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The story of Juno and maybe. The true story of the prototypes of the rock opera "Juno and Avos": the last love or sacrifice to the Fatherland

THE REAL STORY OF "JUNO" AND "PHOTO"

There is no sadder story in the world than the love story of the 42-year-old Russian navigator Count Rezanov and the 15-year-old Californian girl Conchita - for almost 30 years now (since the rock opera "Juno and Avos" appeared on the stage of the Moscow theater "Lenkom") all Russians are sure. But in reality, things were not quite like that...

Report of the inspector of Russian America, Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov, to the Minister of Commerce, Count Rumyantsev, sent from San Francisco on June 17, 1806: “Here I must confess to Your Excellency my private adventures. Daily courting the Gishpan beauty, I noticed her enterprising character, unlimited ambition, which, at the age of fifteen, already only one of her whole family made her homeland unpleasant. She always joked about her: “Beautiful land, warm climate. There is a lot of bread and livestock, and nothing else. I imagined the Russian climate more severe and, moreover, in everything more abundant, she was ready to live in it, and, finally, insensitively, I settled in her impatience to hear something more serious from me to the point that I only offered her a hand, then I received consent. In Petersburg
they were not particularly surprised by the report: this overseas courtship of Nikolai Petrovich fit into the logic of his whole life ...

Nikolay Petrovich Rezanov was no count. He was born into an impoverished noble family in St. Petersburg on March 28, 1764. Soon his father was appointed chairman of the civil chamber of the provincial court in Irkutsk, and the family moved to Eastern Siberia.

Nikolai received an education at home - apparently not bad, because he knew, among other things, five foreign languages. At the age of 14, he entered the military service, first in the artillery. Then for the stateliness, dexterity and beauty of his

They transferred the Izmailovsky Regiment to the Life Guards. Apparently, this was not without patronage from Catherine II - otherwise it is difficult to explain the sharp rise in his career. During the trip of the Empress across the Crimea in 1780, Nikolai was personally responsible for her safety, and he was only 16 years old (so it is unlikely that the matter was explained by great experience in ensuring the safety of the reigning persons). Inseparably, day and night, he was then with the mother queen, and then something happened. It can be seen that the empress for some reason remained unhappy with Nikolai. In any case, he left military service and disappeared for a long time from the environment of the empress.

Young Rezanov entered the most boring service in the Pskov civil court. And then - a new sharp jump in career. He was summoned to the capital and given the post of head of the chancellery at Count Chernyshov, and soon he was transferred to the same position to Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin himself, the secretary of the Empress for a report on the "Senate memorials". Thus, after 11 years, Rezanov again entered Catherine's field of vision. And her then-favorite Zubov considered Nikolai a dangerous competitor. It was rumored that it was Zubov's jealousy that Nikolai Petrovich owed a business trip to Irkutsk, where he had to resolve the issue with the merchant Shelikhov, who asked the Empress to grant him a monopoly on fur trade off the Pacific coast of Russia. And that Zubov allegedly hinted to Nikolai Petrovich that if he decides to return to Petersburg, he will not stay free for a long time ...

And here is Rezanov in Irkutsk. Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov, whom he had to inspect for an indefinite time, was nicknamed the “Russian Columbus” because in 1783, having built three ships at his own expense, he sailed to America and started Russian settlements and fur trade there. In a word, Grigory Ivanovich was an enterprising person. And the inspector of St. Petersburg took into circulation instantly, with the hands of ... the eldest daughter, 15-year-old Anna: a girl with a tight blond braid and bulging blue serious eyes. Rezanov was then already thirty ...

The wedding was played in Irkutsk on January 24, 1795. Not too rich Rezanov took a good dowry for the bride, and Anna received a title of nobility. And six months later, a strong, strong, rather young Grigory Ivanovich died suddenly, and

Nicholas became a co-owner of his capital.

Nikolai Petrovich dared to return to the capital immediately after the death of the Empress and, accordingly, the fall of Count Zubov. The new emperor Pavel accepted him graciously and granted the petition to create a single Russian-American company based on the crafts of Shelikhov and other Siberian merchants, whose representative office was established in St. Petersburg, and Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov himself was appointed head. Even members of the imperial family became shareholders of the company. Around the same time, he was also made chief secretary of the Governing Senate. Big career, very big. Especially for a poor nobleman from a seedy family...
Happiness and well-being came to an end when his wife died of childbed fever, leaving Nikolai Petrovich in the arms of his one-year-old son Peter and daughter Olga, 12 days old. It is in Voznesensky's poems that Rezanov speaks of his wife as something secondary in his life. In reality, Nikolai Petrovich loved his wife very much and grieved for her. He wrote: “Eight years of our marriage gave me a taste of all the happiness of this life, as if in order to poison, finally, the rest of my days with the loss of it.”

Out of anguish, he thought of moving away from people, hiding with his children somewhere in the wilderness ... But the emperor intervened (by this time it was no longer Pavel, but his son, Alexander I). Not wanting to let Rezanov retire, he appointed him ambassador to Japan in order to establish trade: Russia wanted to sell Japan fur products, mammoth and walrus bones, fish, skins, cloth, and

Buy - millet, bayonet copper and silk (an extremely problematic assignment, given that the Japanese have been pursuing a policy of strict isolationism for more than a century and a half, they have not traded with Western countries, they did not maintain any relations, they did not let anyone in) ... It was decided to combine this embassy with a round-the-world trip, in which the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva" were about to sail under the command of captains Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky. By decree of the sovereign, Rezanov was appointed "a full master's person during the voyage", that is, the head of the expedition ...

"IN THE SEA OF SALT AND SO TO HELL, THE SEA DOES NOT NEED TEARS"

This expedition has been in preparation for a year now. Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern was rightfully considered its leader. He owned the idea, and the development of the route, and the organization. Moreover, for the sake of the expedition, he left his young wife for demolitions. In general, the appointment of a civilian official as a "full master's person" was a complete surprise for Kruzenshtern. However, he did not take this seriously, relying on the maritime charter adopted by Peter I, where it was clearly stated: there is only one owner on the ship - the captain, and everyone on board, regardless of their position, rank and position, are under his full control...

Misunderstandings began already during loading. There was not much space on the compact "Nadezhda" (a sailing sloop 35 meters long), and the retinue, which was supposed to be an ambassador, extremely hampered the expedition. As for Rezanov and Kruzenshtern themselves, in the absence of a second command cabin

They had to live in one (very small - only six square meters and with a low ceiling).

