NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Rogneda (opera)

Rogneda (Рогнеда in Cyrillic), is an opera in five acts, composed by Alexander Serov during 1863-1865. The scenario, by the composer, was based on the novel Askold's Grave (Аскольдова могила, 1833) by Mikhail Nikolaevich Zagoskin and the poem Rogneda (ca. 1825) by Kondraty Ryleev. The actual Russian libretto was created by Dmitry Averkiev in the same manner as with the composer's previous opera, Judith, i.e., with the words written to fit the vocal lines after the music had been composed. The premiere took place at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg on 27 October 1865 (Old Style). The opera proved to be a resoundingly overwhelming hit, and remained extremely popular through the end of the Russian Empire. The Cyrillic alphabet (or azbuka, from the old name of the first two letters) is an alphabet used to write six natural Slavic languages (Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian) and many other languages of the former Soviet Union, Asia and Eastern Europe. ... Composer Alexander Serov by Valentin Serov, 1887-1888 Alexander Nikolayevich Serov (ÐÐ»ÐµÐºÑÐ°Ð½Ð´Ñ€ ÐÐ¸ÐºÐ¾Ð»Ð°ÐµÐ²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð¡ÐµÑ€Ð¾Ð² in Cyrillic; Aleksandr NikolaeviÄ Serov in transliteration) (11/23 Jan. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Askold (Höskuldr) and Dir (Dyri) were according to the Primary Chronicle, two of Ruriks men. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Kondraty Fyodorovich Ryleyev (Russian: , September 29 (September 18 O.S.), 1795, - July 25 (July 13 O.S.), 1826) was a Russian poet and revolutionary, and one of the leaders in the Decembrist revolt. ... Judith (Ð®Ð´Ð¸Ñ„ÑŒ in Cyrillic, Judifâ€™ in transliteration -- stressed on the second syllable), is an opera in five acts, composed by Alexander Serov during 1861-1863. ... The Maryinsky (or Mariinsky) Theatre (or Theater), is the St Petersburg theatre where the Mariinsky Ballet is located. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... In Britain and countries of the British Empire, Old Style or O.S. after a date means that the date is in the Julian calendar, in use in those countries until 1752; New Style or N.S. means that the date is in the Gregorian calendar, adopted on 14 September... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start...

Background

This opera forms a sequel of sorts to Alexey Nikolaevich Verstovsky's highly successful singspiel, Askold's Grave, which premiered in 1835, just the year before Glinka's A Life for the Tsar reached the stage. No less a patriotic opera than those two, Rogneda in its plot combines elements of the life of the title character with the Christianization of Russia, dated in 988 with the conversion of Vladimir I of Kiev. With its huge cast and sprawling plot, the opera demands spectacle of a Meyerbeerian order. Singspiel is form of German-language musical drama, similar to opera, but with a lot of spoken dialog and simpler, folk-like, strophic songs. ... Askold (Höskuldr) and Dir (Dyri) were according to the Primary Chronicle, two of Ruriks men. ... Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (ÐœÐ¸Ñ…Ð°Ð¸ÌÐ» Ð˜Ð²Ð°ÌÐ½Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð“Ð»Ð¸ÌÐ½ÐºÐ°) (June 1, 1804 â€“ February 15, 1857) was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition inside his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music. ... A Life for the Tsar (Ð–Ð¸Ð·Ð½ÑŒ Ð·Ð° Ñ†Ð°Ñ€Ñ in Russian, Zhiznâ€™ za tsarya in transliteration) is an opera in four acts by Mikhail Glinka to an original Russian libretto by Nestor Kukolnik and George von Rosen, based on a Russian folk tale. ... Events Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev marries Anna, sister of Byzantine emperor Basil II and converts to Christianity. ... Detail of the Millennium of Russia monument in Novgorod (1862) representing St Vladimir and his family. ... Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (September 5, 1791 â€“ May 2, 1864) was a noted opera composer, and the first great exponent of Grand Opera. ...

Download high resolution version (700x850, 145 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (700x850, 145 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Anton Losenko (ukr. ...

Characters

The action is in pagan Rus', at the end of the 10th century, in Kiev and its environs. Detail of the Millennium of Russia monument in Novgorod (1862) representing St Vladimir and his family. ... In music, a baritone (from Greek Î²Î±ÏÏ…Ï„Î¿Î½Î¿Ï‚ deeply, heavily sounding) is a male voice of intermediate pitch, between bass and tenor. ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... In music, an alto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a soprano. ... Bogatyrs (1898) by Viktor Vasnetsov Alongside Alyosha Popovich and Ilya Muromets, is a bogatyr (i. ... A basso (or bass) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ... The Varangians (Russian: Variags, Ð’Ð°Ñ€ÑÐ³Ð¸) were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards, mainly from Jutland and Sweden. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as a countertenor). ... This page is about a Slavic god. ... 18th-century lubok representing Russian skomorokhs. ... Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets are represented together in Viktor Vasnetsovs famous 1898 painting Bogatyrs. ... 18th-century lubok representing Russian skomorokhs. ... The Pechenegs or Patzinaks (in Hungarian: BesenyÅ‘k, Russian: ÐŸÐµÑ‡ÐµÐ½ÐµÐ³Ð¸, Ukrainian: ÐŸÐµÑ‡ÐµÐ½Ñ–Ð³Ð¸ ) were a semi-nomadic people of the Central Asian steppes speaking a Turkic language. ... The Varangians or Variags were Vikings who travelled eastwards from Sweden and Norway. ... Map of the the extent of Kievan Rus through the 11th century. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... A monument to St. ...

Synopsis

Act I. Inside Skul'da's cave, the Supreme Priest of Perun, concerned about Prince Vladimir's failure to protect the native religion from encroaching Christianity, has decided that Rogneda -- upon Skul'da's influence -- must kill him. Rogneda enters, already prepared to avenge her father's death at Vladimir's hands. Skul'da's sorcery produces a knife with which Rogneda can perform the deed. The scene changes to a public rite of human sacrifice to the god Perun. When Rual'd, a Christian, prevents the priest from killing the first victim, he is at first threatened with death by the priests; but, after the Supreme Priest finds out that Rual'd, too, has a grievance with Vladimir, Rual'd is spared. (Vladimir kidnapped Rual'd's bride, Olava.)

Act II. At a banquet there is celebration with Vladimir, who has returned from his successful campaign. News arrives of a failed attempt by Rual'd to rescue Olava, and Vladimir commands that Rual'd be apprehended and killed. When Dobrynya Nikitich defends Rual'd's honorable devotion to his bride, Vladimir at first threatens Dobrynya with banishment, but the court jester manages to calm the situation.

Act III. In a forest, Rual'd comes upon some itinerant Christians. An Old Man dissuades him from taking revenge on the Prince -- who, by chance, comes on the scene with his retinue on a hunting expedition from Kiev. When Vladimir is attacked by a bear, Rual'd saves his life at the expense of his own. This sacrifice, as well as the words of the Old Man -- which mention a miracle of salvation during the coming night -- makes a deep impression on the Prince. Due to the late hour, Vladimir decides to stay with Rogneda, whose abode stands nearby.

Act IV. In her tower, Rogneda is disconsolate until she hears that Vladimir is arriving. After he settles in, the Prince dismisses his retinue and falls asleep. Rogneda, knife in hand, approaches him, but Vladimir suddenly awakens (he has had a dream of danger) and stops her, threatening with execution the next day.

Act V. Back at Skul'da's cave, the Supreme Priest in distress consults the sorceress again. Skul'da shows him a vision in which Vladimir commands the people to drown the idol of Perun into the river. Meanwhile, in Rogneda's tower, Izyaslav (Vladimir and Rogneda's young son) intercedes for his mother, causing the Prince to leave his wife's fate in the hands of the people. Called to a veche, the people demand Rogneda's death. Izyaslav's further entreaties persuade Vladimir to forgive Rogneda, whereupon the wandering Christians appear and thank God for Vladimir's conversion. Removal of the veche bell from Novgorod to Moscow in 1478. ...

Important Excerpts

Bibliography

Categories: Russian-language operas | Operas by Alexander Serov | Nationalist operas | Melodrama | Operas Composer Alexander Serov by Valentin Serov, 1887-1888 Alexander Nikolayevich Serov (ÐÐ»ÐµÐºÑÐ°Ð½Ð´Ñ€ ÐÐ¸ÐºÐ¾Ð»Ð°ÐµÐ²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð¡ÐµÑ€Ð¾Ð² in Cyrillic; Aleksandr NikolaeviÄ Serov in transliteration) (11/23 Jan. ... Richard Taruskin is an American musicologist and music historian specializing in theory of performance, Russian music, twentieth-century music, nationalism, theory of modernism, and analysis. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

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Characters

Synopsis

Important Excerpts

Bibliography

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