The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh and the virgin Fevronija

Opera dates
Title:	The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh and the virgin Fevronija
Original title:	Сказание о невидимом граде Китеже и деве Февронии (Skasanije o newidimom grade Kitesche i dewe Fewronii)
Title page of the piano reduction, 1906
Shape:	Opera in four acts and six pictures
Original language:	Russian
Music:	Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Libretto :	Vladimir Belsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Premiere:	February 7th Jul. / February 20, 1907 greg.
Place of premiere:	Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg
Playing time:	approx. 3 ¼ hours
Place and time of the action:	On the Volga in the forests of Kerchenets , in the towns of Klein- and Groß-Kitesch , "in the year 6751 since the creation of the world" (1243 AD)
people
Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich (Князь Юрий) ( bass ) Prince's son Vsevolod Jurjewitsch (Княжич Всеволод), his son ( tenor ) Fevronija (Феврония) ( soprano ) Grischka Kuterma (Гришка Кутерьма) (tenor) Fyodor Pojarok (Фёдор Поярок) ( baritone ) a boy ( mezzo-soprano ) two rich citizens (tenor, bass) a gusli player (bass) a bear leader (tenor) Cantor of the beggars (baritone) Bedjai (Бедяй), Tatar leader (bass) Burundai (Бурундай) Tatar leader (bass) Sirin (Сирин), Bird of Paradise (soprano) Alkonost (Алконост), Bird of Paradise ( Old ) Hunters, people, beggars, rich citizens, entourage of the prince, domra and gusli players, Tatars ( choir )

The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia (Russian: Сказание о невидимом граде Китеже и деве Февронии , Skasanije o newidimom grade Kitesche i dewe Fewronii ) is an opera in four acts and six paintings by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (music) with a libretto by Wladimir Belski and Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow. She was born on February 7th ^. / February 20, 1907 ^greg. premiered at the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg.

action

The opera takes place on the Volga "in the year 6751 since the creation of the world" (1243 AD).

first act

Orchestral Prelude: "Praise to Loneliness"

Forests on the other side of the Volga near Klein-Kitesch, in the thicket the dwelling of a honey collector; Oaks, spruces and elms, a spring nearby; Midsummer night, dusk

The virgin Fevronija enjoys her life in nature, with which she is completely merged. It attracts some birds to feed. A bear cub eats out of her hand, and an injured moose lets her take care of her. A young hunter, separated from his group, watches the goings-on with fascination. At first he thinks she is a magical creature. She, too, is confused by the sight of him, but then she brings him honey, bread and water and takes care of a wound he had from meeting a bear. She talks enthusiastically about her life in the wilderness as the sister of a honey collector and about her beautiful dreams. When he asks her if she goes to church to pray, she replies that her church is all around her, where everything continuously praises God's world. The youth reminds them of the teaching of the ancients that one should not strive for earthly pleasures. Fewronija answers with a passionate hymn of praise to the beauty of God's world, charity and joy. He asks her to marry him and puts a ring on her finger. As the rest of the hunting party approaches, he says goodbye with the promise to send the suitors soon. He calms her concern for the animals by saying that hunting in this forest will be banned in future. Only after he left does she find out the name of her fiancé from Fyodor Pojarok: Vsevolod, son and co-regent of Prince Juri von Kitesch.

Second act

Ivan Bilibin : second act, Brno 1934

Klein-Kitesch on the left bank of the Volga; Marketplace with shops and a tavern

The people are waiting for the wedding procession. In the vicinity of the inn, a bear guide amuses the crowd with his dancing bear . A gusli player sings a song about a beautiful girl who, with overflowing tears, predicts disaster for the city of Great Kitesch. The crowd is worried, but no one knows where their capital could be threatened with danger, since there is peace and everyone is doing well. The wealthier part of the population is critical of the prince's wedding, as the bride obviously does not have a good background. Some give the drunkard Grischka Kuterma money so that he can "do her honor" all the more mockingly. The poor, on the other hand, beg in vain for alms. The wedding procession is gradually approaching. Fyodor and others hand out cakes, ribbons, and money. The crowd welcomes Fewronija benevolently, but Grischka pushes through and mocks them. Fevronija gently asks him to pray for his sins. However, Grischka does not let up with his insults and is eventually pushed out by the others. Girls dance to the sound of guslis and domras . Suddenly horn signals sound. The crowd is getting restless. More groups of people rush to the square in increasing desperation. Tatars in brightly colored clothing appear and kill everyone they can reach. Their leaders Bedjai and Burundai encourage their people to use even greater violence. Fevronija is caught and dragged away. The Tatars force Grischka, under threat of torture, to show them the way to Groß-Kitesch. Fevronija implores God to make the city and its inhabitants invisible.