July 26, 1803 at 10 am "Nadezhda" and "Neva" left Kronstadt. In November, Russian ships crossed the equator for the first time. Captains Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky brought their sloops closer together, the teams were lined up in parade order on the decks, and a thunderous Russian "Hurrah!" thundered over the equator. Then a sailor dressed as Neptune shook his trident, greeting the first Russians in the Southern Hemisphere. Then they swam in the Atlantic themselves and bathed ... cattle: pigs, goats, a cow with a calf - they were thrown overboard, and then caught from the water (this was done rather for sanitary reasons, because in the cramped ship stalls the cattle pretty much got scabrous).
Christmas was celebrated off the coast of Brazil. Both ships required a thorough overhaul: on the Neva, part of the skin was rotten, on the Nadezhda, the main and foremasts were damaged. For the expedition they were bought in England as new, but they turned out to be used. When cleaning the bottoms, even the former names were found: "Leander" and "Thames". While standing in the dock, a scandal erupted with the local authorities. The blame for everything is the enfant terrible of the expedition, a member of Rezanov's embassy retinue, the young Count Fyodor Tolstoy (he was mistaken for a smuggler, and instead of explaining himself, he opened fire on the police).

He was an extremely bright and restless man who adored dangerous pranks. He became famous for daring to rise in a balloon of a very imperfect design. There was a breter (that is, without

End fought duels and got into quarrels especially for this). They hastened to attach him to the expedition when he challenged the colonel of his own regiment to a duel (unheard of impudence). And now Fyodor Ivanovich was making all sorts of things on the ship. Once I got the old man of the ship's priest drunk and, while he was sleeping right on the deck, I sealed his beard to the floor with a government wax seal. And when the priest woke up, Tolstoy yelled at him: “Lie down, don’t you dare get up! You see, the official seal! And in the end, crying, the old man cut off his beard with scissors to the very chin. On another occasion, Tolstoy dragged an orangutan into the captain's cabin (there was a small zoo on board, replenished at all stops) and taught how to pour ink on a sheet of paper. That's just Count Tolstoy used a blank sheet. And the orangutan is the captain's diary of Krusenstern, lying on the table.

On the island of Nukagiva, Fyodor Ivanovich went to the native tattoo artist and returned covered from head to toe with intricate ornaments. Later in Russia, when Kruzenshtern, who had lost his patience, landed Tolstoy ashore, and he finally hit the road on some ship that turned up to the Aleutian Islands and only after that returned to St. showing tattoos. In Petersburg, he was nicknamed the American. By the way, Fyodor Tolstoy the American became the prototype of Silvio in Pushkin's "Shot" and Dolokhov in "War and Peace". And in "Woe from Wit" he is described as follows: "A night robber, a duelist, he was exiled to Kamchatka, he returned as an Aleut."

It is not surprising that this man managed to quarrel the heads of the expedition almost immediately with two or three jokes: Rezanov and Kruzenshtern. It got to the point that they, living in the same cabin, stopped talking and communicated with each other only through correspondence, and very sarcastic. The "explosion" occurred in the Marquesas Islands, nine months after sailing from Russia.

There it was necessary to replenish food supplies, and Kruzenshtern, noticing the respect of local residents for European iron axes, forbade the exchange of these axes for anything other than pigs, so as not to bring down the price. And Rezanov, not knowing anything, sent his servant ashore to exchange several axes for ethnographic rarities (clay bowls, beads, wooden sculptures - he collected a collection for the emperor). Everything that the servant managed to exchange, the captain ordered to be taken away and dumped on deck as a warning to the rest.

Rezanov recalled: “Feeling such impudence, when I saw Kruzenshtern on the quarter-deck the next day, I said to him: “Aren’t you ashamed to be so childish and console yourself with the fact that you don’t give me ways to fulfill the entrusted to me?” Suddenly he shouted at me: "How dare you tell me that I'm childish!" “So, my sir,” I said, “I dare you very much, as your boss.”

Unfortunately, the skirmish did not happen anywhere, but, as Rezanov mentioned, it was on the quarter quarters - the captain's most sacred place for any sailor. According to the maritime charter, any bickering with the captain on the quarterdeck is punished doubly. And here - such audacity! In a word, Rezanov, due to inexperience in

Maritime affairs did not attach much importance to this circumstance, but Kruzenshtern was offended unthinkably ...

“Some time later, lieutenant commander Lisyansky and midshipman Berg arrived from the Neva,” Rezanov continues. - They called the crew, announced that I was an impostor, and many insulted me, which, finally, with exhausted forces, plunged me unconscious. Suddenly it is supposed to pull me out on the quarters to the court. He was dragged out of the cabin completely sick. They demanded to present the royal rescript. Nikolai Petrovich obeyed. Naval officers read the paper and asked, "Who signed?" “Our sovereign Alexander,” replied Rezanov. "Yes, who wrote?" they asked. “I don’t know,” the ambassador answered honestly. "That's it," concluded the officers. We want to know who wrote it. The emperor, perhaps, put his signature without looking. In the meantime, we do not know this, we have no boss, except for Kruzenshtern. And then the sailors shouted: “Kill him, the cattle, into the cabin!” The offended Rezanov himself went down there and did not leave the cabin again until his arrival in Petropavlovsk.

There, Rezanov wrote a complaint to the Governor-General of Kamchatka: they say that the crew of the expedition led by Kruzenshtern rebelled. Kruzenshtern had something to think about: “His Excellency Mr. Rezanov, in the presence of the regional commandant and more than ten officers, called me a rebel, a robber, he sentenced me to execution on the scaffold, threatened others with eternal exile. I confess I was afraid. No matter how fair the Sovereign is, but being 13,000 versts from him, everything can be expected ... ”Forcibly, the Governor-General managed to reconcile them. On August 8, 1804, the commander of the Nadezhda ship, Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, and all the officers came to Rezanov's apartment in full uniform and apologized for their misdeeds. Rezanov agreed to continue the journey in the same composition. Taking two non-commissioned officers, a drummer and five soldiers (the guard of honor of the ambassador) from the Governor-General of Kamchatka, Nadezhda moved to Japan (Meanwhile, Lisyansky led Neva to Alaska).

"UNDER THE RUSSIAN CROSS FLAG AND THE MOTTO "AVOS"

September 26, 1804 "Hope" arrived in Nagasaki. At the entrance to the bay, Kruzenshtern ordered to fire cannons, as it should be on such solemn occasions. And then the bay blossomed with multi-colored lanterns and sails: a whole flotilla of Japanese junks moved towards the Russian

Ship. And so translators and officials boarded the Nadezhda. They greeted the Russians by crouching and holding their knees in the local custom. But they asked not to shoot from the cannon anymore and in general to hand over all gunpowder and weapons (except for the officer's sword of Rezanov himself) and not to enter the bay. Well! Kruzenshtern dropped anchor where he was told. I had to stand there ... more than six months.

All these six months, the Japanese behaved extremely politely: everyone squatted, holding hands on their knees, smiling, nodding happily. They delivered everything to the Russians at the slightest request: fresh water, the freshest food, ship materials for repairing the ship ... But they did not take payment for all this and the ship was not allowed into the harbor.

Rezanov himself was allowed to go ashore and wait for an answer from the capital, from the Japanese emperor, to whom they brought a letter from the Russian tsar and gifts. The ambassador was provided with a luxurious palace, but they were not allowed to go beyond it, and no one was allowed to see Nikolai Petrovich. Finally, in March, a dignitary from Ieddo (as Tokyo was called in those days) arrived. He brought a disappointing answer: the emperor was extremely surprised by the arrival of the Russian embassy, ​​he could not accept it and did not want trade and asked the Russian ship to leave Japan. Like, for 200 years it has been decided that it is not useful for the Japanese to leave their country or let someone in. Even the gifts were not accepted, and the dignitary with a respectful bow returned them to Rezanov. Perhaps the Japanese emperor simply did not like them, because they were unsuccessfully selected: porcelain dishes (and it was worth taking them from Europe to Japan!), fabrics (inferior to the quality of the local

Silk), finally, furs, among which there were too many silver foxes, and in fact in Japan the fox is considered an unclean, devilish animal.

Rezanov did not refrain and uttered insolence to the dignitary: they say, our emperor will be more helpful than yours, and on his part this is a great mercy, which “from a single philanthropy followed to alleviate your shortcomings” (he said so!). The translators were frightened, sighed, fidgeted, but Nikolai Petrovich kept insisting that they translate. The case was finally dropped. Perhaps, this embassy not only did not bring closer the moment of establishing diplomatic relations between Japan and Russia, but rather postponed it. But at the same time, Rezanov entered the Japanese history books as a very worthy and respectable person. Returning to Petropavlovsk, Nikolai Petrovich learned that the emperor, having awarded Kruzenshtern with the Order of St. Anna of the II degree, granted him only a snuff-box, showered with diamonds. This meant that the highest authority took the side of the captain in the conflict. Nikolai Petrovich was released from participation in the first Russian round-the-world expedition - he was now offered to go with an inspection to Russian settlements in Alaska. And Kruzenshtern rushed to catch up with Lisyansky in the Atlantic Ocean.

And here is Rezanov in Novo-Arkhangelsk, on the island of Sitkha. The situation in which he found the Russian colony was terrible. Products were delivered to them exclusively from Russia - through all of Siberia to Okhotsk, from there by sea ... To this

Months passed, everything came spoiled. Contacts with the "Bostonians" - American merchants - did not work out. In a word, the settlers simply died of hunger. Rezanov developed the most vigorous activity there: he bargained for the ship "Juno" from the merchant John Wolf, loaded to the eyeballs with food, so that he did not have time to come to his senses. Not to mention the fact that Wolf had absolutely no intention of selling Juno at all.

But this was only a partial solution to the problem. Winter was approaching, and until spring the products from the Juno would not be enough for the settlers. Rezanov ordered the construction of another ship with the speaking name "Avos" and thus equipped a small expedition of two ships to the south, to California. By this time, already half the team was dying from scurvy. “Let's save the colonies from starvation. Or we'll die. Maybe we'll save you anyway!" - that's the motto they set off on their journey.

In March 1806, the Juno and Avos moored in San Francisco Bay. California at that time belonged to Spain, and Spain was an ally of Napoleon, and therefore an opponent of Russia. War could break out at any moment. In a word, the commandant of San Francisco, in theory, simply should not have received Russians. In addition, any communication between the colonists and foreigners, bypassing the Madrid court, was not welcome. And yet Rezanov managed to get through to the Californians! Moreover, during the six weeks of his stay there, he completely subdued the governor of Upper California, Jose Arillaga, and the commandant of the fortress, Jose Dario Arguello. The daughter of the latter was 15-year-old Donna Maria de la Concepcion Marcella Arguello. Conchita…

One of the members of the Rezanov expedition, the ship's doctor Georg Langsdorf, wrote in his diary: “She stands out for her majestic posture, her facial features are beautiful and expressive, her eyes are charming. Add here a graceful figure, wonderful natural curls, wonderful teeth and a thousand other charms. Such beautiful women can only be found in Italy, Portugal or Spain, but even then very rarely. And one more thing: “One would think that Rezanov immediately fell in love with this young Spanish beauty. However, in view of the prudence inherent in this cold man, I would rather admit that he simply had some diplomatic views on her. Maybe the doctor was just wrong? But Rezanov himself, in his reports to Russia, did not

Looks like a man who lost his head from love.

He writes to Count Rumyantsev: “My offer (of the hand and heart of Conchite) struck down her parents, brought up in fanaticism. The difference of religions and ahead of separation from their daughter were a thunderous blow for them. They resorted to the missionaries, they did not know what to decide on, took poor Concepcia to church, confessed her, persuaded her to refuse, but her determination finally calmed everyone. The holy fathers left permission for the Roman throne, but agreed to betroth us by agreement that until the permission of the Pope this would be a secret. Since that time, placing myself as a close relative of the commandant, I managed the port of His Catholic Majesty in the way that the benefit of Russia required, and the Governor was extremely amazed when he saw that, so to speak, he

He found himself visiting me. They began to bring bread to the Juno, and in such quantity that I already asked to stop the carriage, because my ship could not take more. And Nikolai Petrovich admitted to his brother-in-law and co-owner of the Russian-American Company: “From my California report, my friend, do not consider me an anemone. You have my love in Nevsky under a piece of marble, and here is the result of enthusiasm and a new sacrifice to the Fatherland. Concepcia is sweet as an angel, beautiful, kind-hearted, loves me; I love her and cry that she has no place in my heart, here I am, my friend, as a sinner in spirit, I repent, but you, as my shepherd, keep the secret. ambition, tried to inspire this girl with the idea of ​​an exciting life in the capital of Russia, the luxury of the imperial court and so on. He brought her to the point where the desire to become the wife of a Russian chamberlain soon became her favorite dream. One hint that the implementation of her views depends on her, Rezanov was enough to make her act according to his desires.

And right after the betrothal, the groom left the bride in order to return to St. Petersburg and ask for the emperor’s petition to the Pope for consent to the marriage. Nikolai Petrovich calculated that two years would be enough for this. Conchita assured him that she would be waiting...

