Sunday
Mar282010
Smyslov the Singer
Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 3:18PM
Many of us have heard that the late Vasily Smyslov was a singer, but how many of us have actually heard him sing? Behold:
Many of us have heard that the late Vasily Smyslov was a singer, but how many of us have actually heard him sing? Behold:
Reader Comments (5)
erm... it seems to me that not only chess, but the bolsoi theatre might have been fortunate as well...
In fairness to Smyslov, this recording is from 1981. He was 60 at the time, and this is 31 years after he gave up pursuing music as a possible vocation.
He sounded pretty good to me. Remember this was an old recording on vinyl, and done in a very classical style that is not very popular today.
Sounds like the tune was adapted for 'The Carnival is Over', as sung by the Seekers and others.
Of course, this is not the only Russian tune to be used in a hit song- check out the following chess-related video for the genesis of the tune 'Those Were The Days'... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgx5QOjyiKU
Splendid voice and very beautiful music. Rest in peace, Vassili Vassilevich.
But hey, wait a minute! Do you know how brutal the lyrics are? [I happen to understand Russian. Others can check chessbase.com for a very loose translation of the Russian lyrics.]
Didn't Smyslov suspect that an Iranian girl (or any Iranian for that matter!) would be offended?
Only kidding ;) This guy, Stenka Razin, might have been a bit too generous with Volga, but Russia and Iran (Persia) have always been loving neighbours! [Again, only kidding ;)]