Russian Opera

A 1995 Documentary produced and directed by Robin Scott. No narration and with subtitles for the lyrics, in; English, German and Spanish (click on CC for subtitles). This remarkable music documentary takes us deep into Russian opera, a vast, rich, and (for Western audiences) largely unexplored territory. It gives many great moments from works that have entered the Western repertoire (Boris Godunov, Eugene Onegin, and The Queen of Spades), but its primary attraction for many will be its tantalizing glimpses of some unfamiliar works and extraordinary singers little-known in the West. There was a "Golden Age" for the arts during the worst years of the Soviet rule. Producers and artists were hugely supported with generous state funds and patronage. Many of the Russia's talented singers would have been international stars if they had travelled abroad. Unfortunately, few of the top singers were allowed to perform outside the USSR. This film reveals many jewels in the Russian archives from the 20's to 70's with the focus on the major singers of the period. There are many performances of intense power and beauty from opera performances, arias and duets by the greatest Russian singers who graced the stages of the prestigious Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Among the less familiar operas sampled are Glinka's A Life for the Tsar and Ruslan and Ludmila, Djargomizhsky's Rusalka, and Tchaikovsky's Vakula and Mazeppa. PART ONE: 1. Feodor Chalyapin: "Song of the Varangian Guest" (Rimsky Korsakov - "Sadko") (Note: The song is accompanied by excerpts from a video chronicle of Chalyapin's life.) 2. Maxim Mikhailov as Susanin: "Scene of the appearance of the Polish detachment" (Glinka - "Ivan Susanin" or "Life for the Tsar") 3. Nina Guselnikova as Antonida & M. Mikhailov as Susanin: "Susanin agrees to lead the Polish army to Moscow." (Glinka - "Ivan Susanin" or "Life for the Tsar") 4. Mark Reizen as Susanin: "Farewell Aria of Susanin" (Glinka - "Ivan Susanin" or "Life for the Tsar") 5. Alexey Krivchenya as Farlaf: Aria-rondo "The hour of my triumph is near..." (Glinka - "Ruslan and Lyudmila") 6. Alexey Krivchenya as Miller: Miller's scene with his daughter. ".. You have to repeat the same thing to me a hundred times..". (Aleksandr Dargomyzhsky - "Russalka") 7. Ivan Petrov as Boris Godunov: "Coronation Scene" (Musorgsky "Boris Godunov") 8. Ivan Petrov as Boris Godunov & Andrei Sokolov as Shuisky: "Scene with Shuisky" (Musorgsky "Boris Godunov") 9. Alexander Ognivtsev as Boris Godunov: "Scene of hallucinations" (Musorgsky "Boris Godunov") 10. Alexander Pirogov as Boris Godunov & Ivan Kozlovsky as the Holy Fool: "Scene at St. Basil's Cathedral" (Musorgsky "Boris Godunov") 11. Elena Obraztsova as Marina Mnishek: "Scene and duet of Marina Mnishek and the False Dmitry" (Musorgsky "Boris Godunov") (Note: As False Dmitry A. Tolsoukhov. The voice of Vladimir Atlantov is heard behind the scenes.) 12. Irina Arkhipova as Marfa & Vladislav Pyavko as Andrei Khovansky: Scene of Andrei and Marfa "Our mortal hour has come, my dear..." (Musorgsky "Khovanshchina") 13. Grigory Bolshakov as Vakula the Blacksmith: Vakula's farewell aria "Does your heart hear, maiden?" (Tchaikovsky "Cherevichki") 14. Pavel Lisitsian as Mazepa: Mazepa's aria "In the declining years of my life..." (Tchaikovsky "Mazepa") PART TWO: - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - "Eugene Onegin" 1. Sergey Lemeshev: Lensky's aria from Act 2 "Where, where, where have you gone, golden days of my spring...?" 2. Ivan Kozlovsky: Lensky's aria from the 2nd act "Where, where, where have you gone, golden days of my spring...?" 3. Lemeshev & Kozlovsky: Lensky's aria as a tribute to Chekhov's widow at the celebration of her birthday anniversary. 4. Ivan Kozlovsky (aged 80) performs a vocalise by Prokofiev with the Moscow Boys' Chapel. 5. Mark Reizen performs Gremin's aria "All ages are submissive to love, .." at the celebration of his 90th birthday. 6. Panteleimon Nortsov as Onegin: Scene at the Ball “Is it really the same Tatyana...?” - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. " The Queen of Spades ". 7. Alexandr Melik-Pashayev conducts the Overture with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. 8. Galina Vishnevskaya performs Lisa's Arioso "Where do these tears come from...?" 9. Sergey Lemeshev as Hermann, Leokadia Maslennikova as Lisa, Sofia Preobrazhenskaya (guest artist of the Leningrad Kirov Theatre) as the Countess. 2nd Scene - "Scene in Lisa's room", "Love duet of Herman and Lisa" 10. Grigory Bolshakov as Hermann & Faina Petrova as the Countess 4th scene - "Hermann in the Countess's bedroom." "The Countess's death." Hermann's arrival: "Don't be afraid, for God's sake don't be afraid." Hermann's arioso: "If you ever knew the feeling of love", "It came true! But I didn't know the secret..." Music Advisor: Viktor Borovsky Archivists: Sergey Kondakov, Katia Andrikanis