On June 11, 1806, the heavy "Juno" and "Avos" rolled off the California land, taking away 2156 pounds of wheat, 351 pounds of barley, 560 pounds of legumes, saving for the Russian colony in Alaska. A month later we were already in Novo-Arkhangelsk. Here Nikolai Petrovich managed to make one extremely interesting order: he sent detachments of his people to California to look for a suitable place for organizing Southern settlements in America. Such a settlement in the California bay: a fortress, several houses and 95 inhabitants - was even organized. But the place was chosen unsuccessfully: the bay was flooded every now and then, and after 13 years the Russians left from there. Perhaps if Rezanov returned to them, he would find a way out and secure California lands for Russia; in any case, the American Admiral Van Ders claimed: “Live the Rezanov ten years longer, and what we call California and the American

British Columbia would be Russian territory"...

Having hastily finished business in Alaska, Rezanov rushed headlong to St. Petersburg. He was impatient to realize his "American" ambitious plans as soon as possible ... Or maybe he was still impatient to return to Conchita (whether Rezanov was quite sincere in his letters to relatives and superiors - who knows?). Whatever it was, he was in a hurry. In September he was already in Okhotsk. The autumn thaw was approaching, and it was impossible to go further, but Nikolai Petrovich did not want to listen to anything. Went on horseback. On the way, crossing the rivers, he fell into the water several times - the ice was too thin and broke. We had to spend several nights right on the snow. In other words, Nicholas

Petrovich caught a terrible cold and lay in a fever and unconsciousness for 12 days. And as soon as he woke up, he set off again, not sparing himself at all ...

One frosty day, Rezanov lost consciousness, fell off his horse and hit his head hard on the ground. He was taken to Krasnoyarsk, where on March 1, 1807, Nikolai Petrovich died. He was 42 years old...

After 60 years, Russia sold Alaska to America for nothing, along with all the possessions of the Russian-American Company. Rezanov's plans were not given to come true. But he still won fame over the centuries - thanks to Conchita.

True, she did not wait for him for 35 years, as the famous rock opera says. No. Only for a little over a year she went out to the cape every morning, sat on the rocks and looked at the ocean. Exactly at the place where now the support of the famous California bridge "Golden Gate" ...

And then, in 1808, Conchita found out about the death of her fiancé: a relative of Nikolai Petrovich wrote to her brother. He added that Signorita de Argüello was free and could marry whomever she pleased. But she rejected this unnecessary freedom. Whom was she to marry, what dreams to cherish? For twenty years, Conchita lived with her parents after that. She was engaged in charity work, taught literacy to the Indians. Then she went to the monastery of St. Dominic under the name Maria Dominga. Together with the monastery, she moved to the city of Monterrey, where she died on December 23, 1857. Having survived, thus, Rezanov for half a century ...

Not so long ago, in 2000, in Krasnoyarsk, a monument was erected on Rezanov’s grave - a white cross, on one side of which is written: “Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov. 1764-1807. I will never forget you”, and on the other – “Maria Concepción de Argüello. 1791-1857. I will never see you." The sheriff of Monterrey came to the opening - specifically to scatter a handful of earth from Conchita's grave there. He took back a handful of Krasnoyarsk land - Conchite.

juno and maybe, juno and maybe 1983
Alexey Rybnikov

Authors)
libretto

Andrei Voznesensky

Genre

rock opera
experimental rock

Year of creation First production

recording of the original version: 1979

"Juno and Avos"- one of the most famous Soviet rock operas by the composer Alexei Rybnikov to the verses of the poet Andrei Voznesensky. The premiere took place on July 9, 1981 on the stage of the Moscow Lenin Komsomol Theater (director Mark Zakharov, choreography by Vladimir Vasiliev, artist Oleg Sheintsis), whose repertoire still includes the play. Since December 31, 1985, it has also been performed by the St. Petersburg Rock Opera Theater. Also included in the repertoire of the Irkutsk Regional Musical Theater named after N.M. Zagursky and the Krasnoyarsk Musical Theater.

The name of the performance uses the names of two sailing ships, "Juno" and "Avos", on which Nikolai Rezanov's expedition sailed.

  • 1 History of creation
  • 2 Primary story source
  • 3 Plot
  • 4 List of musical themes
  • 5 Artists of the original audio version
  • 6 Juno and Avos. Author's version
  • 7 Performance in numismatics
  • 8 Notes
  • 9 Links

History of creation

In 1978, composer Alexei Rybnikov showed director Mark Zakharov his musical improvisations on the themes of Orthodox chants. Zakharov liked the music, and at the same time the idea arose to create a musical performance on the basis of it based on the plot of The Tale of Igor's Campaign. He addressed this proposal to the poet Andrei Voznesensky (this was their first meeting), but he did not support this idea:

Then I was an impudent young poet, it seemed incomprehensible to me why it was necessary to write something Slavophile based on the Tale of Igor's Campaign, while its author is unknown and it is even unknown whether the author of the Lay was or not. I say: "I have my own poem, it's called "Perhaps!" About the love of forty-two-year-old Count Rezanov for sixteen-year-old Conchita, let's make an opera based on this poem." Mark was a little confused and said: "Let me read." The next day he told me that he agreed and that we would make an opera, and the choice of the composer would be his, Mark. He chose Alexey Rybnikov. It was a happy choice.

The poem "Avos" (1970) was really put at the basis of the libretto, although for the theatrical production, of course, many arias and scenes had to be added. The authors replaced the word "rock opera" with "modern opera", since rock music at that time was under strict control by the authorities. The staging of the dance numbers was carried out by choreographer Vladimir Vasiliev, who also initially felt that the upcoming production had no analogues on the Soviet stage.

In parallel with the work on the performance at the Moscow Lenin Komsomol Theater in 1980, an audio version of the opera was recorded with other performers. The first public audition of the recorded work took place on December 9, 1980 at the Church of the Intercession at Fili (Moscow). However, due to censorship obstacles, an album of two stereo records was released by Melodiya only in 1982 (number C60 18627-30 (2LP)).

At the same time, unlike Rybnikov's previous rock opera, The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta, staged at Lenkom, which the commission rejected 11 times, the new performance was allowed immediately. At the same time, according to Voznesensky's memoirs, before passing the commission, Zakharov went with him by taxi to the Elokhov Cathedral, where they put candles near the icon of the Kazan Mother of God (which is mentioned in the opera). They brought three consecrated icons to the theater and placed them in the dressing room on the table of Nikolai Karachentsov, Elena Shanina and Lyudmila Porgina, who plays the role of the Mother of God (“Women with a Baby”, as it was written in the program).

