Opera Genre Research Articles

Трактовка жанра в опере «Девять напевов» Тан Дуна

The article is devoted to the issue of studying Tan Dun’s music in light of the theory of performativity. By the example of the composer’s early composition Nine Songs the changes which have appeared in the genre of opera under the impact of live art performance as a new type of theatrical performance. The composition has designed artistic precepts which are also characteristic for other musical-theatrical oeuvres by the composer: specific work with the poetic text directed at destroying the linear logic of the subject and the cause and effect connections; vocalization based on connecting the techniques of the Italian operatic bel canto and the traditional Chinese qupai; a synthesis of music, an abstract poetic text and motions, gestures permeated with symbolism. The authors of the article come to the conclusion that the interpretation of the genre presented in Tan Dun’s Nine Songs goes far beyond the boundaries of academic traditions of representation of opera. In the poetic text of the libretto the composer deliberately dilutes the meanings encumbered in the primary source, which is achieved by means of infringement of the logic of narration, by accentuating the musicality in the sound of words detrimentally for their communicative function. In the dramaturgy, built with a reliance on the collage method and with an absence of a storyline narrative, the culminations and falls occur spontaneously. The music is endowed with suggestive traits indispensable for creation of an effect of emergence and together with the poetic text and the scenography does not call for conveying any concrete meanings. In this composition the role of the audience is interpreted specifically. The latter assumes the position of active participants of the events, rather than passive observers, and experience a liminal state, the departure from which is connected with an independent construction of the composition’s meanings.

К вопросу о происхождении мадригальной комедии и ее связи с культурными традициями и идеями ренессансного гуманизма

In order to understand such a unique phenomenon of European civilization as the Renaissance, it is necessary to immerse yourself in its musical culture, which reflects the complex and often contradictory processes taking place in the inner world of a person of that era. Under the influence of these processes, a wide variety of qualitatively new musical forms was formed, which served as the basis for interesting phenomena of musical culture, reflecting the characteristic traits of the Renaissance. Among these forms is the Italian madrigal comedy, a genre that lies at the intersection of musical and stage arts, which has not been sufficiently studied to date. In this regard, it is of interest to study its genesis and connection with elements of folk musical culture. Several samples of medieval prose could be considered the origins of the madrigal comedy -in particular, related to the tradition of the Italian novella. Among the examples of these, originally oral, genres was the 13th-century digest “Il novellino”, echoes of which can also be found in the typically Renaissance “Decameron” by G. Bocaccio, which reflects the characteristic features of the secularization of European society, including the enjoyment of man on earth existence. The novella itself is a kind of “construction genre”, opening up wide opportunities for improvisation - which makes it related to late theatrical genres. A mature literary genre that influenced the formation of the madrigal comedy was the farce that has existed since the 15th century. The difference between a farce and a novella is a pronounced stereotyping of certain characteristic features of the components of the Renaissance society (such as social classes, estates and professions), which can be considered as a phenomenon that precedes the appearance of masks of the madrigal comedy. The musical basis of the madrigal comedy was based on medieval song genres, which have a simple, lively and energetic harmony, which corresponds to the spirit of love of life and fun, embodied in the ideals of the Renaissance. The typology of madrigal comedies includes at least two types. The first is the simplest, representing a thematic cycle of madrigals without a pronounced stage component (“Caccia” by A. Striggio). A mature type, including independent solo parts, division into parts and a pronounced storyline, is reflected in the work of A. Banchieri and O. Vecchi. O. Veechi's comedy, the “Amphiparnassus”, among other things, also has pronounced farcical features, reflected in the vivid images of the heroes of the work. The short life of the madrigal comedy, apparently, was associated not so much with its content, but with the absence of a pronounced visual component, which did not allow it to find a response among the people and significantly reduced its competitiveness with the new visual genre of opera. Thus, the madrigal comedy can be considered as an organic combination of elements of traditional Italian culture and the ideas of Renaissance humanism, and its pronounced national flavor reflects the basic trends in the musical culture of the Renaissance.

