''The Noblewoman Vera Sheloga'' ( rus, Боярыня Вера Шелога, italic=yes, Boyarïnya Vera Sheloga ) 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

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the

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 ...

, which he based on the first act of the play ''The Maid of Pskov'' by Lev Alexandrovich Mey. The opera was composed in 1898, based on the prologue composed by Rimsky-Korsakov for the second version of his setting of the play as an opera. The first and third versions of the opera ''

The Maid of Pskov ''The Maid of Pskov'' (russian: Псковитянка, Pskovityanka, links=no, Pskov female resident ), also known as ''Ivan the Terrible'', is an 1872 opera originally in three acts (six scenes) by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto is by the ...

'' omit the action and material of the prologue. The work was first performed 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 1898. It was later used as a prologue to ''The Maid of Pskov'' in a 1901 performance.

Performance history

The premiere performance took place in

on 27 December 1898 at the Solodovnikov Theater. As a one-act opera, it was first given in the US on 9 May 1922 in New York.

RolesOpera Glass
Source: Stanford University

Synopsis

:Place:

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

, Russia. :Time: 1555 Vera's husband has been away on a campaign. In the meantime, she has given birth to Olga. She confesses to her unmarried sister, Nadezhda, of having been wooed by a man who passed through earlier (the man is

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan ...

; this is not revealed in the libretto of this opera, but is the matter of the opera ''

'' to which this is a prequel), and that the baby is not her husband's. As this conversation ends, Vera's husband finally returns, surprised by the presence of the baby. Upon his demand to know where the baby came from, Nadezhda saves her sister by claiming to be the mother.

Recordings

Audio Recordings (''Mainly studio recordings'') Source
www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
*1947, Semyon Sakharov (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, Sofia Panova (Vera Sheloga), Elena Gribova (Nadezhda), Maria Levina (Vlasevna), Vladimir Gavryushov(Boyar Sheloga), Nikolai Shchegolkov (Prince Tokmakov) *1980, Stoyan Angelov (conductor), Bulgarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stefka Evstatieva (Vera Sheloga), Alexandrina Milcheva-Nonova (Nadezhda), Stefka Mineva (Vlasevna), Peter Bakardzhiev (Boyar Sheloga), Dimiter Stanchev (Prince Tokmakov) *1985, Mark Ermler (conductor), Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra, Tamara Milashkina (Vera Sheloga), Olga Teryushnova (Nadezhda), Nina Grigorieva (Vlasevna), Vladimir Karimov (Boyar Sheloga/Prince Tokmakov)

References

;Notes ;Sources * *Holden, Amanda (Ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. *Warrack, John and West, Ewan, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'' New York: OUP: 1992 {{DEFAULTSORT:Noblewoman Vera Sheloga, The Operas by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Russian-language operas Operas 1898 operas One-act operas Operas based on plays Operas set in Russia Fictional princes

Performance history

RolesOpera Glass Source: Stanford University

Synopsis

Recordings

References

RolesOpera Glass
Source: Stanford University