The Russian word romans ('romance') denotes an art song whose lyrics usually – but not always! – deal with the subject of Romantic love. A counterpart to the German Lied or French romance, the Russian romans embarked on its journey late in the 18th century. The album starts with a romans from the “reign of three Alexanders” – Alexander Aliabiev, Alexander Varlamov and Alexander Guriliov. All three were primarily song composers and were as immensely popular as the whole phenomenon of the romans. In “Maiden’s Sorrow” (Track 1) Alexander Guriliov captures the sadness of a maiden abandoned by the young man she loved. The lyrics by Alexei Koltsov (1809 1842) are an elegant imitation of folk poetry, and Guriliov’s music skillfully engages the same game. The Dashkova Ensemble is dedicated to the little-known early repertories of Russian music, from the 18th to the early 20th century. Its founding members are the German mezzo-soprano Anna Bineta Diouf, who loves the Russian language, and Oleg Timofeyev, who dedicated decades of his life to the revival of Russia’s forgotten treasure, the Russian seven-string guitar.