Prince Igor is an opera

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 a prologue. It was composed by Alexander 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...

. The composer adapted 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...

 from the East Slavic

Slavic peoples

The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...

 epic The Lay of Igor's Host

The Tale of Igor's Campaign

The Tale of Igor's Campaign is an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language.The title is occasionally translated as The Song of Igor's Campaign, The Lay of Igor's Campaign, and The Lay of...

, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich

Igor Svyatoslavich

Igor Svyatoslavich the Brave was a Rus’ prince...

 against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185. The opera was left unfinished upon the composer's death in 1887 and was edited and completed 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...

 and Alexander Glazunov

Alexander Glazunov

Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...

. It was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1890.

Composition history

Original Composition: 1869 - 1887

After briefly considering Lev Mey

Lev Mey

-Biography:Mei was born on 13/25 February 1822, in Moscow. His father was a German officer who was wounded in the Battle of Borodino and died young. His mother was Russian. Mei completed his studies in Moscow in 1841 and served in the office of the Governor for 10 years. He became part of the...

's The Tsar's Bride as a subject (later taken up in 1898 by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, his 9th opera

The Tsar's Bride (opera)

The Tsar's Bride is an opera in four acts by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, the composer's tenth opera. The libretto, by Il’ya Tyumenev, is based on the drama of the same name by Lev Mey. Mey's play was first suggested to the composer as an opera subject in 1868 by Mily Balakirev...

), Borodin began looking for a new project for his first opera. Vladimir Stasov, critic and advisor to The Mighty Handful

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 Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin...

, suggested The Lay of Igor's Host

The Tale of Igor's Campaign

The Tale of Igor's Campaign is an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language.The title is occasionally translated as The Song of Igor's Campaign, The Lay of Igor's Campaign, and The Lay of...

, a 12th century epic prose poem, and sent Borodin a scenario for a 3 Act opera on 30 April 1869. Initially, Borodin found the proposition intriguing, but daunting:
After collecting material from literary sources, Borodin began composition in September 1869 with initial versions of Yaroslavna's arioso and Konchakovna's cavatina, and sketched the Polovtsian Dances and March of the Polovtsy. He soon began to have doubts and ceased composing. He expressed his misgivings in a letter to his wife: "There is too little drama here, and no movement... To me, opera without drama, in the strict sense, is unnatural." This began a period of about four years in which he proceeded no further on Prince Igor, but began diverting materials for the opera into his other works, the Symphony No 2 in B minor

Symphony No. 2 (Borodin)

Symphony No. 2 in B minor by Alexander Borodin was composed intermittently between 1869 and 1876. It consists of four movements and is considered the most important large-scale work completed by the composer himself...

 (1869–76) and the collaborative opera-ballet Mlada

Mlada

Mlada was a project originally envisioned as a ballet to be composed by Alexander Serov and choreographed by Marius Petipa. The project was later revised in 1872 as an opera-ballet in four acts, with the composition of the score to be divided between César Cui, Léon Minkus, Modest Mussorgsky,...

(1872).

The Mlada project was soon aborted, and Borodin, like the other members of The Mighty Handful who were involved—César Cui

César Cui

César Antonovich Cui was a Russian of French and Lithuanian descent. His profession was as an army officer and a teacher of fortifications; his avocational life has particular significance in the history of music, in that he was a composer and music critic; in this sideline he is known as a...

, 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...

, and Rimsky-Korsakov—thought about ways to recycle the music he contributed. Of the eight numbers he had composed for Act 4 of Mlada, those that eventually found their way into (or back into) Prince Igor included No.1 (Prologue: The opening C major chorus), No.2 (material for Yaroslavna's arioso and Igor's aria), No.3 (Prologue: The eclipse), No.4 (Act 3: The trio), and No.8 (Act 4: The closing chorus).

Borodin returned to Prince Igor in 1874, inspired by the success of his comrades Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky in the staging of their historical operas, The 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...

(1873) and 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,...

(1874). This period also marks the creation of two new characters, the deserters Skula and Yeroshka, who have much in common with the rogue monks Varlaam and Misail in Boris Godunov.

In his memoirs, Rimsky-Korsakov mentions an 1876 concert at which Borodin's "closing chorus" was performed, the first public performance of any music from Prince Igor identified by him:
The idea of a choral epilogue in the original scenario was no doubt inspired by the example of A Life for the Tsar

A Life for the Tsar

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,...

by 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...

, to whose memory Prince Igor is dedicated.

