Classical Opera Research Articles

Kunqu: A Classical Opera of Twenty-First-Century China

Kunqu: A Classical Opera of Twenty-First-Century China

The description of epileptic seizures in the classical opera

Epilepsy or epileptic seizures have only rarely been described in the classical opera. Four operas were detected, in which epileptic seizures are described also by musical means. Three of them (“Der Golem” by Eugen d'Albert; “Idiot” by Mieczyslaw Weinberg; “Otello” by Giuseppe Verdi) describe a generalized tonic-clonic epileptic seizure by a descending chromatic scale. One opera (“The turn of the screw” by Benjamin Britten) describes temporal lobe seizures by overtone music played by the instrument celesta.

«Жизнь за царя» vs «Гугеноты»: европейская опера в поисках новых форм (к 220-летию М. И. Глинки)

Glinka’s "A Life for the Tsar" and Meyerbeer’s "Les Huguenots" are two outstanding examples of world opera that appeared in the same year, 1836. At the same time, each of these works became an "icon" for the culture that gave rise to it: "A Life for the Tsar" was the first Russian classical opera, "Les Huguenots" was the French "grand opera". The article focuses on Glinka’s work, which is considered in the context of the opera art of his time and his search for new ways of development. To solve this problem, the method of comparative analysis of Glinka’s opera with Meyerbeer’s contemporary work similar in genre and focusing on the main achievements of European opera composition at that time on that stage, as well as certain problems, is used. The main parameters of comparison include the interpretation of the genre of heroical-historic opera itself, the author’s version of intonation-musical dramaturgy and the means of its embodiment, as well as the interpretation of the opera forms and innovations in this area. The study substantiates the general conclusion: Glinka’s first opera, which is not inferior to Western works in terms of professional mastery, historically became an achievement not only of Russian, but also of European opera theatre as a whole offering fruitful solutions to the problems of the opera genre (Wagner, Mussorgsky, Verdi, Debussy and others later gave their solutions). The article also touches on the main trends in the study of selected operas, their scope, including at the present stage.

Классическая опера на московских сценах: современные подходы к постановке

The article analyzes modern directorial approaches to classical opera based on new productions in Moscow’s musical theaters. The author provides an analytical overview of the theatrical season 2022/2023, including the performances of "Stiffelio" by G. Verdi, "Iolanta" by P. I. Tchaikovsky, and "The Dwarf" by K. von Zemlinsky at the New Opera Theater; "La Bohème" by G. Puccini, "The Medium" by G. C. Menotti, and "Cavalleria Rusticana" by P. Mascagni at the Helikon Opera; and "Norma" by V. Bellini at Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theater. Opera directors, now predominantly coming from both musical and drama theater backgrounds, apply various approaches — from realistic to conditional — in their new productions, viewing them as a field for philosophical reflection. Against the backdrop of tragic events in the world, the themes raised in the directorial interpretations of well-known classical works, such as the problems of choice, insight, true love, life and death, resonate particularly strongly.

WHAT DOES THE WHO OWE TO CLASSICAL MUSIC?

The interplay between classical and popular music has been a well-documented phenomenon. The British rock band The Who initially embarked on their musical journey in the 1960s as part of the "British Invasion" without many distinctive elements that set them apart. However, a transformation began as the decade drew to a close, and they achieved commercial acclaim.This paper delves into The Who's second and third stages of their career (1970s and 1980s), marked by the creation of pioneering rock operas like "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia." While the term "opera" in the context of popular music may not align with classical opera conventions, it becomes evident that classical music elements found their way into The Who's repertoire.Examining their harmonic structure reveals a fusion of classical influences, albeit in an altered form, enriching their sound. Additionally, The Who's compositions exhibit a nuanced understanding of musical form, further blurring the lines between classical and popular music.Furthermore, this exploration extends beyond classical music to encompass modern and postmodern elements in The Who's oeuvre, notably the subtle hints of minimalism. This paper aims to shed light on the intricate relationship between classical and popular music, using The Who's evolution as a prime example of how a rock band can draw from classical traditions while incorporating elements of contemporary music, ultimately redefining the boundaries of musical genres.

