who created the arrangement of Kalinka which is traditionally performed by the Alexandrov Ensemble, and who turned the frivolous song into an operatic aria. The first Ensemble soloist to perform this was Pyotr Tverdokhlebov, but the first tenor to earn the title of Mr Kalinka was Victor Ivanovich Nikitin at the Berlin peace concert of August 1948, where he sang three encores of the song.[3] The title is unofficial and awarded by the audience and journalists present at successful Ensemble concerts where Kalinka earns numerous encores. A definitive recording of Kalinka was made in 1963 at the Abbey Road Studios, London by the lyric tenor Evgeny Belyaev, with the Alexandrov Ensemble, under the direction of Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov.[4] Belyaev earned the Mr Kalinka title at the London concerts of 1956 and 1963.[5] Since then there have been several Mr Kalinkas, including Vasily Ivanovich Shtefutsa and Vadim Petrovich Ananyev.[6]
Other resources on the "Kalinka" song and dance [edit]
- Сергей Сергиевский. "Печать неизмеримой самобытности", Независимая газета, 26.11.1999
- Russian folk song and dance Kalinka, at Barynya
- Kalinka translations, song downloads and tabs, as well as other soviet/Russian songs
- Kaikracht.de
- Kalinka sung by Vitas
- Version performed by the Alexandrov Ensemble ("Red Army Choir") in 1972 with Yevgeny Belyaev as the soloist.
- kalinkamoja.com
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.ng.ru/culture/1999-11-26/7_stamp.html
- ^ http://redwings.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=424382
- ^ The newspaper "Culture": Pastoral on the Ruins, by Anatoly Kompaniets, 2000 In Russian
- ^ Recorded on the CD Kalinka
- ^ Translated RUVR Voice of Russia: Alexandrov Ensemble
- ^ Rg.ru webpage: interview with Ensemble director Leonid Maleev, by Yadviga Yuferova, 2007 In Russian