Borodin's primary occupation was chemistry, including research and teaching. However, he also spent much time in support of women's causes, much to the consternation of his fellow composers, who felt he should devote his time and talent to music. In 1876, a frustrated Stasov gave up hope that Borodin would ever finish Prince Igor, and offered his scenario to Rimsky-Korsakov. Rimsky-Korsakov instead assisted Borodin in orchestrating important numbers in preparation for concert performance—for example, the Polovtsian Dances in 1879:
Borodin worked on Prince Igor, off and on, for almost 18 years.

Posthumous Completion and Orchestration: 1887 - 1888

Borodin died suddenly in 1887, leaving Prince Igor incomplete. Rimsky-Korsakov and Stasov went to Borodin's home, collected his scores, and brought them to Rimsky-Korsakov's house.
The often-repeated account that Glazunov reconstructed and orchestrated the overture from memory after hearing the composer play it at the piano is true only in part. The following statement by Glazunov himself clarifies the matter:

Performance history

The world premiere was given in St. Petersburg on 4 November (23 October O.S.), 1890 at the 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...

.
Set designers were Yanov, Andreyev, and Bocharov, while Lev Ivanov

Lev Ivanov

Lev Ivanovich Ivanov was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer and later, Second Balletmaster of the Imperial Ballet....

 was balletmaster.

Moscow premieres followed later. The first was given in 1892 by the Russian Opera Society, conducted by Iosif Pribik. The Bolshoy Theatre

Bolshoi Theatre

The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...

 premiere was given in 1898 and was
conducted by Ulrikh Avranek

Other notable premieres were given in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 in 1899, and in Paris in 1909, with a 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:...

 production featuring 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...

 as Galitsky and Maria Kuznetsova

Maria Kuznetsova

Maria Nikolayevna Kuznetsova , was a famous 20th century Russian opera singer and dancer.Prior to the Revolution, Kuznetsova was one of the most celebrated opera singers in Imperial Russia, having worked with Richard Strauss, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Jules Massenet. She was frequently paired...

 as Yaroslavna. London saw the same production in 1914 conducted by Thomas Beecham

Thomas Beecham

Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet CH was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras...

, again with Chaliapin as Galitsky. In 1915 the United States premiere took place 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...

, but staged in Italian and conducted by Giorgio Polacco. The first performance in English was at Covent Garden

Covent Garden

Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...

 on 26 July 1919, with Miriam Licette

Miriam Licette

Miriam Licette was an English operatic soprano whose career spanned 35 years, from the mid-1910s to after World War II. She was also a singing teacher, and created the Miriam Licette Scholarship.-Career:...

 as Yaroslvna.

In January and February 2009 there was a production at the Aalto Theatre

Aalto Theatre

The Aalto Theatre is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Essen, Germany. It was opened on 25 September 1988 with Richard Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg...

 by the Essen

Essen

- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...

 Opera. While some aspects of the production may have been unusual, one critic noted that "placing the (Polovtsian) Dances as a Finale is an elegant idea, […] the director Andrejs Zagars and the conductor Noam Zur have thus presented a musically and dramaturgically coherent Prince Igor. Heartfelt applause for a worthwhile evening at the opera.

Publication history

• 1888, piano-vocal score, edition by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov, M. P. Belyayev
  Mitrofan Belyayev
  Mitrofan 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
• 1888, full score, edition by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov, M. P. Belyayev, Leipzig
• 1953, piano-vocal score, edition by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov, Muzgiz, Moscow
• 1954, full score, edition by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov, Muzgiz, Moscow

