Productions of Camille Saint-Saens’ Opera “Henry VIII” on the Russian Stage in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries: A Dialogue of the Cultures of Russia and France

Main Article Content

Zoya N. Knyaz

Abstract

On the basis of archival materials, musical periodicals and the composer’s memoirs, this article examines the history of the production of Camille Saint-Saens’ opera “Henry VIII” at the Bolshoi  Theater (1897) and the Zimin Opera (1911). On the basis of archival materials, the details of the production and the perception of the opera by Russian audiences are reconstituted. The late 19th and early 20th centuries constituted an epoch of close interpenetration of Russian and French opera theaters. On the one hand, French opera during the fin de siècle presented an object of steadfast attention of Russian audiences, composers and musicians. On the other hand, French composers were interested in productions of their operas in Russia and presented themselves in concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg with the aim of popularizing their works. Among the cosmopolitan composers it is, undoubtedly, possible to list Charles Camille Saint-Saens, who during the course of his musical activities visited over 20 countries. The Moscow public’s introduction to Saint-Saens as an opera composer took place in 1897 together with the premiere of his opera “Henry VIII” on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. The story of English king Henry VIII aroused interest among the leading opera theaters, both in Russia and in France, and the production was vividly illuminated in the musical press. The critical articles of the composer and his contemporaries present the unique opportunity to compare the perception of the Russian and French audiences of the story of English king Henry VIII. The publication is prepared within the framework of scholarly project No. 18-312-00195 supported by the RFFI.


Keywords: Camille Saint-Saens, French historical opera, musical criticism, “Henry VIII.”

Article Details

How to Cite
Knyaz З. Н. (2020). Productions of Camille Saint-Saens’ Opera “Henry VIII” on the Russian Stage in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries: A Dialogue of the Cultures of Russia and France. Music Scholarship / Problemy Muzykal’noj Nauki, 39(2), 156–165. Retrieved from https://musicscholar.ru/index.php/PMN/article/view/1172
Section
Musical Theater
Author Biography

Zoya N. Knyaz, Russian Gnesins’ Academy of Music, Moscow, Russia

Zoya N. Knyaz, Post-graduate Student at the Department of Analytical Musicology, Russian Gnesins’ Academy of Music