Exhibition Tragedies of love and power: “The Pskov Woman”, “The Tsar’s Bride”, “Servilia. Opera "The Tsar's Bride" Author of the historical drama The Tsar's Bride
Based on the libretto by the composer and I. Tyumenev based on the drama of the same name by L. May.
Characters:
VASILY STEPANOVICH SOBAKIN, Novgorod merchant (bass)
MARFA, his daughter (soprano)
guardsmen:
GRIGORY GRIGORIEVICH GRYAZNOY (baritone)
GRIGORY LUKIANOVICH MALYUTA SKURATOV (bass)
IVAN SERGEEVICH LYKOV, boyar (tenor)
LYUBASHA (mezzo-soprano)
ELISEY BOMELIUS, royal physician (tenor)
DOMNA IVANOVNA SABUROVA, merchant's wife (soprano)
DUNYASHA, her daughter, Marfa’s friend (contralto)
PETROVNA, housekeeper of the Sobakins (mezzo-soprano)
ROYAL STOPER (bass)
SAY GIRL (mezzo-soprano)
YOUNG GUY (tenor)
TSAR JOHN VASILIEVICH (without words)
NOBLE HEAD
OPRICHNIKI, BOYARS AND BOYARINS,
SONGS AND SONGS, DANCERS,
SAY GIRLS, SERVANTS, PEOPLE.
Time of action: autumn 1572.
Location: Alexandrovskaya Sloboda.
First performance: Moscow, October 22 (November 3), 1899.
“The Tsar’s Bride” is the ninth opera by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. The plot of L. Mey (his drama of the same name was written in 1849) has long occupied the composer’s imagination (back in 1868, Mily Balakirev drew the composer’s attention to this play by Mey; at that time, Rimsky-Korsakov settled - also on Balakirev’s advice - on another drama by Mey - “The Pskov Woman” - and wrote the opera of the same name).
Mei's drama is based on the historical (albeit little-known) episode of the marriage (for the third time) of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Here is what Karamzin tells about this story in his “History of the Russian State”:
“Bored by widowhood, although not chaste, he (Ivan the Terrible. - A.M.) had long been looking for a third wife... From all the cities they brought brides to Sloboda, both noble and ignorant, numbering more than two thousand: each was presented to him especially . At first he chose 24, and after 12... he spent a long time comparing them in beauty, in pleasantness, in intelligence; finally he preferred Marfa Vasilyeva to Sobakina, the daughter of a Novgorod merchant, to everyone, while at the same time choosing a bride for his eldest prince, Evdokia Bogdanova Saburova. The fathers of the happy beauties became boyars out of nothing (...) Having elevated them to rank, they were endowed with wealth, opal spoils, property taken away from the ancient families of princes and boyars. But the royal bride fell ill, began to lose weight, dry out: they said that she was spoiled by villains, haters of John’s family well-being, and suspicion turned to the close relatives of the deceased queens, Anastasia and Maria (...) We don’t know all the circumstances: we only know who and how died in this fifth era of murder (...) The evil slanderer, Doctor Elisha Bomelius (...) suggested that the king exterminate the villains with poison and, as they say, composed a destructive potion with such hellish art that the poisoned person died at the minute appointed by the tyrant. So John executed one of his favorites, Grigory Gryazny, Prince Ivan Gvozdev-Rostovsky and many others, recognized as participants in the poisoning of the royal bride or in treason, which opened the way for the khan to Moscow (Crimean khan Devlet-Girey - A.M.). Meanwhile, the king married (October 28, 1572) the sick Martha, hoping, in his own words, to save her by this act of love and trust in the mercy of God; six days later he married his son to Evdokia, but the wedding feasts ended in funerals: Martha died on November 13, having either really been a victim of human malice, or only an unfortunate culprit in the execution of the innocent.”
L. A. May interpreted this story, naturally, as an artist, and not as a historian. His drama does not pretend to be historically accurate, but depicts vivid characters in unusually dramatic circumstances. (Despite the fact that May depicts historical characters in his drama, he, and after him Rimsky-Korsakov, made a mistake: he calls Grigory Gryazny by his patronymic Grigorievich, believing that he was the brother of Vasily Grigorievich Gryaznoy, a well-known guardsman during the time of Ivan the Terrible In fact, our Gryaznoy's patronymic was Borisovich, and his nickname was Bolshoi) In the opera, the plot of Mey's drama did not undergo significant changes, and its drama was immeasurably enhanced by brilliant music.
OVERTURE
The opera begins with an overture. This is an extensive orchestral piece, written in the traditional form of the so-called sonata allegro, in other words, built on two main themes: the first (“main” part) tells the listener about the upcoming tragic events, the second (“side” part) - a bright melodious melody - creates the image of Martha, who has not yet known grief, who has not experienced the blows of fate. The peculiarity of this overture is that its main themes do not appear later in the opera itself. Usually it happens differently: the overture, as it were, announces those main musical images that will then appear in the opera; often overtures, although they are heard first in operas, are composed by composers last, or at least when the musical material of the opera has already completely crystallized.
ACT I
PARTY
Scene 1. Large room in the house of Grigory Gryazny. In the background is a low entrance door and next to it is a stand laden with cups, glasses and ladles. On the right side there are three red windows and opposite them a long table covered with a tablecloth; on the table there are candles in tall silver candlesticks, salt shakers and a chest. On the left side there is a door to the inner chambers and a wide bench with a patterned shelf; a spear is placed against the wall; On the wall hangs a crossbow, a large knife, a different dress and, not far from the door, closer to the front of the stage, a bearskin. Along the walls and both sides of the table there are benches covered with red cloth. Dirty, with his head bowed in thought, stands by the window.
The young Tsar's guardsman Grigory Gryazny is unhappy in his soul. For the first time in his life, he experiences a strong, all-consuming feeling of love for Marfa (“The beauty is going crazy! And I would be glad to forget her, I have no strength to forget”). In vain he sent matchmakers to Martha’s father: Sobakin replied that his daughter had been destined from childhood to be the wife of Ivan Lykov (we learn about this from the first recitative of Grigory Gryazny). The recitative turns into the aria “Where have you gone, your old prowess, where have the days of past fun gone?” He talks about his past times, about his violent actions, but now all his thoughts are absorbed by Marfa and his rival Ivan Lykov. In the recitative that follows the aria, he menacingly promises (to himself): “And Lykov Ivashka should not go around the lectern with Martha!” (that is, not to be married to him). Now Gregory is waiting for guests so that he can at least forget with them, and first of all Elisha Bomelius, who he needs most of all.
Scene 2. The middle door opens. Malyuta enters with the guardsmen. Grigory claps his hands, calling the servants. They appear and carry cups of honey (that is, strong honey tincture). Malyuta drinks Gryazny’s health and bows to him. Ivan Lykov enters, followed by Bomelius. Gregory greets them with a bow and invites them to enter. Servants bring cups to Lykov and Bomelius. They drink.
The guardsmen - and it was they who came to visit Gryaznoy - thank the owner for the treat (chorus “A kind word is sweeter than honey”). Everyone sits down at the table.
From the conversations of the guardsmen, it becomes clear that Lykov has returned from the Germans, and now Malyuta asks him to tell him “how do they live overseas?” In response to his request, Lykov in his arioso talks in detail about what he saw outlandish among the Germans (“Everything is different, both people and land”). The aria is over. Lykov sings praises to the sovereign, who, in his words, “wants us to learn good things from foreigners.” Everyone drains their glasses for the Tsar.