Third act

Ivan Bilibin : The Boy's Costume, Brno 1934

First picture. Groß-Kitesch, midnight

The population has gathered in front of the Assumption Cathedral. Prince Juri and his son Vsevolod are also present when Fyodor, blinded by the Tatars, appears with a boy and reports on the attack and humiliating defeat of Klein-Kitesch. In order to find the way to Groß-Kitesch, all residents were tortured. All of them held out until death, but one person gave up and is now leading the enemy here: the princess. Yuri sends the boy up to the church tower to look for a sign from God. Everyone begs the Queen of Heaven for salvation. The boy is already spotting the hostile hordes when the sky clears up and a white mist rises like a bridal veil over Lake Svetlojar. Vsevolod and his people prepare for battle. As they set off, a shimmering golden mist descends from the sky over the city and becomes increasingly thick. The bells start ringing by themselves. Everyone feels great joy and praises God.

Orchestral interlude: "The Battle of Kerschenez "

Second picture. An oak tree on the shore of Lake Svetlojar; deep darkness; on the opposite bank is the large kitesch, shrouded in thick fog

Vsevolod and his soldiers were defeated in the battle. Grischka leads the Bedjai and Burundai Tatars through the thicket to a clearing by the lake and explains to them that the city is opposite. However, the two cannot see any signs of it. The Tatars feel betrayed by Grischka and demand his death. The leaders have him tied to a tree to decide his fate the next morning. Should the city actually show up the next morning, they will execute him for treason against his prince. Otherwise he will be tortured to death. They talk about the bravery of Vsevolod, who despite forty wounds fought to the death instead of surrendering. The Tartars set up their camp and distribute the booty. The two leaders cannot agree on the captured Fevronija. Their dispute escalates and Burundai kills Bedjai with his ax. The rest go to sleep. Fevronija weeps silently for her fallen lover. Grischka draws her attention to herself. He confesses his deeds to her and also reveals that he told everyone that she was the traitor. Nevertheless, she forgives him and frees him from his bonds. However, in his drunkenness and remorseful conscience, he does not manage to escape. He stumbles, scolds loudly and laughs like a madman. Meanwhile the sun is rising. The city bells are ringing. Grischka runs away, pulling Fevronija with her. The Tatars, who have woken up to the noise, see the reflection of the city in the lake - but the other bank is barren. Everyone flees in panic from this apparently cursed place.

Fourth act

First picture. Dark night; desolate thicket in the woods of Kerchenez; an uprooted spruce; in the background a clearing and a moss-covered swamp

The exhausted Fewronija and the insane Grischka take a break on their escape. Fevronija begins to pray for her companion. That outraged Grischka, who no longer trusts God. At his request, Fewronija asks Mother Earth to forgive him of his sins and give him consolation. Suddenly Grischka sees an ugly black figure next to her who he takes to be the devil himself. He runs away with a wild scream. The landscape changes around the remaining Fewronija. The trees shine like emeralds, candles glow at their tips, huge colorful flowers sprout from the earth and form a path to the swamp. The forest birds begin to sing. Fewronija proclaims eternal rest to the bird of paradise Alkonost, the “bird of mercy”. She has no fear of death, but longs for the place of abundance where her husband dwells. The spirit of Vsevolod appears, wrapped in golden light. His wounds are gone. Both celebrate their reunion, and the voice of the bird of paradise Sirin, the “bird of joy”, promises them eternal life. Vsevolod gives Fewronija a piece of bread from heaven to strengthen and adds: “Those who partake of our bread are admitted to eternal joy.” She feeds the wild birds one last time with the remaining crumbs. The couple walk hand in hand across the swamp to the invisible city. Bells ring in the distance.