The System of Dominant Themes in the Operas of Jin Xiang

The article’s author considers the system of dominant themes in the operas of the Chinese composer of the 20th century Jin Xiang, close to the principle of the end-to-end development of thematism in European and Russian classical opera. The author reveals the specifi cs of working with thematism in the operas “Savage Land”, “Yang Guifei” and “Eight Women Jump Into the River”. The research methods were a holistic and comparative analysis of the thematism of operas in terms of expressiveness, imaginative-semantic content, dramatic function, and symphonic development. The analysis of the “dominant thematism” and its development in Jin Xiang’s operas made it possible to prove that leitmotifs embody the national ideological content in the works of the Chinese composer, express senses, states and actions of the heroes, describe events, and reveal plot confl icts of the drama. In his opera work, Jin Xiang develops his own system of leitmotifs, connecting each opera together in imaginative, semantic, dramatic and organisational aspects. At the same time, the dominant thematism gives Jin Xiang’s works a national character, allowing Chinese opera to maintain its identity against the background of the stylistic globalisation in music.

The "Silk Ladder"Opera by Gioacchino Rossini: the Quintessence of the Director's Idea

The author offers his investigation, which indicates the main trends in the use of means of artistic expression in Ukrainian and foreign drama. Techniques of modern stage practices are revealed in order to understand the quintessence of the idea for the future production of an opera performance. Generalized conclusions are made regarding the change of certain psychological and figurative characteristics of the heroes of the New Age, focusing on the emphasis of cultural and political reforms of the period when the work was written. The main purpose of comedy is to fulfill a general social and educational task by means of a positive view of the problem. The relevance of the theme of Gioachino Rossini's opera "The Silk Ladder" is determined, which is in accordance with the work's tendency to update and rethink ancient and classical opera works for their better perception by the modern youth audience with the use of the latest technological possibilities of the theater production; as well as the composer's confidence in the existence of mutual love as the main reason for marital relations.The ideological and artistic component of the mentioned opera and the means of its implementation are outlined. Attention is focused on the fact that before creating the director's idea of the mentioned opera by J. Rossini, it is necessary to take into account its genre features, which combined the features of farsa and buffa at the same time. The history of the creation of the opera by the Italian composer and librettist in 1812 is studied, in particular, the influence of the Great French Bourgeois Revolution on its plot. The multifaceted components of scenic expressiveness, their conditioning by genre features and belonging to such a theatrical category as the atmosphere of the play, its main components and role in creating an analogue for J. Rossini's opera "Silk Ladder". It is proposed to change the name of the opera from "Silk Ladder" to "Silk Stairs" in the context of the corresponding variability of its translation from Italian, which will allow to emphasize the thematic and figurative content of the work. The musical dramaturgy of J. Rossini's opera work is analyzed on the example of solo and ensemble numbers. A musical and psychological analysis of the characters of the opera was carried out for plastic visualization of the role-image.

Pedagogical activity of Zakaria Paliashvili and compositional creativity

   Zakaria Paliashvili is the greatest and outstanding figure in the history of Georgian music, whose work is based on Georgian musical folklore. He is considered the founder of Georgian classical opera. Paliashvili is the author of three different types of opera: Monumental opera-tragedy - "Absalom and Ether", lyrical-dramatic opera - "Dais", heroic-patriotic opera - "Latavra".      Zakaria Paliashvili perfectly combined his compositional work with successful expedition trips, public activities, and engaged in active teaching, performing and creative work. He was a teacher in Georgian gymnasium and music school. Paliashvili was a successful professor and director of the Tbilisi Conservatory, who trained a whole host of talented musicians. Zacharias taught church hymns and arranged them in four-tone arrangements. He sang hymns for a six-part choir. In connection with the 150th anniversary of Paliashvili, UNESCO announced 2021 as the year of Paliashvili.           &nbsp

«ПЛИВУЧИ РЕЙНОМ, Я МАВ У РУКАХ ПРИДБАНІ У КЕЛЬНІ RHEIN- SAGEN І ЧИТАВ ЇХ, ЗВІРЯЮЧИ МІСЦЕВОСТІ, ЯКІ У НИХ ЗГАДУВАЛИСЯ НА САМІЙ ПРИРОДІ»: ПОГЛЯД НА НІМЕЦЬКІ ЗЕМЛІ МАНДРІВНИКІВ З НАДДНІПРЯНСЬКОЇ УКРАЇНИ У ХІХ НА ПОЧАТКУ ХХ СТ.

The article considers a range of issues related to travel to Germany in the 19 th – the beginning of the 20th century. Attention is drawn to the purpose of travel, routes, choice of objects for review, interethnic cultural contacts. It was established that the purpose of the trips to Germany were rest, treatment and education. Travelers got to Germany in different ways: by steamboat from Saint Petersburg through Sweden or overland through Radzivyliv, Lemberg and the Czech or Polish lands. Guidebooks printed in Germany became useful for travelers. They helped to develop of the travel route, choose the residence, objects for review and decide on means of transportation. The cities that attracted travelers the most were Berlin, Heidelberg, Leipzig, Munich, as well as the resorts of Baden-Baden and Kissingen. During of the 19th century, under the influence of changes in movement in European art – from romanticism to modernism, accents shifted, and interest arosed to various monuments and artistic masterpieces. While in the first half of the 19th century travelers were admired by Gothic architecture, works of the Renaissance, classical opera, ethnographic customs of the local population, in the second half of the 19 th century, attention was paid to modern art, achievements of science and technology, lifestyle, shops, cafes, etc. People, who traveled to Germany, expanded of social circle. There travelers were able to get to know representatives of European elites, leading scientists and practitioners, compatriots. Established contacts were usually long-lasting and multi-year. Sometimes under the influence of new acquaintances and European culture, imperial ideological stereotypes were destroyed and self-identification of travelers from Dnieper Ukraine took place. Keywords: travels, Germany, architectural monuments, memories, M. Rigelman, M. Kostomarov, Dresden Gallery, Cologne Cathedral.

Speech corpus–based study on the speakability in translation of Chinese classical operas

Abstract Speakability in drama involves the level of ease with which an individual can coordinate the pronunciation, singing, and emotion of a text. In translations of classical Chinese operas, reproducing the speakability of the original can determine the success of the stage performance of the opera. However, speakability in such translations has not been explored in the literature. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the similarity of the speakability in translations of An Enchanting Dream 惊梦 from The Peony Pavilion 牡丹亭 to that of the original Chinese through a corpus-driven investigation of versions of the opera annotated by Xu Yuanchong and translated by Xu Yuanchong and Xu Ming, Wang Rongpei, and Cyril Birch. We developed a prosodic phonological evaluation system in which duration and pitch were used to compare the source text and target texts by using InterPhonic 5.0 and Praat software. The results indicated that for duration when the context and characterization in the drama are considered, Wang’s translation did not adequately convey emotions. For pitch, the tone ranges of Xu and Xu’s translation fluctuated more drastically, which more effectively conveyed the emotional changes of the original text. Furthermore, the waviness of the pitches in Xu and Xu’s translation was similar to that of the original text. In this study, relative corpora were developed to determine the translated speakability of a Chinese classical opera. Our results may be valuable to translation studies and for the dissemination of traditional Chinese culture.

