The “legend” is based on: the so-called Kitezh “chronicler”, reported by Meledin and printed in Bezsonov’s comments to the IV edition of Kireyevsky’s collection of songs, various oral legends about the invisible city, partly given there, as well as one episode from the legend of Fevronia of Murom. But, as anyone who is familiar with the named monuments will see, for an extensive and complex stage work, the features scattered in these sources are too insufficient. For this reason, numerous and far-reaching additions were necessary, which, however, the author considered only as an attempt to guess from individual fragments and hints the whole hidden in the depths of the people's spirit - from some details of the worldview of the characters accidentally preserved in the sources, details of the external situation and etc. to recreate other details of the unknown picture. As a result, perhaps, in the entire work there is not a single little thing that was not in one way or another inspired by a feature of some legend, poem, conspiracy, or other fruit of Russian folk art.

The invasion of the Tatars in the Trans-Volga region and other external events are described in the “legend” using epic techniques - therefore, not real, but as they seemed at one time to the amazed popular imagination. Therefore, for example, the Tatars appear without a specific ethnographic coloring, only with those of their appearances with which they are depicted in songs from the times of the Tatars. In accordance with this, the language, the careful finishing of which the author attached special importance to, was intended to be strictly maintained not in the sense of its correspondence to the dialect of the 13th century, but in the style of that semi-bookish, semi-popular language, which in much later times is used to express the spiritual poems of blind men on the move, ancient Christian legends and traditions that served as the source of this work.

Literary criticism, if it were ever to touch this modest operatic text, may first of all note the lack of dramatic action in most opera pictures. The author, in any case, considers it necessary to make a reservation that the absence of such an action was allowed by him completely consciously in the conviction that the inviolability of the requirement from a stage performance to move at all costs - frequent and decisive changes in position - is subject to challenge, because the organic coherence of moods and logic their replacements claim no less rights to recognition.

In conclusion, perhaps it is not superfluous to mention that the plan and text of the present opera, the idea of ​​which came to N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov even before composing “Saltan” (1899), - at all stages of its long development were subject to joint composer discussion. The composer, therefore, thought through and felt in every detail, together with the author of the text, not only the main idea, but also all the details of the plot, and, therefore, there cannot be a single intention in the text that would not be approved by the composer.

The composer’s idea for “Kitezh” arose in the mid-90s of the 19th century, but was embodied in the finished score of the opera only in 1903. The first production of the opera - one of the greatest and most original creations of Russian art - took place in February 1905 at the Mariinsky Theater (director F. Blumfeld, director V. Shkafer). Six months later, the opera was staged a second time at the Mariinsky Theater (director N. Cherepnin). In 1908 it was staged at the Bolshoi Theater. Further - in Petrograd (1915), Kaunas (1936), Brno (1934), Prague (1938), Riga (1949), Leningrad (1958). In 1983, the opera was staged at the Bolshoi Theater by conductor E. Svetlanov; in 1995, in Yekaterinburg. Despite the beliefs expressed by the authors of the opera about the optionality of an effective playwright in musical theater, a full-blooded stage overcoming of event statics did not happen in all productions of Kitezh. As a reviewer wrote about one of the latest premieres: “Kitezh,” unfortunately, is an opera.” This was not refuted by all three musically highly professional productions of the Mariinsky Theater of the last decade (director V. Gergiev).

May 2001

Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich

Knyazhich Vsevolod Yurievich

Fevronia

Grishka Kuterma

Fedor Poyarok

Two best people

Bear

Beggar-singer

Bedyai and Burundai, Tatar heroes

Sirin and Alkonost, birds of paradise

Princely archers, poezzhans, domrachi, best people,

poor brethren, people, Tatars.

I action in the Trans-Volga forests near Small Kitezh;

II – in Maly Kitezh on the Volga;

III action:
the first picture is in Great Kitezh,
the second - near Lake Svetlago Yara;

IV action:
the first picture is in the Kerzhen forests,
the second is in the invisible city.

Summer from the creation of the world 6751

ORCHESTRA INTRO – “PRAISE OF THE DESERT”

Curtain. The city of Maly Kitezh on the left bank of the Volga. Area with shopping arcades. There's a visiting yard right there. There are crowds of people everywhere waiting for the wedding train. The poor brethren (men and women) huddle to the side. Near the visiting yard, a bear plays the pipe and shows a learned bear. He was surrounded by men, women and small children.

BEAR.
Show me, Mikhailushka,
show me, you fool
like the bell ringer Pakhomushka
he goes to church slowly,
rests with a stick and moves quietly.
(The bear waddles along, leaning on a crutch. People laugh. The little bear plays the pipe.)

CHORUS (people).
Ha, ha, ha, ha...

BEAR.
Show me, Mikhailushka,
show me, you fool
like the bell ringer Pakhomushka
runs away, hurries,
down from the bell tower,
hurry up to your home.
(The bear runs briskly around in small steps. People laugh. The little bear plays the pipe.)

CHORUS.
Ha, ha, ha, ha...

(Guslyar appears, a tall old man as white as a harrier, plucking the strings, about to sing.)

CHORUS.
Be silent, baptized ones!
Quiet for a little while!
Let us listen to the song
al holy Jerusalem verse!

GUSLYAR.
Because of Lake Yara deep
golden-horned aurochs came running,
all twelve rounds without a single one;
and they met an old woman:
“Where did you kids walk, what did you see?”

CHORUS.
The song began in Kitezh,
was led by the bright Yar,
from the throne of Prince Yuri.

GUSLYAR.
“We walked around the capital Kitezh,
and we saw a wondrous wonder there:
that a beautiful maiden is walking along the wall,
in his hands he carries a wonderful book,
and she cries and bursts into tears herself.”

CHORUS.
And we ourselves want to cry.
The song doesn’t seem to be for a holiday.
Oh, it promises timelessness.

GUSLYAR.
“Oh, you, my foolish children!
then the Queen of Heaven walked,
then the wondrous intercessor cried,
that she read destruction to the city,
this whole land will be desolate forever.”

CHORUS.
(girls, women).
Lord, save us and have mercy!
Have more patience with human sin.
(old people)
And where would the misfortune come from?
Peace and quiet here in the Trans-Volga direction.
(youth)
Don't be afraid of the white-eyed Chudi!
but we don’t know any other enemy.
(old people)
God shepherds the great glorious Kitezh
for the sake of the orphans, the weak and the poor.
(poor brethren)
And even for those there is a refuge,
on earth heavenly Jerusalem,
who grieves his soul in this world
with his heart he will seek spiritual silence.
(people)
Everyone there will be given water and food,
They will wipe away tears and console everyone.
(calming down)
No, there will be no harm to Kitezh,
God the Lord will not give up the throne city.
(poor brethren)
We can't live without him, orphans,
can’t live without Prince Yury at all.
(people)
Brothers! Why isn't the wedding going?
It wouldn't be a joke on the road.

BEAR.
(brings out the bear again)
Show me, Mikhailushka,
show me, you fool
how a bride washes and whitens herself,
blushes in the mirror
admiring, preening?

Little Bear plays the pipe. The bear breaks down while holding a short spatula. People laugh.

PEOPLE.
Ha, ha, ha, ha...
The best people come. A bear dances with a goat

BEST PEOPLE
(tenor)
That's why the rootless need is glad,
(bass)
That's all clicks and mockery.
And even then I’ll say: isn’t it a joke?
everyone became related to the prince.
(tenor)
It’s a wedding, what a disaster!
Our women are furious
they don’t want to bow to the bride -
(bass)
they say, without clan and without tribe.
Grishka Kuterma is pushed out of the door of the tavern.
So the hawk moth Grishka is celebrating;
I don’t remember myself with joy.

It's a mess.
(having recovered, he steps forward; To the best people)
What do we care? We are people walking,
We are neither drawn to the village nor to the city;
We have not served anyone since our youth,
no one did any service for us.
Who gave the honey to the honey was our dear father,
whoever gave the pot of porridge passed for a prince.

THE BEST PEOPLE (conspire among themselves, winking at each other)
(bass)
We should spare the treasury for the beggar,
do not spare it for the hawk moth.
(tenor, Kuterme)
You go to the tavern I'm visiting,
drink wine while your soul takes it,
to make it more fun to meet the bride,
(bass)
according to her deed and honor.
They give Kuterma money. The mess bows.

CHORUS (poor brethren; to Better people; pitifully).
You are gracious breadwinners,
Dear fathers!
Send us alms
For the Lord's sake.
God will give for that alms
blessed home to you,
deceased parents to all
kingdom of heaven.
The best people turn away from the poor

It's a mess.
Would you bow to me today:
I might even welcome you.

CHORUS (To the Turmoil).
Get rid of it, go away, you drunkard!
The singer began to sing and the poor brethren began to sing.
Who are you not told to mess with?
With Hawkmoth, with Hawkmoth,
Who will everyone laugh at?
Hawkmoth, Hawkmoth.
Who will see him from afar
will turn away, step aside.
Who dances and jumps at Vespers?
Hawkmoths, hawkmoths.
Won't you cross your forehead before going to bed?
Hawkmoths, hawkmoths.
Sexton with a staff on the porch
does not allow hawkmoths into the church.
And who is outraged by the demon?
Brazhnikov, hawk moths.
Does it teach you to fight, to fight?
Brazhnikov, hawk moths,
hawk moths, hawk moths.
They will know no joy on earth,
the kingdom of heaven is not in sight
hawk moths, hawk moths.

It's a mess.
Apparently, it’s not necessary.
After all, we won’t get used to grief:
how they were born into the world in tears,
So they didn’t know their share until later years.
Eh, thanks to the smart hop!
He taught us how to live in the world,
He didn’t tell us to spin,
He ordered me to live in grief and not be sad.
There is no money before money.
The semi started up before the evil days.
Drink everything down to the last thread:
It’s not a big deal for a naked person to walk around in litter.
He goes to the tavern. The little bear is playing. The bear and goat are dancing again. People crowd around them and laugh.

CHORUS.
Ha, ha, ha, ha...
(The poor brethren bow to those passing by; they do not pay attention to them.)
Send us alms
For the Lord's sake.
(to each other)
We would like to get to the great Kitezh;
there they will give us something to drink and eat.

Kuterma comes out of the tavern, tipsy. He dances and sings. People gather around him. The best people laugh and stay away.

It's a mess.
Brothers, we have a holiday,
the frying pans are ringing,
they preach the gospel into barrels,
they burn incense with brooms.
They are bringing the bride to us,
dragged from the swamp;
servants are running nearby
and without arms and without legs,
And she's wearing a fur coat
from mouse tails,
bast sundress
and neither sewn nor woven...

The commotion is pushed and silenced.

CHORUS (people).
Go away, you damned dog!
Get lost, you insatiable drunkard!
Drive away the hawkmoth
with great and dishonor.

You can hear bells and domra playing. The people quiet down and listen; some look into the distance. The sound of bells and domras are gradually approaching.

Hey guys! The bells are ringing
The wedding train is knocking and rattling.
They are slowly going down the hill,
they are afraid to break the tree,
Is it a cypress tree,
that gilded cart
with a red maiden soul.

Three carts, drawn by threes and decorated with ribbons, leave. In the first there are guslars and domrachi, in the second there are matchmakers, next to them a friend is riding - Fyodor Poyarok, in the third - Fevronia and her brother. On the sides are horseback riders, among them the Princely Youth. Everyone rushed towards them. The people block their way with scarlet and red ribbons,

Come on, let’s block their path together,
We'll block the entire path.
They have something to buy a wedding from,
pay us a considerable tribute.
(poor brethren)
You are Kuzma Demyan, you are a holy blacksmith,
you are a holy blacksmith, forge them a wedding,
forge them an eternal wedding,
eternal, indissoluble.
What kind of people are they?
Is he going to the outpost?
Unknown guests
Don't miss a trace.

