The Tale of Tsar Saltan (opera)


The Tale of Tsar Saltan is an opera in four acts with a prologue by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by Vladimir Belsky, and is based on the 1831 poem of the same name by Aleksandr Pushkin. The opera was composed in 1899–1900 to coincide with Pushkin's centenary, and was first performed in 1900 in Moscow, Russia.
The lengthy full title of both the opera and the poem is The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his Son the Renowned and Mighty Bogatyr Prince Gvidon Saltanovich and of the Beautiful Princess-Swan.

Composition history

The plot of the opera generally follows that of Pushkin's fairy-tale poem, with the addition of some characters, some expansion, and some compression. The libretto by Belsky borrows many lines from and largely emulates the style of Pushkin's poem, which is written in couplets of trochaic tetrameter. The music is composed in the manner of Rimsky-Korsakov's operas after Snowmaiden, i.e., having a more or less continuous musical texture throughout a tableau system, broken up here and there by song-like passages.

Performance history

The première was held in Moscow on 3 November 1900 at the Solodovnikov Theatre conducted by Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov with scenic design by Mikhail Vrubel.
The St. Petersburg premiere took place in 1902 at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, conducted by Zelyonïy.
Other notable performances included those in 1906 at the Zimin Opera, Moscow, conducted by Ippolitov-Ivanov; 1913 at the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow, conducted by Emil Cooper, with scenic design by Konstantin Korovin; and 1915 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, conducted by Albert Coates, with scenic design by Korovin and Aleksandr Golovin.
On, while he was attending a performance of the opera at the Kiev Opera House in the presence of the Tsar and his family, the Russian Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin was shot twice, once in the arm and once in the chest, dying two days later; his assassin, Dmitri Bogrov, was both a leftist radical and an agent of the Okhrana.
The UK premiere took place in London on 11 October 1933 at Sadler's Wells Theatre and the US premiere was presented on 27 December 1937 under the title of The Bumble-Bee Prince.

Roles

Synopsis

Prologue

On a wintry evening three sisters are sitting at spinning wheels. As Tsar Saltan overhears from outside the door, the oldest sister boasts that, if she were Tsaritsa, she would prepare a sumptuous feast; the middle sister would weave a grand linen; the youngest promises to bear, as son for the Tsar, a bogatyr. Saltan enters, chooses the third sister to be his bride, and takes her away. The old woman Babarikha devises a revenge for the two jealous older sisters : when the Tsar is away at war, a message will be sent to him that the child born to his Tsaritsa is not human, but a monster.
, corresponds to the Introduction to Act 1, and the first movement of Rimsky-Korsakov's suite from the opera.

Act 1

Introduction — Saltan’s Departure
Scene
The Tsar has gone off to war. In his palace in Tmutarakan, the Tsaritsa has given birth to a son, to whom a chorus of nannies sings a lullaby. She is despondent: there is no reply from her husband to the news of the birth of their child. Her sisters are now part of the court: the older sister as Cook, and the middle sister as Weaver. They try to entertain her, as does the skomorokh and the old man. But all this is to no avail. The young Tsarevich baby, who has been lulled to sleep during this scene, awakens and runs about, accompanied by his nurses, and the people wish God's blessings upon him. Then a messenger stumbles in, having been waylaid with drink by Babarikha. He sings "Gosudarynya moya, ne veli kaznit menya", and his message from the Tsar is read by the scribes: the Tsaritsa and her progeny must be placed in a barrel and thrown into the sea. Reluctantly the people carry out the Tsar's command.

Act 2

Introduction — Militrisa and Gvidon Afloat In the Barrel
Scene
The Tsaritsa and her son Gvidon have landed on the island of Buyan, and broken out of the barrel in which they were trapped. Gvidon, who has grown remarkably rapidly into a young man, is searching for sustenance. While doing this, he rescues a swan from being killed by a kite. in gratitude, the Swan-Bird sings to him. The Tsaritsa explains Gvidon's early history to her son, and the Swan-Bird causes the city of Ledenets to arise magically on the island. Gvidon is hailed by its inhabitants as its Prince.

Act 3

Scene 1
By the shore of Buyan, the merchant ships have left, and Gvidon laments having being separated from his father. The Swan-Bird will help him by changing him into a bumblebee. He will be able to fly over the sea, as a stowaway on Saltan's ship, to visit him in Tmutarakan.
Interlude — Flight of the Bumblebee
Scene 2
The sailors arrive at Tmutarakan from their visit to Buyan. The sailors tell Tsar Saltan of the wonders of Gvidon's island. The two older sisters are concerned that the Tsar will become interested in visiting the island, and they try to dissuade him. In retaliation the bumble-bee Gvidon stings each of them in the brow. Babarikha then tries to trump the sailors, by speaking of a fabulous Princess on the sea, at which point Gvidon stings her in the eye and blinds her. Saltan decides to visit the island, but, in view of the havoc caused by the bumblebee, forbids that breed of insect from ever entering the palace again.

Act 4

Scene 1
Gvidon, again by the seashore of Buyan, longs for a bride. The Swan-Bird appears, and Gvidon tells her of the Princess that he heard about at Tmutarakan. The Swan-Bird transforms herself into that very Princess. His mother and a chorus of maidens enter, and bless the prospect of their wedding.
Orchestral interlude — Three Wonders
Scene 2
Gvidon, with his mother hidden, awaits the arrival of Saltan. When the ship arrives with the Tsar and his retinue, Gvidon greets him, and questions him as to whether or not he will have a son to carry on his work. The Saltan does not yet know that Gvidon is his son, and expresses regret for his rash treatment of his wife many years earlier. Although Gvidon tries to cheer him up with the three wonders, it becomes clear that only the presence of Militrisa can assuage Saltan's guilt. The Princess-Swan appears and reveals the Tsar's long-lost wife. The older sisters beg forgiveness, which in his happiness Saltan grants. Everyone then joins in a celebration of the upcoming wedding of Gvidon and the Princess-Swan.

Libretto

A link to the Russian-English libretto with transliteration: http://aquarius-classic.ru/album?aid=188&tid=7&ver=eng or https://drive.google.com/file/d/11ntEkzioh5moBRUyT_6qZ9ZKqMkTgZqY/view?usp=sharing

Principal orchestral numbers and concert excerpts

Act 1
Act 2
Act 3
Act 4
Suite from the Opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Op. 57
  1. Introduction to Act I: "The Tsar's Departure And Farewell"
  2. Introduction to Act II: "The Tsaritsa and Her Son Afloat in the Barrel"
  3. Introduction to Act IV, Tableau 2: "The Three Wonders"
The "Flight of the Bumblebee" is also performed in various arrangements at concerts and recitals, but is not part of the Suite.

Gallery of illustrations

made the following illustrations for Pushkin's tale in 1905. Bilibin would later provide designs for the premieres of Rimsky-Korsakov's version of Boris Godunov, and The Golden Cockerel. The "Flight of the mosquito" episode was not included in the opera by Rimsky-Korsakov for the sake of brevity, but Bilibin's illustration otherwise corresponds to the "Flight of the Bumblebee" from Act 3.

Recordings

Audio Recordings Source: