Summary Nazib Gayazovich Zhiganov. Musa Jalil
MUSA JALIL
Opera poem in seven scenes
Libretto by A. S. Faizy
Characters:
Musa Jalil, the poet The poet’s wife Zhuravlyov, colonel, commander of the detachment Andre, a Belgian, a prisoner of war Kazanfarov, Lieutenant Hayat, Tatar girl, hijacked To fascist Germany Mad woman with a child, Belarus Kovalev, the foreman | Dramatic tenor Lyric-dramatic soprano Bass Baritone Baritone Mezzo soprano Mezzo soprano Bass | |
Soldiers: | Satpayev, Kazakh Ishnazarov, Tatar Usenko, Ukrainian | Tenor Baritone Bass |
Two German officers | Characteristic tenor |
Soldiers,
The action takes place in 1941-1944.
HISTORY OF CREATION
Zhiganov dedicated his opera to brave fighters for peace. Its central figure is the Tatar poet Musa Jalil, whose heroic deed is known throughout the world. During the Great Patriotic War, Jalil fought at the front, was taken prisoner and executed in the fascist Moabit prison. A man of a large, bright soul, he continued to create until the last day of his life. Comrades preserved for humanity a stunning document of his moral staunchness and civic courage – the “Moabit notebook” with the last verses. The image of the poet, his heroic destiny for Zhiganov were particularly exciting. Many years of friendship and creative cooperation connected him with Jalil, who was, in particular, the librettist of the operas “Altynchech” and “Ildar”.
Zhiganov’s cherished dream was to recreate the beautiful image of the faithful son of the people, a
The premiere of the opera took place on May 15, 1957 at the Kazan Opera and Ballet Theater, on May 29 of the same year in Moscow in the Theater. KS Stanislavsky and VI Nemirovich-Danchenko. Then the opera was staged on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR (branch), the Prague National Theater and several other Soviet and foreign theaters.
PLOT
My life was ringing with people,
Death is my song of struggle will sound.
In the grim chamber of the Moabit prison, his last hours are spent condemned to death by Jalil. His thoughts turn to the Motherland, memory of his farewell to his wife and sleeping daughter, visions of his native Kazan, peaceful folk tunes of Tataria.
We were cemented by friendship
Blood and flame.
New memories come to life in front of the poet’s mind. A short respite between the fights. Soldiers write letters home, clean weapons. Kazakh Satpayev sings a sad song about the distant Irtysh. Ishnazarov writes a letter to the Kazan girls, but, having listened, forgets about him. The arrival of Captain Jalil raises the mood of the sad soldiers. He helps Ishnazarov finish the letter, finding simple heart words. Suddenly, Lieutenant Kazanfarov runs in. In a panic, he screams that the detachment is surrounded by fascists. Jalil sharply cuts him off. Colonel Zhuravlyov threatens to give the coward and panic to the court, but Kazanfarov swears in battle to atone for his guilt. The fighters diverge; Zhuravlev reveals the seriousness of the situation to Jalil. He talks about his decision to divert the forces of the fascists, so that Jalil with part of the detachment could get out of the ring, and admits that the poet,
Who does not know courage is that slave.
Night. Glow of distant fires. On the charred earth lies heavily wounded Jalil. When he comes to himself, he hears a voice singing a lullaby. An indifferent woman comes to him with a dead child in her arms and passes by without hearing the words addressed to her. Jalil tries to get up, but again loses consciousness. When he wakes up, he sees a man hiding from the front line, and recognizes Kazanfarov in him. Jalil orders him to return to the battlefield. The deserter is trying to shoot the only witness of his flight, but Jalil is ahead of him. The wounded Kazanfarov runs away, and Jalil, cursing the traitor, goes to the front.
Forgive me, Motherland!
Groups of prisoners of war gather behind barbed wire of a concentration camp. The trials did not break their will. Taking advantage of the fact that the sentry is far away, they read Jalil’s poems. The Belgian Andre guards them with a carefree song warning of the approach of danger. The exhausted poet leaves the commandant’s office. Friends offer him to organize an escape, but he refuses, not wanting to be saved at the cost of others’ lives. The fascists offered to save his life if he served them. Jalil accepted this proposal: from now on he will fight the enemy, wearing the infamous mask of a traitor. He is afraid only that the rumor of betrayal will reach the Motherland and loved ones.
Who dares to say,
What have I betrayed?!
At the destroyed railway station in the German rear, people who are driven from different countries work. They read an order promising a reward for catching the head of the underground struggle of Gumerov, whose songs are so loved by the people. With hatred and contempt, the captives of Jalil, dressed in a German uniform, meet. Jalil commends the legionaries who were recruited by the Germans, before being sent to the Eastern Front. The train has been sent, all disperse. Musa Jalil remains alone. He hears the sad song of the Tatar girl Hayat, full of longing for his native places, and asks who composed this song. Instead of answering, Hayat throws words of disdain into his face. The escaped captives offend him, threatening reprisals. Soldiers crowd out the people, surrounding Jalil. The officer angrily yells: “Your legions are moving to the side of the Soviets!” – and suddenly guesses – “Gumerov! …”
Do not believe!
