A Life for the Tsar
Encyclopedia
A Life for the Tsar as it is known in English, although its original name was Ivan Susanin is a "patriotic-heroic tragic opera
" in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka
. The original Russian
libretto
, based on historical events, was written by Nestor Kukolnik
, Georgy Fyodorovich Rozen, Vladimir Sollogub and Vasily Zhukovsky
. It premiered on 29 November 1836 (OS, 6 December NS) at the Bolshoi Theatre
in St. Petersburg
. The historical basis of the plot involves Ivan Susanin
, a patriotic hero of the early 17th century who gave his life in the expulsion of the invading Polish
army for the newly elected Tsar Mikhail, the first of the Romanov dynasty, elected in 1613.
, an Italian-Russian composer, had written a two-act singspiel
with the same subject and title. The original title of the opera was to be Ivan Susanin, after the hero, but when Nicholas I
attended a rehearsal, Glinka changed the title to A Life for the Tsar as an ingratiating gesture. This title was retained in the Russian Empire
until the October Revolution
, when it reverted to Ivan Susanin.
Glinka and the writers with whom he was associated chose, in Susanin, a hero of Russian nationalism well suited to the mood of the time. 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.
on 7 September (Old Style
) 1842 in a new production with sets by Serkov and Shenyan.
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 Oprichnik
or Mazeppa
, and Borodin
's Prince Igor
.
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.
In a sumptuous hall, the nobility are celebrating the Polish dominance over the Russians with singing and dancing. Suddenly a messenger comes in, with the news that Mikhail Romanov has been selected as the Tsar of Russia and is now in hiding. The Poles vow to overthrow him.
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, demanding to know the Tsar's whereabouts. Instead Susanin sends Vanya to warn the Tsar while he, Susanin, leads the soldiers off the trail, into the woods. Antonida is devastated. Sobinin gathers some men to go on a rescue mission.
Sobinin reassures his men of the rightness of their mission. 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. When they realize that Susanin has deceived them, they kill him.
, 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 and, after discovering their connection with Susanin, comforts them. As the scene changes to Red Square, the people proclaim glory to the Tsar and to Susanin's memory.
Act I
Act II
Act III
Act IV
Epilogue
Orchestral excerpts heard in the concert hall consist largely of the overture
and the Polish numbers of the second act. Another excerpt, also used by concert bands and military bands is the Slavsya finale arranged for wind band as a fanfare, famous due to its use in the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945
and in other military parades since then. This finale piece was adapted for and is also part of the repertoire of the world-famous Alexandrov Ensemble since 2004.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
" in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
. The original Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
, based on historical events, was written by Nestor Kukolnik
Nestor Kukolnik
Nestor Vasilievich Kukolnik was a Russian playwright and prose writer of Carpatho-Rusyn origin. Immensely popular during the early part of his career, his works were subsequently dismissed as sententious and sentimental. Today, he is best remembered for having contributed to the libretto of the...
, Georgy Fyodorovich Rozen, Vladimir Sollogub and Vasily Zhukovsky
Vasily Zhukovsky
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19th century...
. It premiered on 29 November 1836 (OS, 6 December NS) at the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre
The Saint Petersburg Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre was a theatre in Saint Petersburg.- History :It was built in 1783 to Antonio Rinaldi's Neoclassical design as the Kamenny Theatre. It was rebuilt in 1802 and renamed the Bolshoi, but burned down in 1811. The building was restored in 1818, and...
in St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. The historical basis of the plot involves Ivan Susanin
Ivan Susanin
Ivan Susanin was a Russian folk hero and martyr of the early 17th century's Time of Troubles.-Evidence:In 1619, a certain Bogdan Sobinin from Domnino village near Kostroma received from Tsar Mikhail one half of Derevischi village. According to the extant royal charter, these lands were granted...
, a patriotic hero of the early 17th century who gave his life in the expulsion of the invading Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
army for the newly elected Tsar Mikhail, the first of the Romanov dynasty, elected in 1613.
| Listen to : „Chorus: Slavsya“ Choir & Orchestra, Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army "A.V. Alexandrov" |
Composition history
The plot of A Life for the Tsar had been used earlier in 1815, when Catterino CavosCatterino Cavos
Catterino Albertovich Cavos , born Catarino Camillo Cavos, was an Italian composer, organist and conductor settled in Russia...
