Lettres à Madame Viardot

These letters capture a warm, decades‑long correspondence between the young Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev and the celebrated French‑Italian singer Pauline Viardot. Written between 1846 and 1871, they reveal how a chance meeting in Saint‑Petersburg blossomed into a deep artistic friendship, with Viardot and her husband eagerly promoting Russian literature to Parisian audiences.

The exchange offers intimate glimpses of Turgenev’s early struggles, his life in exile, and the generous hospitality he received at the Viardots’ country estate. Through candid reflections on writing, music, and the cultural life of the era, the letters read like a shared diary between two kindred spirits. Listeners will hear the humor, admiration, and occasional melancholy that defined their bond, gaining a rare window into the personal world behind one of Russia’s greatest literary voices.