КОМПОЗИЦИОННЫЕ ПРИНЦИПЫ ОПЕРЫ Е. И. ПОДГАЙЦА «ПОВЕЛИТЕЛЬ МУХ»

Efrem Podgaits is currently one of the most sought-after composers; his work is acclaimed not only in our country, but also abroad; he collaborates with the leading musicians of our time. His musical heritage is represented by a wide variety of genres. These include works for musical theatre, works for symphony and chamber orchestras, instrumental and ensemble music, vocal and choral opuses, music for radio, film and television. The genre of opera occupies a significant place in this list. The article is devoted to a very original opus by E. Podgaits — rock classic opera "Lord of the Flies", created in 1995 (libretto by L. Yakovlev). It is based on the eponymous masterpiece of classical British literature of the XXth century, a dystopian novel by Nobel Prize winner W. Golding. The premiere of the opera took place in 2007 at the Children's Musical Theater named after N. I. Sats (directed by V. Merkulov). The purpose and objectives of the article are to determine the genre and style specificity of the composition; to reveal the principles of the musical dramaturgy of the opera; to reveal the features of the musical characteristics of the characters, as well as the composer's individual approach to the chosen opera model. To achieve the set goals and objectives, an integrated method combining historical and musical-theoretical approaches was used.

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.

Ntonation structure of early opera

Research objective is to consider the ways of development of the intonation structure of the opera of the late XVI – early XVIІ centuries as a set of intonation features sufficient to reflect abstract-contemplative and intense-sensitive, dramatic imagery, static and active stages of the dramatic development of a new theatrical genre. The research methodology is based on a historical and stylistic approach, in addition, the methods of system and intonation analysis are used, the comparative method is useful. Scientific novelty is determined by the inclusion of an understudied period of the development of Italian opera in the national scientific circulation, which, on the one hand, will supplement and correct the existing ideas about this phenomenon in musicological works, and, on the other hand, allow to see and emphasize new aspects of the intonation evolution of the early form of this genre. In addition, we can work on the butts of the singing operas of the XVI century – the beginning of the XVIІ century, to bring out the splendid moments that make the typological drawings of the opera like a genre. Conclusions. Тhe early opera, which in a fairly short period of time from the moment of its birth to the middle of the 17th century, evolved significantly, moved away from general theatrical patterns towards the formation of the logic of immanent-musical development; from the weight of the declamation, which obeyed the smallest shades of the word, to the generalized transfer of the meaning and feelings of the poetic text; from the emotionally colored intonation, which is characteristic of Florentine operas, to the principles of intonation generalization of emotions, which are formed in the work of K. Monteverdi. All of the listed modulation processes, as important for the approval of the key features of the opera genre, were accompanied by a movement towards the expansion of the imaginary world by musical drama. Recitative, as the main attribute that characterized the specifics of early opera, in its further development was pushed to the periphery of the musical side of the performance by more viable operatic forms, but at the same time it remained a significant component of the expression of the stage action. In this process, the logic of the musical and dramaturgical composition was connected with overcoming the fluidity of the recitative style, highlighting aria episodes with a rather high degree of certainty in it, as well as using elements of through development. In addition, it was usually built as a movement from the statics of the original situation (choral episodes) through its violation (recitative) to the consolidation of a new quality (arios and choral episodes).

О влиянии перформативных черт авангардного театра на документальную оперу

Documentary qualities in the art of music are among of the bright, interesting and little researched phenomena of modernity. Having been generated in the sphere of cinema and drama theater, the present tendency also became circulated in the sphere of musical theater. The introduction of documentary innovative materials – verbal and audio – into the artistic context of works written in the opera genre substantially transformed the traditional structure of musical performance. The article ascertains that the source of such types of experimental attempts was the elaboration of the avant-garde dramatic theater, whose producers made broad use of the techniques of performative art. This became the artistic orientation for documentary musical theater. Analysis of the stage endeavors of theatrical producers Erwin Piscator, Giorgio Strehler, Andrei Serban and Peter Sellars has made it possible to bring to light the vectors of impact of avant-garde theater on the musical documentary theater, which broadly applied the principles of performativity. Accentuation is made of the role of contemporary computer technologies, which gave the opportunities to producers and composers to obtain an instrumentarium that is broad in its artistic resources and inclination towards synthesis, to realize the performative forms of presentation of musical theater. The new features include minimalistic scenography, political allusions, the extension of time and space, and special forms of interaction with the audience. Their appropriation by musical documentary theater proves the force of impact of avant-garde artistic practices, which have greatly transformed opera traditions.

