Pan Voyevoda
Encyclopedia
Pan Voyevoda is an opera
by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
. It is based on a libretto
by Ilya Tyumenev. The work was completed in 1903, was first performed in October 1904, and has proved to be one of Rimsky-Korsakov's least-successful works. This is due to the ramshackle, melodramatic plot rather than the quality of the music, which at its best (notably in the woodland scenes and dances) approaches the poetic, lyric grace of Smetana, Dvorak and the spirit of the work's dedicatee, Chopin.
3 October) 1904 at the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Conservatory in St. Petersburg
. The conductor was Vyacheslav Suk
.
In the following year, the opera was given its Moscow
premiere on 27 September 1905 at the Bolshoy Theatre conducted by Sergei Rachmaninoff
.
Another notable performance took place on 12 May 1905 in Warsaw
.
The Voyevode is a powerful provincial governor. The main plot of the drama springs from his prior meeting in the woods with Maria, an orphan of the old Polish aristocracy, whose beauty has captivated him.
After a brief orchestral Introduction evoking the magic of the woods, Chaplinsky meets with his fiancée Maria and her friends, but on the approach of a hunting party they retreat. The Voyevode arrives with his mistress Jadwiga and the retainers Dzjuba and Olesnici, who are both in love with her. After a Krakowiak is danced the Voyevode describes his meeting with the beautiful young woman, which causes Jadwiga to leave in jealous fury with her friends and admirers. Alone, the Voyevode broods on his passion. Maria chances on him, and having learned that she is betrothed to Chaplinsky the Voyevode orders his servants to seize her. The young nobleman tries to save his bride to be, but falls wounded in the fight. The Voyevode orders him to be thrown into the woods, and declares to the shaken Maria that he will marry her one week hence - which stuns the returning Jadwiga.
Olesnica is in hiding awaiting the arrival of Dzjuba and Jadwiga, who is coming to visit the old sorcerer to look into the future. Dorosh gives her a vessel with water; and peering into it Jadwiga sees the Voyevode and Maria at the altar. Gnawing jealousy and hatred for her rival make Jadwiga resolve to murder the girl. She begs for a mortal poison from Dorosh, who warns her that it may not hit its mark. Olesnici waits for her in the moonlight ("Nocturne: Moonlight") immersed in his bright dreams; and when Jadwiga appears she swears him to secrecy in a rapturous duet. They hear someone coming, and hide. It is Chaplinsky, recovered from his wounds, come to plan Maria's rescue with his friends. The young nobles decide to attack the castle on the day of the wedding. Jadwiga, having overheard the plot, creeps away as the old sorcerer meditates on the ways of fate.
The wedding is celebrated by a luxurious feast with dancing [Mazurka], and singing from Dzjuba and the guests. The Voyevode wants to toast his new wife, but she politely refuses to do likewise. After a lively Polonaise, Jadwiga appears uninvited and is surprised before she can pour her poison into Maria's goblet by Dzjuba, who tries to flirt with her. The Voyevode appears with his guests and berates his old lover, who is defended by Olesnici. Jadwiga proudly warns the Voyevode that Maria's lover is preparing to invade the castle, and all reflect on the situation. The Voyevode prepares to meet the attack, and requests Maria to sing for his guests. As she thinks of Chaplinksy's fate, Maria obeys with a gloomy song about a dying swan, much to the Voyevode's anger. To cheer up the guests old Dzjuba calls for another diversion: a rousing Cossack dance, which ceases abruptly as Chaplinsky and his friends burst into the hall. Mary, beside himself with joy, rushed to her former fiancée. Chaplinsky and the young nobles fight with the Voyevode and his servants, but are hopelessly outnumbered as the curtain falls.
Everywhere there are traces of the battle. The Marshal tells his master that Chaplinsky is in the dungeon, and the Voyevode announces to Maria and that her old lover is doomed to die. She begs his pardon in vain, and the angry Voyevode orders immediate execution, after which Maria can enter a nunnery as far as he's concerned. First, they will drink a toast of reconciliation. Olesnici agrees at Jadwiga's request to pour poison into Maria's goblet. When the Voyevode talks with Jadwiga his old feeling for her reawakened, and they sing passionately together. Olesnica, coming from the garden, is amazed to see his beloved Jadwiga in the Voyevode's arms and places the poison in his master's goblet.