Roles

Role	Voice	St. Petersburg premiere, 4 November (23 October O.S.) 1890, (Conductor:Karl Kuchera)	Moscow premiere, 1892 (Conductor: -)	Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, 1898 (Conductor: - )
Igor Svyatoslavich Igor Svyatoslavich Igor Svyatoslavich the Brave was a Rus’ prince... , Prince of Novgorod-Seversky	baritone	Ivan Melnikov	Ivan Goncharov	Pavel Khokhlov
Yaroslavna, his wife by his second marriage	soprano	Olga Olgina	Yelena Tsvetkova	Mariya Deysha-Sionitskaya
Vladimir Igorevich Vladimir III Igorevich Vladimir III Igorevich was a Rus' prince . His baptismal name was Peter... , Igor's son from his first marriage	tenor	Mikhail Vasilyev	Mikhaylov	Leonid Sobinov Leonid Sobinov Leonid Vitalyevich Sobinov , was an acclaimed Imperial Russian operatic tenor. His fame continued unabated into the Soviet era, and he was made a People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1923...
Vladimir Yaroslavich, Prince of Galich Galich Galich may refer to:*Alexander Ivanovich Galich , Russian philosopher and Latin scholar*Alexander Galich , Russian dissident bard*Galich, Russia, a town in Kostroma Oblast, Russia... , brother of Princess Yaroslavna	bass-baritone			Stepan Vlasov
Konchak, Polovtsian khan Khan (title) Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...	bass	Mikhail Koryakin	Aleksandr Antonovsky	Stepan Trezvinsky
Gzak, Polovtsian khan Khan (title) Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...	bass
Konchakovna, daughter of Khan Konchak	contralto	Mariya Slavina		Azerskaya
Ovlur, a Christian Polovtsian	tenor			Uspensky
Skula, a gudok Gudok The gudok or hudok is an ancient Eastern Slavic string musical instrument, played with a bow.A gudok usually had three strings, two of them tuned in unison and played as a drone, the third tuned a fifth higher. All three strings were in the same plane at the bridge, so that a bow could make them... -player	bass	Fyodor Stravinsky Fyodor Stravinsky Fyodor Ignatievich Stravinsky ) was a Russian bass opera singer and actor. He was the father of Igor Stravinsky and the grandfather of Soulima Stravinsky....		Vasiliy Tyutyunnik
Yeroshka, a gudok-player	tenor	Grigoriy Ugrinovich		Konstantin Mikhaylov-Stoyan
Yaroslavna's nurse	soprano
A Polovtsian maiden	soprano	Dolina
Chorus, silent roles: Russian princes and princesses, 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.... s and boyarynas, elders, Russian warriors, maidens, people. Polovtsian khans, Konchakovna's girlfriends, slaves (chagi) of Khan Konchak, Russian prisoners, Polovtsian sentries

Note:

• The actual given name of the historical Yaroslavna is Yefrosinya . Yaroslavna is a patronymic
  Patronymic
  A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
  
  , meaning "daughter of Yaroslav". Konchakovna's name is similarly derived.
• Yaroslavna's brother, Vladimir Yaroslavich, is often called "Prince Galitsky" , leading to the misconception that he was a prince by the name of Galitsky. In fact, he was a son of Prince of Galich
  Halych
  Halych is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The town gave its name to the historic province and kingdom of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, of which it was the capital until the early 14th century, when the seat of the local princes was moved to Lviv...
  
   Yaroslav Osmomysl
  Yaroslav Osmomysl
  Yaroslav Osmomysl was the most famous Prince of Halych from the first dynasty of its rulers, which descended from Yaroslav I's eldest son. His sobriquet, meaning "Eight-Minded" in Old East Slavic, was granted to him in recognition of his wisdom...
  
  . Prince Galitsky is a title
  Title
  A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
  
   meaning "Prince of Galich".

Synopsis

Time: The year 1185

Place: The city of Putivl

Putyvl

Putyvl or Putivl is a town in north-east Ukraine, in Sumy Oblast. Currently about 20,000 people live in Putyvl.-History:One of the original Siverian towns, Putyvl was first mentioned as early as 1146 as an important fortress contested between Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversky principalities of...

 (prologue, Acts 1 & 4); a Polovtsian camp (Acts 2 & 3)
Note: As discussed above, Borodin's final decision on the order of the first two acts is unclear. The traditional grouping presented here is that of the Rimsky-Korsakov-Glazunov edition. In many productions, Act 3 is omitted.

Prologue

The cathedral square in Putivl

Putyvl

Putyvl or Putivl is a town in north-east Ukraine, in Sumy Oblast. Currently about 20,000 people live in Putyvl.-History:One of the original Siverian towns, Putyvl was first mentioned as early as 1146 as an important fortress contested between Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversky principalities of...

Prince Igor

Igor Svyatoslavich

Igor Svyatoslavich the Brave was a Rus’ prince...

 is about to set out on a campaign against the Polovtsy and their Khans who have previously attacked the Russian lands. The people sing his praise and that of his son, the other leaders and the army (Chorus: "Glory to the beautiful Sun"). A solar eclipse takes place to general consternation. Two soldiers Skula and Yeroshka desert feeling sure that Vladimir Yaroslavich, Prince Galitsky, will offer them work more to their liking. Although Yaroslavna, Igor's wife, takes the eclipse for a bad omen, Igor insists that honour demands that he go to war. He leaves her to the care of her brother, Prince Galitsky, who tells of his gratitude to Igor for sheltering him after he was banished from his own home by his father and brothers. The people sing a great chorus of praise (Chorus: "Glory to the multitude of stars") as the host sets out on their campaign against the Polovtsy.