The premiere of the opera took place on July 9, 1981 at the Moscow Lenin Komsomol Theater, starring Nikolai Karachentsov (Count Rezanov), Elena Shanina (Conchita), Alexander Abdulov (Fernando). A few days later, according to Rybnikov’s memoirs, scandalous articles about the performance were published in the West, evaluating it as anti-Soviet, which made life difficult for its authors:

The Western press reacted as if we were doing a premiere on Broadway, and not in Soviet Moscow. After that, I was moved into the shadows for a very long time. The performance was played, but not released abroad, the record was not released for a very long time (after all, 800 people go to the performance 2-3 times a month, and the record is mass fame). They didn’t even recognize me as an author, they didn’t sign an agreement with me, and I sued the USSR Ministry of Culture, foreign correspondents came to court ... Having won the court, I fell into the category of people with whom it’s better not to mess with at all.

However, after some time, thanks to Pierre Cardin, the Lenkom Theater went on tour in Paris and on Broadway in New York, then in Germany, the Netherlands and other countries.

In "Lenkom" for more than thirty years, the performance has withstood more than a thousand performances and is still going on with the same full house. The performers of the main roles changed several times, although Nikolai Karachentsov always played the role of Nikolai Rezanov, right up to the accident. Currently, the role of Rezanov is played by Dmitry Pevtsov and Viktor Rakov. The role of Conchita is successfully played by Alla Yuganova.

December 31, 1985 on the stage of the Palace of Culture. Kapranova in St. Petersburg, the premiere of a rock opera performed by VIA "Singing Guitars" (which later became the St. Petersburg Rock Opera Theater) took place. This stage version differed from the Lenkom production. In particular, director Vladimir Podgorodinsky introduced a new character into the performance - the Zvonar, in fact, the "reified" soul of Nikolai Rezanov. The bell-ringer is practically devoid of words, and only with the most complex plasticity and emotional mood conveys the throwing of the soul of the protagonist. According to his memoirs, Alexey Rybnikov, who was present at the premiere, admitted that Singing Guitars more accurately embodied the idea of ​​​​the creators of the opera, retaining the author's genre of mystery opera and Voznesensky's original dramaturgy. In the summer of 2010, the two thousandth performance of "Juno and Avos" by the Rock Opera Theater took place in St. Petersburg.

The opera has also been staged in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, South Korea, Ukraine and other countries.

In the summer of 2009 in France, the State Theater under the direction of the People's Artist of Russia, composer Alexei Rybnikov, presented a new production of the rock opera Juno and Avos. The main emphasis in it is placed on the musical component of the performance. Vocal numbers were staged by the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Zhanna Rozhdestvenskaya, choreographic numbers - Zhanna Shmakova. The main director of the performance is Alexander Rykhlov. A. Rybnikov's website notes:

The full author's version... is a serious innovation in the genre of world musical theater and is designed to return the original idea of ​​the authors. The new version of the opera combined the traditions of Russian spiritual music, folklore, genres of mass "urban" music, with the figurative, ideological and aesthetic priorities of the composer.

The original source of the plot

The plot of the poem "Juno and Avos" (1970) and the rock opera is based on real events and is dedicated to the journey of the Russian statesman Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov to California in 1806 and his meeting with the young Conchita Arguello, the daughter of the commandant of San Francisco.

According to the memoirs of Andrei Voznesensky, he began writing the poem "Maybe" in Vancouver, when he "swallowed ... the flattering pages about Rezanov of the thick volume of J. Lensen, following the fate of our brave compatriot." In addition, Rezanov's travel diary was preserved and partially published, which was also used by Voznesensky.

Nikolai Rezanov, one of the leaders of the first Russian round-the-world expedition, arrived in California in 1806 in order to replenish food supplies for the Russian colony in Alaska. He fell in love with 16-year-old Conchita Argüello, with whom they became engaged. Rezanov was forced to return to Alaska, and then go to the imperial court in St. Petersburg in order to obtain permission to marry a Catholic. However, on the way, he fell seriously ill and died in Krasnoyarsk at the age of 43 (the years of Rezanov's life 1764-1807). Conchita did not believe the information that reached her about the death of the groom. Only in 1842, the English traveler George Simpson, arriving in San Francisco, told her the exact details of his death. Believing in his death only thirty-five years later, she took a vow of silence, and a few years later she was tonsured in a Dominican monastery in Monterrey, where she spent almost two decades and died in 1857.

And after another century and a half, there was a symbolic act of reunion of lovers. In the fall of 2000, the sheriff of the Californian city of Benisha, where Conchita Arguello was buried, brought a handful of earth from her grave and a rose to Krasnoyarsk to lay on a white cross, on one side of which the words I will never forget you are engraved, and on the other - I will never forget you. see.

Neither the poem nor the opera is a documentary chronicle. As Voznesensky himself says about it:

A similar story happened to the future Decembrist D.I. Zavalishin during his participation in a round-the-world expedition under the command of M. Lazarev (1822-24) (See Questions of History, 1998, No. 8)

Plot

Nikolai Karachentsov as Count Rezanov in the play "Juno and Avos"

Count Rezanov, having buried his wife, decided to devote all his strength to the service of Russia. His suggestions about the need to try to establish trade relations with North America for a long time did not meet with a response from the authorities, but at last he was ordered to carry out the desired journey. Before leaving, Rezanov says that from a young age he was tormented by one circumstance, the impression that the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God made on him - since then he has treated the Virgin Mary more as a beloved woman than as the Mother of God. Appearing to him in a vision, the Mother of God tells him not to be horrified by his feelings and promises to pray for him.

Under the naval St. Andrew's flag, two ships, "Juno" and "Avos", sail to the coast of California. Spanish at that time California is approaching the wedding of Conchita, the daughter of the governor, and Señor Fernando. Rezanov, on behalf of Russia, welcomes California, and the governor invites him, as the ambassador of Emperor Alexander, to a ball in honor of his daughter's sixteenth birthday. At the ball, Rezanov invites Conchita to dance - and this event becomes fatal in their lives and in the life of Fernando. The groom is openly jealous, Rezanov's companions make a cynical bet whether he can "pick a California flower." The men understand that none of them will step aside without a fight.

At night, Conchita prays to the Virgin Mary in her bedroom. Rezanov comes to her with words of love. a reciprocal feeling arises in the soul of Conchita, and she reciprocates Rezanov.

