The Noblewoman Vera Sheloga

The Noblewoman Vera Sheloga (Russian: Боярыня Вера Шелога, tr. Boyarïnya Vera Sheloga listenⓘ) is an opera in one act by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the libretto, which he based on the first act of the play The Maid of Pskov by Lev Alexandrovich Mey. The opera was composed in 1898, based on the prologue composed by Rimsky-Korsakov for the second version of his setting of the play as an opera.[1] The first and third versions of the opera The Maid of Pskov omit the action and material of the prologue.

The Noblewoman Vera Sheloga
Opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
The composer in 1898
Native title
Russian: Боярыня Вера Шелога, Boyarïnya Vera Sheloga
LibrettistRimsky-Korsakov
LanguageRussian
Based ondrama by Lev Mei
Premiere
27 December 1898 (1898-12-27)
Solodovnikov Theater, Moscow

The work was first performed in Moscow in 1898. It was later used as a prologue to The Maid of Pskov in a 1901 performance. [2]

Performance history

The premiere performance took place in Moscow on 27 December 1898 at the Solodovnikov Theater. As a one-act opera, it was first given in the US on 9 May 1922 in New York.[3]

Roles[4]
Role Voice type Premiere cast
Moscow, 27 December 1898
(Conductor: Iosif Truffi)
Boyar Ivan Semyonovich Sheloga basso Nikolay Mutin
Vera Dmitriyevna, his wife soprano Sofiya Gladkaya
Nadezhda Nasonova, Vera's sister mezzo-soprano Yevdokiya Stefanovich
Prince Yuriy Ivanovich Tokmakov baritone or bass Anton Bedlevich
Vlasyevna, Nadezhda's nurse contralto Varvara Strakhova

Synopsis
Place: Pskov, Russia.
Time: 1555

Vera's husband has been away on a campaign. In the meantime, she has given birth to Olga.

She confesses to her unmarried sister, Nadezhda, of having been wooed by a man who passed through earlier (the man is Ivan the Terrible; this is not revealed in the libretto of this opera, but is the matter of the opera The Maid of Pskov to which this is a prequel), and that the baby is not her husband's.

As this conversation ends, Vera's husband finally returns, surprised by the presence of the baby. Upon his demand to know where the baby came from, Nadezhda saves her sister by claiming to be the mother.

Recordings

Audio Recordings (Mainly studio recordings)

Source: www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk

  • 1947, Semyon Sakharov (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, Sofia Panova (Vera Sheloga), Elena Gribova (Nadezhda), Maria Levina (Vlasevna), Vladimir Gavryushov(Boyar Sheloga), Nikolai Shchegolkov (Prince Tokmakov)
  • 1980, Stoyan Angelov (conductor), Bulgarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stefka Evstatieva (Vera Sheloga), Alexandrina Milcheva-Nonova (Nadezhda), Stefka Mineva (Vlasevna), Peter Bakardzhiev (Boyar Sheloga), Dimiter Stanchev (Prince Tokmakov)
  • 1985, Mark Ermler (conductor), Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra, Tamara Milashkina (Vera Sheloga), Olga Teryushnova (Nadezhda), Nina Grigorieva (Vlasevna), Vladimir Karimov (Boyar Sheloga/Prince Tokmakov)

References
Notes
  1. Abraham, Gerald (1986). "Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov". In Stanley Sadie (ed.). The New Grove: Russian Masters 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. pp. 19. ISBN 0-393-30103-6.
  2. L. Macy, ed. (2007). "Boyarïnya Vera Sheloga". New Grove Dictionary of Opera / Grove Music Online. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  3. Holden, p. 753
  4. Opera Glass, Source: Stanford University
Sources
  • "Boyarinya Vera Sheloga". Opera Glass at Stanford University. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  • Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
  • Warrack, John and West, Ewan, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera New York: OUP: 1992 ISBN 0-19-869164-5
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