Khovanshchina
Encyclopedia
Khovanshchina is an opera
(subtitled a 'national music drama') in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky
. The work was written between 1872 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia
. The composer wrote the libretto
based on historical sources. The opera was unfinished and unperformed when the composer died in 1881.
Like Mussorgsky's earlier Boris Godunov
, Khovanshchina deals with an episode in Russia
n history, first brought to the composer's attention by his friend Vladimir Stasov. It concerns the rebellion of Prince Ivan Khovansky, the Old Believers
, and the Streltsy
against Peter the Great
, who was attempting to institute Westernizing reforms to Russia. Peter succeeded, the rebellion was crushed and (in the opera, at least) Khovansky's followers committed mass suicide.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
completed, revised, and scored Khovanshchina in 1881–1882. Because his extensive cuts and "recomposition", Dmitri Shostakovich
revised the opera in 1959 based on Mussorgsky's vocal score, and it is the Shostakovich version that is usually performed. In 1913 Igor Stravinsky
and Maurice Ravel
made their own arrangement at Sergei Diaghilev
's request. When Feodor Chaliapin
refused to sing the part of Dosifei in any other orchestration than Rimsky-Korsakov's, Diaghilev's company employed a mixture of orchestrations which did not prove successful. The Stravinsky-Ravel orchestration was forgotten, except for Stravinsky's finale, which is still used.
Although the setting of the opera is the Moscow Uprising of 1682
, its main themes are the struggle between progressive and reactionary political factions during the minority of Tsar
Peter the Great and the passing of old Muscovy
before Peter's westernizing reforms. It received its first performance in the Rimsky-Korsakov
edition in 1886.
Though not as well known as Boris Godunov, this opera is, in some ways, more accessible. The pace of the action is slow, but there is more in the way of traditional vocal writing compared to the earlier opera's use of a more speech-like style. The plot of Khovanshchina is difficult to follow, but the story is grittier and the characters are more believable. There are also some fiery set-pieces, in particular the "Dance of the Persian Slaves" and the spectacular mass suicide of the Old Believers in the final scene.
), 1886 using the Rimsky-Korsakov version. Also in St. Petersburg on 27 October 1893 the opera was presented by artists of the Russian Opera Society.
The Russian Private Opera presented the Moscow
premiere at the Solodovnikov Theater on 12 November 1897 conducted by Michele Esposito
, with scene designs by Konstantin Korovin
, Apollinary Vasnetsov
, and Sergey Malyutin
. There were 1910 and 1911 productions in the two cities, the first by the Zimin Opera
in Moscow and conducted by Palitsīn scenes by Matorin, while the second was at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre
and conducted by Albert Coates
.
In 1913 the opera reached Paris where Emil Cooper
(Kuper) conducted a performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
of a Diaghilev
production. The orchestration was made collaboratively
by Igor Stravinsky
and Maurice Ravel
. However, Feodor Chaliapin
was unwilling to sing Dosifei to any orchestration other than Rimsky-Korsakov's. So the Parisians heard some hybrid version which appeared unsuccessful, and this orchestration was forgotten. Only the finale, which was composed by Stravinsky, has survived and was published in 1914. Occasionally it replaces the finale of Dmitri Shostakovich
's version in some productions, such as Claudio Abbado
's 1989 production in Vienna.
That same year it was presented in London at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and, finally, in 1931, in New York.
The Shostakovitch version was first presented on 25 November 1960 at the Kirov Theater, conducted by Sergey Yeltsin, in an edition by Pavel Lamm, with set design by Fedorovsky.
Khovanshchina has appeared on stage at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City
for 32 performances (through 1999) since its first performance there in 1950, in a production (sung in English) that featured Risë Stevens
and Jerome Hines
, although excerpts were performed by the Met as early as 1919. Of that number, 27 performances have been staged since 1985 in the noteworthy production by August Everding
and Ming Cho Lee
. Performances of Khovanshchina by visiting Russian companies have also appeared at the Met. More recently, it was performed by Welsh National Opera
in both Wales and England as well as at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich
under Kent Nagano
in 2007.
Khovanshchina is not seen on stage often, especially in the West. It has been recorded several times.