Interpretation of Taras’ character in M. Lysenko’s opera “Taras Bulba” as an integral part of the national cultural code

Statement of the problem. Mykola Lysenko’s opera “TarasBulba”, first staged in 1924, has confidently become a theatrical repertoire and a significant event in the national art. The opera has an outstanding spiritual value, in addition to its artistic one. For the first time, the opera genre manifested the idea of national identity, the embodiment of which for the Ukrainians is the image of the Cossack ataman Taras Bulba. Even after Ukraine gained independence, the issue of national identity remained under discussion, becoming even more debatable after the events of 2014. This issue is directly related to the phenomenon of the national cultural code – the mental information dimension that forms the nation. The purpose of the article is to characterize the image of Taras Bulba from Lysenko’s opera of the same name, revealing its belonging to the national cultural code and the relevance that this image still has. The following scientific methods were used: a culturological approach to identify the place of the image of Taras in the phenomenon of the “national-cultural code”, a historical method to trace the origin of this phenomenon components and a comparative analysis to determine the features of the image of Taras implemented in vocal interpretations. Despite the fact that a significant number of the scientific works are devoted to Lysenko’s work, in fact there is no interpretive analysis of the image of Taras Bulba in the context of its belonging to the nationalcultural code, which is the scientific novelty of the research. Results and conclusions. The selected definitions of “cultural code” (Habermas, 2001; Klymenkova, 2012; Andreichuk, 2009) indicate the scope of its functioning and its relation to the subject under consideration – the image of Taras Bulba as interpreted by the leading Ukrainian singers T. Shtonda, S. Mahera, V. Dutchak. The opera’s culminating scene contains an extremely important semantic moment for understanding its idea, which is key in the musical characterization of Taras – his song “Hey, the eagle flies”. Its generalizing function is to create a symbolic image of a Cossack – brave, free, cheerful, personifying the character of Taras himself and the entire Ukrainian people. This task is brilliantly accomplished by the singers T. Shtonda and S. Mahera, not only through the soulful intonation and masterful agogics, but also through the use of minimalistic but expressive stage gestures, which become an additional means of articulation and communication. Therefore, the image of Taras, created by V. Dutchak with great artistic skills, is less convincing, since the singer lacks stage mobility and plasticity. Thus, we can confidently say that largely due to the thoughtful interpretive work of the singers, the image of the Zaporizkyi Cossack has become the holder of a freedom-loving idea vital for all people. Proclaimed by the main character, the leader of the Cossacks, the idea of liberation from the invaders gains a powerful and meaningful rotation on the mental level. The opera character itself has become a symbolic sign that embodies this idea, and thus an integral and relevant part of the national cultural code.

Director's Analysis of Evolutionary Modifications of Mykola Lysenko's Work “Drowned”

