Askold's Grave

"Askold’s Grave" (also: "Askold's Tomb", Russian: "Аскольдова могила" – Askol’dova mogila) is an opera in 4 acts by Alexey Verstovsky (1799-1862) to a libretto by Mikhail Zagoskin (1789-1852).

It was the most successful of Verstovsky's six operas, and its popularity even overshadowed Glinka’s two operas. It is a romantic opera with spoken dialogue, influenced by Weber's "Der Freischütz", the latter having become popular in Russia after its first Russian performance in 1824.

Performance history

The directors of the Imperial Theatres paid 2,000 rubles to the composer for this opera. The opera was first staged at the Bolshoi in Moscow on September 16, 1835, a year before Glinka's "A Life for the Tsar". The main female role, Nadezhda, was portrayed by the wife of the composer, Nadezhda Repina (1809-1897), the daughter of a serf-musician. In St. Petersburg the opera was staged on August 27, 1841 with the famous bass Osip Petrov in the role of Neizvestnyi (the Unknown Man).

The opera was rewritten many times with major and minor changes, cuts and additions. The original manuscript of the score no loger exists. The orchestration was created with help of a kappelmeister of the theatre. Two piano transcriptions (without voice) were published — one made by K. Vilboa, another by a composer Alexander Gurilyov. A vocal score was produced by O. Dutsh and K. Yevgeniev (published in 1866).

By the end of the 1860s the opera had received about 200 performances in St. Petersburg and 400 in Moscow. It was the first Russian opera performed in the United States (in 1869). For this staging some fragments of Glinka's music were added to the opera. After the composer's death another version of the score was made with the orchestration by K. Voyachek, with spoken dialogue replaced by primitive recitatives.

The great Russian singer Feodor Chaliapin (1873 - 1938) loved the opera and chose the role of Neizvestnyi (the Unknown Man) for his benefice on March 3, 1891 when he was just 18, in the S. Semenov-Samarsky provincial opera company in the city of Ufa. This role was regarded as very difficult (see the music example and comments below). The benefice was successful. Chaliapin received 80 rubles and a silver watch with a steel chain. "I became rich!" — Chaliapin wrote in his memoirs. In February 1899, commemorating a centenary of Verstovsky's birth, Chaliapin sang this role twice at the Private Opera. His recording of the "Aria of the Unknown Man" is available on the CD.
* [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005A0M7?vi=samples Chaliapin Edition, Vol. 2 1908-1911]
*See also: [http://www.arbiterrecords.com/notes/126notes.html Some information about Chaliapin’s performance]

In the Soviet era the opera was forgotten for several decades, and was only revised near the end of the Second World War in 1944 at the Moscow Theatre of Operetta under the title "Украденная невеста" ("Ukradennaya Nevesta" – ‘’The Stolen Bride’’), however with not much success. It returned to the stage on November 28, 1959 with a revised version of the libretto by N. Biryukov and music rearrangement by B. Dobrokhotov. It was given at the Kiev State Opera Theatre, staged by V. Sklarenko and conducted by P. Grigorov.

Roles

With the names of the singers (where known) who created the roles at the first performance at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow in 1835:

*Neizvestnyi (The Unknown Man) – high bass or baritone / Nikolai Lavrov
*Torop, young townsman – dramatic tenor / Alexander Bantyshev
*Vseslav – lyrical tenor / Shchepin
*Alexey, the old fisherman – spoken role /Volkov
*Nadezhda, his daughter – dramatic soprano/ Nadezhda Repina
*Lyubasha, her friend – soprano / Stremyannaya
*Vyshata, boyarin – bass / Nikiforov
*Frelaf , Varangian – tenor / Zhivikini
*Buslayevna, the nursmaid – soprano / Saburova
*Stemid, druzhinnik (combatant) – lyrical tenor / Kunikov
*Yurka, chelyadinetz (the servant) of Vyshata – baritone
*Sadko, chelyadinetz (the servant) of Vyshata – baritone
*Vakhrameyevna, witch – contralto
*Ghost of Rogneda – dramatic soprano
*Old visitor – spoken role
*Young visitor – spoken role
*Third visitor – spoken role
*First druzhinnik (combatant) – spoken role
*Second druzhinnik (combatant) – spoken role
*Tudosha, the girl from the village Predislavino – spoken role
*Chorus

ynopsis

The opera is based on the events of the early history of Russia. Askold and Dir were Rurik’s men who settled in Kiev in 9th century. According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, Oleg of Novgorod, the successor to Rurik, conquered Kiev around 882. He killed Askold and Dir. Olga of Kiev built two churches at the place of their burial. The memorial on the bank of Dnieper River named “Askold’s Grave” still exists.

The action takes place in Kiev near the Grave of Kniaz' (or Prince) Askold at the end of 10th century — the first years of the rule of Kniaz' Sviatoslav I, Prince of Kiev (it was Kniaz' Vladimir I of Kiev in the novel and also in the newer versions of the opera, however, at the time of the first staging, the ruling representatives of tsar's dynasty were not allowed to the stage).