Place: Moscow
Background and Theme: The principal theme of Khovanshchina is stated outright in the choral number "Akh, ty Rodnaya, Matushka Russ" ("Oh poor Motherland"), which laments that Russia is bleeding and dying not because of a foreign enemy, but because of fragmentation within. Something like a three-way civil war is in progress. Tsar Peter is modernizing, and two powerful forces are resisting his changes: the Streltsy and the Old Believers. The Streltsy are decommissioned elite soldiers/guards ("Streltsy" literally means "shooters", just like "musketeers"), past their prime and on indefinite furlough. They are fanatically loyal to Prince Ivan Khovansky. The Old Believers are Russian Orthodox Christians who have left the state-sponsored church because it went along with Tsar Peter's changes. Their leader is Dosifey. Fortunately for Tsar Peter, these two factions despise each other, as the Streltsy are rowdy degenerates and the Old Believers are pious ascetics. Each of the three principal basses in the opera believes himself to represent the "true" Russia against her internal enemies: Prince Ivan Khovansky by noble birth and military prowess, Dosefei by religion, and Shaklovity by supporting Tsar Peter.
Shaklovity, a Boyar
and agent for Tsar Peter, dictates a letter to the Tsar, warning of a rebellion planned by Prince Ivan Khovansky (captain of the Streltsy
Guards) and the Old Believers
. He conceals himself as Prince Ivan arrives. Prince Ivan promises an adoring crowd that he will defend the "young Tsars", by whom he means Tsar Peter's conservative rivals within the royal family. He and the crowd exit. Prince Andrey, Ivan's son, chases in Emma, a German girl, intending to assault her. Marfa, an Old Believer, interferes. Andrey threatens to kill Emma, but Prince Ivan returns, and decides to capture Emma himself. The ensuing quarrel between father and son is interrupted by the arrival of Dosifey, the leader of the Old Believers. Dosifey reproves everyone for being so quarrelsome and un-Christian. Marfa leaves with Emma.
Golitsin, a nervous progressive nobleman, hires Marfa to tell his fortune in secret. She predicts that he will fall from power. After she leaves, Golitsin orders his servants to kill her. Prince Ivan Khovansky disrespects Golitsin by entering without waiting to be announced, and complains loudly that Golitsin has been interfering with his friends in the nobility. A quarrel ensues, each making insulting remarks about the other's military campaigns, but Dosifey enters and draws their attention away from their argument by criticising both of them—Golitsin for his modern views, and Prince Ivan for letting the Streltsy get drunk and run around making trouble all the time. Marfa, who has been saved by the Tsar's guards, reappears, followed by Shaklovity, who menacingly announces that the Tsar has been warned of the planned rebellion, and has issued orders to arrest the Princes Khovansky. At this unlikely moment, the curtain falls.
Marfa is overheard singing of her love, by Susanna, a fellow Old Believer. Susanna scolds Marfa until Dosifey appears and drives Susanna away. Marfa admits to Dosifey that she loves Andrey Khovansky (the one she restrained from assaulting Emma). Dosifey tells her to pray for relief. They exit and Shaklovity, who until now had been presented as a purely threatening character, sings a haunting prayer for troubled Russia's protection from the Streltsy (he refers to them as "mercenaries") and from the rebellious powers they obey. Hearing them coming he exits; some of the Streltsy enter and sing a drinking chorus. The scribe arrives and informs them that Hungarian troops are invading, and that Tsar Peter's bodyguard fought with the foreigners against the Streltsy—Russian soldiers and foreign soldiers killing other Russian soldiers together. Ivan Khovanski enters and begs their forgiveness for the defeat.
Prince Ivan Khovansky is warned by a servant of Golitsin that he is in danger, but he ignores the warning and watches his servant girls dance. Shaklovity enters and kills him, scornfully imitating the servants' song.
Scene 2: Moscow. The square before the Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed
Golitsyn is led into exile. Dosifey mourns the conspirators' downfall and the success of Tsar Peter. Marfa offers sanctuary to Andrey with the Old Believers. The Streltsy are led to their execution. Peter, through an agent, intervenes to pardon them (which is not in agreement with historical fact).