Scene 3. Malyuta asks Gryazny to invite the guslar players and singers to have fun. They enter and stand along the walls, the guslars take places on the bench on the left side. The underwater song “Glory!” (this is a genuine old Russian folk song, which Rimsky-Korsakov partially preserved the folk text). The song is again followed by praise to the king. The guests again turn to Lykov and ask whether the Basurmans praise the Tsar? It turns out - and Lykov “regrettably repeats evil speeches” - that overseas our tsar is considered formidable. Malyuta expresses joy. “The thunderstorm is the mercy of God; a thunderstorm will break a rotten pine,” he explains allegorically. Gradually, Malyuta becomes inflamed, and now his words sound warlike: “It’s not for nothing that the king tied brooms to your saddles, boyars. We will sweep away all the rubbish from Orthodox Rus'!” (A broom and a dog's head tied to the saddle were signs of a position that consisted of tracking down, sniffing out and sweeping out treason and gnawing the sovereign's seditious villains). And again the health of the “father and sovereign” is sung and drunk! Some of the guests get up and disperse around the room, others remain at the table. Girls come out to the middle to dance. A dance is performed with the choir “Yar-hop” (“Like the yar-hop curls around a bush beyond the river”).
Malyuta remembers Lyubasha, her “goddaughter”, living with Gryaznoy (later it turns out that the guardsmen once took her away from Kashira, and forcibly recaptured her from the Kashira people: “I christened the Kashira townspeople with the order of six-feathers” - that’s why they nicknamed her “goddaughter” ). Where is she, why isn't she coming?
Grigory orders to call Lyubasha. When Bomelius asks who this Lyubasha is, Malyuta replies: “Gryazny’s mistress, a miracle girl!” Lyubasha appears. Malyuta asks her to sing a song - “longer, so that it grabs your heart.” Lyubasha sings (“Equip quickly, dear mother, to marry your beloved child”). The song has two verses. Lyubasha sings solo, without orchestral accompaniment. The guardsmen thank you for the song.
The night passed in merriment. Malyuta rises from the bench - the bell is just ringing for matins, and “tea, the sovereign has deigned to awaken.” The guests drink goodbye, bow, and disperse. Lyubasha stands at the side door, bowing to the guests; Bomelius looks at her from afar. The dirty one drives away the servants. He asks Bomelia to stay. Lyubasha has a suspicion: what business could Grigory have with the “Nemchin” (Bomeliy from the Germans)? She decides to stay and hides behind the bearskin.
Scene 5. Gregory and Bomelius begin a conversation. Gregory asks the royal doctor if he has a way to bewitch the girl (he supposedly wants to help a friend). He answers that there is - it's powder. But the condition for its effect is that the one who wants to bewitch him pour it into the wine, otherwise it will not work. In the next trio, Lyubasha, Bomeliy and Gryaznoy, each express their feelings about what they heard and said. So, Lyubasha had long felt Gregory’s cooling towards her; Gregory does not believe that the remedy can bewitch Martha; Bomelius, recognizing the existence of hidden secrets and forces in the world, assures that the key to them is given by the light of knowledge. Gregory promises to make Bomelius rich if his means help his “friend.” Grigory leaves to see Bomelius off.
Scene 6. Lyubasha sneaks out the side door. Gryaznoy enters, head down. Lyubasha quietly opens the door and approaches Gryaznoy. She asks him what angered him that he stopped paying attention to her. Grigory rudely answers her: “Leave me alone!” Their duet sounds. Lyubasha talks about her love, about how she is passionately waiting for him. He talks about the fact that he stopped loving her, that the bowstring broke - and you can’t tie it with a knot. Fiery love and tenderness are heard in Lyubasha’s address to Gregory: “After all, I am the only one who loves you.” The sound of a bell is heard. Gregory gets up, he is getting ready for matins. Second strike. Gregory leaves. Lyubasha is alone. Third strike. Hatred boils in Lyubasha’s soul. The gospel sounds. “Oh, I’ll find your witch and turn her away from you!” - she exclaims.
ACT II
LOVE POTION
Scene 1. Street in Alexandrovskaya Sloboda. Ahead to the left is a house (occupied by the Sobakins) with three windows facing the street; gate and fence, at the gate under the windows there is a wooden bench. To the right is the house of Bomelius with a gate. Behind it, in the depths, is the fence and gate of the monastery. Opposite the monastery, in the depths, to the left is the house of Prince Gvozdev-Rostovsky with a high porch facing the street. Autumn landscape; the trees have bright shades of red and yellow. It's late afternoon.
People leave the monastery after the church service. Suddenly the chatter of the crowd quiets down: the oprichnina is coming! A chorus of guardsmen sounds: “Everyone, it seems, has been notified to go to Prince Gvozdev.” The people feel that something evil is afoot again. The conversation turns to the upcoming royal wedding. Soon the bride will be married, the king will choose a bride. Two young guys come out of Bomelius's house. The people reproach them for hanging out with this infidel, because he is a sorcerer and is friends with the unclean. The guys admit that Bomelius gave them herbs. The people assure them that it is a conspiracy, that it should be thrown away. The guys are scared, they throw the package. The people gradually disperse. Marfa, Dunyasha and Petrovna leave the monastery.
Scene 2. Marfa and Dunyasha decide to wait on a bench near Marfa’s father’s house for the merchant Vasily Stepanovich Sobakin, who should return soon. Marfa in her aria (“In Novgorod we lived next to Vanya”) tells Dunyasha about her fiancé: how in her childhood she lived next door to Lykov and became friends with Vanya. This aria is one of the best pages of the opera. A short recitative precedes the next section of the opera.
Scene 3. Martha looks into the depths of the stage, where at this time two noble horsemen (that is, riders on horses; in opera productions on stage they usually walk on foot) are shown. The expressive appearance of the first, wrapped in a rich adoration, makes it possible to recognize in him Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible; the second topman, with a broom and a dog's head at the saddle, is one of the guardsmen close to the Tsar. The Emperor stops his horse and silently looks intently at Martha. She does not recognize the king, but she is frightened and freezes in place, feeling his penetrating gaze directed at her. (It is noteworthy that at this moment the orchestra is playing the theme of Tsar Ivan the Terrible from another opera by Rimsky-Korsakov, “The Woman of Pskov.”) “Oh, what’s wrong with me? The blood froze in my heart!” - she says. The king slowly moves away. Sobakin and Lykov appear in the depths. Lykov greets Marfa with a bow. She gently reproaches him for forgetting his bride: “Yesterday I didn’t show an eye all day...” The quartet sounds (Marfa, Lykov, Dunyasha and Sobakin) - one of the brightest episodes of the opera. Sobakin invites Lykov to the house. The stage is empty. A fire is lit in the Sobakins' house. It's getting dark outside.
Scene 4. An orchestral intermezzo precedes this scene. While it is playing, Lyubasha appears at the back of the stage; her face is covered with a veil; she slowly looks around, sneaks between the houses and comes to the front of the stage. Lyubasha tracked down Marfa. Now she creeps up to the window to examine her rival. Lyubasha admits: “Yes... she’s not bad... blush and white, and her eyes are glazed...” And, having looked at her more carefully, she even exclaims: “What a beauty!” Lyubasha knocks on Bomelius’s house, because she went to him. Bomelius comes out and invites Lyubasha to enter the house, but she flatly refuses. Bomelius asks why she came. Lyubasha asks him for a potion that would “not completely destroy a person, but only destroy beauty.” Bomelius has potions for all occasions and for this one too. But he hesitates to give it: “As soon as they find out, I will be executed.” Lyubasha offers him a pearl necklace for his potion. But Bomelius says that this powder is not for sale. So what is the fee then?
“You don’t have much...,” Bomelius says, grabbing Lyubasha’s hand, “just one kiss!” She is indignant. Runs across to the other side of the street. Bomelius runs after her. She forbids anyone to touch herself. Bomelius threatens that tomorrow he will tell everything to Boyar Gryazny. Lyubasha is ready to pay any price. But Bomelius demands: “Love me, love me, Lyubasha!” Cheerful voices are heard from the Sobakins' house. This completely deprives Lyubasha of his sanity. She agrees to Bomelius's terms ("I agree. I... will try to love you"). Bomelius runs headlong into his house.
Scene 5. Lyubasha is alone. She sings her aria “The Lord will condemn you, he will condemn you for me” (she reproaches Gregory in her thoughts, who brought her to such a state). First, Marfa leaves the Sobakin house (her farewell to the guest is heard offstage), then Lykov and Sobakin himself appear. From their conversation, which Lyubasha overhears, it becomes clear that tomorrow they are expecting Gregory to join them. Everyone leaves. Lyubasha speaks again, she reflects on what she heard and waits for Bomelius. They promise not to deceive each other. In the end, Bomelius draws her to him.
