Aleko (opera)
Encyclopedia
Aleko is the first of three completed operas by Sergei Rachmaninoff
. The Russian libretto was written by Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko
and is an adaptation of the poem The Gypsies
by Alexander Pushkin. The opera was written in 1892 as a graduation work at the Moscow Conservatory
, and it won the highest prizes from the conservatory judges that year. It was first performed in Moscow
19 May 1892.
premiere took place on 9 May (O.S.
27 April) 1893 in Moscow.
The composer conducted another performance in Kiev
on 18/30 October 1893. (Tchaikovsky
had attended the Moscow premiere of Aleko, and Rachmaninoff had intended to hear the premiere of Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony
on 16/28 October, but had to catch a train for Kiev to fulfill his Aleko conducting engagement.) A Pushkin centenary celebration performance on 27 May 1899 at the Tauride Palace
in Saint Petersburg
featured Feodor Chaliapin
in the title role, and utilized the chorus and ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre
.
The opera had its 1st performance in England on 15 July 1915 at the London Opera House under the direction of Vladimir Rosing
.
Place:
A band of gypsies has pitched its tents for the night on the bank of a river. Beneath a pale moon, they light campfires, prepare a meal and sing of the freedom of their nomadic existence. An old gypsy tells a story. Long ago, he loved Mariula who deserted him for another man, leaving behind Zemfira, their daughter. Zemfira is now grown up, has her own child, and lives with Aleko, a Russian who has abandoned civilisation for the gypsy life. Hearing this story, Aleko is outraged that Zemfira’s father took no revenge on Mariula. But Zemfira disagrees. For her, as for her mother, love is free, and she herself has already tired of Aleko’s possessiveness and now loves a younger gypsy, one of her own people. After dances for the women and the men, the gypsies settle down to sleep. Zemfira appears with her young lover, whom she kisses passionately before disappearing into her own tent to look after her child. Aleko enters and Zemfira taunts him, singing about her wild lover. Alone, Aleko broods on the catastrophe of his relationship with Zemfira and the failure of his attempt to flee the ordinary world. As dawn comes, he surprises Zemfira and her lover together. In a torment of jealousy he kills them both. All the gypsies gather, disturbed by the noise. Led by Zemfira’s father, they spare Aleko’s life but cast him out from them for ever.
's music-dramas. Michael Bukinik, a contemporary of Rachmaninov at the conservatory, recalled the rehearsals for the opera:
Geoffrey Norris has noted criticism of the opera as lacking in dramatic momentum and the libretto as being a hastily crafted "hotchpotch". A contemporary critic in the Moskovskiye vedomosti wrote of the opera at the time of the premiere:
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
. The Russian libretto was written by Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko
Vladimir Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko was a Georgian-born Russian theatre director, writer, pedagogue, playwright, producer and theatre organizer, who founded the Moscow Art Theatre with his colleague, Konstantin Stanislavsky, in 1898.-Biography:Vladimir Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko was born...
and is an adaptation of the poem The Gypsies
The Gypsies (poem)
The Gypsies is a narrative poem by Aleksandr Pushkin, originally written in Russian in 1824 and first published in 1827. The last of Pushkin's four 'Southern Poems' written during his exile in the south of the Russian Empire, The Gypsies is also considered to be the most mature of these Southern...
by Alexander Pushkin. The opera was written in 1892 as a graduation work at the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
, and it won the highest prizes from the conservatory judges that year. It was first performed in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
19 May 1892.
Performance history
The Bolshoi Theatre'sBolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
premiere took place on 9 May (O.S.
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
27 April) 1893 in Moscow.
The composer conducted another performance in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
on 18/30 October 1893. (Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
had attended the Moscow premiere of Aleko, and Rachmaninoff had intended to hear the premiere of Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony
Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky)
The Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's final completed symphony, written between February and the end of August 1893. The composer led the first performance in Saint Petersburg on 16/28 October of that year, nine days before his death...
on 16/28 October, but had to catch a train for Kiev to fulfill his Aleko conducting engagement.) A Pushkin centenary celebration performance on 27 May 1899 at the Tauride Palace
Tauride Palace
Tauride Palace is one of the largest and most historic palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia.- Potemkin :...
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
featured Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer. The possessor of a large and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.During the first phase...
in the title role, and utilized the chorus and ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
.