Dosifey and his followers have taken refuge in a hermitage in the forest. Although he is weighed down by the sorrows and sufferings of the brethren, he remains defiant and determined to win a "crown of glory" in fire and flame ("Here, in this holy place"). He exhorts the brethren to don white clothing and light candles, preparing for immolation. They enter the hermitage. [Andrey enters, singing of his lost love, still seeking Emma. Marfa sings to Andrey, reminding him of their love, and assuring him that she will not leave him, but will burn with him. Dosifey and the brethren return, dressed in white and carrying candles. They build a funeral pyre. Offstage trumpet calls herald the approach of Tsar Peter's soldiers. Marfa sings to Andrey of the hopelessness of their situation. The trumpet calls sound again. Dosifey exhorts the brethren to remain strong one last time. Marfa lights the pyre. The schismatics sing a final hymn ("God will save me"). As Dosifey, Marfa, Andrey, and the Old Believers perish in the flames, Peter's soldiers arrive in a vain attempt to capture them.]
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Scene 6
Rimsky-Korsakov Version 1882
Shostakovich Version 1959
Videotaped performance
Public Media, Inc. has published a performance on video conducted by Claudio Abbado
, with Nicolai Ghiaurov
, Anatoly Kocherga, Paata Burchuladze
, and Heinz Zednik
. ISBN 0-7800-0051-X
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...
(subtitled a 'national music drama') in five acts by Modest 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...
. The work was written between 1872 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The composer wrote the 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 sources. The opera was unfinished and unperformed when the composer died in 1881.
Like Mussorgsky's earlier 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,...
, Khovanshchina deals with an episode in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n history, first brought to the composer's attention by his friend Vladimir Stasov. It concerns the rebellion of Prince Ivan Khovansky, the Old Believers
Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
, and the Streltsy
Streltsy
Streltsy were the units of Russian guardsmen in the 16th - early 18th centuries, armed with firearms. They are also collectively known as Marksman Troops .- Origins and organization :...
against Peter the Great
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
, who was attempting to institute Westernizing reforms to Russia. Peter succeeded, the rebellion was crushed and (in the opera, at least) Khovansky's followers committed mass suicide.
Nikolai 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...
completed, revised, and scored Khovanshchina in 1881–1882. Because his extensive cuts and "recomposition", Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
revised the opera in 1959 based on Mussorgsky's vocal score, and it is the Shostakovich version that is usually performed. In 1913 Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
and Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
made their own arrangement at Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev , usually referred to outside of Russia as Serge, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, from which many famous dancers and choreographers would arise.-Early life and career:...
's request. When Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer. The possessor of a large and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.During the first phase...
refused to sing the part of Dosifei in any other orchestration than Rimsky-Korsakov's, Diaghilev's company employed a mixture of orchestrations which did not prove successful. The Stravinsky-Ravel orchestration was forgotten, except for Stravinsky's finale, which is still used.
Although the setting of the opera is the Moscow Uprising of 1682
Moscow Uprising of 1682
Moscow Uprising of 1682, also known as Streltsy Uprising of 1682 , was an uprising of the Moscow Streltsy regiments which resulted in supreme power being devolved on Sophia Alekseyevna...
, its main themes are the struggle between progressive and reactionary political factions during the minority of Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Peter the Great and the passing of old Muscovy
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Duchy of Moscow or Grand Principality of Moscow, also known in English simply as Muscovy , was a late medieval Rus' principality centered on Moscow, and the predecessor state of the early modern Tsardom of Russia....
before Peter's westernizing reforms. It received its first performance in the 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...
edition in 1886.
Though not as well known as Boris Godunov, this opera is, in some ways, more accessible. The pace of the action is slow, but there is more in the way of traditional vocal writing compared to the earlier opera's use of a more speech-like style. The plot of Khovanshchina is difficult to follow, but the story is grittier and the characters are more believable. There are also some fiery set-pieces, in particular the "Dance of the Persian Slaves" and the spectacular mass suicide of the Old Believers in the final scene.
Performance history
The St. Petersburg and world premiere took place on 21 February (9 February O.S.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...
), 1886 using the Rimsky-Korsakov version. Also in St. Petersburg on 27 October 1893 the opera was presented by artists of the Russian Opera Society.
The Russian Private Opera presented the 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...
premiere at the Solodovnikov Theater on 12 November 1897 conducted by Michele Esposito
Michele Esposito
Michele Esposito was an Italian-born musical composer and pianist who lived most of his professional life in Dublin, Ireland.- Training :Esposito was born at Castellamare di Stabia, near Sorrento...
, with scene designs by Konstantin Korovin
Konstantin Korovin
Konstantin Alekseyevich Korovin was a leading Russian Impressionist painter.-Biography:Konstantin was born in Moscow to a merchant family officially registered as "peasants of Vladimir Gubernia". His father, Aleksey Mikhailovich Korovin, earned a university degree and was more interested in arts...