The process of evolutionary modifications of M. Lysenko's work "Drowned" based on M. Gogol's play "May Night, or Drowned" from its first premiere (1884) to the present is considered. The relevance of the chosen topic in the context of self-identification of the nation against the background of transnationalization of art is clarified. The research methodology with the choice of system-analytical, historical-typological, comparative, genre-stylistic and interpretive methods is outlined. The purpose of the research is to determine the specifics of musical and directorial versions of the work, performed at different times by theaters of Ukraine in the context of theatrical aesthetics of a certain era with the transformation of its genre and style features. The degree of complexity of the director's analysis of littleknown versions of Lysenko's work is revealed, at which the director has to investigate the composer's idea from the beginning of writing to making editorial changes, to turn to the historical circumstances reflected in it; to follow the transformation of the genre defined by the author; identify the events that contributed to the changes in the stage material, which had an impact on the director's decision of the play. It was found out that the directors-interpreters of M. Lysenko's work "Drowned" initially embodied this material as music for drama. Later, with the success of the play, the composer expanded the musical accompaniment of the numbers, and his followers completely orchestrated the work in the genre of great opera. The success of the performances is closely connected to the version for musical and dramatic theaters with dramatic monologues and dialogues of the characters, and the versions of major opera performances were mostly criticized and did not have a long life in theatrical repertoires. It is proved that in search of techniques, directors often lose the composer's idea of the work, coloristic mental features and distance their own idea when creating a play from the truly established issues of musical and literary stage original. The transformation of the material by different directors is considered, which provides an opportunity to highlight the strengths, rethink the obsolete means of expression, to transform the selected material for the modern audience in terms of integration theatrical processes. The analysis of scientific achievements on the chosen issues allows to state the fragmentary research of genre variations of M. Lysenko's work "Drowned" and stage incarnations of artistic images of characters in the context of sociopsychological and mental features of the Ukrainian ethnos. The review of evolutionary modifications of the work revealed an active attempt of authors and producers to transform the material from the dramatic — with the illustrative aspect of music (1884, Kharkiv), with the definition of the vector of musicaldramatic — with the solution of musical dramatic problems (1885, Odessa), the inclusion of mass choral and ballet scenes (1937, Odessa) and the transformation into the style of a large opera performance with interesting findings and dramatic gaps (1950, Kyiv).Current transformations of Lysenko’s work “Drowned” allow us to state that the stylistics of the genre of a great opera performance had a short stage life due to the loss of the tempo of events and is not used by musical theaters of Ukraine today. The musical-dramatic version, which is presented by many performances in Ukrainian theaters, is in great demand among the public due to the rapid dynamics of events, the colorful atmosphere of the Ukrainian village, well-resolved images of characters, so it is actively addressed by modern domestic directors. The scientific novelty of the research was revealed, which consists in determining the characteristic features of genre variations of Lysenko's work "Drowned", establishing the most promising aspects for the further development of the musical theater of Ukraine. Vectors of further research of the subject, comparative analysis of opera and music-dramatic versions with determination of character of temporitums in musical drama and director's interpretations, their rethinking according to new requirements and possibilities of a theatrical scene are predicted.

The Evolution of Opera Performance from Scenographic Miracles to the Opera Productions of the Nineteenth Century

"The presentation of the book The Evolution of Opera Performance, from Scenographic Miracles to the Opera Productions of the 19th Century, offers a synthesis of our work as a musical theatre director. Our aim is to stimulate the public’s interest in the opera genre and opera staging, by revealing aspects in the history of opera performance(s), as they have been shaped, century after century, by following the gradual effort and the tireless passion of its creators. Our aims are also to illustrate the original charm and the infinite resources of this genre, which continues to delight the public at large and the knowledgeable even today. Keywords: opera performance, opera staging, liturgical drama, vernacular drama, secular drama, dramatic madrigal, intermedi, the Florentine Camerata, Claudio Monteverdi, comédies-ballets, tragédie en musique, semi-opera, opera seria, the comic opera, opera buffa, ópera comique, ballad opera, Singspiel, tonadilla, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart "

Китайское оперное искусство периода японо-китайской войны: жанр через призму вестернизации

The paper aims to present the panorama of the musical theatre genres relevant for Chinese art of the Sino-Japanese War period and to identify the specificity of refraction of the European opera tradition in each of them. The scientific originality of the research lies in the fact that despite the constant attention of the researches to Chinese opera art, the development of the national opera in this period has not received enough coverage until now. The present study proposes a differential system of Chinese opera genres, determines the degree of influence of the European tradition on each of the considered genres for the first time. The emphasis is placed on the operas “Qiu Zi” and “The White-Haired Girl”, which are considered the greatest artistic works in the development of the two main directions of wartime opera. As a result, it has been proved that the variety of musical theatre genres is connected with different degrees of adaptation of European musical thinking components: from using individual elements (harmony, performance style, instrumentation) to an artistically justified combination of national and foreign traditions.

