Channa Malkin

This Is Not A Lullaby

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we are excited to bring some positivity and share this story about motherhood with the world.

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About the album

Soprano Channa Malkin made her operatic debut at age 16 as Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Dutch National Opera. Since then, she has become a sought-after soloist. Highlights include Handel’s Dixit Dominus and William Hayes’ The Fall of Jericho with Holland Baroque, as well as Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Mariss Jansons. Channa is known for her wide expertise, from baroque to Sephardic chamber music. “Her voice is beautiful: a young sound, a mature treatment. Her storytelling is captivating” (Merlijn Kerkhof in De Volkskrant about her debut album Songs of Love and Exile).

The birth of her son Ezra formed a new source of inspiration, with motherhood as a central theme. On her new album for the audiophile label TRPTK This is not a lullaby, she highlights the immense emotional impact of becoming a mother with an unconventional choice of repertoire by Mieczyslaw Weinberg, Sir John Tavener, and her father Josef Malkin.

Channa came across Weinberg’s song cycle Rocking the child during one of many sleepless nights with her baby, and was instantly touched by its honest, unidealized portrayal of a mother’s experience. The cycle is based on the works of Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral from her book Ternura (Tenderness, 1924).

Josef Malkin, Channa’s father, composed his Five Russian Songs on the colourful and haunting poems of Ilya Selvinsky, Boris Ryzhy, Vladimir Riabokon and Anna Akhmatova. Malkin, born in Tbilisi, Georgia, was a violinist in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for over 25 years, and his music has been performed by top orchestras and performers across Europe and the United States.

Of all contemporary composers, Sir John Tavener is one of the most iconic. His work is steeped in a deep spirituality, and has a profound impact on the listener. His haunting Akhmatova Songs were inspired by the oeuvre of the prolific Russian poet Anna Akhmatova.

What makes this release extra special is Malkin’s collaboration with Maya Fridman, winner of the Dutch Classical Talent Prize, and the extraordinary pianist Artem Belogurov, who regularly performs in the main concert halls of Europe and the United States. The three artists: “In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we are excited to bring some positivity and share this story about motherhood with the world”.

Tracklist click to play/pause

  • Mieczysław Weinberg

    Rocking the Child, Op. 110

    1. I. The child was left alone
      3:30 Play button Pause button 3:30
    2. II. And I am not alone
      1:55 Play button Pause button 1:55
    3. III. Little feet, little hands
      3:08 Play button Pause button 3:08
    4. IV. Rocking the cradle
      1:54 Play button Pause button 1:54
    5. V. Night
      2:59 Play button Pause button 2:59
    6. VI. A sorrowful mother
      1:05 Play button Pause button 1:05
    7. VII. The dew
      2:35 Play button Pause button 2:35
    8. VIII. Meekness
      1:09 Play button Pause button 1:09
    9. IX. Fear
      4:30 Play button Pause button 4:30
    10. X. A discovery
      2:35 Play button Pause button 2:35
    11. XI. My song
      3:25 Play button Pause button 3:25
  • Josef Malkin

    Five Russian Songs

    1. I. A letter
      0:48 Play button Pause button 0:48
    2. II. To Polinka
      2:42 Play button Pause button 2:42
    3. III. Don't leave me
      3:00 Play button Pause button 3:00
    4. IV. The fortune teller
      1:39 Play button Pause button 1:39
    5. V. Lullaby
      1:56 Play button Pause button 1:56
  • John Tavener

    Akhmatova Songs

    1. I. Dante
      2:19 Play button Pause button 2:19
    2. II. Pushkin and Lermontov
      1:49 Play button Pause button 1:49
    3. III. Boris Pasternak
      1:52 Play button Pause button 1:52
    4. IV. Couplet
      2:27 Play button Pause button 2:27
    5. V. The Muse
      3:01 Play button Pause button 3:01
    6. VI. Death
      3:37 Play button Pause button 3:37

More information

Weight 100 g
Dimensions 190 × 135 × 12 mm
Label TRPTK
Genre(s) Classical – Contemporary (> 1920)
Artist(s) Artem Belogurov
Channa Malkin
Maya Fridman
Composer(s) Malkin, Josef
Tavener, John
Weinberg, Mieczysław
Recording location(s) De Philharmonie - Grote Zaal, Haarlem (NL)
Recording date(s) December 2020
Cat. No.

TTK 0069

Release date

May 7th, 2021

Additional links

Download Booklet(PDF)

"All in all a very stimulating disc, which introduces us to a series of songs with a lot of heart, faithfully interpreted and presenting us with a very promising voice, with resonances that are still curiously childlike and on the way to reaching a radiant fullness."

Arturo Reverter, Scherzo

"I don't know how many times I've listened to the final six tracks, but I'm captivated each time. Hearing Malkin belt out the lyrics at the end of track 19 Akhmatova II. Pushkin and Lermontov, is stunning because of her vocal performance and the amazing ability by TRPTK engineers to capture the direct and reverberant sound in the venue."

Chris Connaker, Audiophile Style

"Conveying the dreamlike memories of Riabokon, the metaphorical wreckage of Ryzhy’s brief life, and the chill of Akhmatova’s uncomforting lullaby, Malkin strikes a careful balance between pure lyricism and dramatic intensity."

Mark Werlin, HRAudio

"Channa Malkin recites the whole with a pleasantly warm voice sensitive and subtle, dedicating this luxuriously issued album to her son Ezra. She is accompanied docile but also stimulating by Artem Belogurov and Maya Fridman."

Jan de Kruijff, Musicalifeiten

"Though the music is at times painfully dark, it is seductively beautiful. Malkin has just the right voice for this dramatic, highly emotive repertoire. Her vibrant, expressive vocals have extensive range and color which makes this soprano the perfect storyteller. This is a beautifully produced album and there is no doubt that Malkin is a soprano to watch out for when the concert halls open up again. Her supporting musicians, Maya Fridman on cello and Artem Belogurov on piano, also do her proud."

Karine Hetherington, Art Muse London

"The deceptive simplicity of his song cycle on poems by Gabriela Mistral, Malkin along with pianist Artem Belogurov conveys superbly. She also always hits the right note in the five songs written by her father Josef Malkin, which range from the engaging gibberish of a five-year-old to a dark lullaby of an anxious mother. From the hypnotic Akhmatova songs by John Tavener (1944-2013), Malkin and cellist Maya Fridman dig a deeply felt melancholy."

Jenny Camilleri, De Volkskrant

"This is a disc which not only intrigues and satisfies, but one which promises much more to come.  Malkin will undoubtedly create new projects which bring interesting repertoire, of personal significance and meaning, together in interesting and inspiring ways."

Claire Seymour, Opera Today

"Malkin's supple, expansive voice rises to dizzying heights at times, but is especially moving in the warm and comfortable-sounding middle register."

Margaretha Coornstra, Reporters Online

"Channa Malkin has delivered a beautiful CD with a well thought out, intelligent program. Her approach is thoroughly felt, her voice sounds young and fresh, especially in the middle register where she clearly feels most at home. Homage also to the alert pianist Belogurov and the sonorous cellist Fridman, who speak the same language as the singer. The recording is to die for, has warmth and stands well in space."

Gerard Scheltens, Opus Klassiek

Further reading

SKU: TTK 0069 SACD Category:
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