Vladimir Genin

2 Chansons

These are the only two pieces from the cycle Les Fleurs du Mal - Twelve Songs and Dances inspired by Charles-Pierre Baudelaire by Vladimir Genin that are written exclusively for voice and piano. Je t'adore (Nocturne) seems like a nocturnal confession of love - intimate, fragile and filled with tender intimacy. It echoes Baudelaire's image of Paris at night - the city of "artificial paradises" and hidden desires. À une mendiante rousse (Berceuse) is based on a poetic contrast: the image of the poor woman suddenly rises to regal grandeur, with allusions to the Valois and France's heroic past. In the music, these verses evoke reminiscences of old French, almost Renaissance-like soundscapes. But the poet abruptly tears away this splendor: "Cependant tu vas gueusant quelque vieux décombre...". This is the tragic culmination, where ideal and reality collide. The music follows this course: it begins like a gentle lullaby, breaks out into dramatic intensity and finally returns to a quiet, reconciling final gesture.