The Image of Parfen Rogozhin in «The Idiot», the Opera by M. Weinberg and A. Medvedev

Abstract

The article is to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky; it concerns a musical version of his novel, «The Idiot». The Russian writer’s work has attracted attention of many composers. In 1986 Mieczysław Weinberg completed the eponymous opera. The librettist Aleksandr Medvedev follows the logic of the original story and constructs the musical drama preserving the specific features and versatility of each character, which is also reflected in the music. The image of Parfen Rogozhin reveals the development of his contradictory nature. The character is represented with ensemble and solo scenes. Parfen’s Song from Scene Nine stands out among the solos. The song «Akh, talan li moi, talan» (Oh My Bad Luck) is quoted as its source. The lyrics of the song were first published together with its tune in 1790, in a book edited by N. A. Lvov and I. G. Prach, «Collection of Russian Folk Songs with Their Tunes» (Lvov-Prach Collection). The study has found that there are different versions of the text in the oral tradition. Their variety can be reduced to two types: the bridal song and the jailhouse ballad with its steady archetype of «beauty and the rogue». Each type has a semantic correlation in the context of the opera. The quotation obviously changes in the opera. The librettist has introduced his own lines enhancing the tragic focus of the song. The composer renders them in the tune emphasizing the intonation intrinsic to the genre of lamentation