I am all alone on the road

This piece was commissioned by the King’s Singers for the Russian-British Cross Year of Music 2019.

I am all alone on the road is the English translation of the wellknown poetic masterpiece, Выхожу один я на дорогу, by Russian poet, Mikhail Lermontov (1814–1841). The piece comprises two parts: a setting of the original Russian text for the first, and an setting of an English translation for the second. The idea of writing music for a text in two languages prompted me to embark on an exciting journey, exploring the way in which the synergy of music and lyrics emphasises differences as well as similarities between the two cultural worlds.

Whilst composing the first part of the piece, I decided to take something of a Russian standpoint, mainly focussing on the ‘psychology of the lyric’ in the contextual relationship between the atmosphere of the night and the reverberation of a lonely romantic soul. Thus, the music here is very sensitive to each emotional fluctuation in the central character of the lyrics.

The musical material in its harmonic and structural frame remains essentially the same for both parts. However, in the second part I was keen to drive the nature of the music much closer to the English choral tradition, particularly emphasising ‘mellowness’ and ‘emotional clarity’. The key approach here, was to treat the translation of the text as if words and sentiments should not be perceived as a ‘psychology’, or reflection of a tormented soul. On the contrary, these words would create an impression of emotional ‘statements’ – linear in perception, or (as I would say) images suitable for remote aesthetic observation.

In both parts of the piece, the central character fully reflects the poignancy and beauty of the nature. However, in the second part, I had a strong feeling that the protagonist was no longer acting as a lonely soul lost in the environment of the night, as the Russian text supposedly portrays. The music depicts an image of a very proud individual – and here we can definitely recall Lermontov’s Scottish roots! This individual associates himself with the beautiful oak tree, introduced in the last quatrain. This oak tree supposedly symbolises the strongest qualities of human nature whilst at the same time serving as a comforting cradle for the soul.

Alexander Levine, 2018