Musa, thrown into the prison cell, thinks to his wife. He sees her friends comforting her, the fun of the New Year’s holiday, the games of children, and among them her daughter. Suddenly, another picture appears to Jalil; what will Kazanfarov tell about him?! He sees a traitor entering his house, hears the persistent questions of his wife and the answer: “Musa went over to the side of the enemy.” But the wife does not believe the false news.
I always dedicated songs to my homeland,
Today I give my life to the homeland.
Again around the blank walls of the prison. The beaten up Andre is pushed into the cell. Jalil leans over him. The Belgian does not understand how a person sentenced to death can still write poetry. But Jalil knows – he has many friends. Preparing for execution, he passes to André “Moabit notebook”: his poems must reach the people. The poet turns to Germany, the birthplace of Marx, Heine, Beethoven, the ardent call to throw off the chains of shame. Dozens of votes pick up his words.
MUSIC
For music “Musa Jalil” characterized by a combination of poetry, high romance and harsh truth of life, the reign of melodious, expressive melody, lyricism, piercing opera. Its national coloring is diverse; along with the melodic style of Tatar folk music, Russian, Kazakh, and French folklore is felt here, affecting the musical depiction of actors of different nationalities. The drama of the opera is characterized by the continuity of symphonic development, an important role is played by orchestral interludes and episodes; they connect together the plot-separated scenes, concentrate their ideological and emotional meaning, supplement and comment on the statements of the actors.
The orchestral introduction of the opera sounds penetrating and heartfelt; his pensive melody becomes the main characteristic of Musa Jalil.
In the first picture, solo statements predominate. At the beginning it sounds a melody of Jalil’s aria “My Songs” that is close to the Tatar folk song. The farewell scene with his wife consists of a lullaby song, Jalil’s arioso “We can never be parted” and the duet “The Way of Your Stern”, the inspired melody of which acquires the meaning of the theme of love in the future. In the orchestra, an oboe with a solo sounding like a kurai (Tatar folk instrument), there is a melody of “Zilyaylyuk” – a musical symbol of the Motherland. The top and at the same time the conclusion of the picture – Jalil’s aria “Farewell, Kazan”; The melodious melody of the singer is accompanied by a developed orchestral party, in which dramatically contrasting themes collide.
In the second picture three different sections. The first includes a sad song by Satpayev “Clouds, steppe and river” and an out-of-the-way, sweeping ensemble with a chorus (writing a letter). In the center of the second is the scene with Kazanfarov, where his angry, hysterical statements are opposed to the angry, courageous speeches of Jalil and Zhuravlev. The conclusion is the big duet-scene of Jalil and Zhuravlev (aria “You are like my son”); at first austere and sorrowful, then heroically elevated.
Symphonic interlude “Fight” connects the second and third paintings.
The third picture is dominated by recitative scenes with unfolded orchestral interludes. It is dominated by the nervously excited, disturbing nature of music, emphasized by a single song fragment – a lullaby with a child.
The fourth and fifth paintings form the dramatic center of the opera. These are large mass scenes with lots of participants, an abundance of musical contrasts, solved in wide oratorio forms. At the beginning of the fourth picture – a large ensemble of prisoners with a choir; mournful and angry chorus vocalise (without words) is replaced by the choir “Many songs I folded in battles”, which is interrupted several times by Andrey’s song (authentic French melody). The second half of the picture is the scene of Jalil with the prisoners; it begins with a sad aria “Forgive, Motherland”, ends with a deeply excited aria “Do not believe it!”.
The fifth picture opens with an uneasy, secret choir of prisoners. Jalil’s appeal to the legionnaires is accompanied by the passionately intense melody of his aria “Do not believe!”. In the center of the picture is a melody “Zilyayluk”, widely sounded in the orchestra, and the melancholy song of Hayat “Roads-roads”. The final recitative scene opens with a threatening ensemble of Hayat with the choir and ends with a mournfully agitated chorus. “Forgive us, forgive us, native Musa!”.
The sixth picture splits into two contrasting scenes. In the first the folk-genre principle predominates: the dreamy song of the poet’s wife, bright, in the national spirit, the female choir, the children’s choir, the comedy dance of an elderly woman with a samovar, a waltz with a female choir. The scene with Kazanfarov is marked by a continuous increase in drama, at the center is the duet of the wife of the poet and Kazanfarov, against the backdrop of the women’s choir, completed with the pathetic melody of the orchestra.
The last picture – “Jalil’s Dream” – returns to the solo-chamber character of the first. A touchingly poetic story by Jalil “This night my daughter appeared to me in a dream.” Mournful-grim arioso Andre “I remember everything” – the center of his stage-duet with Jalil. An excited recitative begins the final aria of Jalil “Is this how I knew you”, picked up by a solemn chorus.
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