Zaporozhets za Dunayem
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The scene from the opera Zaporozhets za Dunayem, 1942, Shevchenko Theatre of Opera and Ballet |
Zaporozhets za Dunayem (, translated as
A Zaporozhian (Kozak) Beyond the Danube, also referred to as
Cossacks in Exile) is a
Ukrainian comic opera in three acts with music and
libretto by the
composer Semen Hulak-Artemovsky (
1813-
1873). The orchestration has subsequently been rewritten by composers such as
Reinhold Glière and
Hryhoriy Maiboroda. This is one of the most well-known Ukrainian operas depicting national themes.
The opera was premiered with a Russian libretto on , in
St Petersburg (at the time the capital of the
Russian Empire).
According to contemporary accounts, the story for the opera came to Semen Hulak-Artemovsky from the noted historian
Mykola Kostomarov. From the initial story, the composer wrote the complete libretto, although some poetic phrasings are attributed to his good friend, the journalist V. Sykevych.
The opera depicts the events following destruction of the island fortress
Zaporizhian Sich, the historic stronghold of the Ukrainian
Kozaks on the
Dnieper River. Although historically this destruction was ordered by the
Russian Empress Catherine II in
1775, for unknown reasons the composer chose to set the opera in
1772. To tell the story of the freedom-loving
Zaporozhian Kozaks of
Ukraine, who had fought against the Russian Empire, Hulak-Artemovsky purposefully set the story in
Turkish lands with the the Kozaks fighting for the
Sultan. This change of venue successfully allowed to the opera to gain approval from the
tsar's censors, who normally banned stories about the Ukrainian Kozaks.
The orchestral score was completed in the fall of
1862 by
Konstantin Liadov, who developed it under the guidance of Semen Hulak-Artemovsky. Hulak-Artemovsky had composed the original piano score and written the libretto no later than
July 12 of that year (as the earliest known manuscript bears that date). The libretto and score were first published in
1866 in St Petersburg, by the firm of F. Stelovsky.
In
1902, the Ukrainian composer
Oleksandr Horily wrote the
aria Prylyn', prylyn ( -- "Come, come"), when arranging the opera for
Mykola Sadovsky's theatrical troupe. The aria essentially extended the vocal range of the character Oksana, who had previously been played by mezzo-sopranos; this aria is intended for a soprano.
Since
1898, the original role of Prokop Teren (), a rival of Andriy for the affections of Oksana, has been eliminated (in
Moscow, the role was performed up until
1915).
| Role | In | description | Voice | Premiere 1866|- | Ivan Karas' | Iвaн KapacÑŒ | 45-50 years old Zaporozhian Kozak | bass | - | Odarka | Oдapкa | 35 years old, wife of Karas' | soprano>- | Andriy | Aндpiй | a young Zaporozhian Kozak | tenor>- | Oksana | Oкcaнa | an orphan maiden, raised by Karas' and Odarka | soprano (originally mezzo-soprano) | Darya Leonova>- | The Sultan | 30 years old | baritone>- | Selikh-Aha | Ceлix-Aгa | a lord with the Sultan's mail | - | Ibrahim-Ali | Iбpaгiм-Aлi | an Imam | - | Hasan | Ð"acaн | a servant | |
*
Transliterated title:
Prylyn', prylyn, Act 1 (Oksana)
*
Transliterated title:
Vidkilya tse ty usiavsa, Act 1 (Odarka and Karas').
*
Transliterated title:
Chorna khmara za dibrovy, Act 2 (Oksana and Andriy)
* (Chorus)
Left without shelter or protection after the destruction of their
Sich, the Kozaks and their families head across the
Danube river to the apparently safe haven of
Turkey(this area is now a part of
Romania). The comedy arises from the efforts made by one Kozak clan to adjust to their new home, and from the eccentric behaviour of an amorous Turkish
Sultan. The plot revolves around a chance encounter between Ivan Karas', an old Dnepr Kozak and the Turkish Sultan travelling incognito, resulting in permission for all the "Kozaks beyond the Danube" to resettle on
Imperial Russian land, back in
Ukraine.
Zaporozhets za Dunayem (A Cossack Beyond the Danube)
*Ivan Karas: Sergei Yaroshenko, bass
*Odarka: Natalia Moiseyeva
*Andrei: Stepan Fitysch
*Oksana: Lidiya Zabiliasta
*The Sultan: Mykola Koval
*Imam: Ivan Tcherney
*Selih-Aga: Yuri Khomych
*Chorus and Orch of the National Opera of the Ukraine/Ivan Hamkalo.
*Recorded in May last year at the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ukraine, Kiev. 1hr48' - 2011
Zaporozhets Za Dunayema k a Cossacks Beyond the Danube1938-Ukraine/USSR-Costume Adventure/Film-Opera
Produced in the Ukraine by a home-grown production staff, this comic opera was released in English-speaking countries as "Cossacks Beyond the Danube".
*Distributor: Amkino
*Running Time: 73 Minutes
*Starring: Stepan Shkurat
*Directed by: Ivan Kavaleridze
