The origins of Russian Opera as the key to understanding modern opera art

Abstract

The subject of this research is the origins of Russian Opera and its evolution. The grounds of Russian Opera can be observed in folk and Church rites of the Ancient Rus’. The origins of Russian Opera stem from the Middle Ages, when the cantatory tradition formed under the impact of Byzantine and Russian folk traditions. The folk-Church events of the XVI – XVII centuries contained the theatrical elements, which later on were incorporated by the professional musical theater. Until the XVIII century, theatrical performances were open only to royalty and upper class society. The first theatre in Russia was built in 1672 for the Tsar and received a name “The Comedy Mansion”. It staged operas on the Biblical themes. The first secular operas appeared in the second half of the XVIII century. In 1756, the Empress Elizabeth of Russia turned the theater into a state and public institution. Russian operas of that time mirrored the Western models to a large extent. The emergence of truly national operas is related to the name of M. I. Glinka (1804-1857). The conclusion is made that modern Opera borrowed the principles of nationalism and humanism from its precursors. The author draws parallels between the first operas, classical Russian Opera on the one hand, and modern Russian Opera on the other. Analysis is carried out on the origin of the plots and libretto of the operas. P. I. Tchaikovsky, M. P. Mussorgsky, A. P. Borodin, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, S. V. S. V. Rachmaninoff, S. S. Prokofiev, D. D. Shostakovich and others, same as the inventors of the opera, wrote their operas based on literary and historical storylines.