Scene 6(“The Oprichniki”). The doors of the house of Prince Gvozdev-Rostovsky open. Drunken guardsmen appear on the porch with a riotous, riotous song (“It wasn’t the falcons that flew into the sky”). “No one can be protected from the fellows” - that’s their “fun.”
ACT III
DRUZHKO
The orchestral introduction to the third act does not foreshadow tragic events. The already familiar song “Glory!” It sounds calm, solemn and majestic here.
Scene 1. The upper room in Sobakin's house. To the right are three red windows; to the left in the corner there is a tiled stove; next to her, closer to the proscenium, is a blue door. In the background, in the middle, is a door; on the right side there is a table in front of the bench; on the left, right next to the door, there is a supplier. There is a wide bench under the windows. Sobakin, Lykov and Gryaznoy are sitting on the bench near the table. The latter hides his love for Marfa and hatred for Lykov, her fiancé. The entire first scene is their big trio. Sobakin talks about his large family who remained in Novgorod. Lykov hints that it’s time to settle Marfa too, that is, to celebrate their wedding. Sobakin agrees: “Yes, you see, it’s not until the wedding yet,” he says. Tsar Ivan the Terrible, it turns out, arranged a bridal shower; out of the two thousand gathered in Alexandrovskaya Sloboda, twelve remained. Among them is Martha. Neither Lykov nor Gryaznoy knew that Marfa was supposed to be at the show. What if the king chooses her? Both are very excited (but Grigory should not show it). Their voices intertwine - each sings about his own. In the end, Gryaznoy offers himself as a groomsman (according to the old Russian tradition, there should be a groomsman at a wedding). Trusting Lykov, not suspecting anything bad on Grigory’s part, readily agrees. Sobakin leaves to arrange for the guests to be treated to refreshments. Gryaznoy and Lykov are left alone for a while. Lykov is still worried about what to do if the Tsar takes a fancy to Marfa? He asks Gryazny about this. He sings his arietta “What to do? Let the Lord’s will be in everything!” At the end of the arietta, he feignedly wishes happiness to Lykov.
Scene 3. Sobakin enters with a stack of honey and glasses. The guests are drinking. The sound of the gate is heard. It was Martha and Dunyasha who returned (from the Tsar’s bridesmaid), and with them Domna Ivanovna Saburova, Dunyasha’s mother and merchant’s wife. The girls went to change their formal dresses, and Domna Saburova immediately appeared to the guests. From her story it seems that the king chose Dunyasha, “after all, the sovereign spoke to Dunyasha.” The short answer does not suit Sobakin, he asks to tell him more. Arioso by Saburova - a detailed story about the royal bridesmaid ceremony. Newly blossoming hope, faith in a happy future - the content of Lykov’s great aria “A stormy cloud rushed past.” Lykov sings it in the presence of Gryazny. They decide to drink to celebrate. Grigory goes to the window to pour a glass (it’s already dark in the house). At this moment, when for a moment he turns his back to Lykov, he takes the powder out of his bosom and pours it into a glass.
Scene 6. Sobakin enters with candles. Behind him are Marfa, Dunyasha, Saburova and the girls from the Sobakins’ servants. At a sign from Gryazny, Lykov approaches Marfa and stops next to her; Gryaznoy carries a drink (like a friend) to the guests (in one of the glasses on the tray there is a love potion for Marfa). Lykov takes his glass, drinks and bows. Martha also drinks - from the one that is intended for her. Everyone drinks the health of the newlyweds and praises Sobakin. Domna Saburova sings the majestic song “How the Falcon Flew in the Sky.” But the song remains unsung - Petrovna runs in; she reports that the boyars are coming to the Sobakins with the royal word. Malyuta Skuratov enters with the boyars; Sobakin and the others bow to them at the waist. Malyuta reports that the king chose Martha as his wife. Everyone is amazed. Sobakin bows to the ground.
ACT IV
BRIDE
Scene 1. Passage chamber in the royal chamber. In the depths, opposite the audience, is the door to the princess’s chambers. To the left in the foreground is the door to the vestibule. Windows with gilded bars. The chamber is upholstered in red cloth; shop with patterned shelves. In front, on the right side, is the brocade “seat” of the princess. A crystal chandelier descends from the ceiling on a gilded chain.
After a short orchestral introduction, Sobakin’s aria “Forgotten... maybe it will be easier” sounds. He is deeply saddened by his daughter’s illness, from which no one can cure her. Domna Saburova emerges from the princess’s chambers. She calms down Sobakin. The stoker runs in. He reports that a boyar arrived to them with the royal word.
Scene 2. This boyar turns out to be Grigory Gryaznoy. He greets Sobakin and reports that Martha’s villain confessed to everything under torture and that the sovereign’s doctor (Bomelius) undertakes to cure her. But who is the villain, asks Sobakin. Gregory does not give an answer. Sobakin goes to Marfa. Gregory is tormented by the desire to see Martha. Her voice can be heard off stage. Marfa runs out pale and alarmed: she herself wants to talk to the boyar. She sits down in her “seat.” She angrily says that the rumors are lies, that she has been spoiled. Malyuta comes out of the entryway with several boyars and stops at the door. And now Gregory reports that Ivan Lykov repented of his intention to poison Martha, that the sovereign ordered his execution and that he himself, Gregory, put an end to him. Hearing this, Martha falls unconscious. General confusion. Marfa's feelings return. But her mind was clouded. It seems to her that in front of her is not Grigory, but her beloved Vanya (Lykov). And all she was told was a dream. Grigory, seeing that even with her mind clouded, Martha is striving for Ivan, realizes the futility of all his villainous plans. “So this is a love disease! You deceived me, you deceived me, you infidel!” - he exclaims in despair. Unable to bear the mental anguish, Gryaznoy confesses to his crime - it was he who slandered Lykov and killed the sovereign’s bride. Martha still perceives everything as a dream. She invites Ivan (whom she mistakes for Gryazny) into the garden, invites him to play catch-up, runs herself, stops... Marfa sings her last aria, “Oh, look: what an azure bell I picked.” Gryaznoy cannot bear it. He betrays himself into the hands of Malyuta: “Lead me, Malyuta, lead me to the terrible trial.” Lyubasha runs out of the crowd. She admits that she overheard Gregory’s conversation with Bomelius and replaced the love potion with a deadly one, and Gregory, not knowing about it, brought it to Marfa. Marfa hears their conversation, but still mistakes Gregory for Ivan. Grigory grabs a knife and, cursing Lyubasha, plunges it straight into her heart. Sobakin and the boyars rush to Gryaznoy. His last wish is to say goodbye to Martha. They take him away. At the door, Gryaznoy turns to Marfa for the last time and sends her a farewell glance. “Come tomorrow, Vanya!” - the last words of the disturbed Martha. “Oh, Lord!” - everyone close to Martha lets out a single heavy sigh. This drama ends with a flurry of descending chromatic passages from the orchestra.
A. Maykapar
History of creation
The opera “The Tsar's Bride” is based on the drama of the same name by the Russian poet, translator and playwright L. A. Mey (1822-1862). Back in 1868, on the advice of Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov drew attention to this play. However, the composer began creating an opera based on its plot only thirty years later.
The composition of “The Tsar’s Bride” began in February 1898 and was completed within 10 months. The opera premiered on October 22 (November 3), 1899 at the Moscow private opera theater of S. I. Mamontov.
The action of Mey’s “The Tsar’s Bride” (the play was written in 1849) takes place in the dramatic era of Ivan the Terrible, during the period of the brutal struggle of the Tsar’s oprichnina with the boyars. This struggle, which contributed to the unification of the Russian state, was accompanied by numerous manifestations of despotism and arbitrariness. The tense situations of that era, representatives of various segments of the population, the life and way of life of Moscow Rus' are historically truthfully depicted in May's play.