Act 1

Scene 1: Vladimir Galitsky's court in Putivl

Galitsky's followers sing his praise. Skula and Yeroshka are now working as gudok

Gudok

The gudok or hudok is an ancient Eastern Slavic string musical instrument, played with a bow.A gudok usually had three strings, two of them tuned in unison and played as a drone, the third tuned a fifth higher. All three strings were in the same plane at the bridge, so that a bow could make them...

-players. They entertain the followers and all sing of how Galitsky and his men abducted a young woman and how she pleaded to be allowed to return to her father without being dishonoured. The prince arrives and sings of how, if he were Prince of Putivl, he would drink and feast all day while dispensing judgment and have the prettiest maidens with him all night (Galitsky's Song). The treasury would be spent on himself and his men while his sister would be praying in a monastery. A group of young women beg the prince to restore their abducted friend. He threatens them and drives them away, saying how she now lives in luxury in his quarters and does not have to work. The prince returns to his rooms having sent for wine for his followers. The gudok players and the prince's followers mock the women. They wonder what might happen if Yaroslavna hears of what happens, but then realise she would be helpless with all her men gone to war. They sing of how they are all drunkards and are supported by Galitsky. The men decide to go to the town square to declare Galitsky the Prince of Putivl, leaving just the two drunk musicians behind.

Scene 2: A room in Yaroslavna's palace

Yaraslavna is alone worrying about why she has not heard from Igor and his companions (Yaroslavna's Arioso). She sings of her tearful nights and nightmares and reminisces about when she was happy with Igor by her side. The nurse brings in the young women who tell Yaroslavna of their abducted friend. They are reluctant at first to reveal the culprit but eventually name Galitsky and talk of how he and his drunken followers cause trouble around Putivl. Galitsky enters and the women run away. Yaroslavna questions him as to the truth of their story and he mocks her saying she should treat him as a guest in her house. She threatens him with what Igor will do on his return, but Galitsky replies that he can seize the throne whenever he wants. Yaroslavna accuses him of repeating the betrayal that he carried out against their father, but he replies that he was only joking and asks if she has a lover now her husband is away. She threatens him with sending him back to their father. He replies that he will return the girl but will take another later and leaves. The council of boyars arrive to inform Yaroslavna that the Polovtsy under Khan Gzak are about to attack Putivl. Igor's army has been utterly destroyed and he has been wounded and captured with his son and brother. After a moment of faintness, Yaroslavna orders messengers sent to the city's allies, but the Boyars report that the roads are cut, some towns are in revolt and their princes will be captured. The Boyars say that they will organise the defence but Galitsky returns with his followers to demand that a new Prince be chosen. His retinue say it should be him as he is Yaroslavna's brother and Igor's brother-in-law. The boyars refuse. The argument is interrupted by the sight of flames and the sound of crying women. Some of the boyars flee; some join the battle, others guard the Princess. They call the attack God's judgment.

Act 2

Evening in the Polovtsian Camp

Polovtsian maidens sing comparing love to a flower that droops in the heat of the day and is revived by night. They dance together (Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens). Konchakovna joins in the singing hoping that her own lover will join here soon (Konchakovna's Cavatina). The Russian prisoners arrive from their day's work and express their gratitide when fed. Their guards retire for the night leaving just Ovlur, a Christian, in charge. by Konchakovna and the maidens. Vladimir, son of Igor, sings of his hope that his love will soon join him now that the day is fading (Vladimir's Cavatina). His love is Konchakovna. She comes and the two sing of their love and their desire to marry (Love Duet). While her father will consent to the marriage, they know that his will not. They part when they hear Igor coming. He sings of his disgrace and torment at being captured with his followers dead (Prince Igor's Aria). Only his wife, he feels, will be loyal. He hopes for the chance to regain his honour. Ovlur urges Igor to escape and the prince agrees to think about it. Khan Konchak asks him if all is well (Konchak's Aria) and he replies that the falcon cannot live in captivity. Konchak says that as Igor did not ask for mercy he is not a prisoner but an honoured guest equal to a Khan. Igor reminds him that he too knows what it is to be a captive. Konchak offers Igor freedom if he will promise not to wage war on him again, but he refuses saying he cannot lie. Konchak regrets that they were not born to be allies. They would then have captured all of Russia. He summons the Polovtsian slaves to entertain Igor and himself and offers Igor his choice of them. As the slaves dance the Polovtsy sing of Konchak's glory (Polovtsian Dances).

