new release by Julia Lezhneva - „Visiting Rachmaninoff“
Julia Lezhneva and Alexander Melnikov released their first joint album "Visiting Rachmaninoff" on July 4, 2025, on HarmoniaMundi.
They traveled to Villa Senar, located near the city of Lucerne—the final summer residence of Sergei Rachmaninoff—to record this album on the composer’s own grand piano. In addition to the intensely lyrical work Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Alexander Melnikov, together with Julia Lezhneva and her radiant soprano, explores some of the most beautiful songs from this intense and restless creative period.
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)
- Variations on a Theme by Chopin Op. 22 (after Frédéric Chopin's Prelude in C minor Op. 28 No. 20)
- 15 Romances Op. 26 (selection / extraits):
3. Мы отдохнём / We shall rest (2'22)
6. Христос воскрес / Christ is risen (2'43)
9. Я опять одинок / Again I am alone (1'55)
10. У моего окна / Before my window (1'42)
12. Ночь печальна / The night is mournful (2'12)
14. Кольцо / The ring (2'35)
- 12 Romances Op. 21 (selection / extraits)
3. Сумерки / Twilight (2'04)
4. Онѣ отвечали / They answered (1'48)
5. Сирень / Lilacs (1'56)
6. Отрывок из А. Мюссе / Fragment from A. Musset (2'06)
7. Здесь хорошо / Here it’s so fine (1'54)
8. На смерть чижика / On the death of a siskin (2'17)
9. Мелодия / Melody (3'03)
10. Пред иконой / Before the icon (3'44)
11. Я не пророк / No prophet, I (1'22)
12. Как мне больно / Sorrow in springtime (1'48)
14 Romances Op. 34 (selection / extraits)
3. Буря / The storm (2'35)
4. Ветер перелётный / The migrant wind (2'59)
5. Арион / Arion (3'00)
7. Не может быть! / It cannot be! (1'53)
8. Музыка / Music (2'12)
12. Какое счастье / What happiness (2'17)
Album reviews
Gramophone - Mark Pullinger - Editor's Choice August 2025:
…I’ve always associated Lezhneva primarily with Baroque and bel canto repertoire, where her cut-glass soprano sparkles. Her Rachmaninov is quite the revelation… The romances, grouped together by opus number, include a few rarities, such as ‘On the Death of a Linnet’ (Op 21 No 8), a tender little lament with an acute sense of grief and a lovely sign-off from Melnikov, who proves a most attentive partner…A really fine album, almost certainly worthy of a follow-up visit to Villa Senar to make a second one. read more
wmft.com
Celebrated as a Baroque specialist, Lezhneva is a surprising collaborator for this program, offering clarity in repertoire which is often presented with darker, warmer voices. read more
WDR 3 Hörstoff by Christoph Vratz
Colorful and versatile, with elegance and dignity
Together with soprano Julia Lezhneva, Alexander Melnikov has recorded works by the composer on Rachmaninoff’s own grand piano. How close do we get to Rachmaninoff in this encounter? Christoph Vratz provides the answer. read more und Podcast .
The Classic Review by Azusa Ueno
… Both soprano Julia Lezhneva and Melnikov are well-matched in bringing texts to life in the selection of Romances. We can hear the dark introspection of We Shall Rest (track 24); the exchange between hymnal calm and anguished bitterness of Christ is Risen (track 25); or the jagged juxtapositions of extreme moods in Again I am Alone (track 26). What I found particularly admirable about Lezhneva is her versatility: she covers such a wide spectrum of emotional content without a single aspect feeling strained or otherwise contrived... read more
Online Merker – die internationale Kulturplattform by Dr. Ingobert Waltenberger
The Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva, primarily known as a prima donna of bel canto and early music, reveals a completely different side of herself here.
Ranging from lyrically introspective to highly dramatic, the romances primarily demand a substantial middle register. And this is precisely where Lezhneva offers something astonishing: she lets the amber-golden hue of her soprano shimmer and glow with a thousand facets.
Beyond that, she throws herself—like her congenial accompanist—into the miniature stories and emotional snapshots with a storytelling intensity that goes straight to the heart.
A pianistic and vocal celebration of the highest order! read more
BR Klassik – Album of the Week – by Rita Argauer
...The title of this album, "Visiting Rachmaninoff", is meant quite literally: Melnikov and Lezhneva traveled to Switzerland and to Rachmaninoff’s villa on Lake Lucerne for the recordings... This album spans nearly an entire century of Rachmaninoff’s music. Lezhneva’s interpretation reaches back to Schumann, while Melnikov leads Chopin—by way of Rachmaninoff—into the world of New Objectivity. It is wonderfully clear, expansive, and free. A great pleasure.
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