In Rimsky-Korsakov's opera, the plot of the play did not undergo any significant changes. The libretto, written by I. F. Tyumenev (1855-1927), included many poems from the drama. The bright, pure image of Martha, the Tsar's bride, is one of the most charming female images in the works of Rimsky-Korsakov. Martha is opposed by Gryaznoy - insidious, domineering, stopping at nothing to carry out her plans; but Gryaznoy has a warm heart and falls victim to his own passion. The images of Gryazny’s abandoned lover Lyubasha, the youthfully simple-hearted and trusting Lykov, and the calculatingly cruel Bomelius are realistically convincing. Throughout the opera, the presence of Ivan the Terrible is felt, invisibly determining the fate of the drama's heroes. Only in the second act is his figure briefly shown (this scene is absent from May's drama).
Music
“The Tsar’s Bride” is a realistic lyrical drama, full of acute stage situations. At the same time, its distinctive feature is the predominance of rounded arias, ensembles and choirs, which are based on beautiful, flexible and soulfully expressive melodies. The dominant importance of the vocal element is emphasized by transparent orchestral accompaniment.
The decisive and energetic overture, with its bright contrasts, anticipates the drama of subsequent events.
In the first act of the opera, Gryazny’s excited recitative and aria (“Where have you gone, your old prowess?”) serves as the beginning of the drama. The chorus of the guardsmen “Sweeter than honey” (fugetta) is in the spirit of great songs. In Lykov’s arioso “Everything is Other” his lyrically tender, dreamy appearance is revealed. The choral dance “Yar-khmel” (“Like Beyond the River”) is close to Russian dance songs. The mournful folk tunes are reminiscent of Lyubasha’s song “Equip quickly, dear mother,” performed without accompaniment. In the terzetta of Gryaznoy, Bomeliy and Lyubasha, feelings of mournful emotion prevail. The duet of Gryaznoy and Lyubasha, Lyubasha’s arioso “After all, I am the only one who loves you” and her final arioso create a single dramatic build-up, leading from sadness to the stormy confusion of the end of the act.
The music of the orchestral introduction to the second act imitates the bright ringing of bells. The opening chorus sounds serenely, interrupted by the ominous chorus of the guardsmen. In Marfa’s girlishly tender aria “The Way I Look Now” and the quartet, happy peace reigns. The orchestral intermezzo before Lyubasha’s appearance introduces a hint of wariness and hidden anxiety; it is based on the melody of her mournful song from the first act. The scene with Bomelius is a tense duet-duel. Lyubasha’s aria “The Lord will judge you” is imbued with a feeling of deep sadness. Reckless revelry and brave prowess can be heard in the dashing song of the guardsmen “Those are not falcons”, close in character to Russian bandit songs.
The third act opens with a solemn, calm orchestral introduction. The terzetto of Lykov, Gryaznoy and Sobakin sounds leisurely and sedate. Gryazny’s arietta “Let it be in everything” is carefree, carefree. Saburova's Arioso - a story about the royal bridesmaid ceremony, Lykov's aria "A stormy cloud rushed past", the sextet and choir are filled with peaceful peace and joy. The majestic “How the falcon flew across the sky” is associated with folk wedding songs.
The introduction to the fourth act conveys a mood of doom. Restrained grief is heard in Sobakin’s aria “I didn’t think, I didn’t guess.” The quintet and choir are filled with intense drama; Gryaznoy's confession forms his climax. Marfa’s dreamily fragile and poetic aria “Ivan Sergeich, do you want us to go to the garden?” forms a tragic contrast next to the despair and frenzied drama of the meeting between Gryaznoy and Lyubasha and Gryaznoy’s short final arioso “Innocent sufferer, forgive me.”
M. Druskin
The history of the composition of The Tsar's Bride is as simple and short as the history of The Night Before Christmas: conceived and begun in February 1898, the opera was composed and completed in the score within ten months and was staged by the Private Opera the following season. The decision to write “The Tsar’s Bride” came as if suddenly, after long discussions of other subjects. (Among the subjects discussed with Tyumenev at this time, there were other dramas from Russian history. The librettist proposed his own developments: “Lack of Rights” - Moscow Russia of the 17th century, popular uprisings, “Mother” - from the old Moscow way of life, “Treasured Belt” - from the times of appanage principalities; “Evpatiy Kolovrat” was remembered again, as well as “Song about the Merchant Kalashnikov.”), but, as stated in the Chronicle, turning to May’s drama was the composer’s “long-standing intention” - probably since the 60s, when Balakirev and Borodin were thinking about “The Tsar’s Bride” (the latter, as is known, made several sketches for choirs guardsmen, who were later used in “Prince Igor” in a scene by Vladimir Galitsky). The script was sketched by the composer himself; “the final development of the libretto with the development of lyrical moments and inserted, additional scenes” was entrusted to Tyumenev.
At the heart of Mei's drama from the time of Ivan the Terrible is a love triangle characteristic of a romantic drama (more precisely, two triangles: Marfa - Lyubasha - Gryaznoy and Marfa - Lykov - Gryaznoy), complicated by the intervention of a fatal force - Tsar Ivan, whose choice at the bride's show falls on Marfa . The conflict between the individual and the state, feelings and duty is very typical for numerous plays dedicated to the era of Ivan the Terrible. As in “The Pskov Woman,” in the center of “The Tsar’s Bride” is the image of a young life that happily began and was ruined early, but, unlike Mey’s first drama, there are no large folk scenes or socio-historical motivation for events: Martha dies due to a tragic confluence of personal circumstances. Both the play and the opera written based on it do not belong to the type of “historical dramas”, like “The Pskov Woman” or “Boris,” but to the type of works where the historical setting and characters are the initial condition for the development of the action. One can agree with N.N. Rimskaya-Korsakova and Belsky, to whom this play and its characters did not seem original. Indeed, in comparison with Rimsky-Korsakov’s previous operas, where the librettos were based on remarkable literary monuments or developed imagery new to the operatic genre, the plots of The Tsar’s Bride, Pan Voivode and, to a lesser extent, Servilia have a tinge of melodrama. But for Rimsky-Korsakov, in his state of mind at that time, they opened up new opportunities. It is no coincidence that for three successive operas he created, he chose largely similar plots: in the center - an ideal, but not fantastic, female image (Martha, Servilia, Maria); along the edges - positive and negative male figures (the heroines' suitors and their rivals); in "Pan Voivode" there is, as in "The Tsar's Bride", a contrasting "dark" female image, there is a motif of poisoning; in “Servilia” and “The Tsar’s Bride” the heroines die, in “Pan Voivode” heaven’s help comes at the last minute.
The general coloring of the plot of “The Tsar’s Bride” is reminiscent of such Tchaikovsky operas as “The Oprichnik” and especially “The Enchantress”; Rimsky-Korsakov probably had the opportunity to “compete” with them in mind (as in “The Night Before Christmas”). But it is clear that the main attraction for him in all three operas was the central female figures and, to a certain extent, pictures of everyday life and way of life. Without putting forward such complexities as arose in Rimsky-Korsakov’s previous operas (large folk scenes, fantasy), these plots made it possible to concentrate on pure music, pure lyrics. This is confirmed by the lines about “The Tsar’s Bride” in the “Chronicle”, where we talk mainly about musical problems: “The style of the opera should have been predominantly melodious; arias and monologues were supposed to be developed as far as the dramatic situations allowed; voice ensembles were meant to be real, complete, and not in the form of random and fleeting clues of some voices for others, as suggested by modern demands for supposedly dramatic truth, according to which two or more persons are not supposed to speak together.<...>The composition of the ensembles: quartet II of act and sextet III aroused in me a special interest in techniques that were new to me, and I believe that, judging by the melodiousness and grace of independent voice acting, there have not been such operatic ensembles since Glinka’s time.<...>“The Tsar’s Bride” turned out to be written for strictly defined voices and was suitable for singing. The orchestration and development of the accompaniment, despite the fact that I did not always put the voices in the foreground, and the composition of the orchestra was ordinary, turned out to be effective and interesting throughout.”