Orchestral-vocal interlude: “The walk to the invisible city”. Behind the curtain, the voices of Sirin and Alkonost exult that God's Word is being fulfilled: a new and shining kingdom is arising, in which the righteous will find comfort for all suffering.

Ivan Bilibin : second image of the fourth act, Paris 1929

Second picture. The fog disappears; the transformed city of Groß-Kitesch becomes visible; at the west gate the Assumption Cathedral and the Prince's Palace; tall bell towers; bright blue-white light

A lion and a unicorn guard the entrance to the royal apartments on the left. The birds of paradise Sirin and Alkonost sing on the spiers. The population wears white secular robes with the lilies of paradise and burning candles. In the midst of the crowd are Fyodor, who was healed of his blindness, and the boy. Everyone greets the young couple with a wedding choir from the second act. Now Fevronija also meets her father-in-law Yuri. He tells her that her dream has become a reality. She learns from the princes that the shining light was created by the prayers of the many righteous people who rise to heaven like a pillar of fire. It is bright enough to read and warm them like a little sun. The clothes are white because they were washed in tears. Fevronija is also given such a garment. Then she remembers Grischka, who is not yet ready to be accepted into the city. She has the boy send him a consoling message: The city of Kitesch has not fallen, but has been hidden. May God repent him. It is a sign when he sees fiery pillars in the sky at night or hears bells ringing on the ground. Fevronija and Vsevolod go to the cathedral. An “unspeakable light” flows through their open gates.

layout

Since the composer considered The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitesch to be his last opera at the time of writing, it is considered his musical testament and at the same time a summary of his previous work. It contains numerous references to his earlier operas, but also refers to the tradition of Russian opera since Mikhail Glinka .

The libretto tells the plot in the style of the 17th century as a combination of literary language and vernacular. By integrating the legend of the saints, the work is close to the oratorio . Similar mixed forms were later created by Claude Debussy ( Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien , 1911) and Olivier Messiaen ( Saint François d'Assise , 1983). The external action takes place mainly in the two middle acts, while the frame acts act like prologue and epilogue.

The legend of the invisible city of Kitesch is often compared to Richard Wagner's Parsifal and is sometimes referred to as the "Russian Parsifal". There are solemn descriptions of nature and “bell music” in both works. In Rimsky-Korsakov's work, the latter is not based on Western music, but rather shows its closeness to the tradition of Russian composers such as Michail Glinka or Modest Mussorgsky . Further similarities with the Parsifal concern the miracle music of the third and fourth acts, in which the ostinato bass of the Good Friday magic can be heard. In the final scene there is a variant of the Dresden name , the Grail motif in Parsifal. The forest scenes are reminiscent of similar passages in Wagner's Siegfried , the murder of the Tatar leader Burundai of his comrade Bedjai while dividing up the booty, Fafner's fratricide in Rheingold, and the battle interlude of the Valkyries ride in the Valkyrie .

The treatment of the orchestra and the penetration of declamatory and arioso sections also show great similarities with Wagner. The music is composed through. There are no self-contained numbers. The second act ends with an unresolved tritone , and the interludes between the images in the third and fourth act do not form a musical conclusion. There are a number of memory motifs that are not developed further like Wagner's leitmotifs , but merely varied. The most important voice in this opera is assigned to the orchestra, but the opposing characters of Fewronija and Kuterma are also differentiated.

The music of older Russian operas inspired the authors in a variety of ways. Above all, Glinka's A Life for the Tsar should be mentioned here , whose third act provided the model for the Tatars' attack on the wedding ceremony. The declamation style of the drunkard Grischka Kuterma has a forerunner in the music of the fake Dmitri in Mussorgky's Boris Godunow , but here it appears alienated due to Rimsky-Korsakov's compositional style with sequences and rhythmic periods. The model for the final chorus of the second act was the council scene in his own first opera Pskowitjanka .

