“Aleko”: from Imperial Theatres to Factory Clubs (on the History of Productions of the Opera by Sergey V. Rachmaninov)

Main Article Content

Marina V. Mikheeva

Abstract

The stage fate of “Aleko” by Sergey V. Rachmaninov’s opera turned out quite well: the opera was staged in its entirety on various theatre stages, many vocal and instrumental numbers soon after the premiere became beloved by performers and acquired an independent concert life. Due to its intimacy, in the first years of Soviet Republic it was often included in amateur performance programs in factories and cultural centers; some of these performances were even covered in the press.
This article presents previously unknown pages of the history of “Aleko” productions which became possible after studying a set of the opera orchestral parts, which held at the Mariinsky Theatre State Library (St. Petersburg). Thus were discovered recordings of orchestra players relating to St. Petersburg performances at the Mikhailovsky Theatre and at the Tauride Palace, at the Moscow Bolshoy and New Theatres, as well as numerous “touring shows”, including the United States of America. These archival recordings contain unique information about rehearsals (dates, hours, duration), performers (orchestra musicians, singers, conductors) and other “field notes” related to opera productions. The plot is also complemented by chronicles from Soviet newspapers reviewers, who examine not only the abilities of non-professional participants in the performances, but also put the question of repertoire policy in general, in connection with Rachmaninov’s opera “excessive sensuality”.


Keywords: Sergey V. Rachmaninov, opera “Aleko”, The Mariinsky Theatre State Library, Mikhailovsky Theatre, orchestral parts, Soviet periodic of 1920s, amateur performance.

Article Details

How to Cite
Mikheeva М. В. (2024). “Aleko”: from Imperial Theatres to Factory Clubs (on the History of Productions of the Opera by Sergey V. Rachmaninov). Music Scholarship / Problemy Muzykal’noj Nauki, 54(1), 100–111. https://doi.org/10.17674/2782-3601.2024.1.100-111
Section
Conferences. Symposia. Events in Science
Author Biography

Marina V. Mikheeva, Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, St. Petersburg, Russia

PhD (Arts), Lecturer of the Russian Music History Department;

Editor-in-Chief of the Musicus journal, member of the St. Petersburg Composers’ Union