The turn the composer made after “Sadko” in “The Tsar’s Bride” turned out to be so drastic that many admirers of Rimsky-Korsakov’s art were perceived as a departure from Kuchkism. This point of view was expressed by N. N. Rimskaya-Korsakova, who regretted that the opera was written at all; much softer - Belsky, who argued that “the new opera stands... completely apart... even individual passages do not resemble anything from the past.” Moscow critic E.K. Rosenov, in his review of the premiere, clearly formulated the idea of “Korsakov’s departure from Kuchkism”: “A whole series of strikingly real and deeply felt types, as if snatched from the very depths of Russian life, appeared one after another before the opera audience in works of the new Russian school, convincing society that the tasks of modern musical drama are significant, reasonable and broad-based, and that in comparison with it the musical sweetness, virtuoso bravura and sentimentalism of the French-German-Italian opera of the previous type seem only like childish babble.<...>“The Tsar’s Bride”, being, on the one hand, the highest example of modern operatic technique, essentially turns out - on the part of the author - to be a step towards his conscious renunciation of the most cherished principles of the new Russian school. The future will show what new path this renunciation of our beloved author will lead to.”
Criticism of another direction welcomed the “simplification” of the composer, “the author’s desire to reconcile the requirements of the new musical drama with the forms of the old opera”, saw in “The Tsar’s Bride” an example of an anti-Wagnerian movement towards a “rounded melody”, towards traditional operatic action, where “the composer was extremely successful in reconciling completeness of musical forms with fidelity to the expression of dramatic situations.” The work was a very big success among the public, surpassing even the triumph of “Sadko”.
The composer himself believed that the criticism was simply confused - “everything was focused on drama, naturalism and other isms” - and joined the opinion of the public. Rimsky-Korsakov rated The Tsar's Bride unusually highly - on a par with The Snow Maiden - and persistently repeated this statement for several years (for example, in letters to his wife and to N.I. Zabela, the first performer of the role of Martha). In part, it was of a polemical nature and was caused by the motives of the struggle for creative freedom, which were mentioned above: “...They [the musicians] have outlined a specialty for me: fantastic music, but they surround me with dramatic music.<...>Is it really my lot to paint only the wonders of water, land and amphibians? “The Tsar’s Bride” is not at all fantastic, and “The Snow Maiden” is very fantastic, but both are very humane and sincere, and “Sadko” and “Saltan” are significantly devoid of this. Conclusion: of my many operas, I love “The Snow Maiden” and “The Tsar’s Bride” the most. But something else is also true: “I noticed,” the composer wrote, “that many who, either from hearsay or on their own, were for some reason against“The Tsar’s Bride,” but we listened to it two or three times, began to become attached to it... apparently, there is something incomprehensible in it, and it turns out to be not as simple as it seems.” Indeed, over time, its consistent opponent, Nadezhda Nikolaevna, partially fell under the charm of this opera (After the premiere of the opera at the Mariinsky Theater in 1901, Nadezhda Nikolaevna wrote to her husband: “I remember what I wrote to you about The Tsar’s Bride after the first performance at the Moscow Private Opera, and I find that I did not refuse much of what I said then even now, for example, from my opinion about Malyuta’s part, the shortcomings of the libretto, the bad and unnecessary trio in the first act, the whiny duet there, etc. But this is only one side of the coin.<...>I said almost nothing about the merits, about the many wonderful recitatives, about the strong drama of the fourth act and, finally, about the amazing instrumentation, which only now, performed by a wonderful orchestra, became completely clear to me.”) and Belsky, who was “ideologically” not sympathetic to opera (V.I. Belsky, who cautiously but definitely criticized the dramaturgy of the opera after the first listening, wrote, however, about the last act: “This is such an ideal combination of beauty and psychological truth that so often fight with each other, such deeply poetic tragedy that you listen as if enchanted , without analyzing or remembering anything. Of all the scenes in operas that erupt with tears of sympathy, we can safely say, this is the most perfect and brilliant. And at the same time, this is still a new side of your creative gift...".
B.V. Asafiev believed that the power of influence of “The Tsar’s Bride” lies in the fact that “the theme of love rivalry... and the long-standing opera-librett situation of the “quartet”... are voiced here in the intonations and frame of Russian realistic everyday drama in the distant perspective, which also enhances its romantic and romantic appeal,” and most importantly, in “the rich Russian heartfelt emotional melodiousness.”
Nowadays, “The Tsar’s Bride” in the general context of Rimsky-Korsakov’s work is by no means perceived as a work breaking with Kuchkism, but rather as a unifying work, summarizing the Moscow and St. Petersburg lines of the Russian school, and for the composer himself - as a link in the chain leading from “The Pskovite” to "Kitezh". Most of all, this relates to the sphere of intonation - not archaic, not ritual, but purely lyrical, naturally existing, as if diffused throughout Russian life. Characteristic and new for Rimsky-Korsakov is the inclination of the general song color of “The Tsar’s Bride” towards romance in its popular and professional refractions. And finally, another essential feature of the style of this opera is Glinkanism, which E. M. Petrovsky very expressively wrote about after the premiere of the opera at the Mariinsky Theater: “The peculiarity of The Tsar’s Bride is not in its “deviations” or “crimes” against the aesthetic principles of the current of the day,” but “in those really tangible trends of Glinka’s spirit, which strangely permeate the entire opera. I don’t want to say by this that this or that place resembles the corresponding places in Glinka’s compositions.<...>One cannot help but think that such a “Glinkinization” of the plot was part of the author’s intentions and that the opera with the same (and even greater!) right could be dedicated to the memory of Glinka, as the preceding “Mozart and Salieri” was dedicated to the memory of Dargomyzhsky. This spirit was reflected both in the desire for the broadest, smoothest and most flexible melody and for the melodic content of recitatives, and - especially - in the predominance of the characteristic polyphony of the accompaniment. With its clarity, purity, and melodiousness, the latter inevitably evokes many episodes of “A Life for the Tsar,” in which it was precisely with this unique polyphony of accompaniment that Glinka went far beyond the conventional and limited manner of his contemporary Western opera.”
In “The Tsar’s Bride,” unlike previous operas, the composer, lovingly depicting everyday life and way of life (the scene in Gryaznoy’s house in the first act, the scenes in front of the house and in Sobakin’s house in the second and third acts), does not essentially try to convey the spirit of the era ( a few signs of the times - grandeur in the first act and the “znamenny” leitmotif of Ivan the Terrible, taken from “The Pskov Woman”). He also avoids soundscapes (although motifs of nature are heard in the subtext of both Marfa’s arias and Lykov’s first aria, in the idyll of the beginning of the second act - the people disperse after Vespers).
The critics who, in connection with The Tsar's Bride, wrote about Rimsky-Korsakov's rejection of "Wagnerism" were mistaken. In this opera, the orchestra still plays an important role, and although there are no detailed “sound pictures” here, as in “The Night Before Christmas” or “Sadko”, their absence is balanced by a large overture (in the tension and dramatic images it is reminiscent of the Pskov Woman overture). , expressive intermezzo in the second act (“portrait of Lyubasha”), introductions to the third and fourth acts (“oprichnina” and “Martha’s fate”) and active instrumental development in most scenes. There are many leitmotifs in The Tsar's Bride, and the principles of their use are the same as in the composer's previous operas. The most noticeable (and most traditional) group consists of “fatal” leitthemes and leitharmonies: themes of the healer Bomelius, Malyuta, two leitmotifs of Ivan the Terrible (“Glory” and “Znamenny”), “Lyubasha’s chords” (rock theme), “love potion” chords. In Gryazny’s part, which is closely in touch with the sphere of the fatal, the dramatic intonations of his first recitative and aria are of great importance: they accompany Gryazny until the end of the opera. The leitmotif work, so to speak, ensures the movement of the action, but the main emphasis is not on this, but on two female images, brightly appearing against the background beautifully, lovingly, in the best traditions of Russian painting of the 19th century, depicting the old way of life.