Fedor POYAROK.
We are given by God and called a prince,
We're taking the princess and giving her gifts.

Poyarok and poezzhans distribute and throw gingerbread cookies, ribbons and money into the crowd. People are crowding.

CHORUS.
Hello, light princess!
Hello, light Fevronia Vasilievna!

The cart with Fevronia stops.

THE BEST PEOPLE (among themselves).
(bass)
Oh, simple, simple princess!
(tenor)
Should she be our mistress?

CHORUS.
Look forever, but you won’t see enough:
beauty is indescribable.
Hello, light princess!
Until now I was a neighbor,
we are related to the rank and file;
now be our mistress,
sit down, threatening lady!

Drunk, Kuterma tries to make his way forward; the men do not let him in and push him out. Fevronia notices this.

CHORUS.
Leave me alone, get rid of me, dog!
Perish, you blind eyes!

FEVRONIYA (pointing to Kuterma).
Why are you persecuting him?

CHORUS.
This is Grishka, the damned drunkard.

POYAROK.
Madam, don't listen to Hawkmoth,
I was not ordered to talk to him.

FEVRONIYA.
Don't sin, good word
God has given us everything.
Come closer, Grishenka.

KUTERMA (impudently)
Hello, hello, princess of light!
No matter how high you climbed,
and don’t put on airs with us:
There's only one field for berries.

They want to drive away the mess, but Fevronia stops it with a movement.

FEVRONIYA (humbly and sincerely).
Where can I, a girl, put on airs?
I know my place well
and myself, as if guilty,
(bows low to the people)
I bow deeply to the whole world.

MESS (continuing)
Just don’t rejoice in pain:
a man's joy comes to ruin.
Grief is fierce and envious -
how he sees and becomes attached.
You leave in half a feast,
throw off the magnificent rituals,
bow down to the unclean one,
both barefoot and hungry.
He will teach you how to live in the world
and even in grief happily ever after.

POYAROK.
Madam, don't listen to Hawkmoth,
I was not ordered to talk to him.

FEVRONIYA (meekly)
Pray, Grisha, to the Lord
yes to Vasily the saint:
he is the intercessor of the poor hawkmoths,
so that you don't get drunk,
Don't make honest people laugh.

KUTERMA (screams angrily).
They tell you, don't put on airs!
It’s not for you to disdain me.
This is how you will walk around the world,
live in the holy name of Christ,
you'll ask for it yourself,
to take you as my sweetheart.

The mess is pushed out of the square. Confusion.

CHORUS (people).
Shut up, you damned dog!
Drive away the hawk moth!

POYAROK.
You play, sonorous harp,
start a song, girls!

CHORUS (girls to the tune of guslars and domrache).
Like on bridges, on viburnum,
like on cloth and crimson,
like a whirlwind, the komoni rush,
three sleds are rolling into the capital city.
Play, harp, play, sniffle,
in the first sleigh the harp is ringing,
in other sleighs there is an ardent bee,
in the third sleigh there is a maiden soul,
light Fevronia Vasilievna.

The girls come up to the princess at once and shower her with hops and rye.
Play, harp, play, sniffle.

Distant sounds of horns. The wedding train is leaving. The people, seeing him off, follow him.

Here's some wild hops for you, good life,
so that you may live richly from your life,
so that you can have more fun from the hops...

(Sounds of horns. The song ends. People listen. Several men)

Hush, brothers, the trumpets have sounded...
Horses neigh, carts creak much...
What kind of parable? the women are howling...
Smoke rose in a column over the end of the trade.

Confusion begins. A frightened crowd runs in.

Oh, trouble is coming, people,
for the sake of our grave sins!
And there will be no forgiveness
Let's bend down to the last one.
Hitherto unknown to us
and unheard of fierce
now the enemy has appeared,
seemed to have grown out of the ground. By God's permission
the mountains dissipated,
the mountains were dissolving
and unearthly power
released into the wild.

A second crowd runs in, even more frightened.

Oh, trouble is coming, people,
For the sake of our grave sins!
And there will be no forgiveness
Let's bend down to the last one.
Yes, they are demons, not people,
and have no souls,
They don’t know Christ God
and the churches are fighting.
They burn everything with fire,
they bow everything to the sword,
there are so many red girls,
little children are torn to pieces.

A third crowd runs in in complete despair.

Oh, trouble is coming, people,
for the sake of our grave sins!
And there will be no forgiveness
Let's bend down to the last one.
Oh, where should we run?
Oh, and where can I hide?
The darkness is dark, hide us,
mountains, mountains, hide.
Oh, they’re running, they’re catching up,
are coming on the heels,
closer, closer... save yourself!
Oh, here they are, Lord! Oh!

Tatars are shown in colorful clothes. The people run away in horror and hide wherever possible. A crowd of Tatars with curved swords and six-feathers arrives. The Tatars chase and find the frightened inhabitants and kill them. Several Tatars are dragging Fevronia.

TATARS.
Gaida! Guy!
Gaida! Guy, guy!
Gaida! Gaida!

The Tatar heroes enter: Bedyai and Burundai.

BUDDY.
What to regret? Beat me to death!

BURUNDAY (pointing to Fevronia).
And grab the girl alive!
(The heroes stop and dismount from their horses.)
There will be no such beauty in the steppe,
Let's bring a marsh flower to the Horde.

Fevronia is wrapped with a rope.

BUDDY.
Eh, angry people!

CHIPRUNDIE.
Even though the veins are pulling, he is silent.

BUDDY.
He won't tell you the way.

CHURUNDAY and BEDYAY.
We cannot find their capital city.

BUDDY.
And glorious, they say, is Greater Kitezh!
There are forty churches of God there;
there is no silver or gold in their estimates,
and row the pearls with a shovel.

Several Tatars drag in Kuterma, distraught with fear.

CHORUS (Tatars).
Gaida! Guy!

BUDDY.
Yeah! One more left.

It's a mess.
Have mercy, oh, have mercy,
You are the princes of the Murza Tatars!
Oh, what do you need a hawk moth?
Have mercy, oh, have mercy!

CHIPRUNDIE.
So be it, we will have mercy on you...

BUDDY.
...we'll give you a golden treasury.

CHURUNDAY and BEDYAY.
Do only the right service,
Lead Batyev's army along the path,
that unknown forest path,
through four fast rivers,
to your capital city, the Great Kitezh.

FEVRONIYA (Kuterma).
Oh, hold on tight, Grishenka.

BADYAY (threatens her).
You, beauty, shut up, shut up!

It's a mess.
(in extreme excitement, to himself)
Oh, woe, my crafty demon!
You teach me, my goodness, how to live richly,
not only to rob, but also to kill, -
to give up a whole city to destruction,
How can I sell Christ to Judas?
Although I don’t believe in sleep or choke,
Grishka cannot commit such a sin

CHIPRUNDIE.
Why are you silent, don’t you understand?

BUDDY.
If you don’t go, you won’t be so happy.

CHURUNDAY and BEDYAY.
Let's raise our eyes clear
We'll cut out your tongue,
We'll skin you alive,
We'll fry you in the heat...
Well, live there, walk around if you want.

KUTERMA (to himself; in a terrible struggle)
My death! What should I do? What should I do?

BUDDY.
He remains silent.

CHIPRUNDIE.
Take it you fool!

(The Tatars rush towards Kuterma in a crowd)

CHORUS.
Gaida! Guy!

It's a mess.
Stop, you godless infidels!
(with great melancholy, quietly)
I'm afraid of torment...
(with desperation, decisively)
It may be your way.
I will lead you, fierce enemies,
at least for this I will be damned forever,
and my memory is eternal
he will go along with Judas.
(joyful laughter of the Tatars)

BUDDY.
It would have been like this a long time ago.

BURUNDAY and BEDIAY (Tatars).
To Kitezh, governors!

(They get on their horses and ride off. Everyone leaves.)

CHORUS.
Goy! We are going to Rus' with fierce execution,
strong hailstones are comparable to the earth,
we will kill the old and young ones to death,
whoever is in time, we will bring him into the horde.

They leave. The last to remain are Fevronia and the guards. Some of the guards are equipping a cart to put Fevronia on it.

FEVRONIYA (praying).
God, make the city of Kitezh invisible,
and also the righteous living in that city.

She is dragged to the cart. Curtain.

Kitezh the Great.

At midnight, all the people, from old to young, gathered with weapons in their hands outside the fence of the Assumption Cathedral. On the porch are Prince Yuri and Prince Vsevolod, with their squad around them. Everyone surrounded Fyodor Poyark, who stood with his head bowed, hand in hand with the youth.

POYAROK.
Hello, people of Kitezh.

CHORUS (people).
May you be well with us, Poyarok.

POYAROK.
Where is the prince, my lord, where is the prince?
Good people, show me.

CHORUS.
What you? Here they stand before you.

POYAROK.
The Lord's light has darkened, I can't see.

PRINCE VSEVOLOD (comes up and peers into his face).
Fedor! Friend! You are blind!

POYAROK.
Temen, prince.

CHORUS.
Lord have mercy!
Who is your villain?
Oh, don’t hesitate, tell me what the news is.

POYAROK.
Listen, honest Christians!
You haven’t smelled the enemy before...

CHORUS (people interrupt).
No, they didn’t know, they didn’t know, Fedor.

POYAROK.
Now, by the Lord's permission
Unfortunately for us, a miracle happened.
(Fyodor gathers his courage.)

CHORUS.
Fedor! Friend! Dark wretch!
Oh, don’t hesitate, tell me what a miracle it is.

POYAROK (solemnly).
The mother earth has parted,
split on two sides,
released the power of the enemy.
Whether demons or people, it is unknown:
everything is shackled in damask steel as it is,
their wicked king himself is with them.

CHORUS.
Fedor! Friend! Dark wretch!
Oh, don’t hesitate, tell me quickly,
How great is the army that is coming, the Tsareva?

POYAROK.
How many there are, I don’t know;
and from the creaking of their cart
yes from the neighing of greyhounds
You can’t listen to speeches seven miles away;
and from a couple of horses
the sun itself faded.

CHORUS.
Oh, the earth is damp, our mother,
How have we angered you, children?
What has sent us evil adversity? Oh!
Fedor! Friend! Dark wretch!
Oh, don’t hesitate, tell me in order,
did our smaller brother Kitezh survive?

POYAROK.
Captured without a fight with great destruction.
Having not found Prince Yury in the city,
the wicked were inflamed with anger.
All the inhabitants were tormented with torment,
The way to the capital city is torturing everyone...
And they carried it away in silence, even to death.

CHORUS.
God still protects Great Kitezh.

POYAROK.
Oh, one person has been found,
I could not endure those evil torments,
and told the way to King Batu.

CHORUS.
Woe to the accursed Judas!
In this world and the future, destruction!

PRINCE VSEVOLOD.
Fedor! Friend! Dark wretch!
Tell me only: is the princess alive?

POYAROK.
Oh, alive... but it would be better not to live.

PRINCE VSEVOLOD.
Is she full? In bitter captivity?

POYAROK.
Lord, forgive her sin:
I didn’t understand what she was doing, I didn’t know!
The princess is leading our enemies here.

PRINCE VSEVOLOD.
How? How is she?
Oh, Lord have mercy!

In despair, he covers his face with his hands. Silence.

POYAROK.
And they grabbed me and laughed a lot... Afterwards, they blinded me and sent me away as a messenger.
with this little lad to Prince Yury.
“We will destroy the capital city to the ground,
the walls are as strong as the earth,
God's churches We'll burn everything with fire,
we will put the old and little ones to death,
whoever is in time - we will take them in full,
We’ll take it in full, we’ll bring it to the Horde,
good fellows of the villages,
rows of red girls.
We don’t tell them to believe in God,
in your faith in salvation,
and we tell them only to believe
in our unbaptized faith.”

CHORUS.
Oh, my heart is troubled, brothers!
Wants to be a great disaster.

