''Shponka and His Aunt'' is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

in one act by composer Anastasia Bespalova. The opera uses a Russian

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 ...

by Arkady Zastyrets which is based upon the story of the same name by

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

. The opera was commissioned by 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 ...

along with two other new operas, Svetlana Nesterova's '' The Lawsuit'' and Vyacheslav Kruglik's ''

The Carriage "The Carriage" (or "The Coach" in some translations; russian: Коляска) is an 1836 short story by Nikolai Gogol, one of his shortest works. The story centers on the life of a former cavalry officer and landowner near a small Russian town. A ...

'', all based on stories by Gogol. The three operas premiered together on 21 June 2009 during the Mariinsky Theatre's summer festival.

Roles

References

External links

''Shponka and His Aunt'' playbill
Mariinsky Theatre {{DEFAULTSORT:Shponka And His Aunt Operas Russian-language operas 2009 operas One-act operas Operas based on works by Nikolai Gogol Operas by Anastasia Bespalova