A Russian romance fused with gothic horror, set at a slow-to-moderate pace with an eerie minor-key melody. Expressive bowed strings—solo violin, viola, and cello—move from restrained tremolo to tense, sharply accented phrases; low strings drone beneath delicate cymbal rolls and sparse crashes. Keep the vocal phrasing unusually rapid and tightly packed against the measured pulse, creating uneasy momentum. Use close, dry verses, then widen the strings with dark reverb and dissonant harmonics.