The unhappy newly-weds drink their public toast, and Czaplinski is led in under guard with a priest confessor. The poison takes swift effect, and as the Voyevode announces the death sentence he himself drops dead, to Jadwiga's horror and Olesnici's malicious glee. Maria, as the Voyevode's widow and heir, immediately orders the servants to free Chaplinsky as the curtain falls.
Сюита из оперы Пан воевода, соч. 59
Conductor: Samuil Samosud
Cast: Voyevode Pan - Alexei Koroliev (bass), Jadwiga Zapolskaya, a wealthy widow - Natalie Rozhdestvenskaya (soprano), Dzjuba, an old retainer - Konstantin Polyaev (bass). Olesnici, a young retainer - Lyudmila Legostaeva (contralto), Boleslav Chaplinsky, a young nobleman - Anatoly Orfenov (tenor), Poslavsky, his friend - Guro Titze (baritone), Maria Sokolskaya, an aristocrat's daughter - Kapitolina Rachevskaya (soprano), Dorosh, an old beekeeper - Georgi Troitsky (Bass), The Voyevode's Marshal - Alexei Usmanov (tenor).
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...
by 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...
. It is based on a 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...
by Ilya Tyumenev. The work was completed in 1903, was first performed in October 1904, and has proved to be one of Rimsky-Korsakov's least-successful works. This is due to the ramshackle, melodramatic plot rather than the quality of the music, which at its best (notably in the woodland scenes and dances) approaches the poetic, lyric grace of Smetana, Dvorak and the spirit of the work's dedicatee, Chopin.
Performance history
The St Petersburg Premiere took place on 16 October (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...
3 October) 1904 at the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Conservatory 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 conductor was Vyacheslav Suk
Vyacheslav Suk
Václav Suk, or Váša Suk, or Vyacheslav Suk was a Czech-born Russian violinist, conductor and composer.- Biography :From 1873 to 1879 Váša Suk, who is said to have been related to Joseph Suk, studied...
.
In the following year, the opera was given its 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 on 27 September 1905 at the Bolshoy Theatre conducted by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
.
Another notable performance took place on 12 May 1905 in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice | Premiere cast St. Petersburg 16 October 1904 (Conductor: Vyacheslav Suk) |
Premiere cast Moscow 27 September 1905 (Conductor: Sergei Rachmaninoff) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pan Voyevoda | bass | Aleksandr Antonovsky | 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.... |
| Yadviga Zapolskaya, a wealthy widow, aristocrat | 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... |
Olga Aslanova | Natalya Ermolenko-Yuzhina |
| Dzyuba, an old man, neighbor of the Voyevoda | bass | Sergey Varyagin | Vasily Tyutyunnik |
| Olesnitsky, a youth, neighbor of the Voyevoda | 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... |
Vera Dobrzhanskaya | Serafima Sinitsina |
| Boleslav Chaplinsky, a young nobleman Szlachta The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of... |
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... |
Niklay Bolshakov | Stepan Barsukov |
| Poslavsky, a nobleman, his friend | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Romanov | Sergey Borisoglebsky |
| Mariya Oskolskaya, a noblewoman, orphan | soprano | Maria Insarova | Elizaveta Polozova |
| Dorosh, an old man, a beekeeper | bass | Khristofor Tolkachev | |
| Chorus, silent roles: Guests, hunters, servants, nobles | |||
Publication history
- 1904, piano-vocal score, V. Bessel and Co.V. Bessel and Co.V. Bessel and Co. was a musical firm founded in 1869 in St Petersburg by Vasily Vasil’yevich Bessel . His brother N. V. Bessel was a co-owner of the firm....
, St. Petersburg - 1904, full score, V. Bessel and Co., St. Petersburg
- 1955, piano-vocal score, Muzgiz, Moscow
- 1955, full score, Muzgiz, Moscow
Act 1
An open forest glade.The Voyevode is a powerful provincial governor. The main plot of the drama springs from his prior meeting in the woods with Maria, an orphan of the old Polish aristocracy, whose beauty has captivated him.
After a brief orchestral Introduction evoking the magic of the woods, Chaplinsky meets with his fiancée Maria and her friends, but on the approach of a hunting party they retreat. The Voyevode arrives with his mistress Jadwiga and the retainers Dzjuba and Olesnici, who are both in love with her. After a Krakowiak is danced the Voyevode describes his meeting with the beautiful young woman, which causes Jadwiga to leave in jealous fury with her friends and admirers. Alone, the Voyevode broods on his passion. Maria chances on him, and having learned that she is betrothed to Chaplinsky the Voyevode orders his servants to seize her. The young nobleman tries to save his bride to be, but falls wounded in the fight. The Voyevode orders him to be thrown into the woods, and declares to the shaken Maria that he will marry her one week hence - which stuns the returning Jadwiga.