A Tale of Three Rusalkas: Krasnopol’sky, Pushkin, and Dargomyzhsky

Conventional histories of Russian opera mark Mikhail Glinka’s 1836 opera Zhizn’ za tsarya (A Life for the Tsar) as the point of origin for Russian nationalist opera that quickly burst into full bloom, yet by the middle of the century homegrown opera had fallen out of performance repertory in favor of Western European and particularly Italian imports. It was around this time that a group of amateur composers later known as the kuchka (the “Mighty Handful” or “Mighty Five”) re-ignited the debate around creating a uniquely Russian genre of opera; however, their efforts only obscured Russian opera’s European roots rather than establish a completely separate genre. Yet their critical campaign proved successful, and the idea of Russian opera as a uniquely nationalist genre remains especially prevalent. This article examines Aleksandr Dargomyzhsky’s Rusalka (1856), one of the earliest examples of this new type of Russian nationalist opera, and how it responds to the dominance of Italian opera in Russia during the mid-century by embedding Italian operatic conventions into the score itself. Rusalka also inaugurated the operatic trend of adapting literary works by Aleksandr Pushkin, the writer often cited as the father of Russian literature. This article illustrates how both Pushkin’s dramatic Rusalka and Dargomyzhsky’s operatic adaptation of it a generation later imitated Western European literary and theatrical conventions. Paradoxically, the ways in which Pushkin and Dargomyzhsky would conceal these Western parallelisms would later be hailed as markers of a uniquely “Russian” literary and operatic style in a critical campaign designed to erase Russia’s long history of artistic dialogue with the wider Continent.

Development of the dance-rock opera genre in the creative content of ‘Mykhailo Vodianoi’ Academic Theatre of Musical Comedy, Odesa

Background. Staging of rock opera began in Ukraine simultaneously in theaters of drama, opera and musical comedy in the mid-80s. The first drama and ballet performances were based on the works of Russian authors. From 1986 to 1993 Kharkiv Theater of Musical Comedy made stage production of rock operas based on the works of Alexander Zhurbin, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alexey Rybnikov leaders of its repertoire policy. Since the 2000s, Odessa Theater of Musical Comedy has staged a dance-rock opera as a new modification of stage play with rock opera. The relevance of the article. Stage performances of dance-rock operas have not yet been sufficiently studied in Ukraine. Such Ukrainian musicologists as Olga Verkhovenko, Iryna Palkina, Halyna Filkevych fragmentarily have studied genre features and performance forms of dance-rock operas. In addition, some periodicals have covered these productions in their critical reviews. Methods. The work is based on a typological method, which made it possible to classify performances as a rock opera genre. The biographical method has also been applied to determine the artistic influences on the choreographer Heorhii Kovtun. The comparative method made it possible to separate the dancerock opera from other productions related to the genre of rock opera, as well as from apologetic performances that exploit already invented forms. When analyzing the performances, some elements of the reconstruction method were used. Results of the study. Odessa Musical Comedy Theater presented four performances in the genre of dance-rock opera, three of which were staged by Heorhii Kovtun. The first (and most successful) production with a new performance approach was the play “Romeo and Juliet” based on Shakespeare’s tragedy with music and libretto by Yevhen Lapeiko (Odessa). A new type of leading performers (selected at casting) appeared in the play. The type of rock opera artist represented by Kyryl Turychenko is characterized by freedom from musical comedy clichés. A pop singer with appropriate acting, athletic and dance training, he could sing when falling, climbing a two-story stage tower, or during a dynamic dance. Scenography by Stanislav Zaitsev showed a tendency towards brevity, constructiveness and simultaneous development of action in three stage dimensions. Other productions of Heorhii Kovtun – “The Canterville Ghost” and “Silicon Silly Woman.net” based on the works of Russian authors D. Rubin, A. Ivanov, O. Pantykin and K. Rubinsky developed rock opera principles invented by the choreographer rather than deepened them. The director of “The Canterville Ghost” did not quite clearly indicate the vector of the main idea. This led to the breakup of stage action into spectacular theatrical attractions with pyrotechnics and impressive stage design transformations. In fact, it is still not clear what the director was trying to recreate – a melodrama, a comedy with elements of satire or Guignol. The play “Tristan and Isolde” based on the works of the Ukrainian composer Alexander Nezhigai and playwright Serhii Piskuriov was staged by the theater director Vladimir Savinov. His ignorance of musical theater specifics contributed to the vocally and musically weak performance. Most of the action in the stage production was organized by the choreography of Anatolii Bedichev. Contrary to expectations, V. Savinov’s performance was also significantly inferior to Н. Kovtun’s performances in relation to libretto adaptation, stage design and tempo-rhythm of the performance. All rock-dance opera performances were aimed at teenage and youth audiences. Conclusions. Unlike rock operas of the previous decades, the production proposed by choreographer H. Kovtun is characterized by a synthesis of modern choreography, spectacular show, performance universalism and dynamс crowd scenes. As a choreographer, he did not pay much attention to the actors’ work on the characters. Vocally the singers gravitated towards the pop style (using microphones). Unlike earlier productions of rock operas in Ukrainian theater (with phonograms or symphonic jazz instrumentation of the theater orchestra), the troupe of Odessa Musical Comedy Theater performed rock operas with combined accompaniment (studio phonogram, theater orchestra, rock band). Further study of the multiple issues identified in the article requires a deep analysis of the repertoire, types of rock opera in the theater of musical comedy in Ukraine and the distinctive vocal and acting performance features.

