Anna Netrebko sings Mussorgsky’s Detskaya (The Nursery), Valery Gergiev conducts the RPhO

Mussorgsky’s song cycle “The Nursery” (or ‘Children’s Room’) was given its UK Première in Edison Denisov’s orchestration on 7 September 1996 in London’s Royal Albert Hall. The soprano soloist was Anna Netrebko, making her Proms debut, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev. The seven songs in Denisov’s edition are: (1) With Nanny – A child begs her nurse to tell a story, first about an awful bogeyman and then about a Tsar and Tsarita who live by the sea. (2) In the Corner – The nurse scolds Mishenka for spoiling her knitting and sends him to the corner. (3) The Beetle – A child tells the nurse about a large beetle. (4) With the Doll – A child’s lullaby to a doll. (5) At Bedtime – A child says his prayers. (6) The Cat ‘Sailor’ - It tries to catch the family canary. (7) Ride on a Hobby Horse – A child tells of an imaginary journey on his hobby-horse. The concert began with Gergiev conducting the Prokofiev 6th Symphony and that too is up