Sadko is an
operaOpera 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...
in seven scenes by
Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
. The
librettoA libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
was written by the composer, with assistance from Vladimir Belsky, Vladimir Stasov, and others. Rimsky-Korsakov was first inspired by the
bylinaBylina or Bylyna is a traditional Russian oral epic narrative poem. Byliny singers loosely utilize historical fact greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole to create their songs...
of
SadkoSadko is a Russian medieval epic . The title character is an adventurer, merchant and gusli musician from Novgorod.-Synopsis:Sadko played the gusli on the shores of a lake. The Sea Tsar enjoyed his music, and offered to help him...
in 1867, when he completed a
tone poemA symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
on the subject, his
Op.An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
5. After finishing his second revision of this work in 1892, he decided to turn it into a dramatic work. The opera was completed in 1896.
The music is highly evocative, and Rimsky-Korsakov's famed powers of
orchestrationOrchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
are abundantly in evidence throughout the score.
Performance history
The world premiere took place on 7 January 1898 (
O.S.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...
26 December 1897) presented by the Russian Private Opera at the Solodovnikov Theatre in
MoscowMoscow 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...
. Its conductor was
Michele EspositoMichele Esposito was an Italian-born musical composer and pianist who lived most of his professional life in Dublin, Ireland.- Training :Esposito was born at Castellamare di Stabia, near Sorrento...
and scenic designers
Konstantin KorovinKonstantin Alekseyevich Korovin was a leading Russian Impressionist painter.-Biography:Konstantin was born in Moscow to a merchant family officially registered as "peasants of Vladimir Gubernia". His father, Aleksey Mikhailovich Korovin, earned a university degree and was more interested in arts...
and
Sergey MalyutinSergey Vasilyevich Malyutin was Russian painter, architect and stage designer. He is credited with designing and painting the first Russian matryoshka doll in 1890.- References :*...
. The St. Petersburg premiere followed 26 January 1901 at the
Mariinsky TheatreThe 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...
conducted by
Eduard NápravníkEduard Francevič Nápravník was a Czech conductor and composer, who settled in Russia and is best known for his leading role in Russian musical life as the principal conductor of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg for many decades...
with scenic design by
Apollinary VasnetsovApollinary Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov , 1856, the village of Riabovo, Vyatka province - January 23, 1933, Moscow) was a Russian painter and graphic artist whose elder brother was the more famous Viktor Vasnetsov. He specialized in scenes from the medieval history of Moscow.Vasnetsov was a painter and a...
.
In 1906, the opera was presented at the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow conducted by
Vyacheslav SukVáclav Suk, or Váša Suk, or Vyacheslav Suk was a Czech-born Russian violinist, conductor and composer.- Biography :From 1873 to 1879 Váša Suk, who is said to have been related to Joseph Suk, studied...
with scenic design by
Konstantin KorovinKonstantin Alekseyevich Korovin was a leading Russian Impressionist painter.-Biography:Konstantin was born in Moscow to a merchant family officially registered as "peasants of Vladimir Gubernia". His father, Aleksey Mikhailovich Korovin, earned a university degree and was more interested in arts...
. The first US performance occurred at the
Metropolitan OperaThe Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York on 25 January 1930, followed a year later by the first performance in London in June 1931.
While
Sadko is rarely performed today, the opera database, Operabase.com, reports performances at the
Mariinsky TheatreThe 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...
between January and March 2011.
Roles
| Role |
Voice type |
Premiere cast
Moscow, 7 January 1898 |
Premiere cast
St. Petersburg, 26 January 1901 |
| Foma Nazarich, doyen, elder of Novgorod |
tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
|
|
|
| Luka Zinovich, governor, elder of Novgorod |
bass |
|
Vladimir Mayboroda |
| Sadko, gusli-player and singer in Novgorod |
tenor |
Anton Sekar-Rozhansky |
Aleksandr Davïdov |
| Lyubava Buslayevna, his young wife |
mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
|
Aleksandra Rostovtseva |
Nina Fride |
| Nezhata, young gusli-player from Kiev |
contralto |
Varvara Strakhova |
Mariya Dolina |
| Duda, skomorokh The skomorokhs were medieval East Slavic harlequins, i.e. actors, who could also sing, dance, play musical instruments and compose most of the scores for their oral/musical and dramatic performances. The etymology of the word is not completely clear...
|
bass |
Aleksandr Brevi |
|
| Sopel, skomorokh |
tenor |
|
|
The VarangianThe Varangians or Varyags , sometimes referred to as Variagians, were people from the Baltic region, most often associated with Vikings, who from the 9th to 11th centuries ventured eastwards and southwards along the rivers of Eastern Europe, through what is now Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.According...
, overseas guest |
bass |
I. Aleksanov |
Aleksandr Antonovsky |
The IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n, overseas guest |
tenor |
Yekab Karklin |
Mitrofan Chuprïnnikov |
The VenetianVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, overseas guest |
baritone |
I. Petrov |
Aleksandr Smirnov |
| Ocean-Sea, the Sea King |
bass |
Anton Bedlevich |
Konstantin Serebryakov |
| Volkhova, the beautiful princess; his youngest, favorite daughter |
soprano |
Emilia Negrin-Shmidt (Schmidt) |
Adelaida Bolska |
| The Apparition, a mythic mighty warrior in the guise of a pilgrim |
baritone |
|
|
| Chorus, silent roles: Merchants of Novgorod, wandering minstrels, sailors, maidens, inhabitants of the undersea kingdom, people |
Synopsis
- Time:
- Place:
(
Note: Instead of traditional acts,
Sadko is divided in seven scenes, and, as that type of structure would suggest, is more loosely constructed than a traditional opera. The opera is usually performed in three or five acts, depending on how the scenes are grouped:
- Three acts – 1-2, 3-4, 5-6-7 or 1-2-3, 4, 5-6-7
- Five acts – 1, 2-3, 4, 5-6, 7)
Scene 1
Scene 2 -
The shores of Lake IlmenIlmen is a historically important lake in the Novgorod Oblast of Russia, formerly a vital part of the Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Novgorod lies six kilometers below the lake's outflow....
