Opera in Russia

Opera in Russia appeared in the XVIII century. Namely, it began with the arrival of the Italian troupe at the time of Anna Ioannovna . First performance: January 29, 1736 , opera “The Power of Love and Hate” (music - Francesco Araya , translation of the libretto into Russian - V.K. Trediakovsky ). Later, a French troupe appeared at the court. At the same time there was a great demand for opera, private operas began to open. Often in one city there were several operas: Italian, Russian, German. Under the Empresses Anna Ioannovna , Elizaveta Petrovna , Catherine II , operas were attended by the singers of the Court Singing Chapel , before that they performed only spiritual chants.

The first opera on the original Russian text by the poet A. P. Sumarokov - “ Cephalus and Prokris ” - was staged in St. Petersburg on February 27, 1755 (music - Francesco Araya). Young Russian musicians, such as, for example, future famous composers Maxim Berezovsky and Dmitry Bortnyansky, also performed soloists and actors in opera performances at the court. Often together with professionals from the stage, famous arias sang arias, who were called "amateurs," sang. From the bowels of the comic opera in Russia then came the comic theater and vaudeville.

The most detailed information about the beginning of the opera in Russia in the 18th century was left in his notes by Academician Jacob von Stelin (“News on Music in Russia”).

The largest opera composers:

• A. N. Verstovsky
• K. A. Cavos
• A. A. Alyabyev

The largest opera composers:

Largest authors:

• I.F. Stravinsky
• S. S. Prokofiev
• N. N. Cherepnin
• A. N. Cherepnin
• A. T. Grechaninov

The largest opera composers:

A profound innovator in the field of opera was D. D. Shostakovich . His opera The Nose, according to the novel by N. V. Gogol, was grotesque in nature. However, the second opera of the composer “ Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk County ”, based on the novel by N. S. Leskov (written in 1930 - 1932 , staged in Leningrad in 1934 ), originally received with enthusiasm and existed on stage for a season and a half, was unexpectedly defeated in the official Soviet press ( the famous editorial " Muddle instead of music " in the newspaper "Pravda" on January 28, 1936), and was removed from the repertoire. None of the composer's further opera designs were fully implemented.

During the war years, S. S. Prokofiev ’s opera War and Peace was created.

The pupil of D. D. Shostakovich V. I. Fleishman in 1939 - 1941 wrote the opera “ Rothschild 's Violin ”, highly praised by his teacher. After the composer's death at the front, the opera was completed by D. D. Shostakovich (staged only in 1968 ).

The decree “ On the opera“ Great Friendship ” ” led to a relative simplification of the language of most opera works of that time.

Significant examples of the post-war Soviet opera staged on stage are The Story of a Real Man ( 1948 ) by S. S. Prokofiev , The Taming of the Shrew ( 1957 ) by V. Ya. Shebalin .

Some opera scores of the Soviet era for one reason or another were not staged. Among them is the opera by M. S. Weinberg “ Passenger ”.

Of great importance for the development of modern opera (mainly chamber) was the activity of the Moscow Chamber Theater under the direction of B. A. Pokrovsky (operas by A. V. Tchaikovsky , K. A. Molchanov , A. N. Kholminov , G. S. Sedelnikov , L. A. Desyatnikov , V. A. Kobekin , M. S. Weinberg ). The mono-opera genre is developing (works by Yu. M. Butsko , G. S. Frid , M. L. Tariverdiev ).

Under the influence of Western models, the rock opera genre developed in the Soviet Union ( A. B. Zhurbin , V. I. Martynov , A. L. Rybnikov ).

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, modern opera for some time almost disappears from the repertoires of Russian theaters. However, after the opening of the Iron Curtain , some Russian composers are given the opportunity to stage operas abroad. So, in Europe and America, the premieres of operas by R. K. Shchedrin , A. G. Shnitke , V. G. Tarnopolsky , V. I. Martynov are held .

Since the late 1990s, many famous Russian theaters - the Mariinsky , the Bolshoi , the Perm , and the Samara have taken up the production of modern operas. The resonance in the press and interest in the Russian public is caused by the operas of S. M. Slonimsky , R. K. Shchedrin , L. A. Desyatnikov , V. A. Kobekin , A. V. Tchaikovsky .

From the point of view of form, RK Shchedrin ’s opera “The Enchanted Wanderer ” is interesting, which has the subtitle “opera for concert performance” and in genre terms approaches cantata-oratorio music.

• Gosenpud A. , Russian Opera House of the XIX century, vols. 1-3, L., 1969-73.
• Gosenpud A. , Russian Opera House at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and F.I. Chaliapin, L., 1974.
• Gosenpud A. , Russian Opera House between two revolutions, 1905-1917, L., 1975.
• Konstantin Kovalev . “The verb is mysterious. Essays on Russian music of the XVIII century. " M., 1988.
• Soviet opera. Collection of critical articles, M., 1953.
• Druskin M. , Questions of the musical drama of the opera, L., 1952.
• Yarustovsky B. , Essays on the dramaturgy of opera of the 20th century, Prince. 1, M., 1971.

• Theater in Russia
• Ballet in Russia
• List of opera houses in Russia