''The Snow Maiden'' (subtitle: A Spring Fairy Tale) ( rus, Снегурочка–весенняя сказка, Snegúrochka–vesénnyaya skázka, italic=yes ) 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 four acts with a prologue 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 ...

, composed during 1880–1881. The

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 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 the composer, is based on the like-named play by

Alexander Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Остро́вский; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 origina ...

(which had premiered in 1873 with

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

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 ...

). The first performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera took place 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 ...

Saint 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 ...

on 29 January 1882 ( OS; 10 February NS) conducted 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 ...

. By 1898 it was revised in the edition known today. It remained the composer's own favorite work.

Analysis

The story deals with the opposition of eternal forces of nature and involves the interactions of mythological characters (Frost, Spring, Wood-Sprite), real people (Kupava, Mizgir'), and those in-between, i.e., half-mythical, half-real (Snow Maiden, Lel’, Berendey). The composer strove to distinguish each group of characters musically, and several individual characters have their own associated

leitmotif A leitmotif or leitmotiv () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is an anglici ...

s. In addition to these distinctions, Rimsky-Korsakov characterized the townspeople particularly with folk melodies. For a deeper understanding of this work from the composer's point of view, the reader is directed to his autobiography, as well as to his own incomplete analysis of the opera from 1905.

Performance history

The Moscow premiere followed that of St. Petersburg three years later in 1885. It was presented by the Russian Private Opera (the Opera of

Savva Mamontov Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (russian: Са́вва Ива́нович Ма́монтов, ; 3 October 1841 (15 October N.S.), Yalutorovsk – 6 April 1918, Moscow) was a Russian industrialist, merchant, entrepreneur and patron of the arts. Busine ...

in Moscow), conducted by

Enrico Bevignani Enrico Modesto Bevignani (29 September 1841 – 29 August 1903) was an Italian conductor, harpsichordist, composer, and impresario. He studied in his native city with Giuseppe Albanese, Salvatore Lavigna, Giuseppe Lillo and Giuseppe Staffa. Al ...

with scenic Design by

Viktor Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov (russian: Ви́ктор Миха́йлович Васнецо́в; May 15 ( N.S.), 1848 – July 23, 1926) was a Russian artist who specialized in mythological and historical subjects. He is considered the co-founde ...

Isaak Levitan Isaac Ilyich Levitan (russian: Исаа́к Ильи́ч Левита́н; – ) was a classical Russian landscape Painting, painter who advanced the genre of the "mood landscape". Life and work Youth Isaac Levitan was born in a shtetl o ...

, and

Konstantin Korovin Konstantin Alekseyevich Korovin (russian: Константи́н Алексе́евич Коро́вин, first name often spelled Constantin; 11 September 1939) was a leading Russian Impressionist painter. Biography Youth and education Konstan ...

; Tsar Berendey – Grigoriy Erchov, Bermyata –

Anton Bedlevitch Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

, Spring Beauty – Vera Gnucheva, Grandfather Frost – Stepan Vlasov, The Snow Maiden – Nadejda Salina, Bobyl Bakula – G. Kassilov or Nikolay Miller, Lel –

Tatyana Liubatovitch Tatiana (or Tatianna, also romanized as Tatyana, Tatjana, Tatijana, etc.) is a female name of Sabine-Roman origin that became widespread in Eastern Europe. Variations * be, Тацця́на, Tatsiana * bg, Татяна, Tatyana * germa ...

, Mizgir – Mikhail Malinin (

Boris Mikhailovich Malinin Boris Mikhailovich Malinin (1889–1949) (russian: Борис Михайлович Малинин) was a Soviet shipbuilding scientist and graduate of Saint Petersburg Polytechnical Institute. His father was the operatic singer Mikhail Malinin (r ...

and

Marina Raskova Marina Mikhaylovna Raskova ( rus, Мари́на Миха́йловна Раско́ва, , mɐˈrʲinə mʲɪˈxajləvnə rɐˈskovə; née Malinina; 28 March 1912 – 4 January 1943) was the first woman in the Soviet Union to achieve the diploma ...

’s father), Second Herald – M.Skuratovskiy. 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 presented the opera in 1893. The U.S. premiere was held Jan 23, 1922 at the Metropolitan Opera, conducted by

Artur Bodanzky Artur Bodanzky (also written as Artur Bodzansky) (16 December 1877 – 23 November 1939) was an Austrian-American conductor particularly associated with the operas of Wagner. He conducted Enrico Caruso's last performance at the Metropolitan Oper ...

