Beginning in the 1830s, a century of unforgettable operatic masterpieces were created, born out of the struggles to define a Russian musical identity distinct from predominant European styles—and beloved ever since throughout the world. Following the lead of Mikhail Glinka, who urged Russian music away from the West, a second generation of composers (Borodin, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov) continued this new tradition by presenting Russian history on the stage, bathed in exotic melody and spectacular visual color.
The ideals of these musicians were countered by Tchaikovsky, who gained enormous popularity by combining Western traditions with an undeniably Russian flavor. The fruit of those competing visions has left us a thrilling repertoire, extending into the early years of the 20th century with Prokofiev’s War and Peace. In a stimulating series, Saul Lilienstein explores this rich artistic heritage. Sessions are highlighted by musical and video recordings of great performances at the Bolshoi and the Metropolitan Opera.
Please Note: Individual sessions are now available for individual purchase.
APR 17 Mikhail Glinka (1804–1857)
Glinka begins the tradition of Russian opera in 1836 with A Life for the Tsar, a story of patriotism and sacrifice. He follows in 1842 with Ruslan and Ludmilla, in which the Russian expansion into Asia Minor provides the background for a magic-filed folk tale set to sinuous melodies.
APR 24 Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1891)
Mussorgsky’s epic Boris Godunov delves into the treacherous history and reign of the 16th-century tsar. Critically derided at its inception, his visionary achievement is revered by many today as the finest example of Russian theatre.
MAY 1 Alexander Borodin (1833–1887)
Borodin never finished his only opera, Prince Igor (whose Polovtsian Dances are well known to Western audiences), but his compatriots Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov recognized the unique mixture of Eastern exoticisms and Russian nationalism of this major work—and completed it for him.
MAY 8 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Tchaikovsky is best known in the West for his symphonies and concertos, but at home he has always been considered primarily a composer for the theater, producing 11 operas during his career. Two of them, Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades (both based on novels of Pushkin), rank with his greatest orchestral scores and are in the repertoires of opera companies worldwide.
MAY 15 Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908)
Rimsky-Korsakov was the most prolific (and the most colorful) of all the Russian composers. Explore excerpts from his brilliant and varied output, including The Snow Maiden, Mozart and Salieri, and The Golden Cockerel.
MAY 22 Sergey Prokofiev (1891–1953)
Prokofiev began his creative confrontation with Tolstoy’s monumental War and Peace during Soviet Russia’s own struggle against the Nazi invasion during WWII and continued working on it up to the year of his death. The promise of 100 years of Russian operatic heritage finds fulfillment in this sweeping drama of heroic resistance to Napoleon’s invasion of 1812, and the plight of lovers caught in the struggle.
Lilienstein, a scholar of classical music and opera, has produced more than 90 CDs for Washington National Opera in which he analyzes the works in the company’s repertoire.
6 sessions
Photo caption (above right): "Boris Godunov", by Modest Mussorgsky, at the Mariinsky Opera (Mariinsky Theatre)