But fortune from this moment turns away from Rezanov. Conchita's fiancé challenges him to a duel. The business of the Russian-American Company is not going well. The scandal caused by Rezanov's actions forces the Russians to urgently leave San Francisco.

Having made a secret engagement with Conchita, Rezanov embarks on a sad return journey. In Siberia, he falls ill with a fever and dies in Krasnoyarsk, in the cell of the Dominican monastery of San Francisco, Maria Concepción Arguello ends her days.

List of musical themes

  1. Prologue
  2. funeral service
  3. Romance "I'll Never Forget You"
  4. Aria Rezanova "I'm furiously tired in my soul"
  5. Scene in the church, prayer
  6. Aria of the Blessed Virgin
  7. Song of sailors "Avos"
  8. Swimming
  9. Arrival in America
  10. Scene at the ball
  11. white rosehip
  12. Night. Bedroom Conchita.
  13. Aria Rezanova "Angel, become a man"
  14. Duel with Fernando (Federico)
  15. Engagement
  16. Rezanov's monologue "Bring me the cards of discovery"
  17. Chorus and scene "Render to the Lord"
  18. Scene in a cell. Waiting for Conchita
  19. The final
  20. Epilogue. "Hallelujah"

The record with music from the performance, released in 1982, contains a recording of 1980, that is, even before the premiere of the rock opera itself in the theater.

Subsequently, a CD was released for the twentieth anniversary of the performance performed by the actors of the Lenkom Theater (the gramophone record of 1982 was recorded without their participation), with somewhat different content:

  1. Prologue
  2. Romance of officers
  3. I'm madly tired
  4. Prayer one
  5. Prayer two
  6. Aria of the Virgin
  7. maybe
  8. white rosehip
  9. Angel become human
  10. I will never forget you
  11. Choir Give back to the Lord
  12. I'm dying from a simple ailment
  13. 35 years of waiting
  14. Replica of the Man from the theater
  15. Hallelujah
  16. In honor of the fifteenth anniversary

Artists of the original audio version

Record VSG "Melody" С60 18627-30 (2LP)

  • Rezanov - G. Trofimov
  • Conchita - A. Rybnikova
  • Federico - P. Tiels
  • Rumyantsev, Khvostov, Father Yuvenaly - F. Ivanov
  • Voice of the Mother of God - Zh. Rozhdestvenskaya
  • Soloist in the prologue - R. Filippov
  • Davydov, second soloist - K. Kuzhaliev
  • Jose Dario Arguello - A. Samoilov
  • Praying woman, soloist in the epilogue - R. Dmitrenko
  • Praying girl - O. Rozhdestvenskaya
  • Sailor - V. Rotar
  • A group of worshipers - A. Sado, O. Rozhdestvensky, A. Paranin
  • Holy fool: A. Rybnikov

Juno and Avos. Author's version

In 2009, especially for the Pierre Cardin Festival in Lacoste, composer Alexei Rybnikov and the Alexei Rybnikov Theater created a stage version of Juno and Avos in the author's version, which differs significantly from Lenkom's performance. The production was directed by Alexander Rykhlov.

Performance in numismatics

In May 2011, the Mint of Poland, commissioned by the government of the island of Niue, issued a silver coin in denominations of 1 New Zealand dollar, dedicated to the rock opera and the performance of the Lenkom Theatre. The reverse side of the coin depicts Nikolai Karachentsov and Elena Shanina, who played the main roles in the play, as well as the inscription "Juno and Avos" in Russian.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Mark Zakharov: on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of his birth and the 30th anniversary of his creative activity at Lenkom - Theater Poster. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  2. Performance program for 2001. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Interview with A. Rybnikov, Novaya Gazeta No. 47, July 09, 2001 (http://www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2001/47/06.html, http://www.alexeyrybnikov.ru/int/ int_3.shtml)
  4. "Juno and Avos" on the website of the composer Alexei Rybnikov. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  5. Commander Rezanov: Andrei Voznesensky on the history of the poem and opera. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  6. The project of creating a catalog of the Melodiya company on the site rockdisco.narod.ru. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  7. Official site of the firm "Melody"
  8. Junona i Awos, 1 Dollar. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  9. Juno and Avos, 1 dollar. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.

Links

  • Andrei Voznesensky. Poem "Avos". Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  • Andrei Voznesensky. Rock opera libretto. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  • The love story of Rezanov and Conchita in literature. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  • Review on the Muz-prosvet portal (inaccessible link - history). Archived from the original on January 29, 2013.
  • Performance page on the official website of the Lenkom Theatre. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  • "Rezanov and Conchita - a love story in the memory of generations" O. Nikolaeva. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  • Libretto in the version of the Lenkom Theater

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Juno and Avos Information About

There is no sadder story in the world than the love story of the 42-year-old Russian navigator Count Rezanov and the 15-year-old Californian girl Conchita Argüello, everyone who watched the play or read Voznesensky's poem "Maybe" is sure, according to which it was staged.

35 years ago, on July 9, 1981, the premiere of the rock opera Juno and Avos took place at the Lenin Komsomol Theater in Moscow. A poignant story based on the verses of Andrei Voznesensky with music by Alexei Rybnikov, brilliantly staged by Mark Zakharov, is still popular - largely due to the incredible acting.

The images created by Nikolai Karachentsov and Elena Shanina were so convincing that no one could even doubt the veracity of the story. Unfortunately, historians believe that in life everything was not as beautiful as in the play.


Rock opera Juno and Avos. Frame from the TV version of the play, 1983

Let's start with the fact that Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov was not a count. He was born into an impoverished noble family in St. Petersburg on March 28, 1764. Soon his father was appointed chairman of the civil chamber of the provincial court in Irkutsk, and the family moved to Eastern Siberia.

Nikolai received an education at home - apparently, very, very good, because, among other things, he knew five foreign languages. At the age of 14, he entered the military service - first in the artillery, but soon, for his stateliness, dexterity and beauty, he was transferred to the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment.



Most likely, Empress Catherine II herself took part in the fate of the young handsome man - otherwise it is difficult to explain the dizzying rise of his career.

During the trip of the Empress in the Crimea in 1780, Nikolai was personally responsible for her safety, and he was only 16 years old. It is unlikely that such a responsible appointment could be explained by great experience in ensuring the safety of the reigning persons.

Inseparably, day and night, he was then with the mother queen, and then something happened and the empress was left dissatisfied with the young guard. What exactly happened is unknown, but the sharp rise in his career was followed by the same sharp disgrace. In any case, he left military service and disappeared for a long time from the environment of the empress.