, directed by Samuel Thewman, designed by

Boris Anisfeld Boris Izrailevich Anisfeld (1878–1973) was a Russian-American painter and theater designer. Biography 1878 - October 2. Boris Izrailevich (Srulevich) Anisfeld is born in Bieltsy, in the Bessarabia Governorate of the Russian Empire (present ...

, and with

Lucrezia Bori Lucrezia Bori (24 December 1887 – 14 May 1960) was a Spanish operatic singer, a lyric soprano and a tireless and effective fundraiser for the Metropolitan Opera. Biography Lucrezia Bori was born on 24 December 1887, in Valencia, Spain. ...

in the title role, sung in French. In March 2014

University College Opera University College Opera, or UCOpera, is the student opera company of University College London. The operas are staged by professional singers, directors and designers, with the orchestra and chorus drawn from the student body. Founded in 1951, ...

presented a new English translation of The Snowmaiden in the Bloomsbury Theatre.

Roles

Synopsis

:Time: Pre-historic times :Place: The land of the Berendeyans

Prologue

On Red Hill, near the Berendeyans' trading quarter and Tsar Berendey's capital. The fifteen-year-old Snow Maiden wants to live with the people in the nearby village, and her parents, Spring Beauty and Grandfather Frost, agree to let her be adopted by Bobyl-Bakula and his wife.

Act 1

''In the village of Berendeyevka, on the other side of the river''. Snow Maiden is enchanted by Lel's songs, but is saddened when he goes off with a group of other girls. Kupava enters and announces her own wedding to Mizgir. The ceremony takes place, but then Mizgir notices Snow Maiden, becomes smitten with her, and begs her to love him. Kupava brings this effrontery before the villagers, and they advise her to go to the Tsar for redress.

Act 2

''In Tsar Berendey's palace'' Kupava complains of Mizgir to Tsar Berendey, who decides to banish Mizgir to the forest. But these deliberations are disrupted by the appearance of the beautiful Snow Maiden. The Tsar asks her whom she loves, and she says, "no one." The Tsar declares that whoever successfully woos Snow Maiden will win both her and a royal reward. Although the maidens present Lel as the likely candidate, Mizgir swears that he will win Snow Maiden's heart. The Tsar agrees to the contest as the people sing his praises.

Act 3

''In a forest reserve, that evening'' The people amuse themselves with song and dance. The Tsar invites Lel to choose a maiden. Despite Snow Maiden's pleas, he kisses Kupava and goes off with her. Snow Maiden, left alone and disconsolate, wonders why Lel has rejected her. Suddenly Mizgir appears and tries once more to win her love. Frightened by his words, she runs off; but the Wood-Sprite tricks Mizgir to follow an apparition of Snow Maiden instead. Lel and Kupava enter, declaring their mutual love. Snow Maiden finds them and, seeing their happiness, at last truly wishes to have the capacity to love.

Act 4

''In the valley of Yarilo, the sun god, dawn is breaking the next day'' Snow Maiden calls on her mother, Spring-Beauty, who appears from a lake surrounded by flowers. Spring gives her daughter a garland and warns her to stay out of the light of the sun. Spring and her retinue sink into the lake. Before Snow Maiden can enter the protection of the forest, Mizgir appears. No longer able to resist, she professes her love for him. The Berendeyans, in ritual bride-and-groom pairs, arrive to celebrate Yarilo's Day. Mizgir introduces Snow Maiden as his bride. As she declares her love for Mizgir, a bright ray of sunlight appears, and Snow Maiden bids farewell: the power to love is the source of her demise. To the astonishment of the people, she melts. The inconsolable Mizgir drowns himself in the lake. The Tsar calms the horrified Berendeyans with the fact that this event has ended the fifteen-year-long winter that has befallen them. In response the people strike up a stirring hymn to Yarilo.

Principal arias and numbers

Prologue :Introduction :Chorus of the Birds :Snow Maiden's Aria :Chorus: Farewell to Maslenitsa Act 1 :Lel's First Song :Lel's Second Song Act 2 :Procession of Tsar Berendey Act 3 :Dance of the Skomorokhi (Danse of the Tumblers / Danse of the Clowns) :Lel's Third Song Act 4 :Hymn to Yarilo

Derived and related works

*Suite from the opera ''The Snow Maiden'' includes: # Introduction # Dance of the Birds # Procession of Tsar Berendey (Cortege) # Dance of the Skomorokhi (Dance of the Tumblers) *

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 ...

to Ostrovsky's play ''The Snow Maiden'', written in 1873.