PRINCE YURI.
Oh, glory, vain wealth!
Oh, our life is short!
Little hours will pass, little hours will pass,
and we will lie down in pine coffins.
The soul will fly about its business
before God's throne for the final judgment,
and the bones are a legend to the earth,
and the body for worms to eat.
Where will fame and wealth go?
My Kitezh, mother of all cities!
Oh, Kitezh, endless beauty!
Is this what I built you for?
among the dark impenetrable forests?
In my mad pride I thought:
this city will be built forever,
balmy haven
to all those who suffer, hunger, seek...
Kitezh, Kitezh! Where is your glory?
Kitezh, Kitezh! Where are your chicks?
(to the youth) Little youth, you are younger than everyone else,
you go up to the top of the church,
look at all four sides,
Isn't God giving us a sign?

The youth runs into the bell tower and looks around in all four directions.

POYAROK, PRINCE YURI, CHORUS.
Wonderful heavenly queen,
You are our holy intercessor!
Do not forsake me with great mercy.

YOUTH.
The dust rose in a column to the sky,
The white light is completely obscured.
The Horde comoni are rushing,
hordes gallop from all sides;
their banners flutter
their swords are shiny damask.
I see Kitezh-grad burning:
the flames are burning, sparks are flying,
in the smoke the stars all faded,
the sky itself was on fire...
A river flows from the gate,
all made of innocent blood...
And black corvids are hovering,
revel in warm blood...

PRINCE YURI.
Oh, the right hand of God is terrible!
The city is destined for destruction,
for us the sword and death are in vain.
(to the people)
Brethren! Pray to the Lady,
Kitezh to the heavenly intercessor.

PRINCE VSEVOLOD, POYAROK, PRINCE YURI, CHOIR:
Wonderful heavenly Queen,
You are our good intercessor,
do not forsake heavenly mercy,

YOUTH (sadly).
Woe, woe to the city of Kitezh!
Church domes without crosses,
without princes the towers are high;
at the corners of the white stone walls
the horsetails hang shaggy;
horses are led from the gates into the Horde,
Carts of pure silver are being transported.

PRINCE YURI.
If Kitezh were plundered,
and give us tribute alive.
Oh, that shame is worse than destruction!
(to the people)
Pray to the intercessor again,
cry everyone, young and old,
cry all your bloody tears.

Everyone falls on their faces.

CHORUS.
Wonderful heavenly Queen,
You are our good intercessor,
Cover Kitezh-grad with your cover.
Have mercy, heavenly queen,
send angels to our defense.

YOUTH.
Empty sholomya, okatisto,
that above Svetly Yar Lake,
blanketed in a white cloud,
what a luminous veil...
The sky is quiet, clear, blissful,
as if in the bright church of God.
(goes off)

PRINCE YURI.
May God's will be done,
and the hail will disappear from the face of the earth.

PRINCE VSEVOLOD (stepping forward).
Oh, you, faithful squad!
Is it okay for us to die with our wives?
hiding behind the walls,
without seeing the enemy face to face?
We are united in our hearts,
Let's go out to the enemy at Candlemas,
for the peasants, for the Russian faith
put your heads down.

CHORUS.
Behind you, prince, behind you!

PRINCE VSEVOLOD.
Prince Yuri, let us go into the field!

PRINCE YURI.
May God grant you to die shamelessly,
to be counted as a martyr.

He blesses the prince and his squad. The warriors say goodbye to their wives and leave the city with the prince, singing a song.

PRINCE VSEVOLOD.
Got up at midnight...

PRINCE VSEVOLOD, CHORUS.
Been up since midnight
peasant squad,
prayed, was baptized,
prayed, was baptized,
I was preparing for a fight to the death.
Sorry, goodbye, my dear,
(go beyond the fence)
forgive me, goodbye, my dear!
Don't cry, little family:
(behind the walls)
death in battle is written for us,
death in battle is written for us,
but there is no litter for the dead.
(further)
Death in battle is written for us...
We will die in battle...

A light fog with a golden sheen quietly descends from the dark sky - at first it is transparent, then thicker and thicker.

CHORUS (people).
Why are we standing, sisters?
The hour of death is near...
How can one die?
without saying goodbye to each other?
Sisters, hug:
let the tears flow.
And those tears are ours
with joy, not with grief.
The church bells began to hum quietly of their own accord.
Chu! The bells are all
they started buzzing themselves,
as if from many
blowing wings.
Angels of the Lord
now here above us.

YOUTH.
The eyes are covered with a kind of veil.

PRINCE YURI.
Like incense smoke
comes down to us from heaven.

CHORUS.
It’s wonderful: the city has clothed itself in light clothing.
All the regiment
let's go as a regiment,
let's go, sisters,
to the cathedral church,
yes in the Lord's house
the torment of the crown is acceptable.

YOUTH.
Let us marvel at the miracle of the Lord this day, sisters!

PRINCE YURI.
God the Lord cover
Kitezh covers.

CHORUS.
And the fog is getting thicker...
Where are we, where are we, sisters?

PRINCE YURI, CHORUS.
Where does the joy come from?
light from where?
Is death coming?
Is it a new birth?

YOUTH.
Rejoice, people, sing to God of glory!
He rings wonderfully
calls to us from heaven.
(Everything is shrouded in golden fog.)
Cloud curtain.

Transition to the second picture. "The Battle of Kerzhenets"

Curtain. In the oak grove on the shore of Lake Svetlago Yara the darkness is impenetrable. The opposite shore, where Great Kitezh stands, is shrouded in thick fog. The mess with the heroes Bedyai and Burundai, making their way through the thicket of bushes, come out into a clearing leading to the lake.

It's a mess.
Here is the oak grove, here is the lake,
Svetly Yar is our calling,
and Kitezh itself is a great city
stands on the opposite bank.

The heroes peer into the darkness.

CHIPRUNDIE.
You're lying, dog!
There is a small spruce forest there,
A young birch tree grows.

BUDDY.
And the places are empty and deserted.

It's a mess.
Ali, you didn’t hear the ringing,
that buzzed all the way down the road,
in that bell-like language
as if he was striking at the heart itself.

Little by little the Tatars converge. Carts of stolen goods are brought in.

CHORUS (Tatars).
Oh, you Rus', damned land!
There is no straight road.
Yes, and the paths are littered
We’re all singing, we’re shooting, we’re whipping.
And our steppe komoni
they stumble over the roots.
From the fog from the swamp
the Tatar spirit is engaged.
Even though they beat the good army,
The third day we are still wandering around in vain.
(To the commotion)
You made us faint, drunkard,
He took us to deserted places!
(They surround Kuterma with threats; he throws himself at the feet of the heroes.)

It's a mess.
Oh, have mercy, heroes!

Burundai and Bedyai stop the Tatars.

BUDDY.
Don't be afraid! We won't touch you
and tie it tightly to the tree
and let's wait for the sun,
and then we’ll see what to do with you.

CHIPRUNDIE.
And if the place is not completely empty,
stands on the shore of Greater Kitezh...

CHIPRUNDAY AND BUDDY.
We'll cut your head off your shoulders:
do not betray your native prince.

A cart drives in, on which Fevronia sits in silent melancholy.

CHIPRUNDIE.
And if he fooled us to no avail,
led into a deserted desert,
oh, the torment will be worse than death!
The mess is grabbed and tied to a tree.
The people are angry!

The Tatars sit down on the ground and make fires; others carry out all the spoils and place them in separate heaps.

BUDDY.
I feel sorry for the prince!
Forty wounds, but he didn’t give up alive.

CHIPRUNDAY AND BUDDY.
If only we would respect him
would be pressed down tightly with boards,
They would have sat down to feast.
“Listen, they say, how we celebrate here!”

Tatars break barrels of wine and drink with silver glasses. Burundai and Bedyai sit down with the others.

BUDDY.
The owners took care of the wine,
we never tasted it ourselves.

The Tatars cast lots and drink wine. Many, having taken their share, leave.

CHORUS.
Not crows, not hungry
flocked to the massacre,
The Murza princes were gathering,
They sat down in a circle and would divide things up.
And all the princes are forty knights,
in the case of shares against that.
And the first share is a golden shell
whether the Holy Russian prince;
the other share is his corporal cross;
and the third share is damask steel in silver.
There is still a share, - it is more expensive than everyone else, -
light girl Polonyanochka:
doesn’t drink, doesn’t eat, kills himself,
tears, light, filled.

CHIPRUNDIE.
Oh, you Tatar Murzas!
I don't need gold, silver -
give me the Polyanochka:
I'm out of business with her now.

BUDDY.
What you? Where has this been seen?
What happens by lot?
then let him get it;
I myself have a girl after my own heart.

CHIPRUNDIE.
I saw her before you,
Then she fell in love with me.
Let's try, ask the girl:
Like, which of us will she follow?

BADYAY (with laughter).
I bow to my fullest!

BURUNDAY (Fevronia).

I'll take you to the Golden Horde,
I'll marry you
I will put you in a colored tent...

BADYAY (interrupts with an evil mockery).
Don't cry, don't cry, pretty girl!
I'll take you to the Golden Horde,
I'll take you as a worker,
I will teach you with a whip...

CHIPRUNDIE.
Give me a girl, you'll be my friend,
If you don’t give, you will be an enemy.

BADYAY (gloomily).
Your enemy.

CHURUNDAY (hitting Bedya on the head with an ax).
So screw you!

The poor guy falls dead. There is silence for a moment, then the Tatars calmly continue the division. Many got drunk and, having taken their share, are unable to walk, fall and fall asleep. Burundai takes Fevronia to his place, lies down on the carpet, makes her sit down and tries to console her.

BURUNDAY (pulls Fevronia towards him and hugs her)
Don't be afraid of us, beauty!
Our faith, easy faith:
don’t cross yourself, don’t bow…
And there will be a golden treasury...
(through a dream)
Don’t be timid, forest bird...
closer!.. well! Why is she unkind?
(She falls asleep. The whole camp sleeps too. Fevronia leaves Burundai.)

FEVRONIYA (lamenting).
Oh, you are my dear groom, my hope!
You are alone under the willow tree,
you lie unmourned, uninveterate,
lying there all bloody, unwashed...
If only I knew your place,
I would wash your body with tears,
I would warm you with my blood,
I would revive you with my spirit.
Oh, you heart, zealous heart!
You, heart, were torn away from the root,
covered in scarlet blood:
and how can I grow you?
(cries quietly)

KUTERMA (tied to a tree, quietly).
Listen, girl...
(getting better)
Princess light!
(Fevronia listens.)
Do not disdain the damned,
get closer, pure man!

FEVRONIYA (recognizes Kuterma and comes closer)
Grisha, Grisha, what have you accomplished!

It's a mess.
Oh, be quiet! I can't bear it anymore:
death is terrible, death is quick;
worse than that villain is melancholy...
And the ringing of the Assumption in Kitezh!..
And why is it calling at the wrong time?
Oh, the bell is ringing for Grishka,
like a butt on the crown of the head.

FEVRONIYA (listens).
Where is the ringing?

It's a mess.
Ah, princess!
Have a little pity on me:
Pull your hat down over my ears,
so that they don’t hear me calling,
to get rid of my sadness and melancholy.
Fevronia comes up and pulls his hat down over his ears; he listens.
(With desperation)
No, it's buzzing, the damned ringing is buzzing!
There is no way I can hide from him.

Shaking his head furiously, he throws his hat to the ground. Whispers quickly and passionately.

Let me go, princess
release my strong bonds,
let me get away from the Tatar torments,
At least one more day to suffer!
I'll run away into the dense forests,
I'll grow a waist-deep beard,
I’ll save my soul there.

FEVRONIYA (hesitantly).
What did you plan, Grisha, did you invent?
After all, they will execute me as a baby.

KUTERMA (calmer, convinces).
Eh, why should you save your stomach?
She sowed everything she had;
from people even princely
There are almost ten of them alive.
(dumb)
And God forbid that anyone should be alive!