The opera had its 1st performance in England on 15 July 1915 at the London Opera House under the direction of Vladimir Rosing
Vladimir Rosing
Vladimir Sergeyevich Rosing , aka Val Rosing, was a Russian-born operatic tenor and stage director who spent most of his professional career in England and the United States...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Moscow premiere cast 9 May 1893 (Conductor: Ippolit Al'tani Ippolit Al'tani Ippolit Karlovich Al'tani was a Russian conductor, choirmaster and violinist.-Biography :... ) |
Kiev premiere cast 18 October 1893 (Conductor: Rachmaninoff) |
St. Petersburg premiere cast 27 May 1899 (Conductor: Rachmaninoff) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleko | baritone | Bogomir Korsov Bogomir Korsov Bogomir Bogomirovich Korsov, was a Russian baritone opera singer.... |
Bobrov | Feodor Chaliapin Feodor Chaliapin Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer. The possessor of a large and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.During the first phase... |
| Young Gypsy | tenor | Lev Klementyev | Borisenko | Ivan Yershov Ivan Yershov Ivan Vasiliyevitch Yershov or Ershov , born November 8, 1867 - died November 21, 1943, was a Russian opera singer. He earned renown for his brilliant performances at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, performing some of the most demanding roles written for the dramatic tenor... |
| Zemfira | soprano | Mariya Deysha-Sionitskaya | Eigen | Mariya Deysha-Sionitskaya |
| An old man, Zemfira's father | bass | Stepan Vlasov | Levitsky | Frey |
| Gypsy woman | contralto | Shubina | Tomskaya | |
| Chorus, silent roles: Gypsies | ||||
Synopsis
Time:Place:
A band of gypsies has pitched its tents for the night on the bank of a river. Beneath a pale moon, they light campfires, prepare a meal and sing of the freedom of their nomadic existence. An old gypsy tells a story. Long ago, he loved Mariula who deserted him for another man, leaving behind Zemfira, their daughter. Zemfira is now grown up, has her own child, and lives with Aleko, a Russian who has abandoned civilisation for the gypsy life. Hearing this story, Aleko is outraged that Zemfira’s father took no revenge on Mariula. But Zemfira disagrees. For her, as for her mother, love is free, and she herself has already tired of Aleko’s possessiveness and now loves a younger gypsy, one of her own people. After dances for the women and the men, the gypsies settle down to sleep. Zemfira appears with her young lover, whom she kisses passionately before disappearing into her own tent to look after her child. Aleko enters and Zemfira taunts him, singing about her wild lover. Alone, Aleko broods on the catastrophe of his relationship with Zemfira and the failure of his attempt to flee the ordinary world. As dawn comes, he surprises Zemfira and her lover together. In a torment of jealousy he kills them both. All the gypsies gather, disturbed by the noise. Led by Zemfira’s father, they spare Aleko’s life but cast him out from them for ever.
Critical reception
Like Rachmaninov's two other operas, Aleko shows Rachmaninov finding his own individual style, independent of the traditional number opera or WagnerRichard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's music-dramas. Michael Bukinik, a contemporary of Rachmaninov at the conservatory, recalled the rehearsals for the opera:
"I was a pupil of the orchestra class, and during the rehearsals, we not only admired, but were made happy and proud by his daring harmonies, and were ready to see in him a reformer."
Geoffrey Norris has noted criticism of the opera as lacking in dramatic momentum and the libretto as being a hastily crafted "hotchpotch". A contemporary critic in the Moskovskiye vedomosti wrote of the opera at the time of the premiere:
"Of course there are faults, but they are far outweighed by merits, which lead one to expect much from this young composer in the future."
- 1951 I. Petrov, N. Pokrovskaya, A. Orfenov, A. Ognivtzev, V. Zlatogorova; Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra; Nikolai Golovanov, conductor. Melodiya
- ___ Vladimir Matorine, Natalia Erassova, Viatchslav Potchapski, Vitaly Tarastchenko, Galina Borissova; Russian State Choir; Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra; Andrei ChistiakovAndrei ChistiakovAndrei Chistyakov is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He played for the HC Spartak Moscow.-Career statistics:- References :...
, conductor Saison Russe - 1990 Artur Eisen (Aleko), Lyudmila Sergienko (Zemfira), Gleb Nikolsky (Old Man), Gegam Grigoryan (Young Gypsy), Anna Volkova (Gypsy Woman), Vasily Lanovoy (narrator). USSR Academic Grand Chorus of Radio & TV, USSR Academic Symphony Orchestra Svetlanov
- 1996 Ghiuselev, Petkov, Blagovesta, Karnabatlova, Plovdiv PO, Ruslan Raychev. Capriccio
- ____ Göteborgs Symfoniker, Neeme JärviNeeme JärviNeeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others...
(Conductor), DG - 2006 Egils Silins, Maria Gavrilova, Alexandra Dursuneva, Andrey Dunayev, RSO Moskau, Vladimir FedoseyevVladimir FedoseyevVladimir Ivanovich Fedoseyev is a Russian conductor.Fedoseyev graduated from the Gnessin State Musical College 1957, and Moscow Conservatory 1972. From 1974 artistic director and chief conductor of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio 1974-1999. He has also served as principal...
- 2007 Vassily Gerello (Aleko), Olga Guryakova (Zemfira), Vsevolod Grivnov (The Young Gypsy), Mikhail Kit (The Old Gypsy) Moscow Chamber OrchestraMoscow Chamber OrchestraThe Moscow Chamber Orchestra is a Chamber Orchestra based in Moscow, Russia, and assigned to the Moscow Philharmonia, a State-run enterprise, formerly under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and now, Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation.-Founding, 1955 :Rudolf Barshai was a virtuoso...
, Yurlov Capella, Constantine Orbelian - 2009. Sergey Murzaev (Aleko), Evgeny Akimov (Young Gypsy), Gennady Bezzubenkov (Old Man), Svetla Vassileva (Zemfira), BBC PhilharmonicBBC PhilharmonicThe BBC Philharmonic is a British broadcasting symphony orchestra based at Media City UK, Salford, England. It is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The orchestra's primary concert venue is the Bridgewater Hall....
, Gianandrea NosedaGianandrea NosedaGianandrea Noseda is an Italian conductor. He studied piano, composition and conducting in Milan. He furthered his conducting studies with Donato Renzetti, Myung-Whun Chung and Valery Gergiev....
. Chandos, DDD
Video
- 1986 Nelli Volshaninova (Zemfira - actress), Svetlana Volkova (Zemfira - singer), Vladimir Golovin (Old Gypsy - actor), Vladimir Matorin (Old Gypsy - singer), Maria Papazian (Old Gypsy Woman - actress), Raisa Kotova (Old Gypsy Woman - singer), Sandor Semenov (Young Gypsy - actress), Mikhail Muntyan (Young Gypsy - singer) Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Gosteleradio Chorus, Dimitri Kitayenko