Recordings

Audio Recordings (''Mainly studio recordings'') Source
www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
*1943

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 ...

(Tsar Berendey),

Nadezhda Obukhova Nadezhda Andreyevna Obukhova (russian: Наде́жда Андре́евна Обу́хова, 1886–1961) was a Russian mezzo-soprano. She was awarded the title People’s Artist of the USSR in 1937. Pianist Heinrich Neuhaus said that "he who ...

(Spring Beauty),

Maxim Mikhailov Maxim Dormidontovich Mikhailov (russian: Максим Дормидонтович Михайлов; – Moscow 30 March 1971) was a Russian bass. His son, Igor Mikhailov (1920-1983) was the bass of the Bolshoi for several decades. His grandson M ...

(Grandfather Frost), Irina Maslennikova (Snow Maiden), Maria Maksakova (Lel), Sofia Panova (Kupava), Alexei Ivanov (Mizgir); Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra & Chorus;

Kiril Kondrashin Kirill Petrovich Kondrashin (, ''Kirill Petrovič Kondrašin''; – 7 March 1981) was a Soviet and Russian conductor. People's Artist of the USSR (1972). Early life Kondrashin was born in Moscow to a family of orchestral musicians. Having spent ...

, conductor (Live) *1955 Stepan Andrashevich (Tsar Berendey), Biserka Cvejić (Spring Beauty),

Miroslav Čangalović Miroslav Čangalović ( sr-cyr, Мирослав Чангаловић; 3 March 1921 – 1 October 1999) was a Serbian opera and concert singer and is considered to be one of the greatest basses in Yugoslav history. Čangalović was born in the s ...

(Grandfather Frost), Sofija Janković (Snow Maiden), Milica Miladinović (Lel), Valerija Heybal (Kupava), Dušan Popović (Mizgir); Belgrade National Opera Orchestra & Chorus;

Krešimir Baranović Krešimir Baranović (25 July 1894 – 17 September 1975) was a Croatian composer and conductor. He was director and conductor of the Zagreb Opera, Belgrade Opera and professor at the Belgrade Music Academy. In the spirit of a kind of Slavic ...

, conductor (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

) *1956

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 ...

(Tsar Berendey), Vera Borisenko (Spring Beauty), Alexei Krivchenya (Grandfather Frost), Vera Firsova (Snow Maiden),

Larisa Avdeyeva Larisa Ivanovna Avdeyeva or Avdeeva (russian: Лариса Ивановна Авдеева; 21 June 192510 March 2013) was a Soviet and Russian mezzo-soprano, who starred with the Bolshoi Opera for thirty years. People’s Artist of the RSFSR (196 ...

(Lel),

Galina Vishnevskaya Galina Pavlovna Vishnevskaya (russian: links=no, Галина Павловна Вишневская, Ivanova, Иванова; 25 October 192611 December 2012) was a Russian soprano opera singer and recitalist who was named a People's Artist o ...

(Kupava), Yuri Galkin (Mizgir); Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra & Chorus;

Evgeny Svetlanov Yevgeny Fyodorovich Svetlanov (russian: Евгéний Фёдорович Светлáнов; 6 September 1928 – 3 May 2002) was a Russian conductor, composer and a pianist. Life and work Svetlanov was born in Moscow and studied conducting wi ...

, conductor *1975 Anton Grigoryev (Tsar Berendey),

Irina Arkhipova Irina Konstantinovna Arkhipova (russian: Ири́на Константи́новна Архи́пова; 2 January 1925 11 February 2010, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian mezzo-soprano, and later contralto, opera singer. She sang leading roles fi ...

(Spring Beauty),

Alexander Vedernikov Alexander Alexandrovich Vedernikov (; 11 January 1964 – 29 October 2020) was a Russian conductor. He held major posts with the Bolshoi Theatre the Odense Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Danish Opera, and the Mikhailovsky Theatre. Biography Bor ...

(Grandfather Frost), Valentina Sokolik (Snow Maiden),

(Lel), Lidiya Zakharenko (Kupava), Anatoly Moksyakov (Mizgir); Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus;

Vladimir Fedoseyev Vladimir Ivanovich Fedoseyev ( rus, Владимир Иванович Федосе́ев, p=, links=no; born 5 August 1932, in Leningrad, Soviet Union) is a Soviet and Russian conductor, accordionist, teacher. People's Artist of the USSR (1980). ...