In the author’s comments to the drama, Mei calls the two heroines of “The Tsar’s Bride” “song types” and cites the corresponding folk song texts to characterize them (The idea of “meek” and “passionate” (or “predatory”) types of Russian female character was one of the favorites of the “pochvennichestvo” movement, to which May belonged. Theoretically, it was developed in the articles of Apollo Grigoriev and was developed by other writers of this movement, including F. M. Dostoevsky.). A.I. Kandinsky, analyzing the sketches of “The Tsar’s Bride,” notes that the first sketches for the opera were in the nature of a lyrical lingering song, and the key intonation ideas related to both heroines at once. In the part of Lyubasha, the structure of the drawn-out song was preserved (unaccompanied song in the first act) and supplemented with dramatic romantic intonations (duet with Gryazny, aria in the second act).
The central image of Marfa in the opera has a unique compositional solution: in fact, Marfa as a “person with speeches” appears on stage twice with the same musical material (arias in the second and fourth acts). But if in the first aria - “Martha’s happiness” - the emphasis is on the bright song motives of her characterization, and the enthusiastic and mysterious theme of “golden crowns” is only exposed, then in the second aria - “on the outcome of Martha’s soul,” preceded and interrupted by “fatal” with chords and tragic intonations of “dream”, the “theme of crowns” is sung and its meaning is revealed as a theme of premonition of another life. This interpretation suggests the genesis and further development of this intonation in Rimsky-Korsakov: appearing in “Mlada” (one of the themes of the shadow of Princess Mlada), after “The Tsar’s Bride”, it sounds in the death scene of “Servilia”, and then in the “Paradise pipe” "and the songs of Sirin and Alkonost in "Kitezh". Using the terms of the composer’s era, we can call this type of melody “ideal,” “universal,” although in Marfa’s part it retains at the same time a Russian song flavor. Martha's scene in the fourth act not only holds together the entire dramaturgy of The Tsar's Bride, but also takes it beyond the boundaries of everyday drama to the heights of genuine tragedy.
M. Rakhmanova
“The Tsar’s Bride” is one of Rimsky-Korsakov’s most heartfelt operas. She stands apart in his work. Its appearance caused a number of critical reproaches for the departure from “kuchkism”. The melody of the opera and the presence of complete numbers were perceived by many as a return of the composer to old forms. Rimsky-Korsakov objected to the critics, saying that a return to singing cannot be a step back, that in pursuit of drama and “life truth” one cannot follow only the path of melodic recitation. The composer in this work came closest to Tchaikovsky's operatic aesthetics.
The premiere, which took place at the Moscow Mamontov Private Russian Opera, was distinguished by the professionalism of all components of the performance (designer M. Vrubel, director Shkafer, Zabela sang the role of Marfa).
The wonderful melodies of the opera are unforgettable: the recitative and aria of Gryazny “The beauty is going crazy” (1 d.), two arias of Lyubasha from 1 and 2 d., Marfa’s final aria from 4 d. “Ivan Sergeich, if you want, let’s go to the garden”, etc. The opera was staged on the imperial stage in 1901 (Mariinsky Theatre). The Prague premiere took place in 1902. Opera does not leave the stages of leading Russian musical theaters.
Genre - lyrical-psychological drama.
The opera premiered in 1899 at the private opera house of S. Mamontov. Costume sketches were created by M. Vrubel, the role of Marfa was performed by N. Zabela.
Rimsky-Korsakov turned to the historical plot three times. All three operas, based on historical themes, were created based on the dramas of Lev May. The first was "The Pskov Woman", then - "Boyaryna Vera Sheloga", the plot of which precedes the events of "The Pskov Woman", and "The Tsar's Bride". All three dramas are associated with the era of Ivan the Terrible.
I. The plot basis of the opera. “The Tsar’s Bride” is based on a real historical event: Ivan the Terrible chose his third wife, gathering about 2000 girls from merchant and boyar families (N.M. Karamzin writes about this in “History of the Russian State.” He chose the daughter of a Novgorod merchant Marfa Sobakin, however, the tsar's bride fell ill before the wedding. The wedding took place, but Martha soon died. Lev May rethought this event in his drama in a romantic way, creating a complex psychological intrigue around the fact of the death of the tsar's chosen one. The concept of Mey's play in the opera is almost unchanged ..
P. Refraction of the historical theme. The composer's interest in history arose under the influence of Mussorgsky. “Boris Godunov” and “Pskovian Woman” were created simultaneously. However, Rimsky-Korsakov is not focused on large-scale crowd scenes, but on the lyrical and psychological plot line. He is more attracted to the problem of personality absorption To historical era.
P. The unique refraction of the historical theme determines the complexity of the dramatic organization. The opera has several dramaturgical “circles” that form a concentric structure. The center of plot collisions is Marfa Sobakina. I dramaturgical circle - the love of Martha and Ivan Lykov. This is a lyrical plot line. The second circle is the love of the guardsman Gryazny for Marfa and at the same time the tragedy of Lyubasha abandoned by him. This is the dramatic line of the opera, according to sk Olka is right here s The main intrigue of the plot is formed. III the circle unites all the characters with Ivan the Terrible. It is at this level of drama that it is shown how a historical era (symbolized by Ivan the Terrible) can control personal destiny. Like the pure love of Martha and Ivan Lykov, so the intrigues of Lyubash and Gryazny are broken by the decision of the tsar.
III. The musical language of the opera is a vivid example of Rimsky-Korsakov’s ariosous style, which the composer took a long time to approach, having written a large number of romances. To realize the dramatic concept, the composer builds a complex system of leitthemes in the opera.
IV. Characteristics of the main characters
Marfa- it's lyrical, ideal And an absolutely passive character. Exposition of the image - aria II actions, where three themes are heard that will accompany the heroine in the final scenes of the opera. The development of the image is associated with the strengthening of the features of doom and tragedy. The climax is a scene of madness “Oh, Vanya, Vanya! What kind of dreams are there!” (the theme of madness appears not-
how much earlier, in the quintet preceding) and the aria of Act IV, where all three leitthemes take place.
Grigory Gryaznoy- the most active and complex character. This is a man driven by his passions. He commits crimes not because he is angry, but because his feelings are unbridled. We can draw some analogy with Don Juan.
The exposition of the image is the aria of Act I “Where did your old prowess go?” an unrequited lover, a man. The image is revealed in ensemble scenes (with Bomeliy and Lyubasha in Act II): on the one hand, Gryaznoy is characterized as a man whom nothing will stop in the fulfillment of his plan, on the other hand, in the scene with Lyubasha his ability to sympathize and regret deed. Arietta of Act III demonstrates the hero's feigned humility, an imaginary abandonment of his plans. Act IV is the climax and denouement of the image. The arioso “She is sick, and cries and grieves” shows the hero’s hope for the success of his plan. The scene with Lyubasha and the arioso “The Innocent Sufferer” is the denouement of the development of the image, demonstrating the hero’s repentance, his desire to punish for what he has done.
Lyubasha- like Marfa, this heroine is revealed in a rather one-dimensional way: she is a strong personality, obsessed with one idea - to return the love of Gryaznoy. The exposition of the image is the tragic song from Act I “Equip quickly.” Development takes place in Act I, in a trio with Gryazny and Bomelius, in a duet with Gryazny. A significant stage in the development of the image is the arioso “Oh, I’ll find your sorceress” from Act I, where Lyubasha decides to “turn away” her rival. The next stage is the scene of Lyubasha and Bomelius, where Martha’s death is a foregone conclusion. The denouement of the image is the scene of Gryazny and Lyubasha in Act IV, where Lyubasha dies.
Ivan groznyj, although he is the central figure in the events of the opera, has no vocal characteristics. He appears briefly at the beginning of Act II.
Overture ch.t. - first 8 beats. t. - s. Ts.Z
On March 24, the exhibition “Tragedies of Love and Power” opened at the Memorial Museum-Apartment of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov (28 Zagorodny Ave.): “The Pskov Woman,” “The Tsar’s Bride,” “Servilia.” The project, dedicated to three operas based on the dramatic works of Lev Mey, completes a series of chamber exhibitions that, since 2011, have systematically introduced the general public to the operatic heritage of Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov.