American enterprise

Rezanov came to America 26 years later - in 1806, following the order to inspect Russian settlements in Alaska. Arriving in Novo-Arkhangelsk, Rezanov found the Russian colony in a terrible state. The settlers simply died of hunger, as food was delivered to them through all of Siberia and further by sea. It took months, and they came spoiled.

Rezanov bought from the merchant John Wulff the Juno ship full of food and gave it to the settlers. But until spring, these products would not be enough, so Rezanov ordered the construction of another ship, Avos.

From this place the events of the rock opera begin. According to the plot, both ships - "Juno" and "Avos", under the leadership of the naval commander Nikolai Rezanov, went for food for the Russian colonies in Alaska.


In San Francisco, the 42-year-old count met the 15-year-old daughter of the commandant of the fortress, the Spaniard Concepción (Conchita) Arguello. Love broke out between them, and Rezanov secretly became engaged to Conchita. After that, on duty, he went to Alaska, and then to St. Petersburg, in order to obtain permission to marry a Catholic. On the way, he fell ill and died suddenly.

For more than 30 years, Conchita had been waiting for the return of her lover, and when the news of his death was confirmed, she took her hair as a nun.


I really don’t want to doubt the sincerity of Rezanov’s feelings for the young Spaniard, but numerous testimonies indicate that he was rather guided by a sober calculation.
Indeed, he made an offer, but his main goal was to arrange the supply of Russian colonies, and this marriage could turn out to be very, very useful.

The fact is that the events took place at a time of exacerbation of Franco-Russian relations. France was an ally of Spain, which at that time owned California. The commandant of San Francisco was instructed not to enter into trade relations with the enemy. The daughter could convince a loving father to break the order.

The ship's doctor wrote that Rezanov did not look like a man who had lost his head:

“One would think that he fell in love with this beauty. However, in view of the prudence inherent in this cold man, it would be more careful to admitthat he simply had some diplomatic views on her.


Donna Maria de la Concepción Marcella Argüello (Conchita) - beloved bride of the Russian commander Nikolai Rezanov

However, witnesses of the events claimed that, alas, there was more calculation than passion on the part of Conchita. Rezanov constantly inspired her with the idea of ​​​​a luxurious life in Russia at the imperial court. The stories turned the girl's head, and soon she only dreamed of becoming the wife of a Russian chamberlain.

At first, the parents were against it, but seeing the determination of their daughter, they agreed to betroth the young. After that, products began to be brought to Juno in such quantities that there was nowhere to ship them.


Nikolai Karachentsov as Rezanov, rock opera Juno and Avos, 1983

Of course, Rezanov was not going to deceive the girl - he really planned to marry her and take her with him in order to establish ties with California and strengthen Russia's position on the American continent.

But having left California in June 1806, Rezanov never returned there. Falling ill on the road, he died of a fever on March 1, 1807.

In his last letter, which he wrote to M. Buldakov, the husband of the sister of his late first wife, Nikolai Petrovich made a very unexpected confession that shed light on the whole story:

“From my California report, my friend, do not consider me an anemone. My love is with you in Nevsky under a piece of marble (note - the first wife), and here is a consequence of enthusiasm and a new sacrifice to the Fatherland. Conception is sweet as an angel, beautiful, kind in heart, loves me; I love her, and I cry that there is no place for her in my heart, here I am, my friend, as a sinner in spirit, I repent, but you, as my shepherd, keep the secret.
According to this letter, until the last days, Rezanov's only love was Anna Shelekhova, his first wife, who died many years ago from puerperal fever.

However, this does not make the story told by Voznesensky and staged by Zakharov any less beautiful. For Zakharov, Rezanov's expedition was just an excuse to talk about his favorite topic - that "glory to the madmen who dare to love, knowing that all this will come to an end!" And he did it flawlessly.

Hallelujah to the beloved couple,
We forgot, scolding and feasting,
Why did we come to earth
Hallelujah of love, hallelujah of love
Hallelujah.

Hallelujah to the actors of the tragedy,
That we were given a second life,
Loving us through the centuries
Hallelujah of love, hallelujah!

"Juno" and "Avos" - that was the name of two sailboats on which the expedition of the Russian statesman and traveler Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov in 1806 set off for the coast of California. "Juno and Avos" - this is how Andrei Voznesensky called his new poem in 1970, in which he told an amazing love story of 42-year-old Count Rezanov and 16-year-old Conchita Arguello, the daughter of the commandant of San Francisco. "Juno and Avos" - this is the name of the most famous Soviet rock opera by Alexei Rybnikov, which was released in 1980 in the form of an audio performance, and six months later it was embodied in a musical performance on the stage of Lenkom. No Russian musical work of this genre can still compare with this amazing music in terms of beauty, expression and power of influence on the viewer.


Name match? Not at all - a consistent chain of artistic embodiment of a historical fact, plus an incredible coincidence that brought together three talented people: Andrei Voznesensky, who wrote the libretto for the opera based on his poem, Alexei Rybnikov, the author of amazing, some kind of unearthly, and sometimes even mystical music, and Mark Zakharov - the famous director and artistic director of the Moscow Theater. Lenin Komsomol, which brought together the brightest theatrical stars in the performance. And, of course, those who on July 9, 1981 brilliantly embodied this bright production on the Lenkom stage: artist Oleg Sheintsis, who created magnificent scenery, the famous choreographer Vladimir Vasiliev, who staged dance numbers, and, of course, the very first "star" cast: Nikolai Karachentsov (Rezanov), Elena Shanina (Conchita), Alexander Abdulov (Fernando), Lyudmila Porgina (Virgin Mary - later Zhanna Rozhdestvenskaya played this role for a long time), Pavel Smeyan and Gennady Trofimov (First and Second Writers) and many others popular actors of "Lenkom".

The history of the creation of the rock opera "Juno and Avos"

Orthodox chants were of interest to many Soviet composers, but it was Alexei Rybnikov who managed to transfer them to the big stage. In 1978, he showed his musical improvisations to director Mark Zakharov, who really liked this music. Then the idea of ​​​​creating a musical performance about Orthodox Rus' was born to the two masters, the plot of which was chosen as "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". But who is to be entrusted with writing the libretto? The choice fell on the poet Andrei Voznesensky, who, to Zakharov's surprise, did not support this idea, but proposed his own, which somewhat discouraged the director. However, after reading the poem, Zakharov agreed to stage a play based on this story. Rybnikov also liked the idea, however, in order to give the performance the format of a rock opera, Voznesensky had to compose several new scenes and solo arias.

