The Storm (Ostrovsky)
Encyclopedia
The Storm is a drama
in five acts by the 19th-century Russia
n playwright
Aleksandr Ostrovsky. As with Ostrovsky's other plays, The Storm is a work of social criticism
, which is directed particularly towards the Russian merchant class
. Ostrovsky wrote the play between July and October 1859. He submitted the to the censor
and read it to the actors of the Maly Theatre
(in Moscow
), where it opened on 16 November.
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
in five acts by the 19th-century 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 playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Aleksandr Ostrovsky. As with Ostrovsky's other plays, The Storm is a work of social criticism
Social criticism
The term social criticism locates the reasons for malicious conditions of the society in flawed social structures. People adhering to a social critics aim at practical solutions by specific measures, often consensual reform but sometimes also by powerful revolution.- European roots :Religious...
, which is directed particularly towards the Russian merchant class
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
. Ostrovsky wrote the play between July and October 1859. He submitted the to the censor
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
and read it to the actors of the Maly Theatre
Maly Theatre (Moscow)
Maly Theatre is a drama theater in Moscow, Russia. Established in 1806 and operating on its present site on the Theatre Square since 1824, the theatre traces its history to the Moscow University drama company, established in 1756...
(in 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...
), where it opened on 16 November.
Cinematic adaptations
- Vladimir Petrov'sVladimir Petrov (director)Vladimir Petrov was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He directed 24 films between 1928 and 1964. Vladimir Petrov was awarded Stalin Prize five times: in 1941 , 1946 and 1950.-Filmography:* The Russian Forest ; 1963...
1934 Russian film Groza.
Musical adaptations
- 1864: Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
wrote an overtureOvertureOverture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
, The StormThe Storm (Tchaikovsky)The Storm, Op. posth. 76, is an overture in E minor composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between June and August 1864. The work is inspired by the play The Storm by the Russian playwright Alexander Ostrovsky...
, which was first performed in 1896. He also reworked this music into his Concert Overture in C minor, which was first performed in 1931. - 1867: The Storm, Vladimir Nikitich Kashperov (librettoLibrettoA 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 directly on the play) - 1921: Káťa KabanováKáta KabanováKáťa Kabanová is an opera in three acts, with music by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by Vincenc Červinka, based on The Storm, a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. The opera was also largely inspired by Janáček's love for Kamila Stösslová...
, Leoš JanáčekLeoš JanácekLeoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
(libretto by Vincenc Červinka) - 1940: The Storm, Boris AsafievBoris AsafievBoris Vladimirovich Asafyev was a Russian and Soviet composer, writer, musicologist, musical critic and one of founders of Soviet musicology.Asafyev had a strong influence on Soviet music. His compositions include ballets, operas, symphonies, concertos and chamber music...
- 1940: The Storm, Ivan DzerzhinskyIvan DzerzhinskyIvan Ivanovich Dzerzhinsky was a Russian composer. He is notable in that the work for which he best known, his opera Quiet Flows the Don , was more successful for its political potential than for any musical distinction.-Personal life and career:Born in Tambov, Dzerzhinsky had an extended formal...
- 1941: The Storm, Viktor Nikolayevich Trambitsky (February 11, 1895–August 13, 1970)
- 1952: The Storm, Lodovico RoccaLodovico RoccaLodovico Rocca was an Italian composer.A pupil of Giacomo Orefice, his operas, written in late verismo style, met with some success in Italy but have been little performed elsewhere...
- 1962: The Storm, Venedikt Pushkov (October 31, 1896–January 25, 1971)
Sources
- Marsh, Cynthia. 1982. "Ostrovsky's play The Thunderstorm." In Leoš Janáček, Káťa Kabanová by John Tyrrell. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. ISBN 0521231809.