''Shchors'' ( uk, Щорс, link=none; also known as ''Commander'' is an opera in five acts by the Ukrainian composer

Borys Lyatoshynsky Borys Mykolayovych Lyatoshynsky ( uk, Бори́с Миколáйович Лятоши́нський ()), also known as Boris Nikolayevich Lyatoshinsky (russian: Бори́с Николаевич Лятоши́нский), (3 January 189515 Apr ...

. It was written in 19371938 to a libretto by and

Maksym Rylsky Maksym Tadeyovych Rylsky ( uk, Максим Тадейович Рильський; russian: Максим Фадеевич Рыльский; in Kyiv – 24 July 1964 ''id.'') was a Ukrainian poet, translator, academician, Doctor of Philologi ...

. The main hero, Mykola Shchors, was a military figure originally from

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...

. The opera was first staged at the

Kyiv Opera House The Kyiv Opera group was formally established in the summer of 1867, and is the third oldest in Ukraine, after Odessa Opera and Lviv Opera. The Kyiv Opera Company perform at the National Opera House of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko in ...

on 1 September 1938.

History

The Ukrainian composer

composed ''Shchors'' from 1937 as his second opera, after '' The Golden Ring''. The libretto was written by and

. Lyatoshynsky chose Ukrainian themes for both operas. The main hero is Mykola Shchors, a military figure originally from the Ukrainian city of

Snovsk Snovsk ( uk, Сновськ ) is a city in Koriukivka Raion, Chernihiv Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Population: It hosts the administration of Snovsk urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population was 12,315 in 2001. Name The cit ...

, who took an active part in the

Ukrainian–Soviet War The Ukrainian–Soviet War ( uk, радянсько-українська війна, translit=radiansko-ukrainska viina) was an armed conflict from 1917 to 1921 between the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Bolsheviks (Soviet Ukraine and S ...

on the side of the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

, and who died in battle against the troops of the

Ukrainian Galician Army Ukrainian Galician Army ( uk, Українська Галицька Армія, translit=Ukrayins’ka Halyts’ka Armiya, UHA), was the Ukrainian military of the West Ukrainian National Republic during and after the Polish-Ukrainian War. It w ...

. The opera was first staged at the

on 1 September 1938, conducted by Vladimir Dranishnikov, and remained in the repertoire of the house.

Synopsis

''Shchors'' consists of five acts. ;Act 1: The villagers meet Shchors. Shchors sings an aria in which he assures the audience that "the wise Lenin is leading us to the goal" and calls on the peasants to join the armed forces. ;Act 2: In a dilapidated manor house, where a hospital for the sick is located, Ukrainian military soldier Zapara tells a

paramedic A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

about the need to stop the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

aggressors. Zapara leaves, and Shchors appears in his place with associates—they discuss supply problems, Shchors expresses concern about the large number of sick people. ; Act 3: Hryts, a

soldier, agitates the peasants to join

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

's side. Suddenly, a German officer appears and, with the help of soldiers, detains Hryts. Soon, a detachment of Red Army soldiers arrives and forces the German and Ukrainian soldiers to retreat. ; Act 4: Shchors' henchman Liya complains that Petliura is ready to "sell the people to the interventionists" and glorifies the name of Lenin. Soon, Shchors appears, who glorifies not only Lenin, but also

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

, and calls to prepare an attack on Kyiv. ;Act 5: The focus is on Shchors and his henchmen fighting against Ukrainian troops. In this battle, Shchors dies with the words "Forward, gods, our victory." Lenin...", after which the choir mournfully sings "The Cossack is carried and the horse is led." In the second picture, the corpse of the commander is sent by truck to the sounds of a Bogun song.

References

External links

Information about (and an excerpt from) a 1939 record of the opera
from Russian Records {{authority control 1938 operas Operas Ukrainian-language operas Operas set in Ukraine Operas set in the 20th century Compositions by Borys Lyatoshynsky Operas based on real people