Sunless (song cycle)

Mussorgsky in 1874

Sunless (Russian: Без солнца, Bez Solntsa, literally Without Sun) is a song cycle by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, written in 1874, to poems by Arseny Golenishchev-Kutuzov, a relative of the composer.

Song titles

The individual song titles are as follows:

1. "В четырех стенах" ("Within four walls")
2. "Меня в толпе ты не узнала" ("Thou didst not know me in the crowd")
3. "Окончен праздный шумный день" ("The noisy festival day is ended")
4. "Скучай" ("Boredom")
5. "Элегия" ("Elegy")
6. "Над рекой" ("By the River")

Commentary

Appearance in popular culture

• The piece was featured and discussed in the film-essay Sans Soleil by director Chris Marker, receiving an electronic experimental interpretation by composer Isao Tomita.