FEVRONIYA (with increasing amazement).
Why “God forbid”, Grishenka?

It's a mess.
Whoever you meet will kill you.
(Fevronia shudders.)
How I led the Tatar army,
I told everyone to tell you...

FEVRONIYA (retreats with fear).
Did you order me, Grishenka?

KUTERMA (quietly; nodding)
On you.

FEVRONIYA (covering her face with her hands).
Oh, scary, Grishenka!
Grisha, are you not the Antichrist?

It's a mess.
What are you, what are you?
Where am I, princess!
I'm just the last drunkard:
There are many of us like this in the world.
We drink ladles full of tears,
wash it down with sighs.

FEVRONIYA.
Do not complain about your bitter fate:
This is the great mystery of God.
But you weren’t happy,
after all, even that is Divine light for us,
how do others walk in joy?

It's a mess.
Oh, you are my light, my princess!
Our eyes are envious,
our raking hands,
you're coveting someone else's share,
Yes, you promise them all sorts of things...
And you will go against God:
That's why we live in grief forever,
to accept death in bitter agony?

FEVRONIYA (with feeling)
Bitter, bitter, thrice painful!
You really don't know joy.

CUTTER (pretending)
And I didn’t hear, princess,
what she is.
(again often and abruptly)
Let me go, princess
release me strong bonds...

FEVRONIYA.
Be that way.
(solemnly)
Go, servant of the Lord!
I will loosen the strong bonds,
I will not be afraid of the torment of death,
I will pray for my executioners.
Repent diligently: God will forgive.
Repent, every sin is forgiven,
and which is not forgivable,
will not be forgiven, but will be forgotten.
How can I break my bonds?

It's a mess.
That gray-haired Murza has
you see, the knife is sticking out from the belt.

Fevronia approaches Burundai and takes out a knife from him; he wakes up. The first rays of dawn.

CHURUNDY (awake)
You come to me, my beauty!..

He wants to hug Fevronia, but falls asleep. Fevronia cuts the ropes.

KUTERMA (overjoyed).
Oh, my dears, I'm free!
Well, now God give me some legs!
(He again imagines the ringing.)
Do you hear? Again the frantic ringing.
Hostility itself hits the rivet,
dark fear strikes the heart...
And how that fear spreads,
along the arms, legs, veins...
The damp earth began to tremble.

He wants to run, but he staggers, falls face down and lies motionless for some time. Gets up; with desperate determination.

You can’t escape the absolute torment,
I don’t belong in this world!
I'll throw myself into the pool,
I will live with dark demons,
play leapfrog with them at night.

Rushes towards the lake. The mess stops at the shore, rooted to the spot. The first rays of dawn illuminate the surface of the lake and the reflection of the capital city in the lake under the empty shore. The festive ringing rings, little by little becoming louder and more solemn. The mess rushes back to Fevronia. Pointing at the lake in mad surprise.

Where there was a demon, there are now gods;
Where God was, there was nothing!
Where is the demon now, princess?
(laughs madly)
Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha! Let's run, my dear!
“He” tells me to find Kitezh-grad.
(wildly) Ha!

He runs away, taking Fevronia with him. His cry woke up the Tatars.

CHORUS.
Who was screaming and screaming madly?
Did you wake us Tatars up early?
Surely the enemies have crept up?
Is it time for us to go on a hike?
(seeing a vision in the lake)
Miracle, incomprehensible miracle!
Oh, you Tatar warriors,
wake up, wake up!
Look, marvel!
(with amazement)
Even though the lake is empty, empty,
in a bright lake, like in a mirror,
the capital city is visible overturned...
As if on a holiday and to celebrate
a cheerful ringing is heard.
(The Tatars are attacked by unaccountable fear)
Let's run away!
Go away, comrades!
Get away from these places!
From the damned!
Nothing bad would happen!
He's great...
(while running) Oh! (scatter in different directions) The Russian God is terrible!

Curtain. Dark night. A dense thicket in the Kerzhen forests. An uprooted spruce tree lies across it. In the depths there is a clearing and in it a moss-covered swamp. Fevronia makes her way through the dense, tenacious bushes in a torn dress; the crazy Kuterma follows her.

FEVRONIYA (exhausted, sits on the trunk).
Oh, I can’t go Grishenka:
I can’t feel better from languor,
the frisky legs gave way.

It's a mess.
There is no time, fly agarics are waiting...
Let's sit here, princess.
You're on a stump, and I'm on an anthill.
What a devil I am!
(brazenly and akimbo)
You have become proud, princess,
sitting at the prince's table,
I didn’t recognize my former friend.
(to myself)
We walked around the world together.
(plaintively, like a beggar)
Give me, poor, rootless,
give a tooth to the hungry
give me a spoonful of cheek,
Give me a little bit of milk.

FEVRONIYA.
There were berries, but you ate them.

KUTERMA (patter).
The demon ate them... ate my soul.
(brazenly)
We were lucky!
Is it a joke from the rusty swamp
fall into the prince's lies?
This is truly a noble princess;
It's a pity that the legs are frogs.
(wildly) Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

FEVRONIYA (meekly).
Don’t mock, but come to your senses:
remember what sin you committed.

It's a mess.
Old honk, old tune!
I am not a sinner, a servant of the Lord,
heaven of the bright gatekeeper.
I did not destroy the souls of innocents,
they were canonized as a martyr,
multiplied Christ's army.

FEVRONIYA.
Grisha, Grisha, shut up and cry!
Cry if you have tears.
It will come out as a tear.

KUTERMA (sobs)
I really feel sorry for old Grisha.
It’s good to save his soul,
who lives by wit and cunning.
He will say to the obedient heart:
“If you are deaf to someone else’s misfortune,
Hide your thoughts and thoughts deeper!
We will do what we are told,
love everyone but only destroy yourself,
beggars favor filthy dogs:
in the next world everything will pay off.”

FEVRONIYA.
God, have mercy on Grishenka,
You send love at least a little bit,
give him tender tears!

It's a mess.
That’s exactly what made me angry! Do you see?
(almost in a whisper)
Well, let's pray if you want...
Not Him; because on Him
and you can’t look: you’ll go blind forever.
I will pray to the damp earth;
(peers like a child)
teach me to pray to the earth,
teach me, teach me, princess!

FEVRONIYA.
Aren't I glad to teach you?
Repeat it word by word.
(Kutterma kneels.)
You are the earth, our merciful mother!

MESS (repeats).
Merciful.

FEVRONIYA.
You feed us all,
you feed the evil and the righteous.

It's a mess.
Evil and righteous.

FEVRONIYA.
forgive me my sins
Poor Grisha!

It's a mess.
Poor Grisha!

FEVRONIYA.
But sin has no name, no name.

It's a mess.
And not to hang sin
and don't measure it.

FEVRONIYA.
You are the earth, made cold by that sin.

KUTERMA (with deep feeling).
My dear, I've become frightened, I've become completely corrupted.

FEVRONIYA.
You went source
burning tears...

It's a mess.
Burning tears.

FEVRONIYA.
To fill it with something
black you...

KUTERMA (inattention).
Black you.

FEVRONIYA.
So that my dear one can wash herself
very white...

MESS (unconsciously).
As white as white.

FEVRONIYA (getting carried away).
And on a new field,
white as a charter
we will sow with prayer
the seed is new.
(The mess is silent and looks around in fear.)
And they will rise in that field
flowers of paradise,
and you yourself, dear,
decorate yourself.

KUTERMA (scared).
Ay! Who is sitting with you, princess?
He is scary, dark and inconspicuous:
stinking smoke is sown from the mouth,
eyes like fiery coals,
and from the spirit from the unclean
We, the baptized, cannot be alive.
(jumps up hastily)
Oh, have mercy, my lord!
Do not execute a faithful slave.
What do you want me to do? Dance, jump?
Should I mock? play the pipe?
(dances madly and whistles)
Ay Lyuli, born,
Ay Lyuli, he has taken possession of us
seven-headed serpent,
ten-horned serpent.
Ai Lyuli, his wife is with him,
ay lyuli, born,
evil and insatiable,
naked and shameless.
Ay Lyuli, pour it
sweet cup,
Ay Lyuli, give it to me
an abomination to hell.
(whistles; in frantic horror)
Scary! Hide me, my dear!
Protect me with your breasts, with your breasts!
(throws his head on Fevronia’s chest
and calms down for a moment)
What should I do? The soul is a girl's,
that in the window the mica is light:
the hostility is visible right through to me.
Here she is! The demon looks homely.
From his filthy eyes
fiery knitting needles stretch,
they pierce Grishenka’s heart,
they burn him with pitch-black fire...
Where to run? Where will I hide?
Ha! (Runs away screaming wildly).

FEVRONIYA (alone).
Grishenka!.. He doesn’t hear... he ran away.
(Lies on the grass. The trees are little by little covered with bright emerald greenery of a bizarre appearance.)
I felt good lying down
sick and tired as never before.
And the earth sways quietly,
that the child rocks in the cradle.
Bye, bye, sleep, sleep,
sleep, little heart, rest,
Bye, bye, sleep, sleep,
you are zealous, go to sleep.

Wax candles light up everywhere on tree branches. Huge, unprecedented flowers little by little grow on the trees and from the ground: golden roses, silver and scarlet roses, string, iris and others. Closer to Fevronia they are low, the further you go, the higher. The passage to the swamp remains open.

I'll see what flowers there are here,
and how wonderful everyone is!
Gilded iris,
the series is like pearls...
They say there are little birds
to us from heaven from the brightest,
on your peacock feathers
The seeds they bring are wonderful.
Oh, you flowers are not from here,
heavenly creen unfading!
How have you matured and grown?
the middle of the story didn’t die out?
(The flowers move in the breeze.)
It's amazing to me; whence, unknown,
is it not from the garden of heaven,
the winds blew here.
And they carry honey perfume
and much fragrant
straight to my tired soul,
straight to the weary heart.
Breathe deeper, deeper, soul!
(Comes out; the flowers nod and bow to her.)
I'll see what flowers there are,
and how wonderful everyone is!
Everyone closed in around me
and nodding their heads,
they bow to me lowly,
greeting your mistress.
Oh, you strange flowers,
heavenly creen unfading!
Such a great honor
It didn’t fit for an orphan.
(looks around)
Has spring come again?
All the swamps were overgrown,
all the trees are decorated,
like hawthorns to a crown of gold;
(spring birds sing, among them the singing of Alkonost stands out)
the free birds played out,
the dark thickets have left.

FEVRONIYA.
Ay, the bird is slow-witted!
Having seen such miracles,
I'm not afraid to die,
and I don’t feel sorry for the orphan’s life.
(plucks flowers of paradise and weaves a wreath)
Oh, you flowers are not from here,
Don't be angry, darlings!
It will be, it will be for me
break you, tear you,
I will weave wreaths from you.
I'll get dressed for the last time,
I’ll decorate myself like a bride,
I’ll take the heavenly coin in my hands,
I will wait, quietly rejoicing:
come, my death,
my beloved guest,
lead me to a green place,
where the groom rests.

From the depths of the clearing, through the swamp, strewn with flowers, like dry land, the ghost of Prince Vsevolod slowly walks, illuminated by a golden radiance, barely touching the soil with his feet.

FEVRONIYA (again full of strength, rushes to him).
Are you the clear light of my eyes?
Are you unspeakable joy?
Am I looking at you, dear one,
light, priceless pearls?
Are you just like that?
Vsevolod the glorious prince?

GHOST.
Have fun, my bride, have fun!
The groom has come for you.

FEVRONIYA.
Hope is alive, friend, safe!
Show me your wounds
forty bloody wounds.
I will wash them with a tear of joy,
I'll bake them with kisses.

GHOST.
I lay dead in an open field,
forty mortal wounds on the body.
There was that, but that has passed:
Today I am alive and I glorify God.

