Summary Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov. May Night


MAYA NIGHT

Opera in three acts (four scenes)

Libretto by NA Rimsky-Korsakov

Characters:

Head

Levko, his son

The sister-in-law of the Head

Ganna

Clerk

Distiller

Kalenik

Bass

Tenor

Mezzo soprano

Mezzo soprano

Bass

Tenor

Bass

Pannochka

Cutie

Raven

Stepmother

}

Mermaids

Soprano

Mezzo soprano

Soprano

Mezzo soprano

Parables, girls, tenths, drowned mermaids.

The action takes place in Little Russia, near Dikanka, on the Troitskaya or Rusal week.

Time: the beginning of the XIX century.

PLOT

Cheerful songs sound in the May evening on the street of the Ukrainian

village: these are the sailors and the girls started a game in “Millet”. Only the young Cossack Levko does not participate in the game. He hurries to his beloved, beautiful Ganne. A tender song, he calls her on a date. And although Father Levko – the old Head – has not yet given his consent to the marriage, lovers are happy. The beauty of the Ukrainian evening, the friendly lights of the burning stars, the quiet splashing of the lake bring them bright dreams. Ganna asks to tell her an old legend about a dilapidated house of the house, which mysteriously turns black over the lake. Levko does not want to disturb the girl with a terrible story, but is inferior to her insistent requests. Long ago, he says, a wealthy widower lived in this house with a beautiful daughter. He married, but the young wife disliked her stepdaughter. She was a witch and did so, that the centurion kicked the daughter out of the house. The girl with grief rushed to the lake and turned into a mermaid. Once, together with her friends, she dragged her stepmother into the water, but she also pretended to be a mermaid. And does
not know Pannochka, which of her friends is an evil stepmother, a witch. While telling Levko, the twilight descended to the ground. Wonderful girlish songs are heard far away. Girls cheerfully banter over the drunk Kalenik, who can not find his hut in any way. With jokes, they point him toward the hut of the Head. Meanwhile, Head, taking advantage of the absence of Levko, sneaked to Hannah, again to bother her with love confessions. An angry beauty threatens to tell her fiance. But Levko himself heard this explanation; he decided to properly teach the old curve to the Head, adding a mocking song about him. His head and his sister-in-law are meeting with the honored guest, The vinokur. Suddenly a drunken Kalenik rushes into the hut. Not noticing anybody, he is sleeping, as at home, and he wears up the Head with might and main. Only the indignant master wanted to take out the intruder, like a stone started by someone’s hand, knocked out the glass, and from the street came the mischievous, mocking song of the couple about the Head. In anger he jumped out of the hut to catch the ringleader, and returned, dragging the disguised Levko. Suddenly, the lamp went out, and instead of his son in a dark closet, the Sister-in-Law was locked in, which the nimble saplings had slipped into the head in the dark. To the triumphant Head came Pyshar with the news that the chief troublemaker was caught and put in a state cottage. But Golov is sure that he himself was the culprit. To resolve the pores, he unlocks the closet and sees his sister-in-law with amazement. he is sleeping, like at home, and he wears up the Head with might and main. Only the indignant master wanted to take out the intruder, like a stone started by someone’s hand, knocked out the glass, and from the street came the mischievous, mocking song of the couple about the Head. In anger he jumped out of the hut to catch the ringleader, and returned, dragging the disguised Levko. Suddenly, the lamp went out, and instead of his son in a dark closet, the Sister-in-Law was locked in, which the nimble saplings had slipped into the head in the dark. To the triumphant Head came Pyshar with the news that the chief troublemaker was caught and put in a state cottage. But Golov is sure that he himself was the culprit. To resolve the pores, he unlocks the closet and sees his sister-in-law with amazement. he is sleeping, like at home, and he wears up the Head with might and main. Only the indignant master wanted to take out the intruder, like a stone started by someone’s hand, knocked out the glass, and from the street came the mischievous, mocking song of the couple about the Head. In anger he jumped out of the hut to catch the ringleader, and returned, dragging the disguised Levko. Suddenly, the lamp went out, and instead of his son in a dark closet, the Sister-in-Law was locked in, which the nimble saplings had slipped into the head in the dark. To the triumphant Head came Pyshar with the news that the chief troublemaker was caught and put in a state cottage. But Golov is sure that he himself was the culprit. To resolve the pores, he unlocks the closet and sees his sister-in-law with amazement. and from the street came the mischievous, mocking song of the couple about the Head. In anger he jumped out of the hut to catch the ringleader, and returned, dragging the disguised Levko. Suddenly, the lamp went out, and instead of his son in a dark closet, the Sister-in-Law was locked in, which the nimble saplings had slipped into the head in the dark. To the triumphant Head came Pyshar with the news that the chief troublemaker was caught and put in a state cottage. But Golov is sure that he himself was the culprit. To resolve the pores, he unlocks the closet and sees his sister-in-law with amazement. and from the street came the mischievous, mocking song of the couple about the Head. In anger he jumped out of the hut to catch the ringleader, and returned, dragging the disguised Levko. Suddenly, the lamp went out, and instead of his son in a dark closet, the Sister-in-Law was locked in, which the nimble saplings had slipped into the head in the dark. To the triumphant Head came Pyshar with the news that the chief troublemaker was caught and put in a state cottage. But Golov is sure that he himself was the culprit. To resolve the pores, he unlocks the closet and sees his sister-in-law with amazement. To the triumphant Head came Pyshar with the news that the chief troublemaker was caught and put in a state cottage. But Golov is sure that he himself was the culprit. To resolve the pores, he unlocks the closet and sees his sister-in-law with amazement. To the triumphant Head came Pyshar with the news that the chief troublemaker was caught and put in a state cottage. But Golov is sure that he himself was the culprit. To resolve the pores, he unlocks the closet and sees his sister-in-law with amazement.