Rimsky-Korsakow used Russian folk songs in two places: in the song of the beggars in the second act and for the musical representation of the Tatars, whom he thus "Slavicized". The former is an octatonic scale made up of descending whole and semitones that Rimsky-Korsakov usually used to represent the exotic. The latter is the song “Pro tatarski polon” published by Mili Balakirew and also processed by other composers such as Peter Tchaikovsky or Sergei Taneyev . Rimsky-Korsakov alienated it here with excessive seconds . In the orchestral interlude of the third act (“The Battle of Kerschenez”), these themes are juxtaposed with the singing of Kitesch's troops and highlighted with a motif reminiscent of hoofbeats.

Rimsky-Korsakov assigned a simple song-like melody to the angelic nature of Fewronija. In the images of nature in the first and fourth acts, she has two hymns of praise to nature, which are reminiscent of the lauds of Francis of Assisi and are among the most successful parts of the opera. These are “poetic images of mood [] made of static, floating sounds” with stylized bird voices woven into them. Rimsky-Korsakov realized the description of the forest in the prelude to the first act with alternating woodwinds, harp arpeggios and tremolos on the string instruments. The forest birds can also be heard in the final paradise scene. Groß-Kitesch with its many towers is characterized by the sound of bells. The Marian prayer in the third act is a choral fugue sung a cappella . In the paradise scene of the fourth act, the love theme of the first act sounds again.

orchestra

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

• Woodwinds : three flutes (3rd also piccolo , 2nd also alto flute), two oboes , English horn , three clarinets (3rd also bass clarinet ), two bassoons , contrabassoon
• Brass : four horns , two trumpets , trumpet in low F, three trombones , tuba
• Timpani , percussion : bass drum , cymbals , triangle , snare drum , tambourine , bells, tam-tam , glockenspiel
• Celesta
• two harps
• Strings
• Incidental music on the scene: domra , balalaikas
• Incidental music behind the scene: trumpet in low F, tenor tubes , bass tubers , six (ad lib. Eight) bells in c, d, e, f, a, and c '

Musical motifs (selection)

A detailed explanation of the motifs used in the opera can be found in Nikolai van Gilse van der Pals ' book NA Rimsky-Korssakow. Opera and sketch about life and work, from which the following examples are also taken.

• Flute and oboe motifs in the nature scene of the first act. The second example is also the main motif of the Fewronia.
  
  
• The praise of loneliness:
  
  
• The motif of the city of Kitesch in F major and F minor:
  
  
• The main motif Grischka Kutermas with wide jumps, runs, trills and torn accompanying chords:
  
  
• Typical chant of Kutermas at his first appearance:
  
  
• The choir song before the attack by the Tatars:
  
  
• Topic of the Tatar leaders after a folk song melody:
  
  
• The hymn to the virgin in the third act:
  
  
• The farewell song of the men going into battle:
  
  
• Fewronija's lullaby in the fourth act:
  
  

Work history

Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow and his librettist Wladimir Belski were already thinking of a new work on Russian legends while they were working on their opera Das Märchen vom Tsar Saltan in 1899/1900 . The first sketches for this date from December 1900. But it only became concrete in 1903/1904 after the completion of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera Pan Wojewoda.

Not all of the sources used by Belski as models have been identified so far. Pawel Melnikov's novel In the Woods from 1875, at the beginning of which the legend of Kitesch is told and which also contains an excerpt from an old Russian manuscript from the 18th century , was probably a suggestion . Belski originally intended a direct dramatization of the legend. The composer, who was inclined to pantheism , however, had reservations about the Christian eschatological ethics contained therein and the contents that were incomprehensible to him. Furthermore, as he noted in the foreword, Belski attached particular importance to an “organic context of mental moods” and the “logic in their sequence”. Rimsky-Korsakov, on the other hand, wanted "occasions for the emergence and fading of emotional and emotional moods" ( Sigrid Neef ). The discussions lasted for several years. The result combines historical elements such as the Mongol invasion and the Battle of Kalka in 1223 with pantheistic folklore, Christian mysteries and patriotism. Belski used u. a. Oral traditions and a printed version of the legend in Pyotr Bessonov's Notes in the 4th volume (1864) of the song collection edited by Pyotr Kirejewski . He also used individual episodes from the stories by Pyotr and Fewronija, which were written around 1425–1450 and handed down in around 350 manuscripts .

Unlike usual, this time Rimski-Korsakow did not compose the parts of the opera along the storyline, but first the two closely related forest pictures in the first and fourth act. In the summer of 1904 he completed the composition with the second picture of the third act.

