5. Aleksander Porfiryevich Borodin (1833 – 1887)
is best known for his symphonies, his string
quartets, a symphonic poem In the Steppes of
Central Asia, and the opera Prince Igor.
Borodin was also a doctor, a chemist, an educator
and a passionate advocate of women's rights.
He founded the School of Medicine for Women
in St. Petersburg.
6.
7. Based on a medieval epic, the opera tells the story
of a proud prince captured by the enemy,
the fearsome Khan Kolchak, the mutual respect
that develops between captor and captive,
and the love between the Prince’s young son and
the Khan’s daughter.
Borodin worked on the opera for 18 years but died
before he could finish, and it was completed by
another great composer, N. Rimsky-Korsakov.
11. Known as the “main architect” of a uniquely Russian
style of composition, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
(1844-1908) had a profound influence on two
generations of Russian classical composers.
He loved the sea, and combined teaching and
composition with a career in the Russian Navy.
12.
13. Some of Rimsky-Korsakov best known works,
including the opera Sadko and the suite
Scheherazade, are based on fairy tales.
The Golden Cockerel (Coq d'Or), which tells of a
bumbling Tsar Dodon’s tragic attempt to conquer
the nearby kingdom and its beautiful queen,
is derived from Aleksander Pushkin's poem by the
same name, which in turn is based on
Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving.
14. As she stands over a field in which Dodon’s sons
and comrades lie dead in the pre-dawn light,
as if some mysterious power had forced them
to turn their weapons on each other, the queen
sings a sensuous hymn to the rising sun.
17. Widely considered the most popular Russian
composer in history, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
(1840-1893) composed several operas (including
Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades) and
ballets (including The Nutcracker and the Sleeping
Beauty), and many symphonic pieces, including
the 1812 Overture.
18.
19. Mazeppa tells an episode in the life of a Ukrainian
military commander both reviled and glorified in
historical accounts.
Kochubey's daughter Maria elopes willingly with
the much older Mazeppa, but this turns the two
former associates into enemies. Kochubey warns
Russian tsar Peter I that Mazeppa plans to betray
him and fight for Ukraine's independence
from Russia.
20. Mazeppa tortures and kills Kochubey, and Maria
goes insane after witnessing her father's execution.
After his rebellion in crushed by Peter's forces at
Poltava, Mazeppa abandons Maria and flees.
Maria is left in the battlefield, cradling the body of a
childhood friend she no longer recognizes.
23. We return to the tale of the 11th century Russian
prince, who, together with his son and other
associates, is captured by the fearsome
Polovitsian Khan.
While the rest of the camp is fast asleep, the
prince’s son Vladimir eagerly awaits a secret
meeting with his beloved, the Khan’s daughter.
26. Sergey Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943) was hailed
one of the last great representatives
of Romanticism in Russian classical music. Best
known for his 2nd Piano Concerto, Rachmaninoff
also wrote many art songs and several operas,
including Aleko and Francesca da Rimini.
In addition to composing, Rachmaninoff was a
virtuoso piano player and an accomplished
conductor.
27.
28. White lilacs were Rachmaninoff’s favorite flower.
For many years, and unknown admirer sent a
bouquet of them to his dressing room after each
performance.
In the fragrant shade, where the lilac crowds,
I will go to seek my happiness...
31. Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (1891 – 1953)
composed masterpieces across numerous
musical genres, including an opera, Love for
Three Oranges, and a narrated composition for
children, Peter and the Wolf.
Having left Russia in 1918 to enjoy a successful
career in Europe, Prokofiev returned in 1936, but
his relationship with the Soviet musical
establishment remained complicated.
32.
33. Alexander Nevsky started as a film score for
director S. Eisenstein's 1938 materpiece, but was
later reworked to stand on its own as a cantata.
It follows the military career of the celebrated 13th
century military commander, culminating in his
victory over Teutonic knights in the legendary
Battle on the Ice.
34. The great battle over, an unknown girl wanders
the battlefield, crying over the dead soldiers and
declaring her desire to marry a brave survivor.
37. The Khan professes friendship and talks of an
alliance, but Igor’s loyalties lie with his homeland.
Unable to sleep, the Prince keeps reliving the
deaths of his comrades and the pain of his defeat
and captivity. Powerless, he yearns for freedom,
a chance to wash away his shame and liberate
Russia from its enemies. He longs to see his wife
again and beg for her forgiveness.
40. Set in prehistoric times when the ancient
Slavic people worshipped the Sun, The Snow
Maiden tells the story of an illegitimate
daughter of Spring and Frost who comes to
live with a human family.
In a few short weeks, she will discover
heartbreak and passionate love, and finally
melt, ushering in a new era of peace between
the people and their Sun God.
41. Lel, the playful shepherd boy, will melt any
girl’s heart with his song.
44. Having experienced love for the first time,
the Snowmaiden thanks her mother, Spring,
for this wonderful gift. But as the first ray
of Sun pierces the sky, she feels the fire grow
inside her. Ecstatic, the Snowmaiden bids
goodbye to her beloved and melts.
48. Francesca agrees to a political union that will
cement ties between her father and the
powerful Malatesta family. She thinks that
she is about to marry the handsome Paolo,
but she is wed to Paolo’s crippled brother
Giovanni instead.
Eventually Francesca and Paolo can no
longer resist their mutual attraction. They are
discovered and killed by Giovanni, and are
damned to Hell for eternity.
49. Francesca tries to comfort the distraught Paolo.
It is true, she says, that we will never know
kisses in this world, but we will have our reward
in Heaven.
52. As an educator, Anton Rubinstein (1829-1893)
is best known as the founder of the St Petersburg
conservatory and Tchaikovsky’s composition
teacher. As a pianist, he is famous for seven
concerts covering the history of piano music.
As a composer, he authored five piano concertos,
six symphonies and twenty operas, most famous
of which was The Demon.
53.
54. The supernatural being’s pursuit of a mortal
woman leads to her bridegroom’s death.
To escape the demon, Tamara joins the convent,
but he finds her even there.
An angel is unable to prevent their meeting,
but when Tamara dies trying to get away,
he carries her off to heaven,
and the demon is damned for eternity.
55. At first, the demon is afraid to enter the convent.
But the sight of Tamara at the window awakens
his longing. For her sake, he will transform, shed
his immortality and his powers and, filled with
goodness, enter and claim his prize.
58. In her cell, Tamara is troubled by visions
of the Demon. “Who is he?”, she wonders.
‘I keep hearing his voice, whispering,
“Wait for me,” but I have been waiting so long!’
62. Princess Iolanta is blind from birth, but her
affliction is kept secret from her on strict orders
from her father.
The princess is a happy child, but as she grows
older, she starts to wonder if she is missing
something. A chance encounter with a young
knight deepens her sadness and frustration.
“Why am I feeling this way?,” Iolanta wonders.
“Why can’t I just be happy any more?”
65. In his operas and symphonic works based on
Russian history and folklore, Modest Petrovich
Mussorgsky (1839 – 1881) wanted to forge a
uniquely Russian musical identity, often in
deliberate defiance of Western musical
conventions.
Although he enjoyed a lot of popularity in his
youth, in later life frequent struggles with
depression and alcoholism made keeping friends
and creating new music difficult.
66.
67. Based on a drama by A. Pushkin, Boris Godunov
tells of a turbulent time in Russian history.
While the new ruler is still tortured by guilt over the
murder that paved his way to power, an impostor
claiming to be the murdered prince seizes the
throne with the help of an opportunistic Polish
princess.
68. The impostor is smitten with Marina,
but she scoffs at his servile pleading.
Only when he demonstrates a dominant
personality and a lust for power to rival her own
does the proud princess give in
to the impostor's advances.