Act 3

The Polovtsian camp

The Polovtsian army returns in triumph singing the praise of Khan Gzak (Polovtsian March). Konchak sings of the sack of Putivl and other victories and confidently predicts that they will soon capture all of Russia. Igor and his son Vladimir have their worst fears confirmed by the new captives. Vladimir and the other prisoners urge Igor to escape, but he is at first reluctant, singing of his shame and saying that it is the duty of the other Russian princes to save the homeland (Igor's Monologue, Mariinsky edition only). Ovlur now arrives to say that he has prepared horses for Igor and Vladimir and Igor now agrees to escape. The distressed Konchakovna comes, challenging Vladimir to show his love by either taking her with him or by staying. Igor urges his son to come, but Vladimir feels unable to leave Konchakovna who threatens to wake the camp. Eventually Igor flees alone and Konchakovna sounds the alarm. She and her father refuse to let the Polovtsy kill Vladimir. Instead Konchak orders the death of the guards and marries Vladimir to his daughter. As for Igor, Konchak thinks more of him for his escape.

Act 4

Dawn in Putivl

Yaroslavna weeps at her separation from Igor and the defeat of his army, blaming the very elements themselves for helping the enemy (Yaroslavna's Lament). Peasant women blame not the wind but Khan Gzak for the devastation. As Yaroslavna looks around to acknowledge the destruction, she sees two riders in the distance who turn out to be Igor and Ovlur. The two lovers sing of their joy of being reunited and of the expectation that Ivan will lead the Russians to victory against the Khan. Unaware of Igor's return, Skula and Yeroshka, the drunken gudok players, sing a song that mocks him. Then they notice him in the distance. After a moment of panic about what will happen to them, Skula says that they should rely on their cunning and decides on a plan that will save them. They ring the church bells to summon a crowd. Although people at first treat them with suspicion, the gudok players manage to convince the crowd that Igor has returned and the boyars that they are loyal followers of the true prince and not Galitsky. All joyously celebrate Igor's return.

Principal arias and numbers

Overture

Prologue

Chorus: "Glory to the beautiful Sun" («Солнцу красному слава!»)

Chorus: "Glory to the multitude of stars" («Частым звёздочкам слава!»)

Act 1

Galitsky's Song: "If only I had the honor" («Только б мне дождаться чести»)

Yaroslavna's Arioso: "A long time has passed" («Немало времени прошло с тех пор»)

Act 2

Dance: "Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens" («Пляска половецких девушек»)

Konchakovna's Cavatina: "The light of day fades" («Меркнет свет дневной»)

Vladimir's Cavatina: "Slowly the day died away" («Медленно день угасал»)

Love Duet: "Is that you, my Vladimir?" («Ты ли, Владимир мой?»)

Igor's Aria: "No sleep, no rest for my tormented soul" («Ни сна, ни отдыха измученной душе»)

Konchak's Aria: "Are you well, Prince?" («Здоров ли, князь?»)

Polovtsian Dances: "Fly away on the wings of the wind" («Улетай на крыльях ветра»)

Act 3

March: "Polovtsian March" («Половецкий марш»)

Act 4

Yaroslavna's Lament: "Oh, I weep" («Ах, плачу я»)

Chorus: "God heard our prayers" («Знать, господь мольбы услышал»)

Both the Overture to Prince Igor and the "Polovtsian Dances" (from Act II) are well-known concert standards. Together with the "Polovtsian March", they form the so-called "suite

Suite

In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...

" from the opera.

Critical analysis

Prince Igor is a staple of Russian Opera, but has not travelled well abroad. One obvious reason is the Russian language, although translation into Italian was once a solution.

Another explanation for the failure to gain acceptance is its lack of unity resulting from its unfinished state. Despite the skill and efforts of editors Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov, the opera is still episodic and dramatically static, a problem of which the composer himself was aware when he embarked on composition (see quote above in "Composition History"). This is partly a consequence of Borodin's failure to complete a libretto before beginning composition of the music—the same problem that plagued his comrade Mussorgsky in the composition of Khovanshchina

Khovanshchina

Khovanshchina is an opera 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...

. Both composers wrote their librettos piece by piece while composing the music, both lost sight of the overall narrative thread of their operas, and both wound up with pages and pages of music that needed to be sacrificed to assemble a cohesive whole. Also, both died before finishing their operas, leaving the task of completion, editing, and orchestration to Rimsky-Korsakov.

It is a pity that Prince Igor is not performed more often, as it has a colorful setting, marvellous moments of drama and characterization, and music of sumptuous beauty. It does not, however, have a well-constructed or tightly integrated plot. "The chief appeal of Prince Igor lies in the quality of its individual numbers rather than its whole shape or ability to involve an audience in the narrative."