The subject was used at the same time by the composer Sergei Wassilenko for his opera cantata The Legend of the Great City of Kitesch and the Silent Lake Swetojar (libretto: Nikolai Manykin-Newstrujew ), which premiered in concert in 1902 and staged in 1903 in Moscow. When Rimsky-Korsakov found out about this, he met with Vasilenko and was relieved to find that he was approaching the subject “diametrically opposite”.

Since Rimsky-Korsakov was disappointed in private opera companies and did not want to apply in a humiliating way to a tsarist opera house, he initially left the score and waited. At the premiere of his Pan Wojewoda in September 1905 he met the director of the imperial theater, Vladimir Teljakowski, who expressed his interest in the opera, which has now been completed. Rimsky-Korsakov left the score to him without great expectations or further efforts, and Teljakowski then added the work to the repertoire.

On February 14, 1906, the first act was first played in concert with the singers Nadeschda Sabela and Sigismund Blumenfeld and piano accompaniment by Maximilian Schteinberg in Rimsky-Korsakov's apartment in Petersburg.

The premiere took place on February 7th ^July. / February 20, 1907 ^greg. at the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg under the direction of Felix Blumenfeld . Wassili Schkafer was the director. The stage came mainly from Apollinari Wasnezow . Konstantin Korowin , who also designed the costumes, only took over the forest pictures in the first and fourth acts . Ivan Filippow (Prince Juri), Andrei Labinski (Vsewolod), Marija Kuznetsova (Fewronija), Iwan Jerschow (Grischka Kuterma), Wassili Scharonow (Fyodor Pojarok), M. Markovich (boy), Wladimir Kastorski (Gusligory player), Grinovigory (Bear Guide), I. Grigorovich (Bedjai), Konstantin Serebrjakov (Burundai), Nadeschda Sabela-Wrubel (Sirin) and Yevgenija Sbrujewa (Alkonost).

The production did not quite meet the authors' expectations: the final picture was mistakenly viewed as an apotheosis, the picture played in Klein-Kitesch was structurally unsatisfactory, the exodus of the warriors of Groß-Kitesch into battle was portrayed as agitational and too heroic, and the actor of the Kuterma played the main character Fewronija in the background as the crowd favorite. Vasily Andreev , the director of the first professional Russian folk instrument orchestra, also complained to Rimsky-Korsakov that he had cut the incidental music instruments balalaika and domra . The composer explained this by saying that they were covered over by the choir and orchestra. The work was also not well received by the majority of the audience and critics. Only a small group of connoisseurs cheered it violently. It was discontinued the following season. The equipment went to Moscow. The local Bolshoi Theater played the opera for the first time in February 1908 under Václav Suk as a benefit performance, which also represented the farewell to Nadezhda Salina, the singer of Fewronija. The director was Iossif Lapitsky. Here, too, the opera was unsuccessful. The production didn't go down well. They criticized the length of the dialogues and the entire work and said that the music lingered in the same mood for too long. In 1916 a new production was shown there (conductor: Václav Suk, director: Pjotr ​​Olenin).

Production at the Bolshoi Theater Moscow, December 1, 1959, director: Iossif Tumanow, set design: Wadim Ryndin

Although the first performances were nothing more than respectable successes and the audience did not fully understand the philosophical content, the opera remained permanently in the Russian repertoire. After the revolution, Sergei Gorodetski's text was probably fundamentally changed for the Bolshoi Theater in 1926. He replaced the religious elements with a glorification of the Russian people fighting for independence. In the end, the Tatars do not flee from the divine miracle, but from the Russian armed forces. Vsevolod does not fall in battle, but is only wounded and therefore does not need to rise as a ghost. This version was played in the Soviet opera houses for decades until the original version could be shown again in the 1966 staging at the Bolshoi Theater (director: Iossif Tumanow). Important Russian productions were for example:

• February 1918: Theater for Opera and Ballet Petrograd - Conductor: Albert Coates , Director: Pyotr Melnikow; with Nikolai Bolshakow and Ivan Jerschow; Resumptions in 1926 and 1933.
• 1958: Kirov Theater Leningrad - conductor: Sergei Yeltsin, director: Yevgeny Sokownin, set design: Sofija Junowitsch.
• 1983: Bolshoi Theater Moscow - conductor: Yevgeny Swetlanov , director: Roman Tichomirow, stage: Ilja Glasunow .

