The Snow Bogatyr (opera)
Encyclopedia
The Snow Bogatyr is an opera-fairytale for children in one act, two tableaux, by 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...

, composed in 1905. 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...

 was written by a school teacher named Marina Stanislavovna Polʹ, using Russian folk tales.

The title can be translated also as The Snow Hero or The Snow Knight, but these renderings do not quite convey the notion of a Bogatyr
Bogatyr
The bogatyr was a medieval heroic warrior of Kievan Rus' and the Novgorodian Republic, akin to a Western European knight errant.- Kievan Rus' :...

.

As with the composer's other children's operas, this work was meant for children to perform in, as well as to watch.

Performance history

The opera was premiered on 15 May 1906 (Old Style
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...

), in Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...

, by school students of Ms. Pol', who accompanied the performance at the piano. It was staged also on 4 March 1908 in Saint 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...

, by opera students at the St. Petersburg Conservatory
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory is a music school in Saint Petersburg. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.-History:...

.

Like one of the composer's other children's operas, Puss in Boots
Puss in Boots (Cui)
Puss in Boots is a short opera-fairytale for children in three acts, four tableaux, composed by César Cui in 1913. The libretto was written by Marina Stanislavovna Pol'. It was premiered in Rome in 1915 under the title Il gato con gli stivali...

, this opera seems to have had some staying power, or at least potential, in Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 times, judging by the fact that it was re-published in 1953 -- with a new libretto devoid of tsarist allusions.

Characters and Setting

(Characters as listed in the original edition)
  • Tsaritsa: 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...

  • Ivan Tsarevich (The Snow Bogatyr): low 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...

  • The Dragon
    Dragon
    A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...

     Gorynych: alto
    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...

     or bass (bass preferred)

  • 11 Princess
    Princess
    Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....

    -Swan
    Swan
    Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...

    s: children's chorus
    Choir
    A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

  • Nurses and mothers: children's chorus


Setting: Fairytale times. A certain kingdom, a certain domain.

Synopsis

(As in the original edition)

Tableau 1. A courtyard. The Princess-Swans are singing and dancing. As they enjoy a snowball fight, they inadvertently hit their mother, the Tsaritsa, in the eyes. She rashly wishes not only to have a son, but also that a whirlwind would sweep away her eleven disobedient daughters. Suddenly there is a blizzard, and the Princess-Swans are swept away. But out of the snowstorm appears the son that the Tsaritsa wished for -- the Snow Bogatyr. He promises her that he will find his new sisters.

Tableau 2. A forest. The Princesses are being kept in a peasant's hut that stands on hen's legs (see Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga or Baba Roga is a haggish or witchlike character in Slavic folklore. She flies around on a giant pestle, kidnaps small children, and lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs...

). After three attempts, the Snow Bogatyr finally defeats a three-headed Dragon to rescue his new sisters. All join in the opening round-dance as the Snow-Bogatyr urges them homeward.
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