, an Italian-Russian composer, had written a two-act singspiel
Singspiel
A Singspiel is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera...
with the same subject and title. The original title of the opera was to be Ivan Susanin, after the hero, but when Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
attended a rehearsal, Glinka changed the title to A Life for the Tsar as an ingratiating gesture. This title was retained in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
until the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, when it reverted to Ivan Susanin.
Glinka and the writers with whom he was associated chose, in Susanin, a hero of Russian nationalism well suited to the mood of the time. 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.
Performance history
The opera was given its premiere performance on 29 November 1836 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Saint Petersburg conducted by Catterino Cavos with set designs by Andrei Roller. It was followed several years later with its premiere in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
on 7 September (Old Style
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
) 1842 in a new production with sets by Serkov and Shenyan.
 |
Publication history
- 1857, piano-vocal scoreVocal scoreA vocal score or piano-vocal score is a music score of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra such as an oratorio or cantata, in which the vocal parts are written out in full but the accompaniment is reduced and adapted for keyboard...
, as A Life for the Tsar, Stellovsky, St. Petersburg - 1881, full score, as A Life for the Tsar, Stellovsky, St. Petersburg
- 1907, new edition by Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
and GlazunovAlexander GlazunovAlexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...
, BelyayevMitrofan BelyayevMitrofan Petrovich Belyayev was a Russian music publisher, outstanding philanthropist, and the owner of a large wood dealership enterprise in Russia. He was also the founder of the Belyayev circle, a society of musicians in Russia whose members included Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Alexander Glazunov...
, Leipzig - 1942, as Ivan Susanin, Muzgiz
- 1949, as Ivan Susanin, Muzgiz
- 1953, as Ivan Susanin, Muzgiz
Influences
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
Alexander Serov
Alexander Nikolayevich Serov – was a Russian composer and music critic. He and his wife Valentina were the parents of painter Valentin Serov...
's Rogneda
Rogneda (opera)
Rogneda is an opera in five acts, composed by Alexander Serov during 1863–1865. The scenario, by the composer, was based on the novel Askold's Grave by Mikhail Zagoskin and the poem Rogneda by Kondraty Ryleyev...
, Mussorgsky
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
's Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov (opera)
Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
, Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
's Maid of Pskov
The Maid of Pskov
The Maid of Pskov , is an opera in three acts and six scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by the composer, and is based on the drama of the same name by Lev Mei. The story concerns the Tsar Ivan the Terrible and his efforts to subject the cities of Pskov and Novgorod to his...
, Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
's Oprichnik
The Oprichnik (opera)
The Oprichnik or The Guardsman is an opera in 4 acts, 5 scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to his own libretto after the tragedy The Oprichniks by Ivan Lazhechnikov . The subject of the opera is the oprichniks...
or Mazeppa
Mazeppa (opera)
Mazeppa, properly Mazepa , is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Victor Burenin and is based on Pushkin's poem Poltava....
, and Borodin
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
's Prince Igor
Prince Igor
Prince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | World premiere, St. Petersburg 29 November (Old Style Old Style and New Style dates Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian... ) 1836 (Conductor: Catterino Cavos Catterino Cavos Catterino Albertovich Cavos , born Catarino Camillo Cavos, was an Italian composer, organist and conductor settled in Russia... ) |
Moscow premiere 7 September (Old Style Old Style and New Style dates Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian... ) 1842 (conductor: Ivan Iogannis ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Susanin, a peasant of the village of Domnino | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
Osip Petrov Osip Petrov Osip Afanasievich Petrov was a Russian operatic bass-baritone of great range and renown whose career centred on St Petersburg.He started his career by singing in a church chorus... |
Dmitriy Kurov |
| Antonida, his daughter | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Mariya Stepanova | Mariya Leonova |
| Vanya, Susanin's adopted son | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
Anna Petrova-Vorobyova | Anfisa Petrova |
| Bogdan Sobinin, a militiaman, Antonida's fiance | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Lev Leonov | Aleksandr Bantïshev |
| Commander of the Polish Detachment | bass | Sergey Baykov | |
| A Polish courier | tenor | I. Makarov | |
| Commander of the Russian Detachment | bass | Aleksey Yefremov | |
| Chorus and silent: Peasant men and women, militiamen, Polish nobles and ladies, knights | |||
Performance practice
As popular as the opera was, its monarchist libretto was an embarrassment to the Soviet state. After some unsuccessful attempts were made to remedy this situation, in 1939 the poet S.M. Gorodetsky rewrote the text to remove references to the Tsar and otherwise make the libretto politically palatable.Act 1
The village of DomninoAntonida 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 2
PolandIn a sumptuous hall, the nobility are celebrating the Polish dominance over the Russians with singing and dancing. Suddenly a messenger comes in, with the news that Mikhail Romanov has been selected as the Tsar of Russia and is now in hiding. The Poles vow to overthrow him.