Act 2
In the backwoods, at the cabin of the beekeeper and sorcerer DoroshOlesnica is in hiding awaiting the arrival of Dzjuba and Jadwiga, who is coming to visit the old sorcerer to look into the future. Dorosh gives her a vessel with water; and peering into it Jadwiga sees the Voyevode and Maria at the altar. Gnawing jealousy and hatred for her rival make Jadwiga resolve to murder the girl. She begs for a mortal poison from Dorosh, who warns her that it may not hit its mark. Olesnici waits for her in the moonlight ("Nocturne: Moonlight") immersed in his bright dreams; and when Jadwiga appears she swears him to secrecy in a rapturous duet. They hear someone coming, and hide. It is Chaplinsky, recovered from his wounds, come to plan Maria's rescue with his friends. The young nobles decide to attack the castle on the day of the wedding. Jadwiga, having overheard the plot, creeps away as the old sorcerer meditates on the ways of fate.
Act 3
The hall of the Voyevode's castle.The wedding is celebrated by a luxurious feast with dancing [Mazurka], and singing from Dzjuba and the guests. The Voyevode wants to toast his new wife, but she politely refuses to do likewise. After a lively Polonaise, Jadwiga appears uninvited and is surprised before she can pour her poison into Maria's goblet by Dzjuba, who tries to flirt with her. The Voyevode appears with his guests and berates his old lover, who is defended by Olesnici. Jadwiga proudly warns the Voyevode that Maria's lover is preparing to invade the castle, and all reflect on the situation. The Voyevode prepares to meet the attack, and requests Maria to sing for his guests. As she thinks of Chaplinksy's fate, Maria obeys with a gloomy song about a dying swan, much to the Voyevode's anger. To cheer up the guests old Dzjuba calls for another diversion: a rousing Cossack dance, which ceases abruptly as Chaplinsky and his friends burst into the hall. Mary, beside himself with joy, rushed to her former fiancée. Chaplinsky and the young nobles fight with the Voyevode and his servants, but are hopelessly outnumbered as the curtain falls.
Act 4
The castle hall, next morning.Everywhere there are traces of the battle. The Marshal tells his master that Chaplinsky is in the dungeon, and the Voyevode announces to Maria and that her old lover is doomed to die. She begs his pardon in vain, and the angry Voyevode orders immediate execution, after which Maria can enter a nunnery as far as he's concerned. First, they will drink a toast of reconciliation. Olesnici agrees at Jadwiga's request to pour poison into Maria's goblet. When the Voyevode talks with Jadwiga his old feeling for her reawakened, and they sing passionately together. Olesnica, coming from the garden, is amazed to see his beloved Jadwiga in the Voyevode's arms and places the poison in his master's goblet.
The unhappy newly-weds drink their public toast, and Czaplinski is led in under guard with a priest confessor. The poison takes swift effect, and as the Voyevode announces the death sentence he himself drops dead, to Jadwiga's horror and Olesnici's malicious glee. Maria, as the Voyevode's widow and heir, immediately orders the servants to free Chaplinsky as the curtain falls.
Concert excerpts
Suite from the opera Pan Voyevoda, Op. 59 (1903)Сюита из оперы Пан воевода, соч. 59
- Introduction (Вступление)
- Krakowiak (Краковяк)
- Nocturne "Moonlight" (Ноктюрн "Лунный свет")
- Mazurka (Мазурка)
- Polonaise (Полонез)
Audio Recordings
Audio Recordings (Mainly studio recordings)- 1951: Chorus and Orchestra of Soviet Radio
Conductor: Samuil Samosud
Cast: Voyevode Pan - Alexei Koroliev (bass), Jadwiga Zapolskaya, a wealthy widow - Natalie Rozhdestvenskaya (soprano), Dzjuba, an old retainer - Konstantin Polyaev (bass). Olesnici, a young retainer - Lyudmila Legostaeva (contralto), Boleslav Chaplinsky, a young nobleman - Anatoly Orfenov (tenor), Poslavsky, his friend - Guro Titze (baritone), Maria Sokolskaya, an aristocrat's daughter - Kapitolina Rachevskaya (soprano), Dorosh, an old beekeeper - Georgi Troitsky (Bass), The Voyevode's Marshal - Alexei Usmanov (tenor).