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Scene 6
Scene 7
The opera tells the story of
SadkoSadko is a Russian medieval epic . The title character is an adventurer, merchant and gusli musician from Novgorod.-Synopsis:Sadko played the gusli on the shores of a lake. The Sea Tsar enjoyed his music, and offered to help him...
, a
gusli player (
guslar), who leaves his wife, Lubava, and home in Novgorod and eventually returns a wealthy man. During his years of travel he amasses a fortune, weds the daughter of the King and Queen of the Ocean and has other adventures. Upon his return, the city and Lubava rejoice.
Principal Arias and Numbers
- Three arias fit into the plot as replies by foreign merchants to questions about what their respective countries are like.
- Song of the Varangian Guest (Песня Варяжского гостя), a.k.a "Song of the Viking Guest"
- Song of the Indian Guest (Песня Индийского гостя), a.k.a. "Song of India" (Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
's 1938 instrumental arrangement of it is a jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
classic, compiled on This Is Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra, Vol. 1This Is Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra, Vol. 1 is the first of two volumes originally released in a 1971 series by RCA Victor, which was created in response to a resurgence in big band recreations during the late '60s and early '70s, and is a reissue of 20 famous recordings by Tommy Dorsey & His...
.)
- Song of the Venetian Guest (Песня Веденецкого гостя)
- Volkhova's Lullaby (Колыбельная Волховы)
Recordings
- 1950, Nikolai Golovanov (conductor), USSR Bolshoi Theatre Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra, Georgi Nalepp (Sadko), Vera Davydova (wife), Sergei Krasovsky (King of the Sea), Yelizaveta Shumskaya (Princess), Yelizaveta Antonova (gusli-player), Sergei Koltypin (Buffoon 1), Alexei Peregudov (Buffoon 2), Tikhon Chernyakov (Novgorod head), Stephan Nikolau (voyvode), Mark Reizen
Mark Osipovich Reizen, also Reisen or Reyzen — died November 25, 1992 Moscow, Russia) was a leading Soviet opera singer with a beautiful and expansive bass voice.-Life and career:...
(Viking merchant), Ivan KozlovskyIvan Semyonovitch Kozlovsky was a Soviet lyric tenor of Ukrainian ethnicity, one of the greatest stars of Soviet opera, as well a producer and director of his own opera company, and longtime teacher at the Moscow Conservatory.-Biography:...
(Indian merchant), Pavel Lisitsian (Venetian merchant), Ilya Bogdanov (Mighty Old Man). (Melodiya LP M10 01480, 4 records) (Preiser Mono 90655, 3 CD).
- 1994, Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,...
(conductor), Kirov Orchestra and Chorus of the Marijinski Theater, St. Petersburg, Vladimir Galusin (Sadko), Marianna Tarassova (Lyubava), etc. (Philips CD 442 138-2, 3 discs).
Video
- 1994, Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,...
(conductor), Kirov Orchestra and Chorus of the Marijinski Theater
- 2010 DVD, [Bolshoi Opera 1980 live performance]. Yuri Siminov (conductor), Orchestra & Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre. Vladimir Atlantov (Sadko), Irina Arkhipova (Lyubava), Tamara Milashkina (Volkhova) etc. Subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Russian. Mono. 173 minutes. (VAI 4512)
Related works
- Rimsky-Korsakov's earlier symphonic poem Sadko, Op. 5
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote his "musical tableau" Sadko, Op. 5, in 1867 but revised the work in 1869 and 1892. It has sometimes been called the first symphonic poem written in Russia...
(1867), may be regarded as a precursor to the opera, as it is based on the same story. There are three versions:
- Episode from the Bïlina
Bylina or Bylyna is a traditional Russian oral epic narrative poem. Byliny singers loosely utilize historical fact greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole to create their songs...
of Sadko (1867)
- Musical Tableau–Sadko (1869)
- Musical Tableau–Sadko (1892)
Adaptations
In 1922 the English composer
Kaikhosru Shapurji SorabjiKaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji was an English composer, music critic, pianist, and writer.-Biography:...
wrote a pastiche on the "Hindu Merchant's Song" as the third of his
Three Pastiches for Piano. In 1953, a Russian film directed by
Aleksandr PtushkoAleksandr Lukich Ptushko is a Soviet animation and fantasy film director, and Meritorious Artist of the RSFSR. Ptushko is frequently referred to as "the Soviet Walt Disney," due to his prominent early role in animation in the Soviet Union, though a more accurate comparison would be to Willis...
entitled
SadkoSadko is a 1952 Russian fantasy film directed by Aleksandr Ptushko. The film is based on an opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, which was based on a Russian bylina with the same name, and scored with Rimsky-Korsakov's music from the opera....
based on the opera and featuring Rimsky-Korsakov's music was released.
Media