Eastern Song: Plenivshis' rozoi, solovei Op.2 No.2 (1865-6)

Of the 20 or so Rimsky-Korsakov songs (out of a total of over 80) that have achieved any kind of currency in this country, Plenivshis' rozoi, solovei is both one of the earliest and one of the most attractive. A setting of a delightfully picturesque miniature by Alexey Koltsov, it owes its charm largely to the exotic melodic inflections heard not only in the nostalgic and minimially accompanied vocal line but also in the sensuous nightingale cantilena in the introduction and postlude to the song.