The Night Is Sorrowful, Op. 26 No. 12

F-sharp minor — a fourth below the original B minor — opening this song to lower voices without the strain of the published tessitura. Russian text only, freshly engraved for clarity on the stand rather than reproduced from an aging plate, so singer and accompanist can both read cleanly at tempo. Particularly useful for the developing vocal accompanist who dreads on-the-spot transposition. Bunin's image of a lone light burning far out on the steppe, set by Rachmaninoff in 1906 as one of the darkest and most sustained songs of his Op. 26.

Instruments: Voice · Piano