Composer: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky Librettist: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, and Konstantin Shilovsky. After Pushkin's poem. Premiere: 29 March 1879, Moscow (Maly Theatre) Language: Russian Subtitles: English, Italian, Spanish, French and German (Click on CC) Eugene Onegin Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/tchaikovsky/eugene-onegin/synopsis/ Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, (Russian: Yevgény Onégin) is an opera ("lyrical scenes") in 3 acts (7 scenes), by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin. Eugene Onegin is a well-known example of lyric opera; the libretto very closely follows Pushkin's original, retaining much of his poetry, to which Tchaikovsky adds music of a dramatic nature. The story concerns a selfish hero who lives to regret his blasé rejection of a young woman's love and his careless incitement of a fatal duel with his best friend. The opera was first performed in Moscow in 1879. There are several recordings of it, and it is regularly performed. The work's title refers to the protagonist. Petr Weigl's beautiful film evoke superbly this most atmospheric of operas, while Sir George Solti captures both the passion and subtlety of Tchaikovsky's magnificent score. The golden-voiced Teresa Kubiak sings the innocent Tatyana, Stuart Burrows is the ill-fated Lensky, and Bernd Weikl is Eugene Onegin, whose arrival is destined to change everybody's lives. Cast & Characters: Eugene Onegin - Bernd Weikl (played by Michal Docolomanský) Lenski - Stuart Burrows (played by Emil Horváth) Tatyana - Teresa Kubiak (played by Magda Vásáryová) Olga - Júlia Hamari (played by Kamila Magálová) Madame Larina - Anna Reynolds (played by Antonie Hegerlíková) Gremin - Nicolai Ghiaurov (played by Premysl Kocí) Filipjevna - Enid Hartle (played by Vlasta Fabiánová) Triquet - Michel Sénéchal (played by Frantisek Filipovský) Zaretzky - Richard Van Allan (played by Andrej Hryc) Captain - William Mason (played by Karol Cálik) Guillot - Petr Lepsa The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden John Alldis Choir Conductor: Georg Solti Director: Petr Weigl Tchaikovsky's opera opens with this sombre prelude, followed by a sad romance, sung by Tatyana and her sister Olga. This prompt their mother, Madame Larina, to reminisce on a long-lost love, in which she is comforted by the family nurse, Filipyevna. As all four are singing, a peasant chorus is heard in the distance...Petr Weigl's film begins at this point. I personally think it was criminal to cut-out the prelude. However, the movie is very well made and the singing is beautiful.

Composer: Mikhail Ivanovič Glinka Librettist: Nestor Kukolnik, Egor Fyodorovich (von) Rozen, Vladimir Sollogub and Vasily Zhukovsky Premiere: 27 November 1836 OS (9 December NS) at the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg Language: Russian Translation: English subtitles A Life for the Tsar is a "patriotic-heroic tragic opera" in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka. During the Soviet era the opera was known under the name Ivan Susanin. Cast & Characters: Evgeny Nesternko as Ivan Susanin Marina Mescheriakova as Antonida Alexander Lomonosov as Bogdan Sobinin Elena Zaremba as Vanya Boris Bezhko as Polish Commander The Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Conducted by Alexander Lazarev The original Russian libretto, based on historical events. The historical basis of the plot involves Ivan Susanin, a patriotic hero of the early 17th century who died in the expulsion of the invading Polish army for the newly elected Tsar Michael of Russia, the first of the Romanov dynasty, elected in 1613. The opera was immediately hailed as a great success, and became the obligatory season-opener in the Imperial Russian opera theaters. A Life for the Tsar occupies an important position in Russian musical theater as the first native opera to win a permanent place in the repertoire. It was one of the first Russian operas to be known outside Russia. In keeping with Glinka's European training, much of A Life for the Tsar was structured according to conventional Italian and French models of the period. Nevertheless, several passages in the opera are based on Russian folk songs or folk melodic idioms that become a full part of the musical texture. Most importantly, this opera laid the foundation for the series of Russian nationalistic historical operas continued by works such as Serov's Rogneda, Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Rimsky-Korsakov's Maid of Pskov, Tchaikovsky's The Oprichnik or Mazeppa, and Borodin's Prince Igor. SYNOPSIS ACT I - The village of Domnino Antonida is eager to marry Sobinin, but her father, Susanin, refuses permission until a Russian has been duly chosen to take the tsar's throne. When Sobinin informs him that the Grand Council in Moscow has chosen a tsar, everyone celebrates. ACT II - Poland In a sumptuous hall, the nobility celebrates the Polish dominance over the Russians by singing and dancing. Suddenly, a messenger comes in with the news that Mikhail Romanov has been selected as the tsar of Russia but is now in hiding. The Poles vow to overthrow him. ACT III - Susanin's cabin Susanin and his adopted son, Vanya, pledge to defend the new tsar. Susanin blesses Sobinin and Antonida on their upcoming wedding when a detachment of Polish soldiers bursts in to demand the tsar's whereabouts. Instead, Susanin sends Vanya to warn the tsar while Susanin leads the soldiers off the trail into the woods. Antonida is devastated. Sobinin gathers some men to go on a rescue mission. ACT IV - A dense forest Sobinin reassures his men of the rightness of their mission. When night falls, in a part of the forest near a monastery, Vanya knocks at the gates and alerts the inhabitants to spirit the tsar away. Susanin has led the suspicious Polish troops into an impassable, snow-covered area of the forest. The Poles sleep while Susanin waits for the dawn and bids farewell to his children. A blizzard sets in, and when day breaks, the Poles awake. They realise that Susanin has deceived them and so kill him. EPILOGUE - Red Square, Moscow. Across the stage walks a crowd of people, celebrating the triumph of the new tsar. Alone in their own solemn procession, Antonida, Sobinin and Vanya mourn Susanin. A detachment of Russian troops comes upon them, discovers their connection with Susanin and comforts them. As the scene changes to Red Square, the people proclaim glory to the tsar and to Susanin's memory.