Воплощение традиции свадебного обряда в оперном творчестве Н. А. Римского-Корсакова

The purpose of the article is to determine specific nature of incorporation of the elements related to wedding ceremonialism in the genre of the Russian opera, using N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov’s works of the 80s - mid-90s as examples. Scientific novelty of the study lies in carrying out a comprehensive analysis of the wedding tradition interpretation in N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov’s operas “May Night”, “The Snow Maiden”, “Christmas Eve”, the opera ballet “Mlada”. As a result, it is proved that the wedding ritual takes on special significance in the considered works. The composer incorporates the wedding ceremony elements through the techniques of reconstruction and allusion. These operas belong to a kind of macrocycle, forming a full calendar year according to their plot, reflecting ceremonialism in the Slavs’ life.

Musical Intonations in N.S. Leskov’s Tale “The Left-Hander” and their Embodiment in the Opera of the Same Name by R.K. Shchedrin

The article is devoted to the manifestations of musicality in N.S. Leskov’s works and its influence on other artworks created on the writer’s plots (specifically, in the genre of opera). The author focuses on the tale “The Left-Hander”, using as examples phrases of one of the characters, Ataman Platov.The approach proposed by the author is based on a structural, genre and intonation-rhythmic analysis of the primary source text, with documentation of its features. The potential intonation and rhythmic variants of reading individual literary phrases, recorded using conventional musical notation, allow not only to visually compare the shades of their semantic content, but also to correlate them with the musical versions presented in R.K. Shchedrin’s opera “The Left-Hander” (2013). The correlation of the graphic schemes of intonation structures of textual and melodic phrases allows to substantively determine the correspondences and discrepancies in them. In addition, the article notes such musical expressive means that make it possible to convey the intonation of characters’ speech and to outline the characteristic features of their image, such as timbre, tempo, dynamics, etc.Basing on the conducted research, the author makes a conclusion about the influence of text intonations on the formation of perception of characters’ image and the melody of their “musical” speech.The method of intonation-rhythmic analysis of a prosaic literary text, proposed by the author, is a new development in the field of studying the problems of the mutual influence of literature and music; it can find wide application in research in this direction.

Interpretation Strategies of Contemporary Musical and Theatrical Art: Trends, Factors

Relevance of the study. The modern interpretive content main tendencies of the European and Ukrainian musical and theatrical art were analyzed. Forms of interpretation being were considered in the coordinates of the “composer-listener-performer” triad in the aspect of its correspondence to its time artistic intentions. The scientific novelty of the study is in the analysis of innovative projects most of which are not adapted to musicology and in the formulation of trends and factors of modern musical art’s interpretive policy. Main objective of the study is to determine the specifics and factors of the modern interpretations of a musical and theatrical art. Methodology. The following methods have been adapted: the interpretive — in relation to the analyzed opera projects; the hermeneutic-semantic — for the purpose of identify the interpreted works’ intonation-image specificity; the comparative — to juxtaposition the “interpretive behavior” of one work in different performance versions; the intonation-dramaturgical analysis — to study the specifics and factors of works’ interpretive versions. Results and conclusions. The modern interpretive reality initiates the emergence of radically new and the consolidation of existing non-standard trends in the work’s representation. These are: the instrumental performing theatricalization, significant expansion of the improvisation’s zone, abandonment of the opera genre canons with an emphasis on synthetic genres of performative nature and the use of bold audio, scenographic, color and light effects. The modern interpretative main trends are the actualization, the alienation and the emergence of working remote versions, the encroachment on the textual and intonational essence of a known work by adding the new material (the integral opus or the fragmentary inlay), the emergence of modern composer’s alternative role which is a co-author of a new hybrid product thanks to the connection to the work of the past. Findings of the research. The specifics and factors of work’s variant-interpretive realization are analytically argued. The main factors are the genre-intonation specificity, the synthetic and intertextual nature, the complexity and synergy of text semantic intentions, the recipient’s culturalhistorical awareness, the socio-cultural intentions’ balance of the author and his artistic will performers, the degree of text openness, the context. Prospects for further exploration in this direction. The following research areas are needed: 1) the development of new methods and terminological apparatus suitable for the modern artifacts’ analysis; 2) the analytical base’s expansion due to: a) the further accumulation of examples, b) the scientific adaptation of various genres’ works.

ON THE CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CHUVASH OPERA MUSIC

The relevance of the topic covered in the article is determined by the need to preserve and promote the musical heritage of outstanding composers of the Chuvash Republic, which celebrated the centenary of its autonomy formation. The aim of the work was to draw attention to a comprehensive assessment of Chuvashia composers’ contribution to the development of vocal art (namely, its opera genre) as the most important part of a multi-faceted musical culture. The article reflects the problems of preserving and promoting classical music. The list of operas by Chuvash composers staged on the theater stage is given. Information about the opera «Ivan Yakovlev», which was staged in the XXI century, is reflected. The article is actually an intersubject topic focused primarily on considering pivotal solo vocal parts in the most famous operas. The article reflects the vocal and performing analysis of the parts in outstanding opera works, their main stylistic features are studied. In particular, the tenor parts of Setner, Sendier, and Kosinsky are described in more detail. Opera works and parts are considered in the context of cultural and historical significance, on this basis the main provisions and conclusions confirming the unique cultural and historical significance of the Chuvash opera music and its contribution to the development of musical and social culture of the Russian society are summarized and systematized.

Ways of Choirmaster Art Development in Azerbaijan

The article is devoted to the history of the choral music development in Azerbaijan and to highlighting the ways of choirmaster art formation. The development of choral art in Azerbaijan began, firstly, with the formation of the composer creative activity. The introduction of classical choral samples with the emergence of the first opera and the formation of an ensemble for performing it are considered to be the first step in this area. Later, the emergence of professional choral collectives, the development of the opera genre, as well as the activity of music education institutions included a new stage of development. Therefore, the formation of choral music genres allowed the development of the art of conducting, especially the areas such as an opera choirmaster who leads a choir collective, a chapel choirmaster. The purpose of the research is to highlight the formation of choral conducting in Azerbaijan, to study the ways of high-level development of choirmaster art and to explore the creative path of professional opera choirmasters. The research methodology is based on historical and theoretical principles, with the help of which the position of choral art in the musical culture of Azerbaijan, the history of the formation of choral art is considered. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study was the existing works of Russian and Azerbaijani musicologists in this field. The scientific novelty of the research is connected with the fact that for the first time in Azerbaijan the ways of development of choir art are comprehensively covered. Conclusions. The involvement of Azerbaijani choral art in the research and the study of the issue mainly in terms of the conducting and choirmaster art formation have shown that the development of this art was primarily connected with composer creativity. Since the emergence of classical samples of choral music is associated with the opera genre, the art of conducting and choirmaster has entered its stage of formation, in parallel. The professional development of choirmaster art took place in parallel and mutually with the art of conducting and it was associated with the high-level organization of music education in the country. Consequently, such professional choirmasters as L. V. Frolova, A. A. Yurlov, N. Malikov, L. Atakishiyeva, E. B. Novruzov, B. Vakilova, S. Agayeva, N. Mardanov, N. Nabiyev, Z. Ismayilova, Y. Adigozalov, G. Imanova and L. Mammadova have been trained in Azerbaijan. Besides, areas such as a chapel and opera choirmaster have also developed within choirmaster art.