Performance practice

One of the main considerations when performing Prince Igor is the question of whether to include Act 3, much of which was composed by Glazunov. The practice of omitting it was mentioned as early as 1909 in Rimsky-Korsakov's memoirs. Many productions leave Act 3 out because it "fails to carry conviction both musically and dramatically."
On the other hand, maintaining the act has certain benefits. It contains some fine pages (e.g., the "Polovetsian March"), provides an important link in the narrative (Igor's escape, Vladimir's fate), and is the origin of some of the memorable themes first heard in the overture (the trio, brass fanfares). Fortunately, the option of omitting the fine overture, also known to have been composed by Glazunov, is seldom if ever considered.

Recently, the question of the best sequence of scenes in which to perform the opera has gained some prominence. Borodin did not complete 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...

 before composing the music to Prince Igor. The opera has traditionally been performed in the edition made by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. It will be obvious that the positions to which they assigned the Prologue, Act 3, and Act 4 cannot be changed if the story is to make sense. However, because the events of Act 1 and Act 2 overlap and are independent of one another, Act 2 may just as well precede Act 1 without any loss of coherence. Soviet musicologists Pavel Lamm and Arnold Sokhor reported the existence of a written plan (now lost), in Borodin's hand, that specified this sequence of scenes:

1. The omen from heaven (Prologue)
2. Imprisonment (Act 2)
3. Galitsky's court (Act 1, Scene 1)
4. Yaroslavna's palace (Act 1, Scene 2)
5. Escape (Act 3)
6. Return (Act 4)

Sokhor assessed the plan as not written later than 1883.
The 1993 recording of Prince Igor by Valery Gergiev

Valery Gergiev

Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,...

 with the Kirov Opera features a new edition of the score with additions commissioned from composer Yuri Faliek for a production at the 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...

, adopting this hypothetical original sequence. The authors of the notes to the recording assert that this order better balances the musical structure of the score by alternating the acts in the Russian and Polovtsian settings with their distinctive musical atmospheres.

Despite this justification, there is good reason for maintaining the traditional sequence. Act 2 contains most of the numbers for which the work is known and beloved today, with Igor's brooding and impassioned aria ("Oh give me freedom") at the center, flanked by Vladimir's cavatina and Konchak's aria, not to mention the rousing conclusion provided by the Polovtsian Dances. Relocating its wealth of arias and dances from the center of the work to the beginning concentrates too much of the opera's rich melodic invention towards the front of the work.

The "Mariinsky edition" makes other important changes and additions to the score. Although much of the material composed or orchestrated by Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov is retained, there are additions culled from the unpublished vocal score

Vocal score

A 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...

 by Pavel Lamm, orchestrated and linked by Faliek. The changes include:

• About 200 bars added to the scene in Yaroslavna's palace which make explicit Galitsky's rebellion
• Various additions and removals from Act 3, including the restoration of a monologue for Igor composed by Borodin in 1875. A review in Gramophone highlights how the newly added monologue "helps to give a weighty focus to Act 3, otherwise a phenomenal feat of reconstruction on Glazunov's part, but somehow insubstantial".
• A different final chorus for Act 4, "Glory to the multitude of stars", a repeat of material from the Prologue. This idea is historically justified, as Borodin had originally placed this chorus at the end of the opera in the form of an epilogue [see the quote by Rimsky-Korsakov above under Composition history]. This regrettably necessitates the elimination of Borodin's subsequent chorus, "God heard our prayers".

In the West, the opera has often been given in languages other than Russian. For example, the 1960 recording under Lovro von Matačić

Lovro von Matacic

Lovro von Matačić was a Croatian conductor and composer.-Biography:Lovro von Matačić was born in Sušak to a family that was granted a noble title in the early 17th century. Growing up, he was always surrounded by music and art: his father had a career as an opera singer, and his mother as an actress...

 is sung in German, the 1964 recording under Armando La Rosa Parodi is in Italian and the 1982 David Lloyd-Jones

David Lloyd-Jones

David Matthias Lloyd-Jones is a British conductor who has specialised in British and Russian music. He is also an editor and translator, especially of Russian operas.- Biography :...

 recording is in English. On the other hand, the 1990 Bernard Haitink

Bernard Haitink

Bernard Johan Herman Haitink, CH, KBE is a Dutch conductor and violinist.- Early life :Haitink was born in Amsterdam, the son of Willem Haitink and Anna Haitink. He studied music at the conservatoire in Amsterdam...

 and the 1962 Oscar Danon recordings are Western performances sung in Russian.

