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Overview

Synopsis

When Gryaznoy鈥檚 request to marry the beautiful Marfa is rejected by her father, because she is already engaged, Gryaznoy cannot let it go. He commissions aand love potion from a foreign physician, and plans to give it to Marfa at her engagement party. His plot has been observed by his mistress, Lyubasha, a woman who has sacrificed everything for him, and whom he now repays with silence and bitterness. Lyubasha makes her own deal with the physician, and commissions a poison that will slowly take away someone鈥檚 beauty, swapping Gryaznoy鈥檚 potion for her own poison.

During the engagement part, the Tsar sends a messenger to announce that he has chosen Marfa to be his own bride, but it is already too late; Marfa is succumbing to the effects of Lyubasha鈥檚 poison. Gryaznoy has Lykov executed, under false charges of trying to murder Marfa, but he still cannot understand why Marfa is so sick. When he visits her, Marfa is half mad, and thinks that he is Lykov. She dreams of their life together, and tells him to return to her tomorrow, before dying in his arms. Only now does Lyubasha reveal the truth: she swapped the poison to hurt them both. Enraged, Gryaznoy kills Lyubasha. He is imprisoned and will be executed for his crime.

Despite being set against the backdrop of 16th century Russia, with its terrifying ruler Ivan IV, and the constant threat of the Oprichnina, Rimsky-Korsakov鈥檚 The Tsar鈥檚 Bride is, at its heart, an opera about intense human emotion, and how lust and jealousy lead to the destruction of so many lives.

Show Information

Music
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Libretto
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Based on the Play/Book/Film
The Tsar's Bride by L. Mei
Category
Opera
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
4
First Produced
1899
Genres
Drama, Historical/Biographical, Tragedy
Settings
Period, Multiple Settings
Time & Place
Autumn 1572, Aleksandrovsky settlement, Moscow, Russia
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
Large
Dancing
Some Dance
Licensor
None/royalty-free
Ideal For
Professional Opera, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Mature Adult, Young Adult, Adult, Elderly Characters, Large Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Marfa / Марфа

Lead

Female

Soprano

Lykov / Лыков

Lead

Male

Tenor

Gryaznoy / Грязного

Lead

Male

Baritone

Lyubasha / Любаша

Lead

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Sobakin / Собакин

Supporting

Male

Bass

Malyuta / Малюта

Supporting

Male

Bass

Bomelius / Бомелий

Supporting

Male

Tenor

Saburova / Сабурова

Supporting

Female

Soprano

Dunyasha / Дуняша

Supporting

Female

Contralto

Petrovna / Петровна

Featured

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

The Tsar's stoker / Царская истопник

Featured

Male

Bass

Country Girl / сенная девушка

Featured

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Young Man / Молодой парень

Featured

Male

Tenor

Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich / царь иван васильевич

Featured

Male

Silent

Chorus

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Contralto

Songs

Overture

Act One - The Feast

Scene 1

Scene 2

  • Scene 鈥樞斝� 胁芯褌 懈 谐芯褋褌懈鈥� / 'Da vot i gosti' - Gryaznoy, Malyuta, Bomelius, Lykov, Chorus
  • Aria Lykov 鈥樞感叫拘� 胁褋械, 薪 谢褞写懈鈥� / 鈥業noe vse, n lyudi鈥� - Lykov, Gryaznoy, Chorus

Scene 3

  • Scene 鈥樞バ拘费徯感�! 袩褉懈泻邪蟹邪谢 斜褘 褌褘鈥� / 'Khozyain! Prikazal by ty' - Malyuta, Gryaznoy, Lykov, Chorus
  • 袩芯写斜谢褞写薪邪褟 锌械褋薪褟 '小谢邪胁邪' / Sublime Song 鈥楪lory鈥� - Chorus, Lykov, Bomelius, Malyuta, Gryaznoy
  • Dance And Chorus 鈥樞毿靶� 蟹邪 褉械褔械薪褜泻芯泄 褟褉 褏屑械谢褜鈥� / 'Kak za rechen'koy yar khmel' - Chorus
  • Recitative 鈥樞愋谎� 锌邪屑褟褌褜 懈 屑械薪褟鈥� / 鈥楢l' pamyat' i menya鈥� - Malyuta, Gryaznoy, Bomelius

Scene Four

Scene Five

  • Scene 鈥樞捫拘夹敌恍感光€� / 'Bomeli' - Bomelius, Gryaznoy
  • Trio 鈥樞狙�, 薪械 胁械褉懈褌褋褟鈥� / 鈥榦kh, ne veritsya鈥� - Bomelius, Gryaznoy, Lyubasha

Scene 6

  • Recitative 鈥樞椥把囆敌� 褌褘鈥� / 'Zachem ty' - Gryaznoy, Lyubasha
  • Duet 鈥樞椥叫把傃�, 薪械 谢褞斜懈褕褜鈥� / 鈥榋nat, ne lyubish鈥� - Gryaznoy, Lyubasha

Act Two - The Love Potion

Scene 1

  • 鈥樞捫狙� 袘芯谐 锌褉懈胁械谢鈥� / 'Vot Bog privyol' - Chorus, Young Man

Scene 2

  • Recitative 鈥樞樠堁� 胁械褉褏械褉-褌芯 泻邪泻芯泄鈥� / 'Ish' vercher-to kakoy' - Petrovna, Dunyasha, Marfa
  • Aria Marfa 鈥樞� 袧芯胁谐芯褉芯写械鈥� / 'V Novgorode' - Marfa

Scene 3

  • Scene 鈥樞愌�, 褔褌芯 褋芯 屑薪芯泄鈥� / 'Akh, chto so mnoy' - Marfa, Dunyasha, Lykov, Sobakin
  • Quartet 鈥樞熜拘承拘囱�, 屑芯褟 屑懈谢邪褟鈥� / 'Pogodi, moya milaya' - Sobakin, Lykov, Dunyasha, Marfa

Intermezzo

Scene 4

  • 鈥樞犘靶沸残敌葱靶恍扳€� / 'Razvedala' - Lyubasha, Bomelius, Sobakin, Marfa, Dunyasha, Lykov

Scene 5

  • Aria 鈥樞捫狙� 写芯 褔械谐芯 褟 写芯卸懈谢邪鈥� / 鈥榁ot do chego ya dozhila' - Lyubasha
  • Scene 鈥樞熝€芯褖邪泄, 袠胁邪薪 小械褉谐械懈褔鈥� / 鈥楶roshchay, Ivan Sergeich' - Lyubasha, Marfa, Sobakin, Lykov, Bomelius

Scene Six

  • 鈥樞⑿� 薪械 褋芯泻芯谢褘鈥� / 'To ne sokoly' - Chorus

Act Three - The Best Man

Introduction

Scene One

  • Trio 鈥樞а傂� 袚芯褋锌芯写邪 谐薪械胁懈鈥� / 'Chto Gospoda gnevit' - Sobakin, Lykov, Gryaznoy

Scene Two

  • Recitative 鈥樞⌒盒靶缎�, 斜芯褟褉懈薪鈥� / 'Skazhi, boyarin' - Lykov
  • Arietta 鈥樞а傂� 褋写械谢邪谢 斜褘鈥� / 'Chto sdelal by' - Gryaznoy

Scene Three

  • Recitative 鈥樞� 胁芯褌 懈 屑械写鈥� / 'A vot i myod' - Sobakin, Saburova
  • Arioso Saburova 鈥樞捫狙�, 斜邪褌褞褕泻邪, 胁锌褍褋褌懈谢懈鈥� / 'Vot, batyushka, vpustili' - Saburova, Sobakin
  • Recitative 鈥樞澬笛冃缎敌恍� 袛褍薪褟褕邪鈥� / 鈥楴euzheli Dunyasha鈥� - Lykov
  • Aria Lykov 鈥樞⒀冄囆� 薪械薪邪褋褌薪邪褟鈥� / 'Tucha nenastnaya' - Lykov
  • Scene 鈥樞捫敌囱� 褟 卸械 谐芯胁芯褉懈谢 褌械斜械鈥� / 'Ved' ya zhe govoril tebe' - Gryaznoy, Lykov

Scene Four

  • Scene 鈥樞熜拘毙拘谎屟埿� 卸械薪懈褏褍鈥� / 'Pobol'she zhenikhu' - Gryaznoy
  • Sextet With Chorus 鈥樞斝靶� 袘芯谐 褔褌芯斜 写芯屑 褍 胁邪褋鈥� / 'Day Bog chtob dom u vas' - Gryaznoy, Marfa, Lykov, Saburova, Dunyasha, Sobakin, Chorus
  • Song In Honour Of The Couple 鈥樞熜拘残敌恍秆囆把傃� 斜褘 薪邪屑鈥� / 'Povelichat' by nam' - Saburova, Chorus, Dunyasha

Scene Five

  • Scene 鈥樞� 褌械斜械 懈写褍褌 斜芯褟褉械鈥� / 'K tebe idut boyare' - Petrovna, Sobakin, Malyuta,

Act Four - The Bride

Introduction and Scene One

  • Recitative and Aria Sobakin 鈥樞椥靶毖嬓恍把佈忊€� / 'Zabylasya' - Sobakin
  • Scene 鈥樠傃� 薪械 谐褉褍褋褌懈鈥� / 鈥楾y ne grycty鈥� - Saburova, Sobakin, Country Girl, The Tsar鈥檚 Stoker

Scene Two

  • Recitative and Scene 鈥樞懶拘谎屟埿拘� 锌芯泻谢芯薪 斜芯褟褉懈薪褍鈥� / 'Bol'shoy poklon boyarinu' - Gryaznoy, Sobakin, Marfa, Saburova, Chorus,
  • Quintet With Chorus 鈥樞椥靶逞冃毙恍敌叫� 褋褌褉邪写邪谢懈褑邪 褑邪褉械胁薪邪鈥� / 'Zagublena stradalitsa tsarevna' - Gryaznoy, Marfa, Dunyasha, Saburova, Chorus
  • Scene and Aria Marfa 鈥樞樞残靶� 小械褉谐械懈褔, 褏芯褔械褕褜鈥� / 'Ivan Sergeich, khochesh' - Marfa

Scene 3

  • Scene 鈥樞澬笛�, 薪械褌, 薪械 褋褌械褉锌械褌褜鈥� / 'Net, net, ne sterpet'- Gryaznoy, Lyubasha, Malyuta, Sobakin, Dunyasha, Saburova, Marfa, Chorus

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

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Guide Written By:

Wendy Silvester

Wendy Silvester

Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.