Act 3
Susanin's cabinSusanin 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, demanding to know the Tsar's whereabouts. Instead Susanin sends Vanya to warn the Tsar while he, Susanin, leads the soldiers off the trail, into the woods. Antonida is devastated. Sobinin gathers some men to go on a rescue mission.
Act 4
A dense forestSobinin reassures his men of the rightness of their mission. 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. When they realize that Susanin has deceived them, they kill him.
Epilogue
Red SquareRed Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
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 and, after discovering their connection with Susanin, comforts them. As the scene changes to Red Square, the people proclaim glory to the Tsar and to Susanin's memory.
Principal arias and numbers
- Overture
Act I
- Cavatina and Rondo: "To the field, to the field", «В поле, в поле» (Antonida)
Act II
- Chorus: PolonaisePolonaiseThe polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish."The polonaise had a rhythm quite close to that of the Swedish semiquaver or sixteenth-note polska, and the two dances have a common origin....
, Полонез - Dance: KrakowiakKrakowiakThe Krakowiak, sometimes referred to as the Pecker Dance, is a fast, syncopated Polish dance in duple time from the region of Krakow and Little Poland. This dance is known to imitate horses, the steps mimic their movement, for horses were well loved in the Krakow region of Poland for their civilian...
, Краковяк - Dance: WaltzWaltzThe waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
, Вальс - Dance: MazurkaMazurkaThe mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...
, Мазурка
Act III
- Song: "When they killed the little bird's mother", «Как мать убили у малого птенца» (Vanya)
Act IV
- Aria: "Brother in the darkness we are not able to find our enemy" No. 18; (Sobinine)
- Aria: "They sense the truth!", «Чуют правду!» No. 21; (Susanin)
Epilogue
- Chorus: "Glory, Glory to you, holy Rus'!", «Славься, славься, святая Русь!» (People)
Orchestral excerpts heard in the concert hall consist largely of the overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
and the Polish numbers of the second act. Another excerpt, also used by concert bands and military bands is the Slavsya finale arranged for wind band as a fanfare, famous due to its use in the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945
Moscow Victory Parade of 1945
The Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 was a victory parade held by the Soviet army after the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. It took place in the Soviet capital of Moscow, mostly centering around a military parade through Red Square...
and in other military parades since then. This finale piece was adapted for and is also part of the repertoire of the world-famous Alexandrov Ensemble since 2004.
Recordings
Source: operadis-opera-discography.org.uk- 1947, Aleksander Melik-Pasheyev (conductor), Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Maksim Mikhaylov (Ivan Susanin), Nataliya Shpiller (Antonida), Georgiy Nelepp (Bogdan Sobinin), Yelizaveta Antonova (Vanya), Fyodor Svetlanov (Sigizmund King of Poland), Sergey Khosson (Russian soldier), Ivan Skobtsov (Polish messenger)
- 1957, Igor Markevitch (Conductor), Artistes et Choeurs de l'Opera de Belgrade (Chef des Choeurs: Oscar Danon); Orchestre de l'Association des Concerts Lamoureux; Boris Christoff, Bass:(Ivan Soussanine); Theresa Stich-Randall, soprano: (Antonida); Nicolai Gedda, tenor: (Bogdane Sobinine); Mela Bugarinovitch, contralto: (Vania). Recorded in Paris on 26 November through 18 December 1957. No other singer's names given.
- 1986, Ivan Marinov (Conductor), Sofia National Opera Orchestra, Sofia National Opera Chorus; Nicola Ghiuselev (Ivan Susanin), Elena Stoyanova (Antonida), Cristina Angelakova (Vanya), Roumen Doikov (Sabinin), Dimiter Stanchev, Angel Petkov.
- 1989, Emil Tchakarov (Conductor), Sofia National Opera Chorus (chorus masters: Lyubomir Karoleev and Hristo Kazandjiev); Sofia Festival Orchestra; Boris Martinovich (Ivan Susanin); Alexandrina Pendachanska (Antonida); Chris Merritt (Sobinin); Stefania Toczyska (Vanya); Stoil Georgiev (Commander of the Polish detachment); Mincho Popov (Polish messenger); Konstantin Videv (Commander of the Russian detachment). Recorded in Sofia (Hall 1, National Palace of Culture) on 9th-15th September 1989.