FEVRONIYA AND THE GHOST.
We will not part with you,
nicoli forever and ever,
and death itself, the homewrecker
will pity our youth.

FEVRONIYA.
Look at Fevronia
with your gentle eye.

GHOST.
Oh red bride
tender blueberry!

FEVRONIYA.
The luminous eye
unearthly joy
graciously enlightened.

GHOST.
How sweet are you?
spring airs,
Your voice is so sweet.

FEVRONIYA.
You smell in my mouth
the spirit of wondrous lips,
your wondrous lips;
but come from your mouth
words of inspiration,
the speech is quiet and soulful.

GHOST.
What's it like on the flowers?
the dew of God is pure,
such is the purity of your tears.

GHOST.
You understand, the red bride,
Understand their prophetic words.

GHOST AND FEVRONIA.
The Lord will give us joy now,
but we didn’t know her,
will reveal to the eye an unprecedented light,
quiet, never-sunset light.

GHOST.
You're tired, you're tired
from passions from everyone, from hunger.
Take this for strengthening:
The road is not close to us.
(Takes out a piece of bread from his bosom and gives it to Fevronia.)
Who has eaten of our bread,
he is involved in eternal joy.

FEVRONIYA (throwing crumbs on the ground).
It’s enough for me... and the crumbs are small
I will sow for you, free birds,
I will give you a final treat.
(piously)
Lord Jesus, accept me
establish gates in the villages of the righteous.

Both, hand in hand, slowly walk away through the swamp, barely touching the ground. Out of sight.

Go to the second picture
Walking into the invisible city.
Assumption ringing. Birds of paradise. Cloud curtain.

ALKONOST'S VOICE (behind the curtain):
He promised people who were suffering,
people crying...new:
The Lord promised the righteous people.
Thus he said: “Behold, the word of God is being fulfilled,
People, rejoice: here you will find
consolation of all earthly sorrows,
revelation of new joys."

The clouds are breaking. The city of Kitezh, wonderfully transformed. Assumption Cathedral and the prince's courtyard near the western gate. Tall bell towers, fires on the walls, intricate towers and tumblers of white stone and condensed wood. The carving is decorated with pearls; painting in blue, ash and blue-scarlet colors, with all the transitions that occur on clouds. The light is bright, bluish-white, from all sides, as if giving no shadow. To the left opposite the gate are the prince's mansions; The porch is guarded by a lion and a unicorn with silver fur. Sirin and Alkonost - birds of paradise with female faces - sing while sitting on knitting needles. A crowd in white secular clothes with heavenly krins and lit candles in their hands; Among the crowd is Poyarok, the sighted one, and the Youth, who was his guide.

ALKONOST.
The doors of heaven, heaven...

SIRIN.
...they opened up to you.

ALKONOST.
Time is up...

SIRIN.
...the eternal moment has arrived.
(Everyone bows to Prince and Fevronia, who enter the gate. Fevronia is in shiny clothes.)

CHORUS.
May you be well with us, princess.

FEVRONIYA (Breathed in surprise, she walks around the square, looking at everything, and clasping her hands in delight.)
The kingdom of light!
Oh God!
Towers, gates and walls
exactly from a yacht.
Silver-haired aliens!
What wonderful birds!
they sing with angelic voices!

The people surround Knyazhich and Fevronia and sing a wedding song to the sounds of the harp and paradise pipe, throwing flowers at their feet: roses and blue iris.

CHORUS.
Like the azure flowers,
on the weeping grass on the non-withering grass
not a foggy cloud floats,
The bride-to-be is coming to the groom.
Play, harp,
play, pipes.

FEVRONIYA (listening to the song, grabs Knyazhich’s hand).
A wedding song, but whose wedding is it?

PRINCE VSEVOLOD.
Ours, my dear.

CHORUS.
Surrounded by a bright rainbow,
the sky is all cleared away with stars,
behind the wings of quiet joy,
a crown of vain torment on the brow.
Play, harp,
play, pipes.

FEVRONIYA.
They didn’t finish this song there.
I remember, honey. That's wonderful!

CHORUS.
Let's smoke it with dark incense,
We will sprinkle you with living water;
and sorrow and melancholy will be forgotten,
everything that was dreamed will come on its own.
(Prince Yuri appears on the princely porch.)

PRINCE VSEVOLOD (pointing to his father).
Here is my father-in-law, the prince, my parent.

CHORUS.
God's mercy is upon you, princess.

PRINCE YURI.
God's mercy is upon you, daughter-in-law!

FEVRONIYA (bows to all four sides)
I bow to you, righteous people,
and to you, my father-in-law.
Don't judge me, orphan,
Don’t blame my simplicity,
and receive you into an honest monastery,
hold me in your love.
And I’ll ask you, father-in-law:
Didn't I see it in a dream?

PRINCE YURI.
The dream has now become a reality, dear,
what in the dream seemed to come to life.

FEVRONIYA.
Good people, tell me:
I walked here through the forest in the evening,
Yes, and it went on for a short time,
and you have here an indescribable light,
like the sun never sets.
Why is there so much light here?
the sky itself is radiant,
what is white and what is azure,
Where did it seem to turn red?

PRINCE VSEVOLOD AND PRINCE YURI.
That's why we have such a great light here,
that the prayer of so many righteous
apparently comes from the mouth
like a pillar of fire reaching to the sky.

SIRIN, ALKONOST AND PRINCE VSEVOLOD:
Without candles we are here and we honor books,
and warms us like the sun.

FEVRONIYA.
Why are the vestments here white,
like snow in the spring sun
sparkles, shimmers,
It hurts an unaccustomed eye.

YOUTH, PRINCE VSEVOLOD, POYAROK AND PRINCE YURI:
That is why the vestments are white here,
like snow in the spring sun,
that they were washed with tears
abundant, flammable.

SIRIN, ALKONOST, YOUTH,
Prince Vsevolod, Poyarok and Prince Yuri:
The same light-colored vestments
and you are destined here.

CHORUS.
God's mercy is upon you.
Be with us here forever,
settle down in the bright city,
where there is no crying, no illness,
where is the endless sweetness?
joy is eternal...

FEVRONIYA.
Oh, what is this joy for?
How did I please God?
Not a saint, not a blue one,
I only loved in simplicity.

SIRIN, ALKONOST, PRINCE VSEVOLOD AND PRINCE YURI:
You brought it to God the light
those three gifts that she kept:
Is it the meekness of a dove,
Is that love, virtue,
those tears of tenderness.

CHORUS.
God's mercy is upon you...

PRINCE VSEVOLOD.
Oh, you are a faithful bride!
time for us to go to the Church of God,
to the church of God to the golden crown.

FEVRONIYA.
My dear, desired groom!
Grishenka remained there in the forest;
He is weak in soul and body,
that the child has become a mind.
How can Grishenka be brought into this city?

PRINCE YURI.
The time has not come for Grishino,
the heart in it does not ask for the light.

FEVRONIYA.
Oh, if only you could send me a letter,
small consolation for Grisha,
good news for the lesser brethren?

PRINCE YURI.
Well! Fyodor will write a letter,
the little lad will report to Grisha:
let it spread throughout Rus'
God's miracles are great.

Poyarok places a long scroll on the turned railing of the prince's porch and prepares to write. Fevronia and the princes around him.

FEVRONIYA (Poyarku).
Well, write. What can I not do?
good people will tell you the story.
Grishenka, even though you are weak in mind,
And I am writing to you, dear one.
(Poyarok writes.)
Did you write it or not?

POYAROK.
Written.

FEVRONIYA.
Don't blame us for the dead, we are alive:
The city of Kitezh did not fall, but disappeared.
We live in a very lousy place,
which the mind cannot contain in any way;
We prosper like dates,
like fragrant krins,
listen to the sweetest singing
Sirinovo, Alkonostovo.
(to Prince Yuri)
Who will enter this city?
my lord?

PRINCE YURI.
Anyone who does not have a divided mind,
He would rather be in the city than to live in the city.

FEVRONIYA.
Well, goodbye, don’t remember us badly.
May the Lord grant you to repent.
Here's a sign: look at the sky at night,
like pillars of fire blazing;
they will say: the Pazori are playing...
no, then the righteous prayer rises.
Is that what I say?

CHORUS.
Yes, princess.

FEVRONIYA.
Otherwise, put your ear to the ground:
You will hear a blessed and wonderful ringing,
It was as if the vault of heaven was ringing.
Then in Kitezh they ring for matins.
Did you write it, Theodore?

POYAROK.
Wrote.
(Gives the Youth the package.)

FEVRONIYA (to the prince).
Well now let's go, my dear!

CHORUS.
There is no crying or illness here,
sweetness, endless sweetness,
joy is eternal...

The doors of the cathedral swing open, revealing an indescribable light.

End of the story.

“Strelsya” is a dialectal vernacular word equivalent to “met”.
Sloping hill.
This word has the same root as the word “cereals”. That is, initially a green place is a place where cereals grow abundantly, which in ancient times was understood as a guarantee of well-being, and not later as a place of debauchery (Note 2000).
Northern lights.

Opera in four acts by Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov to a libretto by V.I. Belsky.

Characters:

PRINCE YURI VSEVOLODOVICH (bass)
KNYAZHICH VSEVOLOD YURIEVICH (tenor)
FEVRONIYA (soprano)
GRISHKA KUTERMA (tenor)
FEDOR POYAROK (baritone)
YOUTH (mezzo-soprano)
TWO BEST PEOPLE
nbsp; 1st
nbsp; 2nd (bass)
GUSLYAR (bass)
BEAR (tenor)
BEGGAR SINGER (baritone)
Tatar heroes:
nbsp; BEDIAY (bass)
nbsp; CHURUNDAY (bass)
birds of paradise:
nbsp; SIRIN (soprano)
nbsp; ALKONOST (contralto)
PRINCE SAGITTARIANS, TRAVELERS, DOMRISTS,
THE BEST PEOPLE, THE POOR BROTHERHOOD, THE PEOPLE, THE TATARS.

Time period: 6751 years from the creation of the world.
Location: Kerzhensky forests, Small Kitezh on the Volga, Great Kitezh, Lake Svetly Yar, Invisible City.
First performance: St. Petersburg, Mariinsky Theater, February 7 (20), 1907.

“The Tale” is the fourteenth (penultimate) opera by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. It was created in 1903-1905. However, the idea of ​​writing an opera on this plot came to the composer long before that. As always, the memoirs of Rimsky-Korsakov himself are extremely interesting (his most valuable “Chronicle of My Musical Life”): “During the winter (1898/99) I often saw V.I. Belsky, and together we developed Pushkin’s opera plot "The Tale of Tsar Saltan." We were also interested in the legend of the “Invisible City of Kitezh” in connection with the legend of St. Fevronia of Murom." Thus, already at the very inception of the concept of the opera, its plot in the mind of the composer firmly connected two completely different legends: one - about Kitezh, the other - about St. Princess Fevronia of Murom. The last legend is part of the Lives of the Saints, written by Demetrius of Rostov (the memory of the holy faithful Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia (monastically Aavida and Euphrosyne) is celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 25). In the opera, Fevronia's line is developed somewhat differently than in her life as a saint. According to the opera libretto, based more on the famous folk legend than in the life of Demetrius of Rostov, Fevronia was by origin a simple villager, the sister of a tree frog (his name is not given; according to popular legend, she was the daughter of a “tree frog beekeeper” from the village of Laskovoy, Ryazan province). Fevronia, according to her life, was married to Prince Peter, the second son of the Myromsky prince Yuri Vladimirovich (in the opera this prince is called Yuri Vsevolodovich, and the prince - Vsevolod Yuryevich). For the libretto, the “Kitezh Chronicler” in different editions, the story of Fevronia of Murom, chronicles and stories about the Tatar invasion, “The Word” of Serapion, Bishop of Vladimir, the story of Juliania Lazarevskaya, the story of Mount-Misfortune, historical, lyrical, ritual (wedding) were used ) songs, epics, spiritual poems. As a result, in the entire work - this is stated by the author of the libretto - “there is not a single little thing that would not in one way or another be inspired by a feature of some legend, poem, plot or other fruit of Russian folk art.”

