The Storm (Ostrovsky)

The Storm (Russian: "Гроза", sometimes referred to as The Thunderstorm) is a play of Russian playwright Alexandr Ostrovsky with an attribute "Drama in five acts".

The play

The play is in the line of Ostrovsky's plays critical to the society, particularly to the Russian merchant's class.

Ostrovsky started to work on it in July 1859 and he finished it on October 9 that year. Subsequently, he read the play to the actors of the Maly Theatre and he submitted the play to the censor.

Performance history

*The first performance of the play occurred at the Maly Theatre on November 16 1859.

Adaptations

There are many works adaptated or inspired by the play.

Opera adaptations

*The Storm, opera by Russian composer Vladimir Nikitich Kashperov on the libretto by Ostrovsky from 1867
*Káťa Kabanová, opera by Czech composer Leoš Janáček on his own libretto from 1921
*The Storm, opera by Russian composer Boris Asafiev from 1940
*The Storm, opera by Russian composer Ivan Dzerzhinsky from 1940
*The Storm, opera by Russian composer Viktor Nikolayevich Trambitsky (February 11 1895 - August 13 1970) from 1941
*The Storm, opera by Italian composer Lodovico Rocca from 1952
*The Storm, opera by Russian composer Venedikt Pushkov (October 31 1896 - January 25 1971) from 1962

Music inspired by the play

* Pyotr Tchaikovsky wrote an overture named The Storm in 1864, first performed 1896.

Film

* Vladimir Petrov's 1934 Russian film Groza (The Storm) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025207/ Groza at IMDB]

Literature

* Marsh, C.: Ostrovsky's play 'The Thunderstorm'. In: Tyrrell, J.: Leoš Janáček, Káťa Kabanová. Cambridge University Press 1982. ISBN 0521231809.

See also

Alexandr Ostrovsky