Catherine II and opera
Encyclopedia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was not only an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
fan, a patroness of the arts, music and theatre, but also an opera librettist. She commissioned some well-known Russian and foreign composers to provide music for her texts.
The Imperial opera and ballet theatre were founded by imperial decree in 1783 , and the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre
Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre
The Saint Petersburg Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre was a theatre in Saint Petersburg.- History :It was built in 1783 to Antonio Rinaldi's Neoclassical design as the Kamenny Theatre. It was rebuilt in 1802 and renamed the Bolshoi, but burned down in 1811. The building was restored in 1818, and...
was built in St Petersburg for opera and ballet performances that surpassed the great European theatres in their brilliance and luxury.
She wrote nine opera texts in addition to fourteen comedies, seven proverbs (short plays), and other dramatic writings. In writing these texts she was supervised by other writers including Ivan Perfilevich Elagin, and Alexander Vasilyevich Khrapovitsky.
She was intelligent enough to be self-critical, stating in her letter to Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
that her dramatic works were weak in plot and ill-sustained in intrigue, but natural and true in their characterization.
She chose Vasily Pashkevich
Vasily Pashkevich
Vasily Alexeyevich Pashkevich also Paskevich was a Russian composer, singer, violinist and teacher who lived during the time of Catherine the Great.-Biography:...
to compose music for her dramatic fairy tale Fevey
Fevey
Fevey is an opera by Vasily Pashkevich to a Russian libretto by Catherine II of Russia.Empress Catherine II had literary ambitions and wrote nine opera librettos. This one, an allegorical fairy tale, was called The Story of Tsarevich Fevey...
. This was staged on April 30 [OS April 19], 1786 at the Hermitage Theatre
Hermitage Theatre
The Hermitage Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of five Hermitage buildings lining the Palace Embankment of the Neva River.The palatial theatre was built between 1783 and 1787 at the behest of Catherine the Great to a Palladian design by Giacomo Quarenghi...
in St Petersburg. The lavish opera production evoked widespread admiration.
The Italian-trained composer Yevstigney Fomin
Yevstigney Fomin
Yevstigney Ipat'yevich Fomin was a Russian opera composer of the 18th century.-Biography:...
was chosen to compose an opera-ballet to her libretto The Novgorod Hero Boyeslayevich (Новгородский богатырь Боеслаевич – Novgorodskiy bogatyr’ Boyeslayevich, staged on December 8 [OS October 27], 1786 at St Petersburg).
The subject of the fairy tale on Fuflych-Bogatyr (Fuflych Unfortunate Hero) was suggested by Count Orlov. Catherine made this a parody on her cousin Gustav III
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
, King of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The libretto was set to music by Vicente Martin y Soler
Vicente Martín y Soler
Vicente Martín y Soler was a Spanish composer of opera and ballet. Although relatively obscure today, in his own day he was compared favorably with his contemporary, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as a composer of opera buffa. He has been called the Valencian Mozart.He was born in Valencia and studied...
, a Spanish composer settled in Russia in 1788. The opera Gore-Bogatyr Kosometovich (Горе-Богатырь Косометович – The Unfortunate Hero Kosometovich March 30 [OS February 9], 1789 Hermitage Theatre
Hermitage Theatre
The Hermitage Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of five Hermitage buildings lining the Palace Embankment of the Neva River.The palatial theatre was built between 1783 and 1787 at the behest of Catherine the Great to a Palladian design by Giacomo Quarenghi...
, St Petersburg) with an overture on three Russian tunes had a great success and Great Princes Alexander and Konstantin knew it by heart. However Catherine, to avoid a political scandal, put a note in the printed libretto “Do not perform in the Town Theatre for the foreign ministers”. Prince Potemkin who attended the third performance of the opera agreed to this.
Catherine wished the famous Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa was an Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school...
to set her drama on the subject from early history of Russia The Early Reign of Oleg (1786), but he was too slow, and she replaced him with Giuseppe Sarti
Giuseppe Sarti
Giuseppe Sarti was an Italian opera composer.-Biography:He was born at Faenza. His date of birth is not known, but he was baptised on 1 December 1729. Some earlier sources say he was born on 28 December, but his baptism certificate proves the later date impossible...
who wrote the opera together with Pashkevich
Pashkevich
Pashkevich is a surname that may refer to:* Igor Pashkevich, Russian/Azerbaijani figure skater* Vasily Pashkevich , Russian composer, singer, violinist and teacher...
and Milanese musician C. Cannobio, staged on October 26, [OS October 15] 1790 at Hermitage Theatre
Hermitage Theatre
The Hermitage Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of five Hermitage buildings lining the Palace Embankment of the Neva River.The palatial theatre was built between 1783 and 1787 at the behest of Catherine the Great to a Palladian design by Giacomo Quarenghi...
The opera to her libretto Fedul s det’mi (Федул с детьми – Fedul and his Children was written by Vasily Pashkevich
Vasily Pashkevich
Vasily Alexeyevich Pashkevich also Paskevich was a Russian composer, singer, violinist and teacher who lived during the time of Catherine the Great.-Biography:...
with Martin y Soler) and premiered on January 27 ([OS January 16]) , 1791 in St Petersburg.
Dramatic works
- О время! комедия в трех действиях – O vremya! also O Tempora! (O Time!), a comedy in three acts
- Именины г-жи Ворчалкиной, комедия в пяти действиях –Imeniny gospozhi Vorchalkinoy (Mrs Grumble’s Birthday), a comedy in five acts
- Передняя знатного боярина, комедия в одном действии - Perednyaya znatnogo boyarina (The Waiting Room of the Grang Boyard), a comedy in one act
- Госпожа Вестникова с семьею, комедия в одном действии – Gospozha Vestnikova s semyoyu (Mme Vestnikova and her Family), a comedy in one act
- Невеста-невидимка. комедия в одном действии – Nevesta-nevidimka (The Invisible Bride), a comedy in one act
- Вот каково иметь корзину и белье, комедия в пяти действиях –Vot kakovo imet’ korzinu I belyo (This is How to Have Both the Basket and the Linen), a comedy in five acts
- Разносторонняя семья осторожками и подозрениями, комедия в пяти действиях – Raznostoronnyaya semya ostorozhkami i podozraniyami (The Versatile Family), a comedy in five acts
- Недоразумение, комедия в пяти действиях – Nedorazumeniye (The Confusion), a comedy in five acts
- Обманщик, комедия в пяти действиях – Obmanshchik (The Twister), a comedy in five acts
- Обольщенный, комедия в пяти действиях – Obolshchonny (The Seduced), a comedy in five acts
- Шаман Сибирский, комедия в пяти действиях – Shaman Sibirsky (Siberian Shaman), a comedy in five acts
- Из жизни Рюрика, историческое представление – Iz zhizni Rurika (From Rurik’s Life), a historical drama
- Начальное управление Олега, историческое представление – Nachalnoye upravleniye Olega (The Early Reign of Oleg), a historical drama
- Новгородский богатырь Боеслаевич, комическая опера – Novgorodsky bogatyr Boeslaevich (The Novgorod Hero Boyeslayevich), a comic opera
- Горебогатырь Косометович, комическая опера – Gorebogatyr Kosometovich (The Unfortunate Hero Kosometovich), a comic opera
- Федул с детьми – Fedul s det’mi (Fedul and his Children)
Prose
- Сказка о царевиче Хлоре, аллегорическая сказка – Skazka o tsareviche Khlore (The Story of Tsarevich Chlor), an allegorical fairy tale
- Сказка о царевиче Февее, аллегорическая сказка – Skazka o tsareviche Feveye The Story of Tsarevich FeveyFeveyFevey is an opera by Vasily Pashkevich to a Russian libretto by Catherine II of Russia.Empress Catherine II had literary ambitions and wrote nine opera librettos. This one, an allegorical fairy tale, was called The Story of Tsarevich Fevey...
, an allegorical fairy tale - Письма Патрикея Правдомыслова– Pis’ma Patrikeya Pravdomyslova (The Letters of Patrikey Pravdomyslov)
- Письмо к господину Живописцу– Pis’mo k gospodinu Zhivopistsu (The Letter to Mr Painter)
- Были и Небылицы и связанные с ними полемические заметки – Byli I nebylitsy I svyazannye s nimi polemicheskiye zametki (The stories and Fables, and Polemical Notes Connected to Them)
- Общества незнающих, ежедневная записка – Obshchestva neznayushchihk, ezhednevnaya zapiska (The Societies of Ignorance, Everyday Notes)
- Тайна противонелепого общества – Tayna protivonelepogo obshchestva (The Mystery of the Absurd Society)