The premiere of the opera at the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater was conducted by F. M. Blumenfeld. The director was V.P. Shkafer. The scenery was created according to the sketches of the wonderful Russian artists K.A. Korovin and A.M. Vasnetsov. The costumes are made according to the drawings of K.A. Korovin.

INTRODUCTION
PRAISE FOR THE DESERT

The orchestral overture, which opens the opera, paints a picture of the forest with its rustling leaves and birdsong (the desert here is, according to the old usage, an uninhabited area). The melody floating above this rustle is the theme of the maiden Fevronia.

ACT I

The wilderness of the Trans-Volga forests near Maly Kitezh. Here is Fevronia’s little hut. There are oaks, elms, and pines around. There is a spring at a distance. The birds are singing, the cuckoo is calling. Midsummer. It's late in the evening. Fevronia knits bunches of grass and hangs them in the sun. She is dressed, as stated in the author's remark, in a simple summer jacket, her hair is down. Her song “Oh, you are a forest, my forest, a beautiful desert” is full of spiritual purity and serene calm. Fevronia scatters food for birds and animals. Birds flock to her song - forest and swamp birds, a bear comes running, which she feeds with bread; he caresses her. An elk's head pokes out of the bushes. The bear lies down at her feet; There are also cranes and other birds here. Fevronia examines the wound on the elk's neck. Unnoticed by Fevronia, Prince Vsevolod Yuryevich appears from the bushes; he was dumbfounded with amazement when he saw this picture. The animals get scared and run away. Fevronia notices the prince. He is unfamiliar to her, and she is at a loss as to who he is: “Hunter, a little closer; his white face looks like a king’s son.” She warmly addresses the stranger and invites him to taste the honey. Knyazhich refuses - he needs to hurry, because it’s already getting dark. Fevronia offers to show him the way. Knyazhich, it turns out, is wounded - he fought with a bear. Fevronia washes his wound with rainwater and bandages it. The prince asks Fevronia who she is, who she lives with (it turns out, with her brother, who is now missing - he is somewhere in the forests). “Do you go to God’s church to pray?” - Vsevolod Yurievich asks Fevronia. It’s a long way for her to go to church, but isn’t God everywhere? She sings about the beauty of nature, about the happiness of living under the majestic arches of forests, enjoying the radiance of the sun, the aroma of flowers, and the sparkle of the blue sky. The prince is delighted with her. Their conversation turns into a love duet, warm and intimate. The prince puts a ring on Fevronia’s finger - now they are the bride and groom.

A horn is heard in the forest. At its sound, the prince blows his horn. The prince says goodbye to Fevronia and leaves, promising her that he will soon send matchmakers to her. Unexpectedly, the prince returns. Fevronia is confused: her soul yearns for her lover, but “I also feel sorry for the silent chambers of the forest, sorry for my animals, sorry for my quiet thoughts,” she says. The prince assures her that in the royal city she will not regret the desert (that is, her past solitary life). The hunting horns sound again, the prince leaves. The archers appear, led by Fyodor Poyark. They are looking for their comrade. It is from them that Fevronia learns that the unfamiliar young man to whom she has just become engaged is Prince Vsevolod, the son of the old Prince Yuri, who rules in Great Kitezh.

ACT II

Maly Kitezh on the left bank of the Volga. Square with shopping arcades. There's a visiting yard right there. There are crowds of people everywhere waiting for the wedding train. The poor brethren (men and women) huddle to the side. Near the visiting yard, a bear plays the pipe and shows a learned bear. He was surrounded by men, women and small children. On the orders of the bear, the bear first shows “how the bell ringer Pakhomushka slowly trudges to church” (the bear waddles, leaning on a crutch), then he demonstrates “how the bell ringer Pakhomushka runs away, hurries, down from the bell tower, quickly to his home” ( the bear runs briskly in small steps). Everyone is laughing.

The guslar appears, a tall old man as white as a harrier, and plucks the strings, about to play. He starts a mournful epic (“Because of the deep lake Yara, golden-horned aurochs came running”) - a prophecy about a coming disaster. (N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov in this case departs from his traditional method of imitating the sound of the gusli, borrowed from Glinka, using a harp and piano (more precisely, a piano), as he did in “Sadko” and “The Snow Maiden”; here the guslar sings to the accompaniment of one harp.) The guslar's verses alternate with exclamations of the people.

Once again the bear and his animal are in the spotlight. People amuse themselves by watching the bear either play the pipe or gallop like a goat. “Better” people appear (princely rich people). They are unhappy that a simple peasant woman will become a princess. Seeing the drunken Grishka Kuterma, they call him to them and give him money so that he can “welcome the bride more cheerfully and honor her according to her deeds,” that is, humiliate her.

You can hear bells and domra playing. The people quiet down and listen; some peer into the distance. The ringing of bells is gradually approaching. Finally, three carts, drawn by threes and decorated with ribbons, enter. In the first there are guslars and domrists, in the second there are matchmakers, next to them a friend is riding - Fyodor Poyarok, in the third Fevronia and her brother. They are accompanied by a retinue. The people rush towards them and block their way with scarlet and red ribbons. Everyone joyfully greets the bride. Guslyars and domra players are playing. Ancient wedding rituals are performed: Poyarok and his people distribute and throw gingerbread cookies, ribbons and money into the crowd. People are crowding. The already pretty tipsy Kuterma wants to squeeze forward; the men push him away. Fevronia, seeing that Kuterma is not allowed in and is rudely called a dog, asks: “Why are you persecuting him?” She stands up for him. The mess approaches and bows. He does all this mockingly and addresses Fevronia very brazenly, telling her not to put on airs, because she is of the same breed as him. Fevronia humbly and sincerely answers him and bows low to the people. The mess continues its unceremonious speech. “Pray, Grisha, to the Lord,” Fevronia exhorts him. Grishka shouts at her in anger, predicting poverty and humiliation. The people are outraged by his speeches. Grishka is pushed out of the square. The general embarrassment is interrupted by Poyarok: he calls on the guslar players to play and the girls to start a song. The wedding majestic song “Like crossing bridges on the viburnum trees” sounds.

The song is interrupted by the distant sounds of horns. The wedding train is leaving. Norod, seeing him off, follows him. The sounds of the horns are repeated. The people are alarmed and listening. General confusion begins. A frightened crowd of men and women runs in, followed by another, even more frightened crowd. The orchestra sounds a mournful chant of the song “About the Tatar Full.” A third crowd runs in in complete despair: “Oh, trouble, trouble is coming, people, for the sake of our grave sins!”

Tatars are shown in colorful clothes. The people run away in horror and hide wherever possible. The crowd of Tatars with crooked swords and polearms is growing. The Tatars chase and, finding the frightened inhabitants, kill them. Several Tatars grab Fevronia and drag her along. The Tatar heroes Bedyai and Burundai ride in on horses. They dismount from their horses and exchange short phrases about the beauty of Fevronia and the fact that, despite all the torture, the Russians do not show them the way to Great Kitezh. With wild screams, the Tatars are dragging Grishka Kuterma, distraught with fear: of all the inhabitants of Small Kitezh, only he and Fevronia survived. Fevronia encourages Grishka: “Oh, hold on tight, Grishenka.” But Grishka is unable to bear the torment and gives up: “I will lead you, fierce enemies, even though I may be cursed for a century, and my eternal memory will go along with Judas.” The Tatars laugh joyfully. Bedyai and Burundai get on their horses and ride off. Everyone is gradually leaving. The last to remain are Fevronia and the guards. Some of the guards are equipping a cart to put Fevronia on it. She prays to the Lord: “God, make the city of Kitezh invisible, and also the righteous living in that city.”

ACT III

Picture 1. Kitezh the Great. At midnight, all the people, from old to young, gathered with weapons in their hands outside the fence of the Assumption Cathedral. On the porch are Prince Yuri and Prince Vsevolod, with a squad around them. Everyone surrounded Fyodor Poyark, who stood with his head bowed, hand in hand with the Youth. It turns out that he was blinded by the Tatars. Everyone is shocked by his sad story about the national disaster and the fact that, according to rumors, Princess Fevronia herself is leading the Tatars to Great Kitezh. The people are depressed: “Oh, my heart is troubled, brethren! It wants to be a great disaster." The Prince sends the Youth to the bell tower to see from there “whether God is giving us a sign.” The youth runs into the bell tower and from there reports: “The dust rose in a column to the sky.” This is the Horde army rushing. The youth sees: “It’s as if the city of Kitezh is burning: the flames are burning, sparks are rushing,” - with these and other bloody details he talks about his vision. At the call of old Prince Yuri, the people offer prayers to the Queen of Heaven for their salvation. Prince Vsevolod steps forward. He asks his father to bless him and his squad for a feat of arms and sets out to meet the enemies. The prince loudly sings the warriors’ song “The squad rose from midnight.”

Light, with a golden sheen, the fog quietly leaves the dark sky - at first transparent, then thicker and thicker. Anticipating their end, people say goodbye to each other. The church bells began to hum quietly of their own accord, heralding deliverance. Everyone is amazed and delighted that “God the Lord covers Kitezh with a veil” (as Prince Yuri says). Everything is shrouded in golden fog. While the stage is covered by a cloudy curtain (at this time the scenery is changing for the second scene), the symphonic picture “The Battle of Kerzhenets” sounds - an orchestral piece, often included in the programs of symphony concerts. This outstanding example Russian program music. With amazing strength and vividness of images, the composer depicts this unequal battle between the Kitezh people and the hordes of Tatars. This musical scene is undoubtedly the dramatic center of the opera. The composer composed it because it was impossible to create a large historical canvas - a picture of a battle - under stage conditions. Music, thanks to the unsurpassed skill of Rimsky-Korsakov, who by that time had already created symphonic poems within his operas (remember, for example, “The Blue Ocean-Sea” in “Sadko”) conveys with extraordinary power the entire tragedy of the situation.

Picture 2. In the oak grove on the shore of Lake Svetly Yar, the darkness is impenetrable. The opposite bank, where Great Kitezh stands, is shrouded in thick fog. The chaos with the heroes Bedyai and Burundai, making their way through the thicket of bushes, comes out into a clearing leading to the lake. Gradually the rest of the Tatars converge. Carts of stolen goods are brought in. The Tatars suspect that Kuterma deliberately led them into an impassable thicket. Burundai and Bedyai tie Kuterma to a tree. A cart drives in with Fevronia sitting on it. The Tatars begin to divide the spoils. A dispute flares up between Burundai and Bedyai over who should own Fevronia. In the end, Burunday hits Bedyai on the head with an ax. The poor guy falls dead. There is silence for a moment, then the Tatars calmly continue dividing the spoils. Gradually, the Tatars are overcome by hops, and they fall asleep, each forgetting about his share. Burundai takes Fevronia to his place, lies down on the carpet, makes her sit down and tries to console her, pulls her towards him and hugs her. Soon he too falls asleep. The whole camp is sleeping. Fevronia leaves Burundai. She weeps bitterly about her deceased fiancé (“Oh, you are my dear fiancé, hope!”). Fevronia is called out by Grishka Kuterma (he is here, nearby, tied to a tree). Having betrayed his native land to the enemy, he is tormented by remorse. Fevronia recognizes him and comes closer. Grishka begs her to untie him. Fevronia is afraid that she will be executed for this. Grishka admonishes her and himself, in turn, asks her why she should take care of her life, because of the princely people (her current relatives) not even a dozen will be alive. And if they are alive, then God forbid. Why “God forbid?” - Fevronia asks him. And he admits that he said to her that she led the Tatar army to Kitezh. In horror, Fevronia covers her face with her hands: “Grisha, aren’t you the Antichrist?” - she asks. She frees him so that he can atone for the sin of betrayal. He wants to run, but cannot: he hears a bell ringing; “languid fear fills the heart...” He wants to run, but he staggers, falls face down and lies motionless for some time. Then he gets up and with desperate determination rushes to the lake to drown himself. And suddenly he stops at the shore, rooted to the spot: the first rays of dawn illuminate the surface of the lake and the reflection of the capital city in the lake under the empty shore. A festive ringing can be heard, gradually becoming louder and more solemn. Kuterma rushes back to Fevronia, pointing to the lake in insane surprise: “Where the demon was, there are gods now; where God was, there was nothing!” With a wild cry, Kuterma disappears into the thicket of the forest, dragging Fevronia with her.

