At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe is living in peace and prosperity. The “Belle Époque” is an outgrowth of previous important historical events and developments. The networks that are created and which evolve funnel both people and their products, tangible and intangible. It is within this multi-layered world that sound recording and sound reproduction is invented. Early record labels send mobile crews literally all over the world to record local musicians. The range of the repertoire is endless. Cosmopolitanism in large urban centers favors polystylisms and polymorphisms. Colonialism, revolutions, conflicts, refugee flows; the theater, cinema, radio, photography, orchestras’ tours, but also circulations in all kinds of commercial channels in a world that evolves dynamically and anisotropically, form a complex network of “centers” and “peripheries” in alternating roles setting musical idioms in motion, both literally and figuratively. The network in which the Greek-speaking urban popular song participates, constantly conversing with its co-tenants, is magnificent. Discography has already provided important tools in understanding the relationships that developed between “national” repertoires. The result of this ongoing research is “Cosmopolitanism in Greek Historical Discography”.

This recording is an adaptation of the Russian song "Эй, ухнем" (Ey, ukhnem) with Greek lyrics.

The musical score of the song was first published in 1866, in Saint Petersburg, by A. Johansen in the publication "Сборникъ русскихъ народныхъ пѣсенъ" ("Collection of Russian Popular Songs"), which included 40 Russian songs collected and edited by Mily Balakirev (Милий Alekseevich Balakirev).

It was probably first recorded by Александр Макаров-Юнев (Aleksandr Makarov-Yunev) in Saint Petersburg in March 1900 (Gramophone 1123 A - 22086).

It was recorded many times in Russian historical discography (see https://www.russian-records.com and in Alan Kelly's database), and it was also recorded in other countries’ discography, such as in the USA under the title "Song of the Volga boatmen" (see here), in Poland, in Finland, etc. For example:

- Хоръ Марiинскаго Театра, Saint Petersburg, 1903 (Zonophone 1336C - X-64617)
- Известный Великорусскiй оркестръ, January 1911 (Syrena 10273 - 10273)
- "Barge Song", Albert Gregorowitch Janpolski, New York, February 25, 1911 (Columbia 19384 - E863)
- "Song of the Volga boatmen", Emilio de Gogorza, Camden, New Jersey, June 8, 1921 (Victor B-25342 - 64997)
- "Song of the Volga boatmen", Feodor Chaliapin, Hayes, London, October 9, 1922 (Gramophone Cc 1891-4 -  2-022016, Electrola DB105, Victor 88663, 6058 and others)
- "Volgan lotjamiesten laulu", Hannes Saari, New York, March 1926 (Columbia W109127 - 3086-F)
- "Burłaki", chór z orkiestrą, Warsaw, 1928 (Syrena 18965-2 - 18565 6049)
- "Wolgaschiffer", Edith Lorand- Orchester, Berlin, 1930 (Parlophone 38798 - B. 12418-I)
- Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, New York, January 17, 1941 (Bluebird BS-058885 - B 11029)9)

It was a source of inspiration for scholar composers such as Alexander Glazunov, who included it in his symphonic poem "Stenka Razin", Op. 13 (1885), Igor Stravinsky, who arranged it for a brass orchestra in 1917, Manuel de Falla, who arranged it for the piano in 1922 under the title "Canto de los remeros del Volga", and Vítězslav Novák, who used the basic motif of the song in the May Symphony (Májová symfonie, Op. 73, 1943).

Uses of the melody were also found, mainly as background music in cartoons, video games, episodes of television series and motion pictures.

In Greek historical discography, it was recorded by Titos Xirellis, Giorgos Moulas, Iraklis Paschalidis, Ioannis Angelopoulos and Theodoros Papaspyropoulos (present recording).

The Greek musical score, with lyrics by Aimilios Dragatsis and under the title "Tragoudi tou Volga", was published in Athens by the Gaitanos - Konstantinidis - Starr publishing house (see here), by the Stefanos Gaitanos publishing house (see here) and the musical score of the adaptation of the song by Andreas Mastrekinis was published by the magazine 'Fantazio' under the title "Ante egia!!".

This adaptation of the song was included in the Greek operetta "Lemvouchos tou Volga", written by Spyros Potamianos and set to music by Andreas Mastrekinis, which premiered on August 11, 1927 at the Montial theater by the Oikonomou troupe. The libretto of the operetta was based on the script of the 1926 American film The Volga Boatman.

The editor under the nickname "Ψ" at the newspaper "Vradyni" wrote the following in the column "Theatrikai Simeioseis" ("Theatrical Notes") (see "O Lemvouchos tou Volga", newspaper "I vradyni", issue No. 2112, August 12, 1927, p. 3): "A play taken from the script of a film would in any other part of the world be something unheard of, unexpected. And that is because, everywhere, the theater, literature and history feed cinema and not the other way around. But the opposite was tried in Greece and not unsuccessfully.
Nor was 'Lemvouchos tou Volga' unsuccessful yesterday. The script has elements that the audience likes and there is also the wonderful song 'Lemvouchos tou Volga' that all of Athens knows and that everyone always listens to again and again with pleasure. Some called the play revolutionary, Bolshevik. Some of the 'reds' of the top gallery believed it too, who applauded enthusiastically during the first act, clenching their lips and hands in the second act where the revolution was ridiculed with its leader. The work is not revolutionary. The revolution is the deus ex machina.
In critical moments, there is an easy way out. Sometimes the 'reds' come in and sometimes the 'whites', and everybody gives another twist to the plot. The author (of the script, it's not Mr. Potamianos' fault) does what the tavern-keeper does. He sometimes raises a white flag and sometimes a red flag.
The performance was good in general, although the actors, except for Mr. Oikonomou and Stylianopoulos, had roles that did not help them.[...]".

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis