''Dubrovsky'' (''russian: Дубровский'') is an opera in four acts (5 scenes), Op. 58, by
Eduard Nápravník
Eduard Francevič Nápravník (Russian: Эдуа́рд Фра́нцевич Напра́вник; 24 August 1839 – 10 November 1916) was a Czech conductor and composer. Nápravník settled in Russia and is best known for his leading role in Rus ...
, to a
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
libretto by
Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky (russian: Моде́ст Ильи́ч Чайко́вский; –) was a Russian dramatist, opera librettist and translator.
Early life
Modest Ilyich was born in Alapayevsk, Verkhotursky Uyezd, Perm Governorate, the ...
after the novel of
the same title (1832) by
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
.
Creation and performance history
Eduard Nápravník, Russia's leading conductor, who handled the musical department at the Mariinsky Theater in St Petersburg, composed four of his own operas, some of them inspired by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
whom Nápravník admired very much. For ''Dubrovsky'' he asked
Modest Tchaikovsky
Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky (russian: Моде́ст Ильи́ч Чайко́вский; –) was a Russian dramatist, opera librettist and translator.
Early life
Modest Ilyich was born in Alapayevsk, Verkhotursky Uyezd, Perm Governorate, the ...
to write a
libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...
after
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
, as Modest had done for his brother Pyotr (the best-known example of this is ''
The Queen of Spades''). The opera was completed in 1894 and successfully staged on January 15 (OS January 3) 1895, at the
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...
,
St Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, conducted by the composer.
A year later (December 26, 1895) it was staged at the
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, literally "Big Theater", p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈatər) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds ballet and ope ...
in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. Around this time, opera became a large part of the repertoire of the Russian theatrical scene. Only in 1897 there were seven premieres of ''Dubrovsky'' in different Russian towns: in
Yekaterinoslavl,
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
,
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...
,
Odessa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
,
Poltava
Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...
,
Saratov
Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901,36 ...
and
Yalta
Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...
. It was also performed abroad: in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
in (1896),
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
in (1897), and
Plzeň
Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...
and
Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
in (1898).
In the 20th century the opera was performed less frequently, but nevertheless it remained in the repertoire of many theatres. It continued to enjoy success in 20th century
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. The main role of Vladimir Dubrovsky was performed by
Nikolai Figner,
Leonid Sobinov
Leonid Vitalyevich Sobinov (russian: Леони́д Вита́льевич Со́бинов, 7 June S 26 May1872 – 14 October 1934) was an Imperial Russian operatic tenor. His fame continued unabated into the Soviet era, and he was made a Peop ...
,
Sergei Lemeshev
Sergei Yakovlevich Lemeshev (russian: Серге́й Я́ковлевич Ле́мешев; – 27 June 1977) was a Soviet and Russian opera singer and director. People's Artist of the USSR (1950).
Biography
Early life and career
Lemeshev was ...
, and
Ivan Kozlovsky
Ivan Semyonovich Kozlovsky (russian: Ива́н Семё́нович Козло́вский, uk, Іван Семенович Козловський; also referred to as Kozlovskiy or Kozlovskij; 21 December 1993) was a Soviet lyric tenor and on ...
, as well as various others. The vocal score was reprinted in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
in 1972.
An abridged version of the opera was broadcast on Soviet television in 1961, featuring
Sergei Lemeshev
Sergei Yakovlevich Lemeshev (russian: Серге́й Я́ковлевич Ле́мешев; – 27 June 1977) was a Soviet and Russian opera singer and director. People's Artist of the USSR (1950).
Biography
Early life and career
Lemeshev was ...
, Vera Kudryavtseva, Georgy Dudarev, Alexei Ivanov and the Moscow Academic Musical Theatre under the direction of Peter Slavinsky.
On 23 November 2016 a concert version of the opera (albeit with some sizable cuts) was presented at The Mariinsky Theatre,
St. Petersburg, Russia.
Roles
*Andrey Dubrovsky – 1st
bass
*Vladimir, his son – 1st
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
*Cyril Petrovich Troekurov – 1st
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
*Masha, his daughter – 1st
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
*Prince Vereyskiy – 1st bass
*District police officer – 2nd baritone
*Assessor – 2nd bass
*Deforzh, Frenchman – tutor – 2nd tenor
*Shabashkin, clerk – 2nd tenor
*Yegorovna – 1st
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...
*Arkhip – Dubrovsky’s serf – 2nd bass
*Grishka – Dubrovsky’s serf – 2nd tenor
*Anton – Dubrovsky’s serf – 2nd baritone
*Tanya, Troekurov’s maid – 2nd soprano
*The 1st lady – 2nd soprano
*The 2nd lady – 2nd
alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...
Plot
Vladimir Dubrovsky is a young nobleman whose land is confiscated by greedy and powerful aristocrat Kiril Petrovitch Troekurov. Determined to get justice one way or another, Dubrovsky gathers together a band of serfs and goes on a rampage like another
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Along the way, Dubrovsky falls in love with Masha, Troekurov’s daughter, and foolishly lets his guard down, with tragic results.
The libretto does not follow Pushkin's original closely. At the end of the opera, the police, who want Vladimir for arson, are close on his heels. He gets the opportunity to sing a long duet with Masha before being shot. Masha's father enters to find his now insane daughter with Dubrovsky's body.
In the opera, Nápravník played down the social aspect underscoring the love story of Dubrovsky and the daughter of his sworn enemy. Overall, however, Nápravník stayed true to Pushkin's romantic style.
Sound and music samples
*At this link you can listen to the voice of
Ivan Kozlovsky
Ivan Semyonovich Kozlovsky (russian: Ива́н Семё́нович Козло́вский, uk, Іван Семенович Козловський; also referred to as Kozlovskiy or Kozlovskij; 21 December 1993) was a Soviet lyric tenor and on ...
: Vladimir Dubrovsky's Recitative and Romance ''О дай мне забвенье'' - ''O dai mne zabvenye'' (''O give me oblivion'') from the opera ''Dubrovsky'' by
Eduard Napravnik
Eduard Model Accessories is a Czech manufacturer of plastic models and finescale model accessories.
Formed in 1989 in the city of Most, Eduard began in a rented cellar as a manufacturer of photoetched brass model components. Following the succ ...
. Recorded in 195
(mp3 file) Also at
an
External links
1961 Soviet telefilm of abridged version, with subtitles Text translated by
Natalie Duddington
Natalie Duddington (née Ertel; 14 November 188630 May 1972) was a philosopher and a translator of Russian literature into English. Her first name sometimes appears as Nathalie (with an ''h'').
Biography
Nataliya Aleksandrovna Ertel was born i ...
, Progress Publishers
Musical tales*https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2016/11/23/3_1900
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubrovsky (Opera)
Operas by Eduard Nápravník
Operas based on works by Aleksandr Pushkin
1895 operas
Operas
Russian-language operas
Operas based on novels