TELEDRAMATURGIA BRASILEIRA: UM PANORAMA DESSA EXPRESSIVIDADE NO CONTEXTO BRASILEIRO

Temos como objetivo, neste artigo, compreender como constituiu, em terras brasileiras, o gênero telenovela, tratando suas origens, suas reinvenções e suas consolidações. Trataremos, ainda, acerca da teledramaturgia produzida pela TV Globo e o modo como a academia lida com os objetos provenientes da cultura de mídia. Nesse sentido, respaldáramo-nos na teoria de Douglas Kellner (2001) que elucida sobre o conceito cultura de mídia, em substituição ao combalido cultura de massas. No presente artigo, ainda, procuraremos elucidar como deu-se a inserção da homossexualidade na história da teledramaturgia brasileira e como foi recepcionada junto ao público que por questões morais não apenas repudiou cenas de beijo gay, nos idos anos 2010, como também anteriormente, na implantação do gênero telenovela no Brasil, surgido em 1951. Além de compreender a censura interna e externa para boicotar cenas de beijo homoafetivos, inclusive, realizando pesquisas in loco no Centro de Documentação da TV Globo (CEDOC/RJ).

13. Transfigurations and Interferences of the Ballad Master Builder Manole with the Opera Genre. Choral Polychromies

Abstract One of the fundamental myths of the Romanian literature, Master Builder Manole had various approaches in the opera genre. On individual stylistic paths as musical language and show formula, Alfred Mendelssohn, Gheorghe Dumitrescu, and Sigismund Toduță reinterpreted the myth of the human sacrifice, in an extremely nuanced approach of the transfiguration of the ancient folklore. The choral inserts are polychromatic, having different forms and formulas: men choir, female choir, mixed choir, choral conglomerations. The three composers wrote a romantic music, in terms of content, and a classic one, in terms of the formal elements themselves.

Chekhov's prose in the opera of the late XX-beginning. XXI centuries .

As the world theatrical practice of the last decades shows, it is the legacy of A.P. Chekhov that is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for many directors and composers. There is a huge number of works devoted to the topic "Chekhov and music". The musicality of Chekhov's prose is one of the most frequent topics in philological and musicological studies. Plays, novels, and short stories by the author have more than once become an occasion for new creations in the opera house. In this article, the author examines the famous operas of composers of the turn of the XX-XXI centuries based on the prose of A. Chekhov. The works are arranged according to the principle of differences between the plot plot and the libretto of operas from the literary source. In foreign musicology, the genre transformation of opera, in which the literary component becomes the main factor of centralizing unity, has been called literary (the term of K. Dahlhaus). In the most general sense, this genre should be understood as a reliable musical version in accuracy or in the abbreviation of the literary source. In Russian musicology, literary opera is a little-studied area of music history, which allows us to speak about the scientific novelty of the presented material. Thus, in the article the author comes to the conclusion that operas based on A.P. Chekhov stand apart in the implementation of the genre of literary opera in the domestic theater of the selected period. Based on the analysis, the author identifies three types of literary opera, which allow to characterize the method of composers' work with the literary source.