Yelena Music

From Yelena's Journal:

"I recorded this album rather unexpectedly. By chance I met Esfira Kodesh, a singer from Latvia, in the spring of 1998, and we immediately decided to create a program of Russian music together: she was impressed with my piano playing, and my heart melted when I listened to her beautiful voice.

For the recording site we chose the big sanctuary of a UM church, the place of my employment as a music director at that time. I sought to have optimal voice and piano track separation on the recording, thus we had to perform from opposite sides of the sanctuary. It was more challenging to perform in a duo being so far from each other, yet we managed just fine. It certainly helped that we both felt the music in the same emotional key.

We selected our favorite songs and romances for the program. The project itself was not at all about hard work and our high expectations concerning the marketing future of our product. Our primary goal was to have fun with the lovely old Russian vocal music, as neither of us ever had any opportunities to perform these sweet melodies since long ago. It was as if we were watering our culture roots even as they grew dry. Needless to say, we truly enjoyed performing and recording this album. We know that our heritage and love for this music shows through the CD itself.

Front picture on the CD insert features an image of my oil-on-canvas painting. It is a typical Russian landscape memories of which I cherish in my heart."