Head, Pisar and Vinokur are stealthily approaching the bureaucratic hut and in turn look into the keyhole. They are filled with superstitious fear: they see the Savior again. The head decides not to regret the good and burn the house together with Satan in the female image. Only Pisar dared to open the door. At his request, the prisoner crossed herself, and after the stream of abuse and reproaches came crashing down on her head, no one doubted that they really did not have a devil, but her sister-in-law.

And Levko, leaving a cheerful gang of guys, went down to the lake. All his thoughts are addressed to the beloved. He sings about her affectionate, soulful song. And, as if attracted by the sound of music, Pannochka appeared in the window of a dilapidated house, and along the lake shore the mermaids played roundels. They started the game in crow, and Levko, at the request of Pannochka, pointed to the witch. With triumphant cries, the mermaids carried her to the bottom, and the grateful Pannochka, giving the Cossack a note for her father, disappeared. Parubok woke up with a note in his hand. The approaching Head, Pisar, Vinokur and the Tit (village guard) recognized Levko as the instigator of yesterday’s stir and rushed to knit him. But, to the surprise of those present, Levko passed a note to his father, in which he was instructed by the commissioner’s arm to marry his son on Gunn. Joyful met lovers; now nothing prevents their happiness.

MUSIC

Despite the simplicity of the plot and the relatively modest size, “May Night” attracts a variety of musical content. Along with the lyrical scenes in it are comedy and household scenes and fantastic episodes, paintings of folk rites, framed and against which the action unfolds. The music of the opera has a predominantly lyrical character, its basis is played by numerous melodies, easily remembered melodies, among which many folk songs.

Overture, built on the musical themes of the opera, begins with poetic horns; music is gradually animated, leading to a fast, temperamental code.

The first act is opened with a round dance “Millet” (folk words and melody), based on the roll of two choirs. Levko’s flexible song, which melts with pleasure, “The sun is low, the evening is near” is full of enthusiastic, warm feelings. Following her lyric duet “Oh, do not be afraid, red kalinochka” grows into a big stage; Hanna’s singing phrases are accompanied by capricious and dreamy remarks of the solo violin in the orchestra; the final episode of the scene – Levko’s story “It’s been a long time”, in which recitative-arias phrases alternate freely. Farewell of Ganna and Levko sounds on the background of the sad trinity song of the girls “Sequence of Wreaths” (words and folk music). The subsequent comic scene with the drunk Kalenik contrasts with her, the music of which is sustained in the rhythm of the hopak. In the tercet (Ganna, Levko, Head) expressive melodies of Hanne are set off by the pleading patter of the Head. The act ends with Levko’s long-distance song and the couple’s “The Bats, have you heard?”

In the second act – two pictures, full of comedy situations. In the first picture, Vinokur’s mysteriously insinuating story “In the evening, as it is remembered, not later this one” and the successive song of the pairing (the music from the first act) are singled out. The picture is comic three-part fugetta (Head, Pisar, Vinokur) “Let everyone know what power means”; its pompous importance is emphasized by the accompaniment of a piccolo flute and a snare drum.

At the beginning of the second picture, the comic fugato “Satan, this is Satan himself!” Attracts attention, conveying the numbness and fear of the Head, Writer and Vinokur. Juicy humor is painted choking, fractional patter of the Sister-in-Law.

The third act splits into two large contrasting scenes – fantastic and everyday. The orchestral introduction (the music of the overture) depicts a poetic picture of a southern night full of mysterious, obscure sounds. Arioso Levko “How quiet, how cool here” and his song “Sleep, my beauty” imbued with a serene, dreamy mood. Full of admiration, Levko’s song “Oh, you, month”, close to the Ukrainian folk tunes, is interrupted by the charming lyrical phrases of Pannochka, accompanied by light, like a whiff of “breeze, transparent passages of harps.” A chorus of mermaids “Lured by singing” and the freshness of the melody melody. The light, transparent color is a round-iron song of the mermaids “Gather, maidens, gather, red,” related to folk gaming songs. The scene of the game in the crow is based on motifs reminiscent of ancient pagan spells. The fantastic part of the act ends with a gentle lyrical duet of Pannochka and Levko “Oh, how easy it is for me now, how gratifying” and the orchestral picture of the sunrise (music of the beginning of the act). With the fragile, poetic music of the fantastic episodes, the coarse comic recitations of the Head, Writer and Vinokur are contrastingly prominent. The end of the recitative scene comes against the background of the russal ritual song of the female chorus “Gunpowder, gunpowder on the road”, which is replaced by the song of the male choir “Holy week, green Christmas-trees” of a fast, decisive nature; then both of the tunes, polyphony merging, sound simultaneously. The jubilant, excited duet of Ganna and Levko and the solemn grand choir finish the opera.


1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Summary Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov. May Night