Mazeppa (opera)
| Work data | |
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| Title: | Mazeppa |
| Original title: |
Мазепа (Masepa) |
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| Shape: | Opera in three acts |
| Original language: | Russian |
| Music: | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky |
| Libretto : | Tchaikovsky and Viktor Burenin |
| Literary source: | Alexander Pushkin : Poem Poltava |
| Premiere: | February 3rd jul. / February 15, 1884 greg. |
| Place of premiere: | Bolshoi Theater , Moscow |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ¾ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Ukraine, early 18th century |
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Mazeppa (Russian: Мазепа, Masepa ) is an opera in three acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (music). Tchaikovsky and Viktor Burenin wrote the libretto based on the poem Poltava by Alexander Pushkin .
action
first act
Scene 1 (Kotschubeys estate on the bank of the Dnieper ): The Hetman (Cossack captain) Mazeppa, the commander in chief of the Ukrainian troops, is a guest at the Kotschubeys house in the village of Poltava . Maria, the daughter of the Kochubejs, loves him and therefore has to reject her childhood friend Andrej when he confesses his love to her. When Mazeppa asks Maria's father for her hand, he doesn't take him seriously at first. After all, Mazeppa is very old and also Maria's godfather. But Mazeppa says that Maria already loves him and may already be pregnant by him. Kotschubej gets angry and expels him from his home. Mazeppa calls his guard and just before a fight breaks out, Maria throws herself in between. The hetman gives you the choice of going with him or staying home and never seeing him again. Maria stops by Mazeppa and is taken away by the Cossacks.
Scene 2 (a room in the Kochubeys' house): Lyubov mourns the loss of her daughter and tries to persuade her husband to fight Mazeppa. Vasily Kotschubej, however, has an intrigue: from his time of friendship with Mazeppa he knows that Mazeppa was planning a conspiracy against Tsar Peter the Great to liberate Ukraine. He wants to betray this to the tsar. Andrej, desperate after Maria's rejection, agrees to deliver the news.
Second act
Scene 1 (dungeon in Mazeppa's castle, at night): The plan went wrong. Mazeppa, who always trusted the tsar, blames Kochubei for the conspiracy. He confesses to being tortured and is sentenced to death. Now he's in jail. Orlik tries unsuccessfully to press the hiding place of his riches out of him.
Scene 2 (on a terrace of Mazeppa's castle, same night): Maria doesn't know anything about her father, but senses that something is wrong. She feels neglected as Mazeppa works all the time. Mazeppa tries to calm her down and lets her know about his overthrow plan. He asks her again if she loves him more than her father. Mazeppa goes to beg her pardon, and Maria has first doubts. From her mother, who secretly sneaks up to her, she learns that Mazeppa will execute her father.
Scene 3 (place of execution near the ramparts): Stunned, Maria and Lyubow rush to the place of execution to implore mercy, but come too late. Kochubej and his friend Iskra are executed.
Third act
Interlude ( Battle of Poltava ) The war between the Swedes and the allied Cossacks Mazeppas and Russia has broken out. Symphonic music recreates the battle of Poltava. The Russian troops have gained the upper hand.
Scene 1 (ruins of the Kotschubej house): Andrei appears from the bushes and recognizes the Kotschubejs' garden, which has now been devastated. Mazeppa also appears, who has since become the hunted. He is accused and threatened by Andrei. Mazeppa shoots him in a duel. Mary, who has lost her mind, also appears there. She no longer recognizes Mazeppa and Mazeppa leaves her to flee. She finds the dying Andrei and cradles him like a child in her arms.
Instrumentation
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : three flutes (3rd also piccolo ), two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons
- Brass : four horns , two pistons , two trumpets , three trombones , tuba
- Timpani , percussion : bass drum , cymbals , snare drum , triangle , tambourine
- harp
- Strings
- Incidental music : four trumpets, military drum, banda (not specified)
Web links
- Mazeppa : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Action by Mazeppa (Opera) at Opera-Guide target page due to URL change currently not available
- Mazepa at Tchaikovsky Research (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Descriptions of roles based on Piper's Encyclopedia of Music Theater, spellings based on Sigrid Neef's Handbook of Russian and Soviet Opera. Spelling "Mazeppa" after the common title of the work. Different transcription in brackets after the original Cyrillic name.
- ^ Sigrid Neef : Masepa. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 6: Works. Spontini - Zumsteeg. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-492-02421-1 , pp. 342-344.