Mp3s Biography Sheetmusic | Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov The Golden CockerelOpera 1907.Zolotoi petushok. Le Coq d'Or. |
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The Golden Cockerel (Russian: Золотой Петушок, Zolotoy Petushok) is an opera in three acts (with short prologue and even shorter epilogue) by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by Vladimir Belsky and is based on Alexander Pushkin's 1834 poem The Tale of the Golden Cockerel (which is based on two chapters of Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving). The opera was completed in 1907, and received its premiere in Moscow in 1909, thus after the composer's death. Previously, the opera was commonly performed in French under the still recognized title Le Coq d'Or.
Composition historyRimsky-Korsakov had considered his previous opera, The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya (1907) to be his final artistic statement in the medium, and, indeed, this work has been called a "summation of the nationalistic operatic tradition of Glinka and The Five."[1] However the political situation in Russia at the time inspired him to take up the pen to compose a "razor-sharp satire of the autocracy, of Russian imperialism, and of the Russo-Japanese war."[2] Four factors influenced Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov to write this opera-ballet:
Rimsky-Korsakov decided to create a work exposing the disastrous tsarist regime, and in 1906 he started work on his Golden Cockerel opera. It was finished in 1907. The opera was immediately banned by the Palace, and was not allowed to be staged — the resemblance between the Czar and the foolish King Dodon was too close. Rimsky-Korsakov’s health was probably affected by this, and he was dead by the time it was performed two years later. Performance historyThe premiere of the opera in Moscow took place on 7 October (O.S. 24 September), 1909 at the Solodovnikov Theatre presented by the Zimin Opera. The conductor was Emil Cooper and set designs were by Ivan Bilibin. Several weeks later, the opera was presented at the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow on 6 November, 1909 conducted by Vyacheslav Suk and set designs by Konstantin Korovin. The London and Paris premieres were both given in 1914, but the Paris production was as an Opera-Ballet, with Mikhail Fokin (Michel Fokine). The United States premiere took place in the Metropolitan Opera on March 6, 1918 with Marie Sundelius in the title role, Adamo Didur and Maria Barrientos in the actual leads, and Pierre Monteux conducting. The Met performed the work regularly through 1945 with all of the performances prior to World War II being sung in French. However, during the work's final season in the Met reopertoire the performances were sung in English. After 1945 the opera was never (so far) revived by the Met, but received revival at the New York City Opera in 1967–1971 (all performances in English) when Beverly Sills sang the role of the Queen of Shemakha to Norman Treigle's Dodon, Julius Rudel conducting Tito Capobianco's production. Instrumentation
Roles
Note on names:
SynopsisTime: Unspecified Act 1In the short prologue, after quotation in the orchestra of the most important leitmotifs, a mysterious Astrologer comes before the curtain announcing to the audience that although they are going to see and hear a fictional tale from long ago, his story has a valid and true moral. The bumbling King Dodon talks himself into believing that his country is in danger from the neighbouring State governed by the beautiful Queen of Shemakha. He asks for the advice of the Astrologer, who gives him a magic Golden Cockerel, which promises to look after his interests. The Golden Cockerel confirms that Queen of Shemakha certainly has some territorial ambitions, so King Dodon foolishly decides to make a pre-emptive strike against the neighbouring State, and sends his army, led by his two sons, to start the battle. Act 2However, his sons are both so inept that they manage to kill each other on the battlefield. King Dodon then decides to lead the army himself, but further bloodshed is averted because the Golden Cockerel ensures that the old king becomes besotted when he actually sees the beautiful Queen. The Queen herself encourages this situation by performing a seductive dance — which tempts the King to try and partner her, but he is clumsy and makes a complete mess of it. The Queen realises that she can take over Dodon’s country without further fighting — she engineers a marriage proposal from Dodon, which she coyly accepts. Act 3The Final Scene starts with the great Bridal procession in all its splendour — and when this is reaching its conclusion, the Astrologer appears and says to the king “You promised me anything I could ask for if there could be a happy resolution of your troubles.......” “Yes, Yes,” said the king, “Just name it and you shall have it”. “Right,” said the Astrologer, “I want Queen of Shemakha!”. At this, the King flares up in fury, and strikes down the Astrologer with a blow from his mace. The Golden Cockerel, loyal to his Astrologer master, then swoops across and pecks through the King’s jugular. The sky darkens and when light returns, both queen and cockerel disappear. In the epilogue, the Astrologer comes again before the curtain and announces the end of his story, reminding the public that what they just saw was "only an illusion," that only he and the queen were mortals and real. Principal arias and numbers
