BBC Music Magazine Awards 2010

Christianne Stotijn and Julius upon winning the Vocal category

Click photo for details of the winning CD

‘I’m an alto today,’ Christianne Stotijn cheerfully tells us in a voice that, thanks to a cold, has dropped an octave. But it’s the dark, burnished ‘alto’ colours within her mezzo voice make it so well-suited to Russian repertoire, and gave her winning performances of Tchaikovsky their depth and texture. ‘Tchaikovsky’s songs have turned out to be the beginning of what

I hope will be a life-long journey into Russian music, poetry and literature. What is wonderful about this award is that it has given me the encouragement to go on down that path. Now Julius [Drake] and I will be exploring the songs of Musorgsky, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev.’

This summer Stotijn plans to go to St Petersburg and follow the Tchaikovsky Trail wirh her Russian language coach, who was a key figure in this recording. ‘Raya Drobyshevskaya has been great to work with and I’m slowly learning Russian now, not just to sing, but to speak as well. What has been very rewarding is the warm response to my Tchaikovsky from Russians themselves. If they say I, a non Russian, sing it well, then I’m doing something right!’

She treasures the memory of the recording session itself. ‘It was a very special collaboration. We recorded it surrounded by candles and found such love and intimacy in these songs. I’m glad that perhaps the pleasure we felt, and the passion we found in the music, has touched those listening.’ Drake agrees, believing that the composer’s songs come ’straight from the heart. In the five years we’ve worked together, these Tchaikovsky Romances represent a real voyage of discovery for us both. We’re thrilled to have won.’