Outside of Russia, the following productions can be proven:

• 1926: Barcelona.
• 1926: Covent Garden Opera London - concert performance.
• 1926: Paris Opera - concert performance; Conductor: Emil Cooper ; with Xenija Derschinskaja.
• 1929: Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Paris - scenic; Ensemble Opéra Russe privé by Marija Kuznetsova.
• 1935: Opéra-Comique Paris - production of the Paris Opera from 1929.
• 1926: Riga - Latvian.
• 1929: Buenos Aires 1929.
• 1933: Milan - conductor: Emil Cooper , stage: Nicola Benois; Fewronija: Oda Slobodskaya.
• 1934: Brno - stage set: Iwan Bilibin ; Revision of his rejected designs for Paris in 1929.
• 1935: Duisburg - German by Elfriede Brockmann-Neubauer.
• 1936: Philadelphia and New York.
• 1936: Kaunas.
• 1937: State Opera Berlin - Conductor: Werner Egk .
• 1938: Prague.
• 1949: Riga - conductor: Michail Schukow, set designer: Arturs Lapiç; Fewronija: Zermena Heine-Vâgnere; Resumption in 1962.
• 1951: Milan - conductor and director: Issay Dobrowen ; with Dora Gatta and Ramón Vinay .
• 1960: Rome.
• 1968: Cologne - German by Ljubomir Romansky ; Director: Hans Neugebauer , Conductor: István Kertész ; Fewronija: Leonore Kirschstein and Helga Dernesch .
• 1969: Graz.
• 1990: Florence.
• 1983: Boston 1983 - Director: Sarah Caldwell , Conductor: Neville Dove.
• 1994: Wiesbaden - German by Oleg Caetani after Brockmann-Neubauer; Director: Rosamund Gilmore , conductor: Oleg Caetani.
• 1995: European tour of the Kirov Theater .
• 1995: Bregenz Festival - production: Harry Kupfer , conductor: Wladimir Fedossejew .
• 1996: Komische Oper Berlin - Director: Harry Kupfer Conductor: Shao-Chia Lü.
• 2000: Salzburg Festival - concert guest performance by the Mariinsky Theater Petersburg; Conductor: Valery Gergiev .
• 2008: Teatro Lirico di Cagliari - coproduction with the Bolshoi Theater Moscow; Completely; on the 100th anniversary of the composer's death; Conductor: Alexander Vedernikov, production: Eimuntas Nekrosius, stage: Marius Nekrosius, costumes: Nadezda Gultiajeva; Fewronia: Tatiana Monogarova.
• 2012: De Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam - conductor: Marc Albrecht , production and stage design: Dmitri Tcherniakov , costumes: Tcherniakov with Elena Zaytseva; Fewronija: Svetlana Aksenova-Ignatovich. The production received the International Opera Award 2013 for the best new production. Tcherniakov was awarded the prize for the best director.

At the beginning of May 1908, Sergej Vasilenko suggested arranging a suite with pieces from the opera. Since Rimsky-Korsakov died in June, the plan initially failed. Maximilian Steinberg , a student and son-in-law of Rimsky-Korsakov, later put together a suite from the following parts:

1. Introduction - In Praise of Solitude
2. Fewronija's wedding procession. Invasion of the Tatars
3. Battle of Kerchenez
4. Blessed end of the virgin Fevronija. The walk to the invisible city.