, Apollinary Vasnetsov
Apollinary Vasnetsov
Apollinary Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov , 1856, the village of Riabovo, Vyatka province - January 23, 1933, Moscow) was a Russian painter and graphic artist whose elder brother was the more famous Viktor Vasnetsov. He specialized in scenes from the medieval history of Moscow.Vasnetsov was a painter and a...
, and Sergey Malyutin
Sergey Malyutin
Sergey Vasilyevich Malyutin was Russian painter, architect and stage designer. He is credited with designing and painting the first Russian matryoshka doll in 1890.- References :*...
. There were 1910 and 1911 productions in the two cities, the first by the Zimin Opera
Zimin Opera
The Zimin Opera was founded by the Russian entrepreneur Sergei Zimin in Moscow, Russia in 1903.The company staged the premieres of such operas as Rimsky-Korsakov's Golden Cockerel, Gretchaninoff's Beatris Sister and Ippolitov-Ivanov's Izmena...
in Moscow and conducted by Palitsīn scenes by Matorin, while the second was at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
and conducted by Albert Coates
Albert Coates (musician)
Albert Coates was an English conductor and composer. Born in Saint Petersburg where his English father was a successful businessman, he studied in Russia, England and Germany, before beginning his career as a conductor in a series of German opera houses...
.
In 1913 the opera reached Paris where Emil Cooper
Emil Cooper
Emil Albertovich Cooper, also known as Emil Kuper was a Russian conductor and violinist, of English ancestry....
(Kuper) conducted a performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is a theatre at 15 avenue Montaigne. Despite its name, the theatre is not on the Champs-Élysées but nearby in another part of the 8th arrondissement of Paris....
of a Diaghilev
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev , usually referred to outside of Russia as Serge, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, from which many famous dancers and choreographers would arise.-Early life and career:...
production. The orchestration was made collaboratively
Classical music written in collaboration
In classical music, it is relatively rare for a work to be written in collaboration by multiple composers. This contrasts with popular music, where it is common for more than one person to contribute to the music for a song...
by Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
and Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
. However, Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer. The possessor of a large and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.During the first phase...
was unwilling to sing Dosifei to any orchestration other than Rimsky-Korsakov's. So the Parisians heard some hybrid version which appeared unsuccessful, and this orchestration was forgotten. Only the finale, which was composed by Stravinsky, has survived and was published in 1914. Occasionally it replaces the finale of Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
's version in some productions, such as Claudio Abbado
Claudio Abbado
Claudio Abbado, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , is an Italian conductor. He has served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Vienna State Opera,...
's 1989 production in Vienna.
That same year it was presented in London at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and, finally, in 1931, in New York.
The Shostakovitch version was first presented on 25 November 1960 at the Kirov Theater, conducted by Sergey Yeltsin, in an edition by Pavel Lamm, with set design by Fedorovsky.
Khovanshchina has appeared on stage at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for 32 performances (through 1999) since its first performance there in 1950, in a production (sung in English) that featured Risë Stevens
Risë Stevens
Risë Stevens is a retired American operatic mezzo-soprano.-Professional life:Stevens studied at New York's Juilliard School for three years. She went to Vienna, where she was trained by Marie Gutheil-Schoder and Herbert Graf. She made her début as Mignon in Prague in 1936 and stayed there until...
and Jerome Hines
Jerome Hines
The American Jerome A. Hines was a basso opera singer who performed at the Metropolitan Opera from 1946 to 1987...
, although excerpts were performed by the Met as early as 1919. Of that number, 27 performances have been staged since 1985 in the noteworthy production by August Everding
August Everding
August Everding was a German opera director and administrator. He studied at the Universities of Bonn and Munich, where launching his career in the 1950s...
and Ming Cho Lee
Ming Cho Lee
Ming Cho Lee is a Chinese-born American theatrical set designer and a longtime professor at the Yale School of Drama....
. Performances of Khovanshchina by visiting Russian companies have also appeared at the Met. More recently, it was performed by Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera is an opera company founded in Cardiff, Wales in 1943. The WNO tours Wales, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world extensively. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main stage operas to a combined audience of around 150,000 people...
in both Wales and England as well as at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
under Kent Nagano
Kent Nagano
__FORCETOC__Kent George Nagano is an American conductor and opera administrator. He is currently the music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Bavarian State Opera.-Biography:...
in 2007.