Kuterma's cry woke up the Tatars. They see a vision in the lake. They are amazed: “A miracle, an incomprehensible miracle!” They are attacked by unaccountable fear. Having forgotten about everything, they flee in horror from the terrible place.

ACT IV

Picture 1. dark night. A dense thicket in the Kerzhen forests. An uprooted spruce tree lies across the stage. In the depths there is a clearing and in it a moss-covered swamp. Here Fevronia makes her way in a torn dress; she is followed by the insane Grishka Kuterma. Exhausted, she sits on a tree trunk. Grishka makes crazy speeches: he speaks to her either brazenly and with his arms akimbo, or pitifully, like a beggar. Fevronia meekly reasons with him: “Don’t mock, come to your senses; remember what sin you have committed.” Grishka is tormented by remorse. He either sobs, then pesters Fevronia like a child, then kneels down, looking around in fear, then hastily jumps up, dances madly and whistles. He calms down for a moment. In the end, with a wild cry, he runs away into the dense thicket.

Fevronia was left alone. She lies down on the grass. The trees are gradually covered with bright, bizarre-looking emerald green. Fevronia plunges into a blissful state: her fatigue and pain have passed. She sings a lullaby to herself: “Bai, byi, sleep, sleep, sleep, little heart, rest.” Wax candles light up everywhere on tree branches; Huge unprecedented flowers grow on the trees and from the ground: golden kryzhanty, silver and scarlet roses, string, iris and others. The passage to the swamp remains open. Fevronia sings about her admiration for this whole view. The voices of birds of paradise predict peace and happiness for her. She gets up, goes forward; the branches bow to her. It seems to her that spring has come again: “All the swamps have blossomed, all the trees have become beautiful.” Among the birds, Alkonost’s voice stands out: “Strengthen yourself with hope, with undoubted faith: everything will be forgotten, time will end.” From the depths of the clearing, through a swamp strewn with flowers, as if on dry land, the ghost of Prince Vsevolod slowly walks, illuminated by a golden radiance, barely touching the soil with his feet. Fevronia, again full of strength, rushes to him. The ghost addresses her with a greeting: “Have fun, my bride, have fun! The groom has come for you." The ghost consoles Fevronia. The voice of another bird of paradise, Sirin, is heard: “Behold, the groom has come, why are you delaying?” “Lord Jesus, accept me and place me in the villages of the righteous.” And so the young people, hand in hand, slowly walk away through the swamp, barely touching the ground.

The transition to the second picture is another - this time an orchestral-vocal one (here the voices of birds of paradise, Sirin and Alkonost are heard behind the stage) - a sound picture by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. It begins immediately after the end of the first picture (as if pouring out of it) and directly passes into the second picture. The composer's remark clarifies (this became the name of this intermission): “Walking into the invisible city.” Against the backdrop of a radiant, majestic procession and joyful chimes, the intricate singing of birds of paradise sounds.

Picture 2. The author’s remark characterizing the invisible hail is as follows: “The cloud is dissipating. The city of Kitezh has been wonderfully transformed. Near the western gate is the Assumption Cathedral and the prince's courtyard. High bell towers, fires on the walls, intricate towers and tumblers made of white stone and pine wood. The carving is decorated with pearls; painting in blue, ash and blue-scarlet colors, with all the transitions that occur on clouds. The light is bright, bluish-white and even on all sides, as if casting no shadow. To the left, opposite the gate, are the prince's mansions; The porch is guarded by a lion and a unicorn with silver fur. Sirin and Alkonost - birds of paradise with unfeminine faces - sing while sitting on the knitting needles. A crowd in white worldly robes with heavenly krins and lit candles in their hands; Among the crowd is Poyarok, the sighted one, and the Youth, who was his guide. This is where Fevronia ended up. The people greet her and the prince. Fevronia does not remember herself from amazement; she walks around the square, looking at everything, and claps her hands in delight. The people surround the prince and Fevronia and sing a wedding song to the sounds of the harp and paradise pipe, throwing flowers, roses and blue killer whales at their feet. Fevronia does not understand to whom the wedding song is being sung, whose wedding it is. Then the prince says to her: “It’s ours, my dear.”

Prince Yuri appears on the princely porch. Fevronia greets the prince as her father-in-law's daughter-in-law. A large ensemble sounds, in which all the main characters participate - Prince Yuri, Prince Vsevolod, Fevronia, the birds of paradise Sirin and Alkonost sing with them, Otrok and Poyarok join, and finally the whole choir (“Be with us here forever”). Prince Vsevolod invites Fevronia to church (“Oh, you, faithful bride, it’s time for us to go to the Church of God”). At this moment, Fevronia remembers Grishka: “Grishenka remained there in the forest.” Fevronia wants to send him a letter, “a small consolation for Grisha.” Poyarok is ready to write it. Fevronia dictates; she describes Kitezh, which did not fall, but disappeared, tells him that they did not die, but are alive, and they live in a wondrous city. “Who will enter this city?” - Fevronia asks Prince Yuri. “Anyone who does not have a split mind would prefer to live in the city,” Yuri replies. (The scene of Fevronia’s letter to Kuterma, according to the tradition of the first productions of the opera, is usually released. This goes against the categorical demand of the author, expressed by him regarding the production of the opera: “I cannot agree to omit the scene of the letter to Kuterma in the last film. There were conversations about this in St. Petersburg Fevronia’s letter is the culmination of her entire image. Having achieved bliss, Fevronia remembers and takes care of her own. fierce enemy and the destroyer of Great Kitezh. Let the listeners delve into this, and not treat the last scene of the opera as an apotheosis” (from a letter from Rimsky-Korsakov to the conductor of the first production of the opera in Moscow in 1908, V.I. Suk). Finally, the letter is written, and the young people, accompanied by solemn singing and ringing of bells, slowly and majestically march into the cathedral to the crown.

A. Maykapar

History of creation

As an operatic plot, the ancient Russian legend about the city of Kitezh attracted the attention of Rimsky-Korsakov in 1898. Then the idea arose to connect her with the image of Fevronia, the heroine of the popular Murom story about Peter and Fevronia. This image took a central place in the libretto of V.I. Belsky (1866-1946). The composer began composing music at the beginning of 1903. By the end of September of the following year, the score of the opera was completed. The first performance took place on February 7 (20), 1907 on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.

“The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia” is one of the most significant works of Russian opera classics. It is characterized by a combination of epic and lyric poetry, heroic and fantastic motifs of folk poetry. The plot is based on an ancient Russian legend of the 13th century, the era of Tatar-Mongol rule. Real historical events took on a fantastic coloring in it. According to legend, the city of Kitezh was saved from destruction by the Tatars by “God’s will”: it became invisible and became a place of ideal, according to popular understanding, earthly life.

In working on the libretto, Belsky and Rimsky-Korsakov widely used a variety of motifs from folk poetry. As a result, as the librettist rightly asserted, “in the entire work there is not a single detail that would not in one way or another be inspired by a feature of some legend, poem, plot or other fruit of Russian folk art.”

Before the viewer passes a gallery of bright national types, unprecedentedly new in opera stage. This is Fevronia - the ideal image of a Russian woman, faithful and loving, wise and benevolent, modest and selflessly devoted, ready for the feat of self-sacrifice. She is sharply contrasted with the image of Kuterma, stunning in its drama and life truth - a morally broken man, crushed by poverty. In its social and accusatory power, this image has no equal in world opera literature. The tragic fates of the main characters are shown in inseparable connection with the fate of the people experiencing the difficult times of the Tatar invasion, against the backdrop of pictures of Russian nature, folk life, and the patriotic struggle against a ruthless enemy. In accordance with the content of folk legends, along with the real ones, magical pictures of heavenly nature and the miraculously transformed city of Kitezh appear in the opera.

Music

“The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia” is an opera legend. The slow development of the action, the abundance of broad, expressive melodies of a song-Russian character give the opera an original national coloring, the flavor of distant hoary antiquity.

The orchestral introduction “In Praise of the Desert” paints a picture of a forest with the rustling of leaves and birdsong; Fevronia's melodies sound here.

The music of the first act is imbued with a bright lyrical mood. Fevronia’s song “Oh, you are the forest, my forest, the beautiful desert” is marked by spiritual purity and serene calm. The big scene of Fevronia with the prince is gradually filled with a jubilant, enthusiastic feeling. A love duet, warm and intimate, completes it. The duet is interrupted by the calling signals of hunting horns and the courageous song of the archers. The act ends with powerful, proud fanfares, symbolizing the image of Great Kitezh.

The second act is a monumental historical fresco, painted with a broad brush. Guslyar's mournful epic (a prophecy of a coming disaster) is designed in the style of an ancient epic tale. It is followed by a choir reminiscent of folk lamentations and laments. In a developed scene, a multifaceted characterization of Grishka Kuterma is given. The ringing of bells in the orchestra and joyful exclamations unite in a solemn choir welcoming Fevronia. In the scene of the meeting between Fevronia and Kuterma, her smooth, lyrical, melodious melodies are sharply contrasted with the angular, convulsive speech of the hawk moth. The Tatar invasion marks a sharp turn in the action; right up to the end of the act, the music is dominated by the elements of gloomy colors, threatening, harsh sounds that depict the Tatar invasion.

The third act consists of two scenes, which are connected by a symphonic intermission. The first picture is painted in dark, harsh colors, emphasizing the drama of the events taking place. Poyark’s gloomy, mournful story, interrupted by excited exclamations of the choir, forms a wide scene, saturated with great internal tension. Prince Yuri’s aria “Oh glory, vain wealth!” is permeated with a mood of heavy thought and deep sadness. The heroic song of the squad, which Vsevolod sings, is overshadowed by a premonition of doom. The final episode of the picture is full of mysteriously flickering sounds, the muffled hum of bells and magical numbness.

The symphonic intermission “The Battle of Kerzhenets” is an outstanding example of Russian program music. The battle between the Tatars and the Russians is depicted here with stunning realism and visual clarity. Having reached the limit of drama, the battle ends; only the echoes of the receding wild race are heard, which was opposed by the now broken beautiful melody of the song of the Kitezh squad. The Tatar choir “Not Hungry Crows” sounds tired and joyless at the beginning of the second picture. Fevronia's lamentations resemble a drawn-out folk song. Melancholy, feverish excitement, passionate prayer, grief, joy, horror - these nervously alternating states convey the terrible mental anguish of Kuterma. Confused choral phrases of the Tatars and a menacing alarm bell complete the third act.

The fourth act also consists of two scenes connected by a vocal-symphonic intermission. The first picture falls into two large sections. In the center of the first is Kuterma. Music with enormous tragic power conveys the acute mental discord of a man losing his mind, the wild visions of his hallucinating fantasy. The next section is devoted to showing the wonderful transformation of nature. The picture ends with a light lyrical duet.

The vocal-symphonic intermission “Walking into the Invisible City” follows without a break; Against the background of a radiant, majestic procession and joyful chimes, the intricate singing of birds of paradise sounds. The music of the second picture creates a motionless panorama of the wonderful city, as if frozen in a fairy-tale charm. The vocal phrases of the characters and the choral episodes follow each other smoothly and sedately; their major sound illuminates the music with a soft and even glow. Only the wedding song and the gloomy images that appear in the scene of Fevronia’s letter remind us of past terrible events. The opera ends with an enlightened, long-fading chord.