Basically this is a love story of orphan Vseslav, the favourite of Kniaz' Sviatoslav, and Nadezhda the daughter of a fisherman. They are preparing for the wedding. Suddenly a strange person called Neizvesnyi (the Unknown Man) appeared to the stage. His aim is the revenge for the murder of Kniaz' Askold the previous governor of Kiev. He chosen Vseslav as a tool for this revenge, telling him that the latter is a grandson of Kniaz' Askold, and the actual successor to the Prince’s throne. The Unknown Man persuades him to betray Kniaz' Svyatoslav, kill him and take his place. But Vseslav rejects this plan. The action is luxuriously accompanied with folk songs and dances.

*1. [http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/clipserve/B000003J0R001001 Overture] Act 1
*2. [http://www.content.loudeye.com/scripts/hurl.exe?~qq-600111/0138644_0204_07_0002.ra Introduction and Nadezhda's Song]
*3. [http://www.content.loudeye.com/scripts/hurl.exe?~qq-600111/0138644_0204_07_0002.ra Choir of Fishermen]
*4. [http://www.content.loudeye.com/scripts/hurl.exe?~qq-600111/0138644_0204_07_0002.ra Aria of the Unknown Man]
*5. [http://www.content.loudeye.com/scripts/hurl.exe?~qq-600111/0138644_0204_07_0002.ra Choir of Fishermen]
*6. Choir of Countrymen
*7. Choir and Song - Aria of the Unknown Man -FinaleAct 2
*8. Entr'acte and Couplets of Frelaf and Choir
*9. Ballade of Torop
*10. Couplets of Torop and Choir
*11. Aria of the Unknown Man and Choir in the Ruins
*12. [http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/clipserve/B000003J0R002001 Choir of Christians]
*13. [http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/clipserve/B000003J0R002002 Choir of Christians and Finale]
*14. [http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/clipserve/B000003J0R002003 Finale] Act 3
*15. [http://www.content.loudeye.com/scripts/hurl.exe?~qq-600111/0138644_0204_07_0002.ra Entr'acte and Choir of Young Girls]
*16. Slavic Dance
*17. Nadezhda's Aria
*18. Torop's Song
*19. Choir and Torop's Song
*20. FinaleAct 4
*21. Entr’acte and Choir
*22. Melodrama, Choir and Duet
*23. Trio and Finale
*24: Finale

Music and samples

In "Askold's Grave" the musical characterization of such personages as Vseslav or his fiancé Nadezhda belong to the sphere of sentiment romance. The style of chorus writing is near to Russian folk music. The role of Varangian Frelaf is comic and forestalls the character of Farlaf in Glinka’s "Ruslan and Ludmila". The part of Neizvestnyi (the Unknown Man) is written for the voice (bass) of a very wide range and often a high tessitura. It contains some virtuoso passages and incredibly big intevallic leaps, like the major tenth in the second bar of the following example:

also listen to the midi at the following links:

* [http://www.tstu.ru/win/kultur/kul_img/com_img/vers_img/verst2.mid The song of Torop ‘’Uzh kak veet veterok’’]
* [http://www.tstu.ru/win/kultur/kul_img/com_img/vers_img/verst1.mid Chorus ‘’Zakhodili charochki’’]
* [http://www.tstu.ru/win/kultur/kul_img/com_img/vers_img/verst.mid Song of Torop (with the chorus)]

Recordings

*2CD(s) Alexey Nikolayevich Verstovsky: Askold's Tomb, opera - Label:Consonance - Distributor:Koch - Run Time:2 hours 58 minutes - DDD - 794081001529. Performers: Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra (Moscow Radio) with Tatiana Panfilova, Lidiya Kovaleva, Galina Simkina, Andrei Salnikov, Lev Kuznetsov, Yuri Markelov, Boris Bezhko, Igor Miroschnichenko, Vladislav Verestnikov, Raisa Kotova, Vladimir Kudryashov, conducded by Yuri Nikonenko

core

* [http://www.musik.diaspora.ru/notes/opera/verst.zip Song of Torop sheet music free download]

Quotations

*«Сюжет "Аскольдовой могилы" в сущности настолько хорош, что за него не грех было бы взяться и современному композитору и, кто знает... не возьмусь ли я сам когда-либо за него» (Николай Римский-Корсаков) – “The subject of "Askold’s Grave" essentially is so good that it would not be a sin even for a contemporary composer to put a hand into it, and, who knows... probably one day I will put my own hand into it.” (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)

Bibliography

*Abraham G.: The Operas of Alexei Verstovsky, 19-th Century Music, 7(1983) no. 3, 326-335.
*Shcherbakova M.: Introduction to piano score of Askold's Grave, 1983.
*Верстовский А.: Аскольдова могила. Клавир. Редактор В. Жаров. От авторов (предисловие). Государственное Музыкальное Издательство. Москва 1963 — Verstovsky, A. Askol’dova mogila. Vocal Score. Preface. State Music Publishers. Moscow, 1963.

More external links

* [http://www.kiev.info/culture/askold_grave.htm About the historical Askold’s Grave]
* [http://www.tstu.ru/win/kultur/composer/verst/verst.htm About Verstovsky and his operas on Russian page]