Prisoner of the Caucasus (opera)
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''Prisoner of the Caucasus'' (''Кавказский пленник'' in
Cyrillic , bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця , fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs , fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic , fam3 = Phoenician , fam4 = G ...
, ''Kavkazskij plennik'' in transliteration) 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 three acts, composed by
César Cui César Antonovich Cui ( rus, Це́зарь Анто́нович Кюи́, , ˈt͡sjezərʲ ɐnˈtonəvʲɪt͡ɕ kʲʊˈi, links=no, Ru-Tsezar-Antonovich-Kyui.ogg; french: Cesarius Benjaminus Cui, links=no, italic=no; 13 March 1918) was a Ru ...
. The libretto is credited to
Viktor Krylov Viktor Alexandrovich Krylov (russian: Виктор Александрович Крылов, 2 February 1838 — 13 March 1908) was a Russian playwright (who occasionally used the pen name Viktor Alexandrov), theatre critic, librettist, Imperial ...
, and is based on
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, ...
's 1822 poem '' The Prisoner of the Caucasus''. The English title has been rendered also as ''Prisoner in the Caucasus'' and ''The Captive in the Caucasus''. The opera was preceded on the Russian stage by choreographer
Charles Didelot Charles-Louis Didelot (28 March 1767, Stockholm - 7 November 1837, Kiev) was a French dancer, the creator of the ballet shoes and a choreographer. The son of Charles Didelot, the dance-master of the King of Sweden, he studied dance with his fath ...
's
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
of 1825.


Composition

The opera was composed in three versions. The first, in 1857–1858, consisted of only two acts (which later became Acts I and III), but its staging was cancelled due to poor orchestration and insufficient length. Meanwhile, the
overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...
, orchestrated by Mily Balakirev, could be heard in concerts. Many years later, Cui decided to revise the two-act work: during 1881-1882 he added a new middle act (Act II) and another dance to Act III. This version constituted the score for the Russian premiere. In 1885, with the prospect of a Belgian production, he expanded the finale of Act II, creating the third version of the opera.


Performance history

''Prisoner of the Caucasus'' was premiered on 4 February 1883 ( Old Style), at the Mariinsky Theatre in
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 ...
under the conductorship of
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 ...
. This opera became the most widely performed of the composer's full-length operas. Its production in
Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
in 1886 — made possible in no small way by the enthusiastic support of Cui's friend, La Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau — marked the first time that an opera by "
The Mighty Handful The Five ( rus, link=no, Могучая кучка, lit. ''Mighty Bunch''), also known as the Mighty Handful, The Mighty Five, and the New Russian School, were five prominent 19th-century Russian composers who worked together to create a distinct ...
" was performed in the West. Nevertheless, with this exception, the opera seems to have never been staged outside of
Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
and to have fallen out of the repertory in Russia after the composer's death.


Roles


Synopsis

:Place:
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
, in a mountain
aoul An aul (; ce, oil; russian: аул) is a type of fortified village or town found throughout the Caucasus mountains and Central Asia. The word itself is of Turkic origin and simply means ''village'' in many Turkic languages. Auyl ( kk, Ауы ...
Act I. After the men of the aoul pray to
Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
, Kazenbek tells his melancholy daughter, Fatima, that a bridegroom has been chosen for her. She meditates on her sorrow. Suddenly a crowd of highlanders arrive, bringing along a Russian Prisoner that Fatima's bridegroom has captured as a wedding gift. Fatima begins to sympathize and eventually to fall in love with the Prisoner. The Prisoner is left alone until night, when Fatima secretly brings him some food. After they part, a highlander runs in to tell Kazenbek of a group of Russians raiding a nearby aoul. The people come out to join in the combat against the despised enemy. Act II. A group of women congratulates Fatima on her impending nuptials. After they leave, Fatima reveals her sadness to her friend Mar'iam. Hearing the approaching steps of Kazenbek and Fekherdin, the two of them hide behind a curtain while overhearing the conversation. The mullah has had a dream revealing Fatima's love for the Russian Prisoner. The two men exit. Then the bridegroom, Abubeker, arrives. He expresses his love for Fatima. She greets him, and gifts from the groom are presented. Abubeker gives the Prisoner to Kazenbek, who hates the Russian. The people condemn the Prisoner to death, which he welcomes to end his suffering. Act III. At the wedding feast, the people praise the bridegroom. The women, then the men, perform dances. After Mar'iam sings a Circassian song, all exit except for the newlyweds. Fatima is still sad, and Abubeker asks the reason. When they exit, the shackled Prisoner enters. Then Fatima appears; she urges the Prisoner to escape and frees him. He tells her that he loves not her, but another in his homeland. She is devastated as he runs away. Mar'iam appears and tells Fatima that the entire village is preparing to take revenge on the Russian. The people arrive and are horrified at the news of Fatima's actions. As they set out to kill her, Fatima stabs herself to death. '' ote: According to the score, this is the method of Fatima's demise in the opera, ''not'' drowning, which is implied in Pushkin's original poem.'


Notable musical excerpts

*Overture *
Aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
of Fatima (Act I) *Aria of the Prisoner (Act I) *Aria of Abubeker (Act II) *
Dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
s (Act III) *Circassian
Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...
(Act III)


Bibliography

*Bernandt, G.B. ''Словарь опер впервые поставленных или изданных в дореволюционной России и в СССР, 1736-1959'' 'Dictionary of Operas First Performed or Published in Pre-Revolutionary Russia and in the USSR, 1836-1959''(Москва: Советский композитор, 1962), p. 125-126. *César, Cui. ''Кавказский пленник'': опера в трех действиях (либретто по Пушкину). Переложение для пения и фортепиано 'Prisoner of the Caucasus'', opera in three acts (libretto after Pushkin). Piano-vocal score Ст.-Петербург: В. Бессель, 1882. *_______. ''Le prisonnier du Caucase'': opéra en 3 actes. Partition chant et piano. St. Petersbourg, B. Bessel, 1885.


External links

* {{Authority control Operas by César Cui Operas based on works by Aleksandr Pushkin 1883 operas Operas Russian-language operas