The C19th was also the golden age for opera in Russia. Perhaps as a reaction to the strong foreign influences of Italian, French and German operas of earlier centuries, some musicians made a conscious attempt to create a specifically Russian kind of art music. This is particularly true of "The Five", also known as "The Mighty Handful", and refers to a circle of composers who would meet in St Petersburg in the years 1856 - 1870. They include Mily Balakirev (the leader), César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Alexander Borodin. This last composer, who was also a notable chemist, is best known for his opera, Prince Igor (1890). The libretto was adapted from an East Slavic epic and it recounts the campaign of this Russian prince against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185.Although not a formal member of "The Five", Balakirev had an important influence on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He wrote music for a range of genres including symphony, ballet, instrumental, chamber and song. One of his best known operas, Eugene Oniegin (1879) is an example of lyric opera, and is based on the novel of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. Much of the original poetry is retained. The story concerns a selfish hero who lives to regret his blasé rejection of a young woman's love and his careless incitement of a fatal duel with his best friend. It is set in St Petersburg in the 1820s.
Sources:
Delgado Cabrera, A. El Siglo XIX. Iniciación a la Ópera. 2008-2009. Talleres y Cursos de Cultura. ULPGC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Borodin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Ilyich_Tchaikovsky
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Five
Image: An Opera Outing by Charlise Tiee.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Ilyich_Tchaikovsky
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Five
Image: An Opera Outing by Charlise Tiee.