Khovanshchina is not seen on stage often, especially in the West. It has been recorded several times.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 21 February (9 February O.S. 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... ), 1886 St. Petersburg (Conductor: Eduard Goldshteyn) |
Moscow cast Zimin Opera Zimin Opera The Zimin Opera was founded by the Russian entrepreneur Sergei Zimin in Moscow, Russia in 1903.The company staged the premieres of such operas as Rimsky-Korsakov's Golden Cockerel, Gretchaninoff's Beatris Sister and Ippolitov-Ivanov's Izmena... , 1910 (Conductor: Palitsyn) |
St. Petersburg cast Mariinsky Theatre Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The... , 1911 (Conductor: Albert Coates Albert Coates (musician) Albert Coates was an English conductor and composer. Born in Saint Petersburg where his English father was a successful businessman, he studied in Russia, England and Germany, before beginning his career as a conductor in a series of German opera houses... ) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Ivan Khovansky, head of the Streltsy Streltsy Streltsy were the units of Russian guardsmen in the 16th - early 18th centuries, armed with firearms. They are also collectively known as Marksman Troops .- Origins and organization :... |
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... |
Anton Bedlevich | Zaporozhets | Vasily Sharonov | |
| Prince Andrey Khovansky, his son | 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... |
Pyotr Inozemtsev | Andrey Labinsky Andrey Labinsky Andrey Markovich Labinsky was a famous Russian tenor.-Biography:Labinsky was born to a large family in internal exile in Siberia. From 1881, he sang in the choir of Saint Sofia cathedral in Tobolsk. Labinsky moved to Tyumen and became a soloist in the Znamensky cathedral choir. After finishing... |
||
| Prince Vasiliy Golitsin | tenor | Yekab Karklin | Anton Sekar-Rozhansky | Ivan Yershov Ivan Yershov Ivan Vasiliyevitch Yershov or Ershov , born November 8, 1867 - died November 21, 1943, was a Russian opera singer. He earned renown for his brilliant performances at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, performing some of the most demanding roles written for the dramatic tenor... |
|
| Dosifey, head of the schismatics (Old Believers Old Believers In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66... ) |
bass | Vasily Petrov Vasily Petrov Vasily Ivanovich Petrov , in Stavropol Krai. He completed high school in 1935 and studied for two years at a teacher training institute until 1937. Petrov joined the army in 1939 and completed the lieutenant's course in 1941.... |
Feodor Chaliapin Feodor Chaliapin Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer. The possessor of a large and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.During the first phase... |
||
| Boyar Fyodor Shaklovity Fyodor Shaklovity Fyodor Leontiyevich Shaklovity was a Russian diplomat best known as a staunch adherent of the regent Sophia Alekseyevna, who had promoted him from a regular scrivener to a member of the Boyar Duma and okolnichy... |
bass-baritone Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende... |
Sokolov | Nikolay Shevelyov | P. Andreyev | |
| Marfa, a schismatic | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Selyuk | Vera Petrova-Zvantseva | Yevgeniya Zbruyeva | |
| Susanna, an old schismatic | 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... |
||||
| Scrivener | tenor | ||||
| Emma, a maiden from the German quarter | soprano | Antonova | |||
| Pastor | baritone | ||||
| Varsonofyev, a retainer of Golitsin | bass | ||||
| Kuzka, a strelets Streltsy Streltsy were the units of Russian guardsmen in the 16th - early 18th centuries, armed with firearms. They are also collectively known as Marksman Troops .- Origins and organization :... (musketeer) |
tenor | ||||
| Streshnev, a Boyar | tenor | ||||
| Chorus: Streltsy, schismatics, serving girls and Persian slaves of Prince Ivan Khovansky, Peter's poteshniye (soldiers), people | |||||
Instrumentation
Shostakovich Orchestration:- Strings: Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses
- Woodwinds: 2 Flutes, 1 Flute/Piccolo, 2 Oboes, 1 Oboe/English Horn, 2 Clarinets, 1 Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, 1 Bassoon/Contrabassoon
- Brass: 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, 1 Tuba
- Percussion: Triangle, Tambourine, Timpani, Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Cymbals, Tam-tam, Bells, Glockenspiel
- Other: Piano, Harp, Celesta
- On/Offstage: Unspecified numbers of Horns, Trumpets, Trombones
Synopsis
Time: The year 1682Place: Moscow
Background and Theme: The principal theme of Khovanshchina is stated outright in the choral number "Akh, ty Rodnaya, Matushka Russ" ("Oh poor Motherland"), which laments that Russia is bleeding and dying not because of a foreign enemy, but because of fragmentation within. Something like a three-way civil war is in progress. Tsar Peter is modernizing, and two powerful forces are resisting his changes: the Streltsy and the Old Believers. The Streltsy are decommissioned elite soldiers/guards ("Streltsy" literally means "shooters", just like "musketeers"), past their prime and on indefinite furlough. They are fanatically loyal to Prince Ivan Khovansky. The Old Believers are Russian Orthodox Christians who have left the state-sponsored church because it went along with Tsar Peter's changes. Their leader is Dosifey. Fortunately for Tsar Peter, these two factions despise each other, as the Streltsy are rowdy degenerates and the Old Believers are pious ascetics. Each of the three principal basses in the opera believes himself to represent the "true" Russia against her internal enemies: Prince Ivan Khovansky by noble birth and military prowess, Dosefei by religion, and Shaklovity by supporting Tsar Peter.
Act 1
Moscow, 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...
Shaklovity, a Boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
and agent for Tsar Peter, dictates a letter to the Tsar, warning of a rebellion planned by Prince Ivan Khovansky (captain of the Streltsy
Streltsy
Streltsy were the units of Russian guardsmen in the 16th - early 18th centuries, armed with firearms. They are also collectively known as Marksman Troops .- Origins and organization :...
Guards) and the Old Believers
Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
. He conceals himself as Prince Ivan arrives. Prince Ivan promises an adoring crowd that he will defend the "young Tsars", by whom he means Tsar Peter's conservative rivals within the royal family. He and the crowd exit. Prince Andrey, Ivan's son, chases in Emma, a German girl, intending to assault her. Marfa, an Old Believer, interferes. Andrey threatens to kill Emma, but Prince Ivan returns, and decides to capture Emma himself. The ensuing quarrel between father and son is interrupted by the arrival of Dosifey, the leader of the Old Believers. Dosifey reproves everyone for being so quarrelsome and un-Christian. Marfa leaves with Emma.
Act 2
Summer study of Prince Vasily GolitsinGolitsin, a nervous progressive nobleman, hires Marfa to tell his fortune in secret. She predicts that he will fall from power. After she leaves, Golitsin orders his servants to kill her. Prince Ivan Khovansky disrespects Golitsin by entering without waiting to be announced, and complains loudly that Golitsin has been interfering with his friends in the nobility. A quarrel ensues, each making insulting remarks about the other's military campaigns, but Dosifey enters and draws their attention away from their argument by criticising both of them—Golitsin for his modern views, and Prince Ivan for letting the Streltsy get drunk and run around making trouble all the time. Marfa, who has been saved by the Tsar's guards, reappears, followed by Shaklovity, who menacingly announces that the Tsar has been warned of the planned rebellion, and has issued orders to arrest the Princes Khovansky. At this unlikely moment, the curtain falls.
Act 3
The Streltsy Quarter, south of the Moscow RiverMarfa is overheard singing of her love, by Susanna, a fellow Old Believer. Susanna scolds Marfa until Dosifey appears and drives Susanna away. Marfa admits to Dosifey that she loves Andrey Khovansky (the one she restrained from assaulting Emma). Dosifey tells her to pray for relief. They exit and Shaklovity, who until now had been presented as a purely threatening character, sings a haunting prayer for troubled Russia's protection from the Streltsy (he refers to them as "mercenaries") and from the rebellious powers they obey. Hearing them coming he exits; some of the Streltsy enter and sing a drinking chorus. The scribe arrives and informs them that Hungarian troops are invading, and that Tsar Peter's bodyguard fought with the foreigners against the Streltsy—Russian soldiers and foreign soldiers killing other Russian soldiers together. Ivan Khovanski enters and begs their forgiveness for the defeat.
Act 4
Scene 1: A richly furnished chamber in Ivan Khovansky's mansionPrince Ivan Khovansky is warned by a servant of Golitsin that he is in danger, but he ignores the warning and watches his servant girls dance. Shaklovity enters and kills him, scornfully imitating the servants' song.
Scene 2: Moscow. The square before the Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed
Golitsyn is led into exile. Dosifey mourns the conspirators' downfall and the success of Tsar Peter. Marfa offers sanctuary to Andrey with the Old Believers. The Streltsy are led to their execution. Peter, through an agent, intervenes to pardon them (which is not in agreement with historical fact).