, conductor *1985 Avram Andreev (Tsar Berendey), Alexandrina Milcheva (Spring Beauty),

Nicola Ghiuselev Nicola Ghiuselev (Bulgarian: Никола Гюзелев) (also ''Gyuzelev''; 17 August 1936 – 16 May 2014) was a Bulgarian operatic bass, particularly associated with the Italian and Russian repertories. Biography Ghiuselev was born on 17 ...

(Grandfather Frost), Elena Zemenkova (Snow Maiden), Stefka Mineva (Lel), Stefka Evstatieva (Kupava), Lyubomir Videnov (Mizgir); Bulgarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus; Stoyan Angelov, conductor ( Capriccio) *1987 Alexander Fedin (Tsar Berendey), Nina Terentieva (Spring Beauty), Georgy Seleznev (Grandfather Frost), Irina Zhurina (Snow Maiden), Tatiana Erastova (Lel), Lyudmila Sergienko (Kupava), Igor Morozov (Mizgir); Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra & Chorus; Alexander Lazarev, conductor *2021 ( BD and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

release): 2017 Opéra national de Paris production,

Aida Garifullina Aida Emilevna Garifullina (russian: Аида Эмилевна Гарифуллина, tt-Cyrl, Аида Эмил кызы Гарифуллина, translit=Aida Emil kyzy Garifullina; born 30 September 1987) is a Russian lyric soprano of Tatar d ...

(Snowmaiden), Yuriy Mynenko (Lel), Martina Serafin (Kupava), Maxim Paster (Tsar Berendy), Thomas Johannes Mayer (Mizguir),

Elena Manistina Elena Manistina (russian: Елена Манистина, born 1973) is a Russian operatic mezzo-soprano. She is a member of the Bolshoi Theatre and has appeared in many operas internationally. She also appeared as Verdi's Azucena at the Metro ...

(Spring Beauty), Vladimir Ognovenko (Father Frost), Franz Hawlata (Bermyata), Vasily Gorshkov (Bobyl Bakula),

Opéra national de Paris The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

, Mikhail Tatarnikov, conductor, (

Dmitri Tcherniakov Dmitri Tcherniakov (russian: Дмитрий Черняков) (born May 11, 1970) is a Russian theatre director, and winner of numerous national Golden Mask theatre awards, who works with many European opera houses. Biography Tcherniakov was bor ...

stage direction).

Movie

In 2017, the Paris Opera made a film of a Russian language performance of the opera, based on a live production by Orchestre de l'Opera National de Paris. The Snowmaiden was Aida Garifuluna, and Lel was Yurit Mynenko. The conductor was Mikhail Serafin, with stage direction and set design by Dmitri Tchiarniakov. The film is available in video reproductions - Film, DVD, and Blu-ray. This link, https://www.hdvdarts.com/titles/snow-maiden, offers further commentary on the 2017 production.

References

;Sources * *Halbe, Gregory A. ''Music, Drama, and Folklore in Rimsky-Korsakov's Opera "Snegurochka".'' Ph.D. dissertation, Musicology, Ohio State University, 2004. * Lischke, André. "Les leitmotives de ''Snegourotchka'' analyses par Rimsky-Korsakov," ''Revue de musicologie'' 65/1 (1979), pp. 51–75. *Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai. ''My Musical Life''. Trans. from the 5th rev. Russian ed. by Judah A. Joffe; ed. with an introduction by Carl Van Vechten. London : Ernst Eulenburg Ltd, 1974. *_______. ''Разбор “Снегурочки".'' ''Литературные произведения и переписка. Полное собрание сочинений'', Том IV. 'Analysis of "Snowmaiden".'' ''Literary Works and Correspondence. Complete'' [sic''Collection of Works'', Vol. IV.] Москва: Гос. муз. изд-во, 1960, pp. 393–426. *''100 опер: история создания, сюжет, музыка.'' [''100 Operas: History of Creation, Subject, Music.''] Ленинград: Издательство "Музыка," 1968, pp. 336–341.

External links

Russian libretto in zip file for Word
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Snow Maiden Operas by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Russian-language operas 1882 operas Operas based on plays Operas Fictional emperors and empresses Fictional fairies and sprites Snegurochka