Recordings

• 1956 - Vasily Nebolsin (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Bolshoi Theater Moscow.
  Ivan Petrow (Prince Juri), Vladimir Ivanovsky (Vsevolod), Natalia Roschdestvenskaja (Fewronija), Dimitri Tarkhow (Grischka Kuterma), Ilya Bogdanov (Fyodor Pojarok), Lidya Melnikova (boy), Sergei Koltypin (boy), Sergei Koltypin and Venjamin Schevtsov (Gusli player), Tikhon Tschernjakov (bear guide), Mikhail Skazin (cantor of the beggars), Leonid Ktitorov (Bedjai), Gennady Troitzkij (Burundai), Marija Zvezdina (Sirin), Nina Kulagina (Alkonost).
  Studio shot.
  Arlecchino CD: NA, Great Hall MVT 063-065 (3 CDs), Preiser PR 90735 (3 CDs), Cantus Classics 500913 (2 CDs).
• Dec. 25, 1983 - Yevgeny Svetlanov (Conductor), Orchestra and Choir of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater .
  Alexander Wedernikow (Prince Juri), Evgueni Raikov (Vsevolod), Galina Kalinina (Fewronija), Vladislav Piavko (Grischka Kuterma), Mikhail Maslov (Fyodor Pojarok), Galina Borisova (boy), Mikhail Krutikov (first citizen), Konstantin Pustovoy (second Citizen), Vladimir Bukin (beggar), Konstantin Baskov (bear leader), Lev Vernigora (cantor of beggars), Nicolai Nizienko (Bedjai), Valerij Yaroslavtsev (Burundai), Irina Zurina (Sirin), Nina Grigorieva (Alkonost).
  Live from Moscow; shortened.
  Harmonia mundi CD: LDC 278 857/59.
• March 7, 1984 - Zoltán Peskó (conductor), Nouvel Orchester Philharmonique de Radio France , Chœurs du Radio France.
  Sergej Koptschak (Prince Juri), Constantin Zacharia (Vsewolod), Hildegard Heichele (Fewronija), Fausto Tenzi (Grischka Kuterma), Vasile Martinoiu (Fjodor Pojarok), Sonia Nigoghossian (boy), Maurice Auzeville and Philippe Chassel (citizen), Jean- Marie Frémeau (Gusli player), Arkadij Volodos (bear guide), Chris de Moor (Bedjai), Dominique Glers (Sirin), Anna Holroyd (Alkonost).
  Live, in concert from the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Paris; greatly shortened.
• February 1994 - Valery Gergiev (conductor), Alexej Stapanjuk (production), orchestra and choir of the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg.
  Nicolai Okhotnikov (Prince Juri), Yuri Marusin (Vsevolod), Galina Gorchakova (Fewronija), Vladimir Galouzine (Grischka Kuterma), Nicolai Putilin (Fyodor Pojarok), Olga Korzhenskaya (boy), Evgeny Boitsov (second Fedose), Andrej Bürger), Mikhail Kit (gusli player), Nicolai Gassiev (bear leader), Grigory Karasev (cantor of beggars), Bulat Minjelkiev (Bedjai), Vladimir Ognovenko (Burundai), Tatiana Kravtsova (Sirin), Larissa Djadkowa (Alkonost).
  Live from Saint Petersburg; Completely.
  Philips 462 225-2 (3 CDs).
• July 20, 1995 - Vladimir Fedoseyev (conductor), production: Harry Kupfer , Wiener Symphoniker , Russian Academic Chorus Moscow, Sofia Chamber Chorus.
  Pavel Daniluk (Prince Juri), Sergej Naida (Vsevolod), Jelena Prokina (Fewronija), Vladimir Galouzine (Grischka Kuterma), Samson Isümov (Fyodor Pojarok), Nina Romanova (boy), Alexei Schesstov (first citizen), Mikhael Nikiforov (second Bürger), Askar Abdrasakov (Gusli player), Oleg Zdanow (bear leader), Mowsar Mintzaew (Bedjai), Vladimir Vasejev (Burundai), Victoria Loukianetz (Sirin), Alexandra Durseneva (Alkonost), Alexander Morosov (solo), Alexei Morosow (solo) , Alexander Tsimbalov (speaker).
  Video; live from Bregenz; greatly shortened.
  Koch Schwan CD: 3-1144-2.
• May 2 and 4, 2008 - Alexander Wedernikow (conductor), Eimuntas Nekrošius (production), Marius Nekrošius (stage), Nadezhda Gultiayeva (costumes), Audrius Jankauskas (lighting), orchestra and choir of the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari .
  Mikhail Kazakov (Prince Juri), Vitaly Panfilov (Vsevolod), Tatiana Monogarova (Fewronija), Mikhail Gubsky (Grischka Kuterma), Gevorg Hakobyan (Fyodor Pojarok), Marika Gulordava (boy), Gianluca Floris and Marek Valery Gilmanov (citizen) (Bedjai), Alexander Naumenko (Burundai).
  Video; live from the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari; Coproduction with the Bolshoi Theater Moscow.
  Naxos 2.110277-78 (2 DVDs).
• February 2012 - Marc Albrecht (Conductor), Dmitri Tcherniakov (Staging, Stage), Dmitri Tcherniakov and Elena Zaytsva (Costumes), Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest , Nederlandse Opera Choir .
  Vladimir Vaneev (Prince Juri), Maxim Aksenov (Vsewolod), Svetlana Aksenova-Ignatovich (Fewronija), John Daszak (Grischka Kuterma), Alexey Markov (Fyodor Pojarok), Mayram Sokolova (boy), Gennady Bezzubenkunica (Antezzubenkunica (Gusli player), Bedjai), Vladimir Ognovenko (Burundai).
  Video; live from the Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam.
  Opus Arte 1089 D (2 DVDs).

literature

• Nikolai van Gilse van der Pals : NA Rimsky-Korssakow. Opera and sketch about life and work. Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim / New York 1977 (reprint of the Paris-Leipzig 1929 edition), ISBN 3-487-06427-8 , pp. 526–641 (with many music examples).

Web links

Commons : Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

• The Invisible City of Kitezh (opera) : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
• Piano reduction from 1906 in the Internet Archive
• The story of the legend of the invisible city of Kitesch and the virgin Fewronija on Opera-Guide
• Discography of Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh & the Maiden Fevrony at Operadis
• Work information and libretto (Russian) as full text on operalib.eu

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Richard Taruskin :  Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya, The. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am} Rainer Franke, Valeri Kulakow: Skasanije o newidimom grade Kitesche i dewe Fewronii. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 5: Works. Piccinni - Spontini. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1994, ISBN 3-492-02415-7 , pp. 280-284.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Kurt Malisch: The legend of the invisible city of Kitesch and of the virgin Fewronija. In: Attila Csampai , Dietmar Holland : Opera guide. E-book. Rombach, Freiburg im Breisgau 2015, ISBN 978-3-7930-6025-3 , pp. 884-889.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Sigrid Neef : Handbook of Russian and Soviet Opera. Henschelverlag Art and Society, Bärenreiter 1989. ISBN 3-7618-0925-5 , pp. 464–471.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Nikolai van Gilse van der Pals : NA Rimsky-Korssakow. Opera and sketch about life and work. Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim / New York 1977 (reprint of the Paris-Leipzig 1929 edition), ISBN 3-487-06427-8 , pp. 526–641.
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Sigrid Neef : The operas of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (= Musik Konkret 18 ). Ernst Kuhn Verlag, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-936637-13-7 , pp. 321–378.
7. ↑ February 20, 1907: "Skazanije o nevidimom grade Kitezhe i deve Fevronij". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia .
8. ^ ^{A b} Josif Filippowitsch Kunin: Nikolai Andrejewitsch Rimski-Korsakow. Translated by Dieter Lehmann. Verlag Neue Musik, Berlin 1981 (Original: Verlag “musyka”, Moscow 1979), pp. 149–167.
9. ↑ ^{a b} Christina Mai: Rimsky-Korsakow: The legend of the invisible city of Kitesch. Review of the production in Cagliari 2008. In: Opernwelt , June 2008, p. 49.
10. ↑ ^{a b} The legend of the invisible city of Kitesch. In: Harenberg opera guide. 4th edition. Meyers Lexikonverlag, 2003, ISBN 3-411-76107-5 , pp. 752-755.
11. ↑ ^{a b} Uwe Schweikert , Boris Kehrmann: Prayer of the living and the dead. Review of the DVD Naxos 2.110277-78. In: Opernwelt , April 2012, p. 6.
12. ↑ 2013 Opera Awards , accessed May 10, 2020.
13. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Nikolaj Rimsky-Korsakov. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005.
14. ↑ Stephan Mösch : Magically realistic - Rimsky-Korsakov's “Kitesch” in the Amsterdam production by Dmitri Tcherniakov on DVD. In: Opernwelt , June 2014, p. 27.