Act 5
A pine forest, a secluded monastery, a moonlit nightDosifey and his followers have taken refuge in a hermitage in the forest. Although he is weighed down by the sorrows and sufferings of the brethren, he remains defiant and determined to win a "crown of glory" in fire and flame ("Here, in this holy place"). He exhorts the brethren to don white clothing and light candles, preparing for immolation. They enter the hermitage. [Andrey enters, singing of his lost love, still seeking Emma. Marfa sings to Andrey, reminding him of their love, and assuring him that she will not leave him, but will burn with him. Dosifey and the brethren return, dressed in white and carrying candles. They build a funeral pyre. Offstage trumpet calls herald the approach of Tsar Peter's soldiers. Marfa sings to Andrey of the hopelessness of their situation. The trumpet calls sound again. Dosifey exhorts the brethren to remain strong one last time. Marfa lights the pyre. The schismatics sing a final hymn ("God will save me"). As Dosifey, Marfa, Andrey, and the Old Believers perish in the flames, Peter's soldiers arrive in a vain attempt to capture them.]
Principal arias and numbers
Introduction: "Dawn on the Moscow River", Вступление: «Рассвет на Москве-реке» (Orchestra)Scene 1
- Chorus: "Make a wide path for the White Swan", «Белому лебедю путь просторен» (Streltsï, People)
- Chorus: "Glory to the White Swan", «Слава лебедю» (People)
Scene 2
- Aria: Marfa's Divination "Mysterious powers", Гадания Марфы «Силы потайные» (Marfa, Golitsïn)
Scene 3
- Song: "A maiden wandered", «Исходила младёшенька» (Marfa)
- Aria: "The Streltsy nest sleeps", «Спит стрелецкое гнездо» (Shaklovitïy)
Scene 4
- Ballet: "Dance of the Persian Slaves", «Пляски персидок» (Orchestra)
- Chorus: "A young swan swims", «Плывет, плывет лебедушка» (Maidens, Shaklovitïy)
Scene 5
- Introduction "The Departure of Golitsïn", Вступление «Поезд Голицына» (Orchestra, Chorus)
- Chorus: "Show them no mercy", «Не дай пощады» (Streltsï Wives, Streltsï)
- March: "March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment", «Марш преображенцев» (Orchestra)
Scene 6
- Aria: "Here, in this holy place", «Здесь, на этом месте» (Dosifey)
Recordings
This is a list of studio recordings. A comprehensive list of all recordings may be found here.Rimsky-Korsakov Version 1882
- 1946, Khaykin, Kirov Orchestra and Chorus
- 1951, Nebolsin, Bolshoy Theater Orchestra and Chorus
- 1954, Baranovich, Belgrade National Opera Orchestra and Chorus
- 1974, Khaykin, Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra and Chorus
- 1975, Margaritov, Sofia National Opera Chorus and Orchestra
- 1988, Ermler, Bolshoy Theater Orchestra and Chorus
Shostakovich Version 1959
- 1986, Tchakarov, Sofia National Opera Chorus and Orchestra
- 1989, Abbado, Orchestra of the Vienna Staatsoper (final scene Stravinsky version)
- 1991, Gergiev, Kirov Chorus and Orchestra
Videotaped performance
Public Media, Inc. has published a performance on video conducted by Claudio Abbado
Claudio Abbado
Claudio Abbado, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , is an Italian conductor. He has served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Vienna State Opera,...
, with Nicolai Ghiaurov
Nicolai Ghiaurov
Nicolai Ghiaurov was a Bulgarian opera singer and one of the most famous bass singers of the postwar period. He was admired for his powerful, sumptuous voice, and was particularly associated with roles of Verdi.Ghiaurov married the Italian soprano Mirella Freni in 1978...
, Anatoly Kocherga, Paata Burchuladze
Paata Burchuladze
Paata Burchuladze is a Georgian bass opera singer.Born in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, he graduated from the Tbilisi State Conservatory and began his operatic career at Tbilisi and Moscow, with subsequent appearances at Covent Garden , Salzburg Festival under Herbert von Karajan , Metropolitan Opera in...
, and Heinz Zednik
Heinz Zednik
Heinz Zednik is an Austrian operatic tenor, closely associated with the character tenor roles of Wagner such as Mime and Loge and David...
. ISBN 0-7800-0051-X