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Overview
Synopsis
When Gryaznoy’s 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’s beauty, swapping Gryaznoy’s 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’s 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’s The Tsar’s 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Contralto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Silent |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Contralto |
Songs
Overture
Act One - The Feast
Scene 1
Scene 2
- Scene ‘Да вот и гости’ / 'Da vot i gosti' - Gryaznoy, Malyuta, Bomelius, Lykov, Chorus
- Aria Lykov ‘иное все, н люди’ / ‘Inoe vse, n lyudi’ - Lykov, Gryaznoy, Chorus
Scene 3
- Scene ‘Хозяин! Приказал бы ты’ / 'Khozyain! Prikazal by ty' - Malyuta, Gryaznoy, Lykov, Chorus
- Подблюдная песня 'Слава' / Sublime Song ‘Glory’ - Chorus, Lykov, Bomelius, Malyuta, Gryaznoy
- Dance And Chorus ‘Как за реченькой яр хмель’ / 'Kak za rechen'koy yar khmel' - Chorus
- Recitative ‘Аль память и меня’ / ‘Al' pamyat' i menya’ - Malyuta, Gryaznoy, Bomelius
Scene Four
- Recitative ‘Здорово, крестница’ / 'Zdorovo, krestnitsa' -Malyuta, Lyubasha
- Lyubasha’s Song ‘снаряжай скорей, матушка родимая’ / ‘snaryazhay skorey, matushka rodimaya’ - Lyubasha
- Scene ‘благодарим’ / ‘blagodarim’ - Chorus, Malyuta, Gryaznoy
Scene Five
- Scene ‘Вомелий’ / 'Bomeli' - Bomelius, Gryaznoy
- Trio ‘ох, не верится’ / ‘okh, ne veritsya’ - Bomelius, Gryaznoy, Lyubasha
Scene 6
- Recitative ‘Зачем ты’ / 'Zachem ty' - Gryaznoy, Lyubasha
- Duet ‘Знать, не любишь’ / ‘Znat, ne lyubish’ - Gryaznoy, Lyubasha
Act Two - The Love Potion
Scene 1
- ‘Вот Бог привел’ / 'Vot Bog privyol' - Chorus, Young Man
Scene 2
- Recitative ‘Ишь верхер-то какой’ / 'Ish' vercher-to kakoy' - Petrovna, Dunyasha, Marfa
- Aria Marfa ‘В Новгороде’ / 'V Novgorode' - Marfa
Scene 3
- Scene ‘Ах, что со мной’ / 'Akh, chto so mnoy' - Marfa, Dunyasha, Lykov, Sobakin
- Quartet ‘Погоды, моя милая’ / 'Pogodi, moya milaya' - Sobakin, Lykov, Dunyasha, Marfa
Intermezzo
Scene 4
- ‘Разведала’ / 'Razvedala' - Lyubasha, Bomelius, Sobakin, Marfa, Dunyasha, Lykov
Scene 5
- Aria ‘Вот до чего я дожила’ / ‘Vot do chego ya dozhila' - Lyubasha
- Scene ‘Прощай, Иван Сергеич’ / ‘Proshchay, Ivan Sergeich' - Lyubasha, Marfa, Sobakin, Lykov, Bomelius
Scene Six
- ‘То не соколы’ / 'To ne sokoly' - Chorus
Act Three - The Best Man
Introduction
Scene One
- Trio ‘Что Господа гневи’ / 'Chto Gospoda gnevit' - Sobakin, Lykov, Gryaznoy
Scene Two
- Recitative ‘Скажи, боярин’ / 'Skazhi, boyarin' - Lykov
- Arietta ‘Что сделал бы’ / 'Chto sdelal by' - Gryaznoy
Scene Three
- Recitative ‘А вот и мед’ / 'A vot i myod' - Sobakin, Saburova
- Arioso Saburova ‘Вот, батюшка, впустили’ / 'Vot, batyushka, vpustili' - Saburova, Sobakin
- Recitative ‘Неужели Дуняша’ / ‘Neuzheli Dunyasha’ - Lykov
- Aria Lykov ‘Туча ненастная’ / 'Tucha nenastnaya' - Lykov
- Scene ‘Ведь я же говорил тебе’ / 'Ved' ya zhe govoril tebe' - Gryaznoy, Lykov
Scene Four
- Scene ‘Побольше жениху’ / 'Pobol'she zhenikhu' - Gryaznoy
- Sextet With Chorus ‘Дай Бог чтоб дом у вас’ / 'Day Bog chtob dom u vas' - Gryaznoy, Marfa, Lykov, Saburova, Dunyasha, Sobakin, Chorus
- Song In Honour Of The Couple ‘Повеличать бы нам’ / 'Povelichat' by nam' - Saburova, Chorus, Dunyasha
Scene Five
- Scene ‘К тебе идут бояре’ / 'K tebe idut boyare' - Petrovna, Sobakin, Malyuta,
Act Four - The Bride
Introduction and Scene One
- Recitative and Aria Sobakin ‘Забылася’ / 'Zabylasya' - Sobakin
- Scene ‘ты не грусти’ / ‘Ty ne grycty’ - Saburova, Sobakin, Country Girl, The Tsar’s Stoker
Scene Two
- Recitative and Scene ‘Большой поклон боярину’ / 'Bol'shoy poklon boyarinu' - Gryaznoy, Sobakin, Marfa, Saburova, Chorus,
- Quintet With Chorus ‘Загублена страдалица царевна’ / 'Zagublena stradalitsa tsarevna' - Gryaznoy, Marfa, Dunyasha, Saburova, Chorus
- Scene and Aria Marfa ‘Иван Сергеич, хочешь’ / 'Ivan Sergeich, khochesh' - Marfa
Scene 3
- Scene ‘Нет, нет, не стерпеть’ / '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.
Monologues
Scenes
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Guide Written By:
Wendy Silvester
Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.