“To Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov, the Great Singer of Mey” is written in gold embossing on the ribbon presented to the composer. Dramas, poetry, translations - the work of Lev Aleksandrovich Mey attracted Rimsky-Korsakov throughout almost his entire life. Some materials from the opera - heroes, images, musical elements - were transferred to The Tsar's Bride, and later migrated to Servilia, which seemed so far from the dramas of the era of Ivan the Terrible. The three operas focus on bright female characters, a fragile world of beauty and purity, which perishes as a result of the invasion of powerful forces, embodied in their quintessence, be it the Moscow Tsar or the Roman Consul. The three doomed brides of Mey - Rimsky-Korsakov are one emotional line, directed to the highest expression in the image of Fevronia in “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh”. Olga, Marfa and Servilia, loving, sacrificial, anticipating death, were brilliantly embodied on stage by Korsakov’s ideal - N.I. Zabela-Vrubel, with her unearthly voice, ideally suited for these roles.
The opera “The Tsar's Bride” is familiar to a wide audience more than other operas by Rimsky-Korsakov. The collections of the Museum of Theater and Musical Art preserve evidence of many productions: from the premiere at the Private Theater of S.I. Mamontov in 1899 to performances of the last quarter of the 20th century. These are sketches of costumes and scenery by K. M. Ivanov, E. P. Ponomarev, S. V. Zhivotovsky, V. M. Zaitseva, original works by D. V. Afanasyev - two-layer sketches of costumes imitating the relief of fabric. The central place at the exhibition will be taken by S. M. Yunovich’s sketches of scenery and costumes. In 1966, she created one of the best performances in the entire history of the stage life of this opera - piercing, intense, tragic, like the life and fate of the artist herself. The exhibition will feature for the first time the Marfa costume for Tiflis Opera soloist I. M. Korsunskaya. According to legend, this costume was purchased from a lady-in-waiting of the Imperial Court. Later, Korsunskaya gave the costume to L.P. Filatova, who also took part in the play by S.M. Yunovich.
It is no coincidence that “The Woman of Pskov,” chronologically the first opera by Rimsky-Korsakov, will be presented in the final exhibition of the cycle. Work on this “opera-chronicle” was dispersed over time; three editions of the work cover a significant part of the composer’s creative biography. At the exhibition, visitors will see a sketch of the set by M. P. Zandin, a stage costume, and a collection of May’s dramatic works in the edition of Kushelev-Bezborodko from Rimsky-Korsakov’s personal library. The score of the opera “Boyaryna Vera Sheloga”, which became the prologue to “The Pskov Woman”, has been preserved, with the autograph of V.
V. Yastrebtsev - biographer of the composer. The exhibition also presents memorial tapes: “N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov “Pskovian Woman” benefit performance of the orchestra 28.X.1903. Orchestra of Imperial Russian Music"; "N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov “in memory of my slave Ivan” Pskovite 28 X 903. S.P.B.”
Chaliapin, who suffered through every intonation of the role of Ivan the Terrible, who is torn between his love for his newfound daughter and the burden of power, turned the historical drama “The Women of Pskov” into a true tragedy.
Visitors to the exhibition will have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “Servilia,” presented by E. P. Ponomarev’s costume designs for the premiere performance at the Mariinsky Theater in 1902; a stage costume, which will be exhibited in an open exhibition for the first time, as well as an opera score with personal notes from the composer. Opera has not appeared on the theater stage or in the concert hall for several decades. There is no complete recording of Servilia. The museum's appeal to Rimsky-Korsakov's forgotten opera, planned several years ago, surprisingly coincided today with the anticipation of an outstanding event - the upcoming production of Servilia at the Chamber Musical Theater. B. A. Pokrovsky. Before the premiere, scheduled for April 15, Gennady Rozhdestvensky also plans to make the first ever recording of “Servilia.” This is how the empty window in the majestic opera building of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov will be filled.
libretto
« Pskovian woman" - the first opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The opera has three acts, six scenes. The libretto was written by the composer himself based on the plot of the drama of the same name by Lev May. First staged at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg under the direction of Eduard Napravnik in the year, revised by the composer in the year.
Characters
- Prince Tokmakov, mayor in Pskov - bass;
- Olga, his adopted daughter - soprano;
- Boyarin Matuta - tenor;
- Boyaryna Stepanida Matuta (Stesha) - soprano;
- Mikhail Tucha, mayor's son - tenor;
- Prince Vyazemsky - bass;
- Bomelius, royal physician - bass;
- Yushko Velebin, messenger from Novgorod - bass
- Vlasyevna, mother (mezzo-soprano);
- Perfilyevna, mother (mezzo-soprano).
Boyars, guardsmen, people.
The action takes place in Pskov and its environs in the year.
Act one
Scene one. A garden near the house of Prince Tokmakov, the royal governor and sedate mayor in Pskov. Mothers Vlasyevna and Perfilyevna are talking about the fact that the formidable Tsar of Moscow Ivan Vasilyevich, who defeated the Novgorod freemen, is coming to free Pskov. The girls play burners, in which Tokmakov’s adopted daughter, Olga, does not participate, whispering with her friend Stesha about a love date with the mayor’s son, Mikhail Tucha. Vlasyevna tells the girls a fairy tale, but Clouds can be heard whistling. Everyone goes into the tower. Olga secretly goes out on a date with Tucha. A tender scene takes place between them. Hearing the sound of approaching steps, Cloud climbs over the fence, and Olga hides in the bushes. Prince Tokmakov enters with the old boyar Matuta, wooing Olga. Tokmakov warns Matutu that Olga is his adopted, and not his own, daughter and hints that her mother is the noblewoman Vera Sheloga, and her father is Tsar Ivan himself, now marching with an army to Pskov. A bell can be heard calling for a meeting. Olga is shocked by the news she overheard.
Scene two. Square in Pskov. People come running. On the square, the Novgorod messenger Yushka Velebin tells that Novgorod has been taken and that Tsar Ivan the Terrible is approaching Pskov. The people want to come to the defense of the city and go into open battle. Tokmakov and Matuta call on Pskov residents to submit. Cloud protests against this decision, calls for resistance and leaves with the Pskov youth (freedom) at the sound of an ancient veche song. The crowd notices the weakness of the “freedom”, foresees her death and mourns that “the hand of the formidable king is heavy.”
Act two
Scene one. Large square in Pskov. Near the houses there are tables with bread and salt, as a sign of humble greeting. The crowd is in fear and waiting for the arrival of the king. Olga tells Vlasyevna a family secret that she overheard. Vlasyevna foresees misfortune for Olga. The ceremonial entry of the Tsar opens with the people shouting “Have mercy!”
Scene two. A room in Tokmakov's house. Tokmakov and Matuta greet Ivan the Terrible with humility. Olga treats the Tsar, who treats her kindly, noticing her resemblance to her mother. The girls praise the king. After they leave, the Tsar, having questioned Tokmakov, is finally convinced that Olga is his daughter, and, shocked by the memories of his youth, announces: “The Lord protects Pskov!”
Act three
Scene one. Road to the Pechersky Monastery, deep forest. There is a royal hunt in the forest. A thunderstorm begins. Girls and mothers pass along the road. Olga lagged behind them, who started a journey to the monastery only to meet Cloud on the way. A meeting of lovers takes place. Suddenly Cloud is attacked by Matuta's servants. The cloud falls wounded; Olga faints - she is carried away in the arms of Matuta's guard, who threatens to tell Tsar Ivan about Cloud's betrayal.
Scene two. Tsar's headquarters near Pskov. Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich indulges in memories alone. Reflections are interrupted by the news that the royal guards have captured Matutu, who was trying to kidnap Olga. The king is furious and does not listen to Matutu, who is trying to slander Cloud. Olga is brought in. At first, Grozny is incredulous and speaks to her irritably. But then the girl’s frank confession of her love for Cloud and her affectionate, heartfelt conversation conquered the king. Suddenly, Cloud, having recovered from his wound, attacked the guards with his squad, he wants to free Olga. The Tsar orders the freemen to be shot and Cloud brought to him. However, he manages to avoid capture. From afar, Olga hears the farewell words of her beloved’s song. She runs out of the tent and falls, struck by someone's bullet. Olga is dying. In despair, Grozny bends over his daughter's body. The people are crying about the fall of the great Pskov.