Structure

1. This is a sortable table. Click on the button next to the criterion you would like to use to sort the information.
2. The numbers are given according to the traditional Rimsky-Korsakov-Glazunov edition.
3. The dates refer to composition, not orchestration. Where a pair of dates differ, a large gap (more than one year) may indicate an interruption of composition or a revision of the musical number.
4. In No.1 (the Prologue), the Eclipse scene (301 bars) was orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov and the remainder by Borodin.

No.	Act	Number	Start	End	Composer	Orchestrator
–	–	Overture	1887	1887	Glazunov	Glazunov
1	–	Prologue	1876	1885	Borodin	Borodin*
2a	Act 1, Scene 1	Chorus	1875	1875	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
2b	Act 1, Scene 1	Recitative and Song: Galitsky	1879	1879	Borodin	Borodin
2c	Act 1, Scene 1	Recitative: Galitsky	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
2d	Act 1, Scene 1	Maiden's Chorus and Scena	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
2e	Act 1, Scene 1	Scena: Skula, Yeroshka	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
2f	Act 1, Scene 1	Song in Honor of Prince Galitsky: Skula, Yeroshka	1878	1878	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
2g	Act 1, Scene 1	Chorus	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
3	Act 1, Scene 2	Arioso: Yaroslavna	1869	1875	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
4	Act 1, Scene 2	Scena: Yaroslavna, Nurse, Chorus	1879	1879	Borodin	Borodin
5	Act 1, Scene 2	Scena: Yaroslavna, Galitsky	1879	1879	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
6	Act 1, Scene 2	Finale: Yaroslavna, Galitsky, Chorus	1879	1880	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
7	Act 2	Chorus of Polovtsian Maidens	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
8	Act 2	Dance of Polovtsian Maidens	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
9	Act 2	Cavatina: Konchakovna	1869	1869	Borodin	Borodin
10	Act 2	Scena: Konchakovna, Chorus	1887	1887	Rimsky-Korsakov / Glazunov	Rimsky-Korsakov / Glazunov
11	Act 2	Recitative and Cavatina: Vladimir	1877	1878	Borodin	Borodin
12	Act 2	Duet: Vladimir, Konchakovna	1877	1878	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
13	Act 2	Aria: Igor	1881	1881	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
14	Act 2	Scena: Igor, Ovlur	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
15	Act 2	Aria: Konchak	1874	1875	Borodin	Borodin
16	Act 2	Recitative: Igor, Konchak	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
17	Act 2	Polovtsian Dances with Chorus	1869	1875	Borodin	Borodin / Rimsky-Korsakov / Lyadov
18	Act 3	Polovtsian March	1869	1875	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
19	Act 3	Song: Konchak	n.a.	n.a.	Glazunov	Glazunov
20	Act 3	Recitative and Scena	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Glazunov
22	Act 3	Recitative: Ovlur, Igor	1888	1888	Glazunov	Glazunov
23	Act 3	Trio: Igor, Vladimir, Konchakovna	n.a.	1888	Borodin / Glazunov	Glazunov
24	Act 3	Finale: Konchakovna, Konchak, Chorus	1884	n.a.	Borodin / Glazunov	Glazunov
25	Act 4	Lament: Yaroslavna	1875	1875	Borodin	Borodin
26	Act 4	Peasant's Chorus	1879	1879	Borodin	Borodin
27	Act 4	Recitative and Duet: Yaroslavna, Igor	1876	1876	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
28	Act 4	Gudok-Players' Song, Scena and Chorus	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Rimsky-Korsakov
29	Act 4	Finale: Skula, Yeroshka, Chorus	n.a.	n.a.	Borodin	Borodin

Recordings

This is a list of studio recordings. A comprehensive list of all recordings of Prince Igor may be found at operadis-opera-discography.org.uk

Audio

• 1952, Aleksandr Melik-Pashayev
  Alexander Melik-Pashayev
  Alexander Shamil'evich Melik-Pashayev was a Soviet- conductor.-External links:**...
  
   (conductor), Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Andrey Ivanov (Igor), Yelena Smolenskaya (Yaroslavna), Sergey Lemeshev (Vladimir), Aleksandr Pirogov
  Alexander Pirogov
  Alexander Stepanovich Pirogov was a Russian bass opera singer.Pirogov was born in the village of Novosyolki, one of five sons of a musical father. Four of the five brothers became singers, most notably Grigory, also a bass....
  
   (Galitsky), Mark Reyzen
  Mark Reizen
  Mark Osipovich Reizen, also Reisen or Reyzen — died November 25, 1992 Moscow, Russia) was a leading Soviet opera singer with a beautiful and expansive bass voice.-Life and career:...
  
