For soprano and piano
Butterfly
for Soprano and Piano
A brief encore for soprano and piano, set to Russian text by Joseph Brodsky.
Text
Joseph Brodsky. Russian text from “Зимним вечером на сеновале.”
Premiere
23 July 1999. New York · Lina Tetruashvili, soprano · Lera Auerbach, piano.
Form
An encore. A concentrated vocal miniature for soprano and piano.
Structure
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Butterfly
Encore for soprano and piano.
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Text
Joseph Brodsky, in Russian.
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Duration
Approximately 3 minutes.
Work Information
Abbreviations PDF
Poem
Зимним вечером на сеновале
Снег сено запорошил сквозь щели под потолком. Я сено разворошил и встретился с мотыльком. Мотылек, мотылек, от смерти себя сберег, забравшись на сеновал. Выжил, зазимовал.
Выбрался и глядит, как “летучая мышь” чадит, как ярко освещена бревенчатая стена. Приблизив его к лицу, я вижу его пыльцу отчетливей, чем огонь, чем собственную ладонь.
Среди вечерней мглы мы тут совсем одни. И пальцы мои теплы, как июльские дни.
Listen
Educational listening access to Butterfly for soprano and piano.
The Work
Butterfly is a compact song for soprano and piano composed in 1992. Identified by the publisher as an encore, the work belongs to Auerbach’s early vocal catalogue and sets a Russian text by Joseph Brodsky.
Its scale is deliberately brief. Within a duration of approximately three minutes, the song creates a concentrated encounter between voice, language, and piano color.
- Form Encore.
- Language Russian.
- Forces Soprano and piano.
Context
Written in 1992, Butterfly sits among Auerbach’s early songs for voice and piano. Its pairing of a Russian literary text with an intimate vocal format places it within a larger sequence of chamber vocal works from the same period.
The first documented performance took place in New York on 23 July 1999, with Lina Tetruashvili as soprano and Lera Auerbach at the piano.
Online Materials
Public links related to Butterfly. Verified materials currently include publisher, purchase, educational listening, and score-retail listings.
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Audioleraauerbach.com
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PublisherBoosey & Hawkes / Sikorski Boosey & Hawkes
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ScorePurchase Score Boosey & Hawkes
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Hal LeonardButterfly · Vocal Solo Hal Leonard
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Retail ListingButterfly · Sheet Music Plus Sheet Music Plus
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ReferenceAuerbach Work Catalogue Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski
Publisher and Materials
Published by Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski. The score is available through the official Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski purchase page.