Notes
Links
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
See what “Pskovite (opera)” is in other dictionaries:
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera "The Pskov Woman"- “The Pskov Woman” is an opera in three acts. The music and libretto were written by composer Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky Korsakov, the plot is based on the drama of the same name by Lev May. This is the first of fifteen operas created by N. A. Rimsky Korsakov,... ... Encyclopedia of Newsmakers
Opera Pskovitena Sketch of the veche scene from the first production of the opera ... Wikipedia
“Pskovite” in the “historical” homeland
Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
Administration of the Pskov region
State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia
Russian State Theater Agency
PSKOVITANKA
Stage composition based on the opera by Korsakov
to the 500th anniversary of Pskov’s entry into the Moscow state
Pskov Kremlin
July 22, 2010 Starts at 10:30 p.m.
The Bolshoi Theater gives the opera "The Woman of Pskov" in the very heart of her "home" city - in the Pskov Kremlin. The performance will take place during the celebration of City Day and the 66th anniversary of its liberation from the fascist occupiers.
Musical director and conductor - Alexander Polyanichko
Stage director - Yuri Laptev
Production designer - Vyacheslav Efimov
Costume designer - Elena Zaitseva
Chief choirmaster - Valery Borisov
Lighting designer - Damir Ismagilov
Ivan the Terrible - Alexey Tanovitsky
Prince Tokmakov - Vyacheslav Pochapsky
Olga - Ekaterina Shcherbachenko
Mikhail Tucha - Roman Muravitsky
Boyar Matuta - Maxim Pasteur
- Alexandra Kadurina
Bomelius - Nikolai Kazansky
Prince Vyazemsky - Valery Gilmanov
Yushka Velebin - Pavel Chernykh
Vlasevna - Tatyana Erastova
Perfilyevna - Elena Novak
Brief summary of the opera
Prince Tokmakov, the royal governor in Pskov, is rich and famous. But the people of Pskov are seized with anxiety - the formidable Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich is supposed to arrive here. Will he greet Pskov with anger or mercy? Tokmakov has another concern - he wants to marry his daughter Olga to the sedate boyar Matuta. She loves Mikhailo Tucha, a brave warrior of the Pskov freemen. In the meantime, Olga’s friends are having fun in the garden. Nurses Vlasyevna and Perfilyevna are conducting the conversation. Vlasevna knows a lot about the Tokmakov family. Perfilyevna wants to extract it from her: there is a rumor that “Olga is not a prince’s daughter, but raise her higher.” Olga stays away from everyone - waiting for her betrothed. A familiar whistle is heard - Cloud has come on a date. The son of a poor mayor, he knows that the rich Matuta is sending matchmakers to Olga. Tuche no longer lives in Pskov, he wants to leave his native place. Olga asks him to stay, maybe she will be able to beg her father to celebrate their wedding. And here comes Tokmakov - he is having a conversation with Matuta, confiding in him a family secret. Hiding in the bushes, Olga learns from this conversation that she is the daughter of Tokmakov’s sister-in-law, who was married to the boyar Sheloga. The girl is confused. In the distance, the glow of fires appears, the sound of a bell is heard: the people of Pskov are being called to the assembly. Olga anticipates grief: “Oh, they’re calling for bad luck, they’re burying my happiness!”
Crowds of Pskov residents flock to the shopping area. People's passions are seething - a messenger brought terrible news from Novgorod: the great city has fallen, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich is coming to Pskov with a cruel oprichnina. Tokmakov is trying to calm the people, calling on them to humble themselves and meet the formidable king with bread and salt. The freedom-loving Mikhail Tucha does not like this advice: he must fight for the independence of his native city, for now hide in the forests, then, if necessary, take up arms against the guardsmen. The brave freewoman leaves with him. The people disperse in confusion. It was decided to solemnly meet Grozny on the square in front of Tokmakov’s house. Tables are set up, food and mash are served. But preparations for the meeting are not fun. Olga’s soul is even more sad. She never came to her senses from Tokmakov’s overheard words; how often she went to the grave of her named mother, not suspecting that her own mother was lying nearby. Why does Olga’s heart beat so much in anticipation of Grozny? The solemn procession is getting closer and closer, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich gallops ahead of him on a lathered horse. Tokmakov receives the Tsar in his house. Olga brings honey to the Tsar.
She looks boldly and directly into the eyes of the king. He is shocked by her resemblance to Vera Sheloga and asks Tokmakov who the girl’s mother is. Grozny learned the cruel truth: boyar Sheloga abandoned Vera and died in a battle with the Germans, and she herself became mentally ill and died. The shocked king changed his anger to mercy: “Let all killings stop! A lot of blood. Let's blunt our swords on stones. God bless Pskov!”
In the evening, Olga and the girls went to the Pechersky Monastery in the dense forest. A little behind them, she meets Cloud at the appointed place. First, the girl begs him to return with her to Pskov. But he has nothing to do there, Mikhail does not want to submit to Ivan the Terrible. Olga and Mikhail want to start a new, free life. Suddenly Cloud is attacked by Matuta's servants. The young man falls wounded; Olga faints - she is carried away in the arms of Matuta's guard, who threatens to tell Tsar Ivan about Cloud's betrayal.
Nearby, near the Medednya River, the royal headquarters camped. At night, Grozny indulges in heavy thoughts alone. Tokmakov’s story stirred up memories of a past hobby. How much has been experienced, and how much still needs to be done, “in order to bind Rus' with the wise law that is armor.” Reflections are interrupted by the news that the royal guards have captured Matutu, who was trying to kidnap Olga. The tsar, in a rage, does not listen to the boyar’s slander against the free Pskovite, and drives Matutu away. Olga is brought in. At first, Grozny is incredulous and speaks to her irritably. But then the girl’s frank confession of her love for Cloud and her affectionate, heartfelt conversation conquered the king. But what kind of noise is heard in the headquarters? Cloud, having recovered from his wound, attacked the guards with his squad, he wants to free Olga. In anger, the king orders the freemen to be shot and the daring young man to be brought to him. However, Cloud manages to avoid capture. From afar, Olga hears the farewell words of her beloved’s song. She runs out of the tent and falls, struck by someone's bullet. Olga is dead. In despair, Grozny bends over his daughter's body.
NOTE:
From the history of the creation of the opera "PSKOVIAN"
On the website of the Central Library System of the city of Pskov http://www. / an information section has been opened dedicated to the pages of the history of the creation of Korsakov’s opera “PSKOVITANKA”, which will be presented in the Pskov Kremlin on the eve of City Day on July 22, 2010. The proposed information section of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Woman of Pskov” talks about the history of the creation of the opera, its authors, performers, and the plot of the work.
The opera "The Pskov Woman", which will be presented in the Pskov Kremlin on July 22, 2010, occupied a special place in the work of Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov. The composer worked on “The Pskov Woman” from his first steps in art until almost the end of his days. Perhaps the largest number of pages in Rimsky-Korsakov’s autobiographical book “Chronicle of My Musical Life” are devoted to this opera.
The material on the site is grouped into seven sections. The first one tells about the Vechasha estate in the Plyussky district of the Pskov region, where the composer worked on the opera. Two sections are devoted to the historical background against which the events of the work unfold and the literary basis of the opera - the drama “The Pskov Woman” by Lev Aleksandrovich Mey. Two more sections tell about the work of Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin on the image of Ivan the Terrible and about the sets for the opera, which were created by the best artists of the 19th-20th centuries. Also on the website you can watch a ten-minute video fragment “The Woman of Pskov” at the Mariinsky Theatre, which includes scenes from the opera, interviews with Valery Gergiev and the performers of the leading roles: “The Woman of Pskov” at the Mariinsky Theatre. Video.