AnalysisPreface to The Golden Cockerel by librettist V. Belsky (1907) The purely human character of Pushkin's story, The Golden Cockerel —a tragi-comedy showing the fatal results of human passion and weakness— allows us to place the plot in any surroundings and in any period. On these points the author does not commit himself, but indicates vaguely in the manner of fairy-tales: "In a certain far-off kingdom", "in a country set on the borders of the world".... Nevertheless, the name Dodon and certain details and expressions used in the story prove the poet's desire to give his work the air of a popular Russian tale (like Tsar Saltan), and similar to those fables expounding the deeds of Prince Bova, of Jerouslan Lazarevitch or Erhsa Stchetinnik, fantastical pictures of national habit and costumes. Therefore, in spite of Oriental traces, and the Italian names Duodo, Guidone, the tale is intended to depict, historically, the simple manners and daily life of the Russian people, painted in primitive colours with all the freedom and extravagance beloved of artists. In producing the opera the greatest attention must be paid to every scenic detail, so as not to spoil the special character of the work. The following remark is equally important. In spite of its apparent simplicity, the purpose of The Golden Cockerel is undoubtedly symbolic. This is not to be gathered so much from the famous couplet: "Tho' a fable, I admit, moral can be drawn to fit!" which emphasises the general message of the story, as from the way in which Pushkin has shrouded in mystery the relationship between his two fantastical characters: The Astrologer and the Queen. Did they hatch a plot against Dodon? Did they meet by accident, both intent on the king's downfall? The author does not tell us, and yet this is a question to be solved in order to determine the interpretation of the work. The principal charm of the story lies in so much being left to the imagination, but, in order to render the plot somewhat clearer, a few words as to the action on the stage may not come amiss. Many centuries ago, a wizard, still alive today sought, by his magic cunning to overcome the daughter of the Aerial Powers. Failing in his project, he tried to win her through the person of King Dodon. He is unsuccessful and to console himself, he presents to the audience, in his magic lantern the story of heartless royal ingratitude. Marina Frolova-Walker points to The Golden Cockerel as the fore-runner of the anti-psychologistic and absurdist ideas which would culminate in such 20th century 'anti-operas' as Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges (1921) and Shostakovich's The Nose (1930). In this, his last opera, Rimsky-Korsakov had laid "the foundation for modernist opera in Russia and beyond."[1] Performance practiceComposer's Performance Remarks (1907)
Staging Practices Early stagings became influential by stressing the modernist elements inherent in the opera. Diaghilev's 1914 Paris production had the singers sitting offstage, while dancers provided the stage action.[1] Though some in Russia disapproved of Diaghilev's interpretation, and Rimsky-Korsakov's widow threatened to sue, the production was considered a milestone. Stravinsky was to expand on this idea in the staging of his own Renard (1917) and Les Noces (1923), in which the singers are unseen, and mimes or dancers perform on stage.[3] Derived worksRimsky-Korsakov made the following concert arrangement:
After his death, A. Glazunov and M. Shteynberg (Steinberg) compiled the following orchestral suite:
Inspiration for other worksIn 1978-79 the English composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji wrote “Il gallo d’oro” da Rimsky-Korsakov: variazioni frivole con una fuga anarchica, eretica e perversa. RecordingsAudio Recordings (Mainly studio recordings, unless otherwise indicated) Source: www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
The actual ShemakhaThere is an actual city of Shemakha (also known as "Şamaxı", "Schemacha" and "Shamakhy") which is the capital of the Shamakhi Rayon of Azerbaijan. At the time when Pushkin wrote the orinianl poem on which the opera is based, it was an important city and the capital of what was to become later the Baku Governorate. However, the realm of that name, ruled by the queen in the poem and the opera, bears little resemblance to the actual city and area or to any actual ruler there; Pushkin seems to have picked up the name as a convenient name for an exotic fictional kingdom. Notes
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The_Golden_Cockerel". Allthough most Wikipedia articles provide accurate information accuracy can not be guaranteed. |
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