Reconception of the Buffon Style in Gioacchino Rossini’s Opera "Barber of Seville" in the Director's Design of the Project

The prospects of turning to the opera-comedy genre in times of great socio-political cataclysms are considered. The relevance of reseach is outlined and the source base is analyzed. The main components of the play's design through the prism of the director's vision of the author of the creative art project are defined. The differences between the decorative and effective scenographic solution of the performance were revealed. The danger of the directors' excessive fascination with the latest art technologies is outlined, and their influence on classical opera is clarified. The director's concept and director's approaches in creating an artistic project of a creative graduate student based on J. Rossini's opera "The Barber of Seville" were revealed. The basic components of the director's idea of the play are substantiated: its scenographic solution, mise-en-scène drawing, director's characterization of actors and supertasks. The defined elements are reinterpreted through the personality of the director-producer, which contributes to the motivation of the theater's creative and production teams, so that the play takes a worthy place in its repertoire. It was found that, in contrast to the decorative design of the performance, scenography is always dynamic, full of action, and the scenographer together with the director create the ideological and semantic layer of the spectacle. It is proven that the visualization of a modern opera production is carried out at the expense of the "here and now" presented cultural subject and the content of material and virtual reality, which is constantly changing. The dynamics of changing opera scenes in the process of transforming them into a "screen" is described, which does not reflect the events of the opera's plot, but represents fragments of modern reality that have nothing to do with the classical art project. Prospects for further scientific exploration of the chosen problem and reinterpretation of classical opera masterpieces, such as "The Barber of Seville" by G. Rossini due to the enrichment and renewal of directorial approaches in the construction of a complete and original performance, are predicted.

Performing Accents of Stage Speech Expression in the Ukrainian Opera (from the Work Experience of Ivan Patorzhynsky)

The author considered the relationship between words, music and stage action in Ukrainian classical opera. The stage language of the artist is characterized as the most powerful means of influencing the listener, thanks to which the ideological content and inner world of the character (singer-actor) is conveyed to the audience. The process of the singer-actor's work on creating a complete vocal and stage image with the use of spoken dialogues is analyzed. The peculiarities of the implementation of musical and theatrical works by means of stage broadcasting in an opera on national themes, taking into account the mentality of the Ukrainian people (peculiarities of life, culture, customs, rites of various social strata of the population, etc.) have been revealed. The specific methods of emotional and meaningful accents of the expressiveness of stage speech in Ukrainian opera are determined, using the example of Ivan Patorzhynskyi's performance. An organic combination of character-comedic features and pathos was revealed in Ivan Patorzhynskyi's creation of a complex and multifaceted image of Karas in S. Gulak-Artemovsky's opera "Zaporozhets za Danube" (Zaporozhian Beyond the Danube). The personal intonation and emotional techniques of the outstanding artist in the embodiment of the bright and unique image of Vyborny Makogonenko in M. Lysenko's opera "Natalka Poltavka" were clarified. The resolute, heroic intonations of Ivan Patorzhynskyi in the image of Taras as a brave, wise commander and his deep drama and tragic experiences as a father in the scene of the murder of his traitorous son in M. Lysenko's opera "Taras Bulba" are outlined. The professional approach and thorough search work of the master in creating socio-psychological portraits of the characters embodied by the actor in the specified operas are proven. Further scientific research is predicted to identify new synthesized means of expression in the combination of music, speech and stage action in today's realities.

The Role of Theatrical Costume in the Creation of Artistic Image in Opera Performance

The influence of the peculiarities of the theatrical costume on the creation of artistic image of opera performance and its character is considered. The essence of the artistic image in musical art in the context of communication "composer - performer-interpreter - listener" is clarified. The differences between the artistic image of a musical and theatrical performance, its creation in the context of the commonwealth of conductor, director, scenographer, costume designer, choreographer and perception by the audience through performers are established. The artistic image of the performance as a visual embodiment of the supertask, its formation by metaphor, hyperbole, comparison or allegory is revealed. The need to adhere to a single style in the conceptual vision and artistic solution of the play by the director, scenographer, and costume designer is outlined. The artistic image of the character is described as a synthesis of the unity of internal and external manifestations of the personal characteristics of the hero, subordinated to the idea of the work. The functional purpose of the theatrical costume as an important element in the creation of the artistic image of the character and the play is analyzed. The dependence of the artistic expressiveness of the costume on the stylistic unity of all its components is emphasized. The peculiarities of the use of symbols and metaphors in theatrical costumes to reveal a certain subtext of the play's drama are revealed. The features of creating a costume for a musical and theatrical performance according to comfortable singing conditions are characterized. The concept of scenographic design and stylization of the theater costume according to the director's interpretation of the opera performance is defined. It has been found that the artistic reconstruction of the ancient opera is characterized by a decorative solution and stylization of costumes in the context of hedonistic court aesthetics of the Baroque era, while the traditional representation of classical opera is characterized by a historically reliable scenographic solution and stylization of costumes in the context of realistic aesthetics, appropriate to the time and place of action, which occur in the work. It is proved that modern interpretations of ancient, classical and modern operas are characterized by conventional symbolic nature of scenographic solutions and stylization of costumes in the context of postmodern aesthetics. Prospects for further scientific exploration of selected issues related to the specifics of creating an artistic image of an opera performance in non-traditional locations are predicted.

Between safeguarding and translating: Chinese classical opera and Spanish Golden Age theatre

ABSTRACT Chinese classical opera is caught in a stranglehold, promoted as a key art form in China’s assertion of its global presence but declared untranslatable by gatekeepers distrustful of Western appropriative translation practices, and concerned to safeguard the form as the unique expression of Chinese identity. There is a parallel here with Spanish Golden Age theatre, which has struggled against the tag of an untranslatability rooted in the inviolability of its polymetric form and obsession with a seemingly arcane honour code. By acknowledging the tensions that exist between practitioners and gatekeepers of these two theatrical forms, this article examines translation as an ecology of affordance spaces that extends Chinese classical opera and Spanish Golden Age theatre into new performance practices.

Shaw’s Criticism and Philosophy Dramatized

Shaw’s Criticism and Philosophy Dramatized

The comparative analysis of similarities and differences of U. Hajibeyli’s "Koroglu" and M. Glinka’s "Ivan Susanin" operas

The article reveals the role of Uzeyir Hajibeyli (U.Hajibeyov in the Soviet period) in the formation and development of Azerbaijani classical music. The period of formation and development of the composer's creativity in Azerbaijan is associated with the name of the composer. In the context of the presence of the traditions of Russian classics in the opera works of Azerbaijani composers, for the first time in local musicology, a comparative analysis of the first Azerbaijani classical opera Koroglu by U.Hajibeyli and the first Russian classical opera “Ivan Susanin” by M. Glinka has been conducted. The main differences in the language of music, the tonal basis, the folklore material used, the author's research have shown the existence of common features of these two monumental works. The common features in the operas are manifested in the vivid expression of the will of the people, the heroism of the heroes and the intransigence against the oppressors, reflecting the national tonal structure of both peoples in the struggle and the general heroic character of the operas. The article also includes the history of creation of operas based on European classical opera traditions. In this research work, the common and different aspects of “Köroğlu” and “Ivan Susanin” operas are analyzed in terms of staging in certain time periods. The author also states the importance of Koroglu's hero image for Turkish peoples and as a result of this, the creation of the same name opera by the famous Turkish classical composer Ahmet Adnan Saygun in 1973. In addition, in the article, the author draws attention to the role and importance of the famous Azerbaijani composer and conductor Niyazi in this topic, based on historical data on the staging of A. Saygun's "Köroğlu" opera.

The concept of style in the scenic interpretation of a musical score

In the aesthetics of opera theater at the beginning of the 21st century, the concept of "style" is applicable only to a musical score. The impact of auditory and visual perception in an opera show contradicts the canons of classical opera, which are always focused on the synthesis of the arts that formed this phenomenon. The article is devoted to the urgent problem of the reform of the work, based on the ideals of contemporary drama. The mechanisms and ways of using the experience of a certain type of theater at the beginning of this century are considered by the author in a general historical and cultural context. The article reviews the innovative trends in the art of the opera singer. The purpose of the research is to present a singer-actor who is part of the operatic text. Using the experience of theater and music sciences, the author identifies the patterns of interaction between theatrical and musical series in the art of a singer. The author concludes that it is important to create scientific methods to research the above issues.