   (Konchak), Vera Borisenko (Konchakovna)
• 1955, Oskar Danon (conductor), Belgrade National Opera Orchestra and Chorus; Dushan Popovich (Igor), Valeria Heybalova (Yaroslavna), Noni Zunec (Vladimir), Zarko Cvejic (Galitsky, Konchak), Melanie Bugarinovic (Konchakovna)
• 1966, Jerzy Semkow
  Jerzy Semkow
  Jerzy Semkow is a Polish conductor. He has served as music director of the Saint Louis Symphony, principal conductor of the Royal Danish Opera and the Royal Danish Orchestra in Copenhagen, Music Advisor and Principal Conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic, Music Director of the Orchestra of...
  
   (conductor), National Opera Theatre of Sofia; Constantin Chekerliiski (Igor), Julia Wiener (Yaroslavna), Todor Todorov (Vladimir), Boris Christoff
  Boris Christoff
  Boris Christoff was a Bulgarian opera singer...
  
   (Galitsky, Konchak), Reni Penkova (Konchakovna)
• 1969, Mark Ermler
  Mark Ermler
  Mark Fridrikhovich Ermler was a Russian conductor.-Biography:Mark Ermler was born in Leningrad in 1932. His parents were Vera Bakun, a film set designer, and Friedrich Ermler, a film director. He began to study piano at age 5....
  
   (conductor), Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra and Chorus; Ivan Petrov (Igor), Tatyana Tugarinova (Yaroslavna), Vladimir Atlantov (Vladimir), Artur Eisen (Galitsky), Aleksandr Vedernikov (Konchak), Yelena Obraztsova (Konchakovna)
• 1990, Emil Tchakarov (conductor), Sofia Festival Orchestra and National Opera Chorus, Boris Martinovich (Igor), Stefka Evstatieva
  Stefka Evstatieva
  Stefka Evstatieva is a Bulgarian operatic soprano. Born in Ruse, she studied voice at the State Academy of Music in Sofia with Elena Kisselova. She began her career with the Ruse Opera where she made her debut as Amelia in Un ballo in maschera and sang there from 1971 to 1979...
  
   (Yaroslavna), Kaludi Kaludov (Vladimir), Nicola Ghiuselev (Galitsky), 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...
  
   (Konchak), Alexandrina Milcheva-Nonova (Konchakovna) Sony 44878
• 1993, Valery Gergiev
  Valery Gergiev
  Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,...
  
   (conductor), Kirov Opera Orchestra and Chorus; Mikhail Kit (Igor), Galina Gorchakova (Yaroslavna), Gegam Grigorian (Vladimir), Vladimir Ognovienko (Galitsky), Bulat Minjelkiev (Konchak), Olga Borodina (Konchakovna), Philips 442-537-2.

Video

• 1981 Evgeny Nesterenko (Prince Igor), Elena Kurovskaya (Jaroslavna), Vladimir Sherbakov (Vladimir Igorevich), Alexander Vedernikov (Prince Galitsky), Boris Morozov (Konchak), Tamara Sinyavskaya (Konchakovna), Vladimir Petrov (Ovlur), Valery Yaroslavtsev (Skula), Konstantin Baskov (Yeroshka), Nina Grigorieva (Nurse), Margarita Miglau (Polovtsian Maiden) Orchestra & Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre, Mark Ermler
  Mark Ermler
  Mark Fridrikhovich Ermler was a Russian conductor.-Biography:Mark Ermler was born in Leningrad in 1932. His parents were Vera Bakun, a film set designer, and Friedrich Ermler, a film director. He began to study piano at age 5....
  
  .
• 1993 Nikolai Putilin, Galina Gorchakova
  Galina Gorchakova
  -Beginnings:Gorchakova was born in Novokuznetsk to a musical family. She moved to Novosibirsk in Siberia with her parents who were singers at the opera house there. It was in that city that she attended music school, college and the Conservatoire from which she graduated in 1988...
  
  , Evgeny Akimov, Sergey Aleksashkin, Vladimir Vaneev, Olga Borodina
  Olga Borodina
  Olga Vladimirovna Borodina is a leading dramatic mezzo-soprano, known for her roles in Russian operas at her home company, the Mariinsky Theatre, and for her international performing and recording career in a varied repertoire.Borodina made her debut in Samson and Delilah at the Royal Opera House...
  
  , Kirov Opera & Ballet, Valery Gergiev
  Valery Gergiev
  Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,...
  
  

External links

• Libretto (PDF)