The fact that the future performance has no analogues on the domestic stage was understood by everyone: the director, composer, author of the libretto, directors of vocal and dance numbers, and the actors involved in the production. The performance, which is essentially a rock opera, had to be veiled with the name "modern opera", since the wording "rock opera" could become a serious obstacle on the way to the viewer. Yes, and the role of the Mother of God had to be designated in the play as “Woman with a Baby”, otherwise censorship would not have missed it.

Work on the performance went in parallel with the recording of an audio version of the opera, in which other performers were involved. The first audition of the album took place six months before the theatrical premiere, on December 9, 1980. It is noteworthy that the Church of the Intercession on Fili in Moscow was chosen for this event, and not a concert hall. But it was thanks to the magnificent acoustics of the temple that the audio premiere made a splash: the opera was noticed and unconditionally loved. True, for various reasons, censorship postponed the serial release of the audio version of the opera, but still, two years later, the Melodiya company released an album of two records, which instantly became a deficit among music lovers.


Surprisingly (and for the authors themselves), but the rock opera Juno and Avos was immediately accepted by the artistic council of Lenkom, although Rybnikov’s previous rock opera, The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta, was rejected by the commission as many as 11 times! Maybe it was an accident, or maybe the Higher powers really intervened, because Andrei Voznesenskytold that before showing the opera to the commission, he and Zakharov went to the Yelokhov Cathedral to ask for blessings from the Kazan Mother of God and put candles near her icon. In addition, they brought three consecrated icons from the temple to the theater and placed them on the dressing tables for Elena Shanina, Nikolai Karachentsov, the leading actors, and Lyudmila Porgina, who in the premiere performance played the role of the Virgin (or the Woman with a Baby, as indicated in the program) .

What influenced the opinion of the commission is unknown, but the fact that the performance was allowed to be staged on the stage of the Lenin Komsomol Theater is a fact. And this year the legendary performance celebrates on world theater venues.

On our site you can listen to the full audio version of the rock opera"Juno and Avos".

To the surprise of the authors of the rock opera, there were no problems with censorship. But the authorities were not going to contribute to the success of the performance. Despite the wild success with the audience, art officials in every possible way prevented the popularization of the performance: they created obstacles with tours even within the country, not to mention the show at foreign venues. ...

Lazar Iosifovich Weissbein - have you ever heard this name? Hardly. Does the name of Leonid Osipovich Utesov mean anything to you? Famous name, legendary, right? But - not real: this sonorous pseudonym was chosen by the talented Jewish youth Lazar Weissbein as a stage name. And the scene in his life appeared when he was 20 years old - and since then it has not let go. ...

The year 1970 in the USSR was rich in cultural events, large-scale and not very large. But one of them, in my opinion, deserves to be remembered in more detail: the State Academic Central Puppet Theater named after S.V. Obraztsova moved to a new building. ...

This was the first Soviet rock opera, which, however, due to the peculiarities of the regime, the creators - the author of the libretto Andrei Voznesensky and the author of the music Alexei Rybnikov - attributed to a different genre, calling it the modern opera Juno and Avos. Its content is based on real events. The plot is based on the tragic love story of the Russian count and navigator Nikolai Rezanov and the daughter of the Spanish governor of San Francisco, Conchita Argüello.

The story of the meeting - true and fictional

The main storyline is true in all versions, it originates from the moment when, in 1806, two brigs landed on the coast of California under the flag of the Russian fleet and under the leadership of the Russian count and chamberlain of His Imperial Majesty - "Juno" and "Avos". The content of the rest of the action allows for different, sometimes contradictory interpretations, if only because history has become the reason for the creation of numerous poems, operas, ballets and simply art history studies. And artistic creativity implies varying degrees of error before the truth, which was admitted by the author of the poem "Maybe" Andrei Voznesensky. And in the production of the Lenkom Theater, in the creative community of the music author Alexei Rybnikov and director Mark Zakharov, the work acquired its permanent name - "Juno and Avos".

Brief summary of the rock opera

Forty-two-year-old statesman and naval commander, widower and father of two children, Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov, who dreams of sailing to the shores of North America, but is refused after refusal, seeks intercession from the icon of the Mother of God and confesses to her his unrighteous passion for her as a woman. The Mother of God forgives him and promises her patronage. Soon, he really receives from the imperial court the highest command to go to the coast of California in order to deliver food to the Russian colonies in Alaska. And now the Russian ships Juno and Avos are anchoring in San Francisco Bay. The content of the action is now developing rapidly. At the ball at Don Argüello's in honor of the Russian expedition that had arrived, the count met the owner's daughter, 16-year-old Conchita. Here he learns that the house of Arguello is preparing for the wedding of the young Conchita and the young hidalgo Fernando. Fascinated by the beauty of the girl, Rezanov secretly enters her bedroom, begs her for love and takes possession of her. The voice of the Virgin again descends to them, and reciprocal love awakens in the soul of Conchita.

But for his misdeed, the count must pay a heavy price: the offended Fernando challenges him and dies at his hands. The Russian expedition hastily leaves California. Rezanov secretly becomes engaged to his beloved, but for the wedding he needs to obtain permission from the Pope in St. Petersburg in order to marry a Catholic. However, they were not destined to see each other again. On the way, Rezanov falls seriously ill and dies near Krasnoyarsk. Conchita refuses to believe the terrible news and has been waiting for her lover for more than thirty years, after which she takes the veil as a nun and ends her days as a recluse. Such is the schematic content of the opera Juno and Avos.

Embodiment on stage

In Lenkom, the production had a surprisingly happy fate. It was missed immediately, unlike other, less poignant performances. The performance "Juno and Avos" was shown on the stages of many countries, the content of each tour was invariably triumphant. Not the last, if not the first role was played by the immense talent, energy and charisma of the performers of the main roles. At different times, the role of Count Rezanov was played by Dmitry Pevtsov, you can see other famous actors in this role. In the role of Conchita - Elena Shanina, Alla Yuganova. Other roles were played by Alexander Abdulov, Larisa Porgina and others. With all the merits of the subsequent compositions, the duet of Nikolai Karachentsov with actress Elena Shanina, according to the majority of viewers, remained unsurpassed in its frantic energy. It is not for nothing that the hit of the musical genre “I will never forget you” in this performance still does not lose popularity.

Memory

Conchita Arguello (Maria Domingo in tonsure) died in 1857 and was buried in the monastery cemetery, from where her ashes were transferred to the cemetery of St. Dominic.

Count Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov was buried in the cemetery of the city cathedral of Krasnoyarsk in 1807. Almost two centuries later, in 2000, a white marble cross was erected on his grave, on which it reads on one side: “I will never forget you”, and on the other it says: “I will never see you.”