Opera Ladies’ Man by A. Tchaikovsky in the Context of the Leading Trends of Contemporary Musical Theater

Main Article Content

Ludmila V. Gavrilova
Svetlana G. Voitkevich

Abstract

The article is devoted to the opera by the Moscow composer Aleksandr Chaykovsky, “Ladies’ Man”, which was premiered in Krasnoyarsk on May 14, 2018. The opera is composed after the play by Valery Semenovsky based on F.M. Dostoyevsky’s early novel “Poor Folk”. The article first introduces information on the opera’s background; it highlights the features of the libretto and structure within the context of modern opera theatre developments. The article compares the libretto and the play by V. Semenovsky and explains the reason for the changes the author has made both in the original literary source and the play. The complete compositional outline is presented. The genre is specified combining those of chamber music and lyrical psychology, which determines the development of the main characters, Makar Devushkin and Varen’ka Dobroselova. The authors also define the functions of the character called Nekto (Somebody) introduced by V. Semenovsky and preserved by A. Chaykovsky. Special attention is given to intertextual meaning of two quotations included in the opera music: the song by B. Mokrousov, “The Lonely Accordion”, and the duet of Sylva and Edwin from “Sylva” (“The Csardas Princess”), an operetta by E. Kálmán.


Keywords: F.M. Dostoyevsky, Aleksandr Chaykovsky, Valery Semenovsky, the novel “Poor Folk”, the opera “Ladies’ Man”.

Article Details

How to Cite
Gavrilova Л. В., & Voitkevich С. Г. (2021). Opera Ladies’ Man by A. Tchaikovsky in the Context of the Leading Trends of Contemporary Musical Theater. Music Scholarship / Problemy Muzykal’noj Nauki, 43(2), 7–17. Retrieved from https://musicscholar.ru/index.php/PMN/article/view/1256
Section
Music of the 20th Century
Author Biographies

Ludmila V. Gavrilova, Dmitri Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

Ludmila V. Gavrilova, Dr. Sci. (Arts), Professor, Honored Worker of the Higher School of the Russian Federation, Corresponding Member of the Siberian Academy of Sciences Higher School, Head at the History Department, Dmitri Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts

Svetlana G. Voitkevich, Dmitri Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

Svetlana G. Voitkevich, Ph. D (Arts), Professor at the Music History Department, Vice-rector for creative and international activity, Dmitri Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts