Dark Eyes

"Dark Eyes," meaning "black pupils," is the most widely known and representative Russian romance song in the world. Although known as a traditional folk song, it is actually a collaborative work completed by a poet, a composer, and a singer. The song originates from a poem written in 1843 by the Ukrainian poet Yevhen Hrebinka. The music was set to this poem by Florian Hermann, a German-Russian composer active in Russia. It has been remade as a melancholic jazz-style duet for cello and piano.