ОПЕРНАЯ ПОСТАНОВКА В МОСКВЕ НА СОВРЕМЕННОМ ЭТАПЕ (ОБЗОР НОВЫХ СПЕКТАКЛЕЙ СЕЗОНА 2021/2022)

The opera production in Moscow on the example of the iconic performances of the 2021/2022 season is considered as a phenomenon that reflects the trends of the time and the main directions of the search for modern theater. Making an analytical review of new productions, the author concludes that today the stage is traditionally dominated by classical opera in conceptual director's productions — many of these performances cause sharp controversy from critics and ambiguous acceptance from the public. The significance of the discovery on the domestic stage of little-known works that expand the content of the repertoire lists of the modern opera house is noted. The author's attention is also attracted by new opera projects of our time, which reveal the semantic horizons both in the genre of opera and in its director's interpretation.

“Rigoletto”: Variety of Screen Forms and Specifics of Staging Solutions for Classical Opera in Cinema and on Television

In domestic science there is a perception that today’s opera, under the pressure of massification, simultaneously tries to preserve the elusive traditions of “high” art and lowers the bar to the level of mass culture, while the availability of technological possibilities of transferring opera to the screen is not able to change the preferences of the mass audience, unable to perceive it adequately. It cannot be denied that in the 21st century an uninitiated mass audience’s perception of classical opera is largely formed on the basis of screen representations of musical drama. In this context, the analysis of the applied staging solutions in cinema and television in the incarnation of opera, which includes the determination of the components that are necessary for the qualitative screen representation of musical drama, becomes a relevant subject for scientific research. In this article, which is dedicated to 170th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Rigoletto, an attempt is made to analyze four screen forms of one musical drama different from each other with the aim to reveal variability of staging solutions used for the realization of classical opera on TV and in cinema. The specific features of cinematographic and television representation of musical drama influencing the actualization and popularization of opera in the modern screen space are revealed within different genre frames (film-opera, TV version of musical drama, live TV film, musical TV contest). The author identifies the central figure in the latter processes the director-director, a professional in the field of television, who understands the fundamental laws and staging techniques of musical theater, the expressive means of cinematography.

Метаморфозы музыкального театра в культуре дореволюционной российской провинции

Article is devoted to system characteristic of the musical theater in the context of the culture of the pre-revolutionary Russian province. On the example of the opera genre top trends of historical development of provincial theater of Russia throughout XVIII - the beginnings of the 20th centuries are analyzed: the periodization of musical and theatrical process in the province, the social, cultural and historical conditionality of this process. According to the selected stages change of genre musical and scenic dominants (the early comic opera, the vaudeville, the operetta, the Russian and European classical opera) is traced. Transformation of different institutional forms of existing of opera art on the provincial stage (farmstead, city stationary theater, an enterprise, an opera partnership) in the context of socially historical development of domestic culture of the pre-revolutionary period is revealed. Important typological characteristic of a provincial opera scene is its character, “reflective” in relation to capital theater. It was shown in tour practice as the most mobile form of distribution of opera art across all Russia. In the article considerable attention is paid to such problems, methodologically important for characteristic of pre-revolutionary provincial musical theater, as territorial and geographical correlation of different Russian regions to capital cities, historically changing conditions of cultural interaction between the center and peripheries. On this basis some art features of opera culture of the prerevolutionary Russian province are analysed: the essence of the opera repertoire (national and foreign), performing forces, level and quality of opera settings, public relation to musical theater, etc. The conclusion is drawn that opera theater - an important component of musical culture of the Russian province. The opera studied the history of development which analysis significantly supplements an overall picture of evolution of domestic musical theater on the provincial stage.