- Vasily Pashkevich
Vasily Alexeyevich Pashkevich also Paskevich ( _ru. Васи́лий Алексе́евич Пашке́вич or Паске́вич) (c.1742–
March 20 ,1797 St. Petersburg ) was a Russian composer, singer, violinist and teacher of Polish extraction who lived during the time ofCatherine the Great .Biography
Vasily Pashkevich entered court service in 1756 becoming a court composer to Tsar
Peter III of Russia and later to his widow,Catherine the Great . He also played violin, and taught singing in the Academy of Arts 1773-1774 and later in the court capella. Between 1780 and 1783 he managed theKarl Kniper Theatre and in 1789 he became the first violin of the court orchestra, remaining in charge of imperial ballroom music until his death.Pashkevich wrote important comic operas, often re-working them at length, like "Saint-Petersburg's Trade Stalls", begun in 1782 and revised in 1792, and also "As you live you will be judged".
The comic opera "The Miser" a work of 17 scenes brought him most success. Its roles are: Scriagin, Liubima’s guardian; Liubima, his niece; Milovid, her beloved; Marfa, the servant girl that Scriagin is in love with; Prolaz, Milovid’s manservant who is in Scriagin’s service. Accordingly the speech and the names of the characters of
Molière 's comedy were turned into Russian as well as the music that combines some features of European form with typically Russian melodies.Catherine had literary ambitions, and Pashkevich was asked to set one of her own opera libretti for performance at the royal court. The result of this, opera "
Fevey ", was staged onApril 19 ,1786 at theHermitage Theatre inSt. Petersburg . The lavish opera production evoked widespread admiration. Despite the success of Pashkevich's work during his years serving underCatherine II , his contributions were not appreciated by the Empress's heirs, who terminated his services and denied him a pension.His style is similar to Italian opera buffa, but unlike them, the comic situations of his works are often overshadowed by vaguely tragic scenes. His operas are full of citations of popular songs, that later become one of the important characteristics of the great 19th-century Russian opera.
Works
Operas
:*"Misfortune from Owning a Coach" ("Несчастье от кареты — Neschastye ot karety", libretto by
Yakov Knyazhnin , 1772?,November 7 ,1779 St. Petersburg ) :*"Saint-Petersburg's Bazaar" ("Санкт Петербургский Гостный Двор — Sankt Peterburgskiy Gostinyi Dvor", libretto byMikhail Matinsky 1782St. Petersburg ), revised as "You'll be Known by the Way you Live" ("Как поживёшь, так и прослывёшь — Kak pozhivyosh', tak i proslyvyosh", 1792St. Petersburg ):*"The Burden Is Not Heavy if It Is Yours" ("Своя ноша не тянет — Svoya nosha ne tyanet", 1794):*"Two Antons" ("Два Антона - Dva Antona" 1804?):*"The Miser" ("Скупой — Skupoy", 1782?,Moscow , 1811?Yakov Knyazhnin afterMolière ):*"Fevey " (libretto byCatherine II ,April 19 ,1786 St. Petersburg ) :*"The Early Reign of Oleg" ("Начальное управление Олега — Nachal'noye upravleniye Olega",November 2 ,1790 St. Petersburg )– together withGiuseppe Sarti and the Milanese musicianC. Cannobio ):*"Fedul and his Children" ("Федул с детьми" — "Fedul s det'mi", libretto by EmpressCatherine II ,January 27 ,1791 St. Petersburg )– together withVicente Martín y Soler ):*"The Pasha of Tunis" ("Паша Тунисский — Pasha tunisskiy", libretto byMikhail Matinsky , 1782)Romances
*Song (text by
Gavrila Derzhavin )
*Masses and other liturgical works.Quotations
"I never saw anything more diverse and magnificent! There were more than 500 actors performing on stage for just a handful of people. There were a maximum of 50 people watching the whole thing, and that was because the Empress restricts the access to her Hermitage" ("A contemporary account on the staging of the opera "Fevey")
Discography
*C10 06853-56. Pashkevich, Vasili. "Скупой" ["The Miser"] (1781). Vladimir Agronsky. Chamber Orchestra of
Moscow Chamber Musical Theater (recorded 1978)USSR : Melodiya. stereo. Produced by Boris Pokrovsky*Russkoe barokko - Zolotaya klassika (CD) Label(s): RCD Music RCD 30649 Year of production: 2003, Year of recording: 2003, Baroque Chamber Ensemble. Including: :Vasily Pashkevich. Overture to the opera "
Fevey " Allegro C major 2:51:Vasily Pashkevich. Aria of Tsaritsa from the opera "Fevey " 2:56 (Libretto byCatherine II ):Vasily Pashkevich. Overture to the opera "Fedul s det'mi" Allegro C major 2:50ee also
*
Opera in Russia in the 18th century
*Russian opera References
*Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), "The Oxford Dictionary of Opera", 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
External links
* [http://www.russiandvd.com/store/product.asp?sku=37655&genreid= CD information (in Russian)]
* [http://www.vor.ru/English/tales/tales_006.html The Voice of Russia article on 18th century composers]
* [http://www.vor.ru/English/MTales/tales_089.html The Voice of Russia article on Russian music]
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