M. Druskin

All those who have written about Rimsky-Korsakov’s operas agree in recognizing the composer’s penultimate opera, “The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia,” as the pinnacle of his work; the synthetic nature of “Kitezh” is often spoken of, both from the point of view of the evolution of the work of Rimsky-Korsakov and the New Russian School of Music, and in the sense of the expression in this work of certain important features of the folk worldview. However, like “The Golden Cockerel”, “Kitezh”, despite its obvious perfection, with its impeccable classic appearance, remains a debatable work, stage-wise, so to speak, under-realized, non-repertoire and has not yet acquired the world-wide, universal significance that it has. certainly worthy.

Kitezh took an unusually long time to mature. The first mention of the plot of the opera dates back, as mentioned above, to 1892; in 1898, the idea was born of combining the ancient Russian legend about Batu’s invasion of the Volga region with the legend of Saint Fevronia of Murom, that is, the main character appears in the opera. Until 1903 - while working on “Saltan”, “Servilia”, “Kashchei”, “Pan Voivode” - there were joint discussions with V.I. Belsky about the concept and libretto. The actual work on Kitezh began in the spring of 1903 and was completely completed in January 1905. In the biography of Rimsky-Korsakov, there are cases of long germination of plots: for example, “The Tsar’s Bride” was written thirty years after the composer’s attention was first drawn to May’s drama; the plots of “Servilia” and “Saltan” waited in the wings for years. And yet, this was the first time that Rimsky-Korsakov had conducted such a thorough and lengthy work with a librettist.

This was, of course, due to the objective difficulties of the chosen plot and material: after all, ancient Russian legends provided only a meager outline of events and images, and everything else had to be found or composed. The method of working on the libretto of “Kitezh” was approximately the same as that of Mussorgsky in “Khovanshchina”: ancient legends were saturated with authentic materials from history and folk art, down to the smallest units - words, expressions inlaid into the text of the libretto, and in parallel, a dramatic concept of the opera was developed. But if Mussorgsky did everything himself, then Rimsky-Korsakov had in Belsky a remarkably educated and talented collaborator. Without exaggerating, one can call the libretto of Kitezh the best in Russian opera music. The list of his sources includes, along with the main ones (“The Kitezh Chronicler” in different editions, the story of Fevronia of Murom), also chronicles, stories about the Tatar invasion, “The Word” of Serapion Bishop of Vladimir, the story of Juliania Lazarevskaya, the story of Misfortune-Grief, historical songs , lyrical, ritual (wedding), epics, spiritual poems, etc. (For more information about the sources of the Kitezh libretto, see the corresponding chapter of the book by A. A. Gozenpud “N. A Rimsky-Korsakov. Themes and ideas of his operatic creativity.” It should also be emphasized that the Kitezh legend was first read by Rimsky-Korsakov and Belsky in the novel by P. I. Melnikov-Pechersky “In the Woods”, and for quite a long time the opera bore the subtitle “Trans-Volga legend” coming from the novel. Some features of the image of Fevronia are also connected with this work.)

Belsky rightfully asserted in his “Notes on the Text” that “perhaps in the entire work there is not a single little thing that would not in one way or another be inspired by a feature of some legend, poem, conspiracy or other fruit of the Russian folk creativity." With all that, the libretto of “Kitezh” is a compilation, and an independent work, and the main characters of “The Legend” - Fevronia and Grishka Kuterma, of course, could not be restored from ancient Russian sources. For the first time since The Snow Maiden, the composer received a text of such high artistic quality and, what is no less significant, a plot and text that so deeply corresponded not only to his immediate artistic intentions, but also to the basic principles of his personality. In “The Snow Maiden” it was a happy coincidence; “Kitezh” was immediately made “to the standards” of Rimsky-Korsakov.

Let us recall Rimsky-Korsakov’s thought about the differences between an objective artist and a subjective artist: the first, distinguished by his “great ability to expand his personality,” knows how to “understand and embody someone else’s soul, knows how to turn himself off from the depicted world and put the world, and not himself, at the center of the depicted "; the second “reveals his own spiritual nature in his writings.” We can say that in Kitezh, already at the level of concept and then libretto, there was a significant merging of these tasks.

The slow maturation of Kitezh was also associated with the importance that the composer and his entourage initially attached to the new opera. Rimsky-Korsakov wanted to write “Kitezh” especially carefully, slowly, “for himself.” The librettist and people close to the composer were aware of the work to a degree that apparently had not happened before, and were intensely awaiting the appearance of the opera. What was the meaning of these expectations, a letter from one of the “adepts” (I. I. Lapshin?), published in the book by A. N. Rimsky-Korsakov, gives an idea:

“There was always religious pathos in Rimsky-Korsakov’s work - in the form of an enthusiastic attitude towards the world as a whole, in the form of worship of the “eternally feminine” (Pannochka, Snegurochka, Volkhova, Swan, Marfa and especially Mlada), but he used Christian elements only accidentally. .. The ideas of self-sacrifice, compassion, shame, horror, reverence, and the mystery of death did not attract enough of his attention, and now I am following with the greatest interest the evolution of his personality.<...>In his work, symptoms of the last great period of all creativity begin to appear. The moment came for the author of “The Abduction from the Seraglio” when he began to write the Requiem; after the pastoral symphony came the Missa solemnis and the last quartets, Siegfried was replaced by Parsifal. Something similar, I think, is happening in the soul of our great artist, and I believe that nothing deathly, hypocritical, priestly, vile, synodal, lamp-shaped, Byzantine, or filthy will touch his pure soul. Religious creativity is fruitful when it stems from an individual, independent source... I hope that Rimsky-Korsakov’s religious music will be powerful, cheerful, and not repentant, oppressive - in a word, a la Vasnetsov, and not a la Nesterov.” (The contrast between “Vasnetsov and Nesterov” concerns not so much the painting of the two artists, but rather explains the idea of ​​the author of the letter about “religious realism”; in the libretto, and then in the music of “Kitezh”, listeners immediately caught Nesterov’s sentiments, with which the composer readily agreed. It should also put the word “Byzantine” in quotation marks; in this context it is identical to the concepts “synodal”, “official”.)

It can be argued that this expectation of a “miracle” was generously rewarded by Kitezh. And although the opinions of critics were not unequivocally panegyric, still no one doubted either the vital necessity of Rimsky-Korsakov’s new work, or that it was a work of enduring value. As Asafiev recalls, “they compared the impressions of Kitezh with the impressions of the publication of certain major phenomena of Russian literature, for example, the novels of Leo Tolstoy.” This alone can be considered an indicator of the new quality achieved by the composer: with all the successes of “Sadko”, “Saltan” or “The Tsar’s Bride”, comparisons with Tolstoy would hardly have been possible.

This new quality was naturally associated in the perception of listeners with the Christian aspects of the Kitezh legend embodied in music: after all, if paganism, glorified by Rimsky-Korsakov in his previous operas, remained in the past as an integral national worldview, then thousands continued to go to the “invisible city” on Lake Svetloyar pilgrims during the years when the opera was composed. The legend about the “city of the righteous” lived among the people and attracted the close attention of the intelligentsia. And naturally, the question of the concept of the opera, which captured, in the words of E. M. Petrovsky, images of “the great rise above the world - the core of the historical life of the people,” was inevitably intertwined with the question to what extent “Kitezh” is an expression of the artist’s personal worldview. Such a question can hardly be considered within the framework of this work. But it is worth noting that the entire, far from prosperous, life of Rimsky-Korsakov’s work was accompanied by controversy on this topic. In discussions of the Soviet period, the question came down to either the interpretation of “Kitezh” as an opera of “defense”, heroic and patriotic content (in this case, there was, in fact, nothing to discuss further), or to talk about some abstract “moral and philosophical concept of moral purity” "or about "affirmation of the ethical and aesthetic greatness of the people" (but such an idea is present in almost all other works of Rimsky-Korsakov), or to the understanding of "Kitezh" as a utopia reflecting the outdated, patriarchal ideals of the Russian peasantry - in this case Rimsky-Korsakov The only “excuse” was the high quality of the music.

Leaving aside these judgments (often, however, having a good goal - the rehabilitation of opera), it can be noted that otherwise the prevailing point of view was that Rimsky-Korsakov came to the concept of “Kitezh”, driven by his brilliant intuition regarding folk art, his love for it or, as Asafiev put it, “exclusively by the instinct of a great stylist, that is, a purely aesthetic approximation.” During the era of the creation of Kitezh, this aesthetic path evoked different assessments. The most sensitive critics resolutely rejected suspicions of Rimsky-Korsakov’s sympathy for “those tastes, curiosities and entertainments which, as usual, not without the influence of the West, are spreading in Russian society under the loud and bold, although not always true to the essence, name of ‘mystical movements’.” . But for those who recognized the concept of “Kitezh” as a whole “national property”, there still remained, at least in the subtext, some bewilderment. As the English researcher of Rimsky-Korsakov’s work, J. Abraham, wrote, “it is obvious that Kitezh cannot objectively be interpreted as just external characteristic a faith to which the artist was indifferent or to which he showed a purely aesthetic interest... “Kitezh” is such a clear “something else” that it is impossible not to reflect on its significance in the spiritual life of the composer. Was the idea of ​​Kitezh only a triumph of instinct over reason? Did Rimsky-Korsakov come to some kind of agreement with Orthodoxy in his later years? Or did he and Belsky think that they had found the essence of Christianity in the soul of nature? There are no answers to these questions." Even though the formulation is somewhat simplified, such questions are still natural.

Above we talked about the synthetic nature of “Kitezh”. It manifests itself at the level of genre and thematic theme of the opera. Thus, it has been noted that it combines the features of an epic-heroic opera (such as “A Life for the Tsar” or “Prince Igor”), historical musical drama (Mussorgsky’s opera and “The Woman of Pskov”; in relation to Rimsky-Korsakov’s first opera “Kitezh” with its epic-historical plot - a kind of genre reprise), models of folk scenes and nature paintings developed in “The Snow Maiden”, “Mlada”, “Sadko”, elements of lyrical drama developed by Rimsky-Korsakov in the operas of the second half of the 90s . The new quality of the dramaturgy of “Kitezh”, coming from the plot and sources - ancient Russian legends, is not so much the epic slowness of the action as a whole, the statuesque and oratorical nature of a number of scenes (although these signs of the epic genre also take place in “Kitezh”), but rather the contemplativeness of the dramaturgy, the transition “actions” into the forms of dialogue-interview favored by ancient Russian literature (both book and oral) (Fevronia’s conversation with Knyazhich, which occupies almost the entire first act; Fevronia’s dialogues with Kuterma in the third and the beginning of the fourth act; the question-and-answer structure of the finale, etc.) d.) or in forms of a ritual nature. As shown by researchers, the second act (before the scene of the Tatar invasion), having a rondal form typical of folk scenes in Rimsky-Korsakov’s operas (such as the “marketplace” in “Mlad” or “Sadko”), is internally organized by the dramaturgy of the wedding ceremony. B.V. Asafiev compared the dramaturgy of the first act with the evening drama, where the tribute to the Creator and the creation culminates in the “great doxology” of Fevronia, and the first scene of the third act, the scene in Bolshoi Kitezh, with the singing of the akathist. Indeed, almost this entire scene, which is the focus of the epic line of the opera, is based on ritual forms: first on folk-epic question-and-answer structures (Poyarok and the Kitezhans), then on the antiphons of the choir and soloist (three times performing the “znamenny” theme of prayer to the Heavenly Queen and answers expressed through the mouth of the Youth), then, after the departure of the squad, the continuation of antiphonal singing in the scene of the immersion of the hail.

At the level of form, the dramatic principle of Kitezh, which has many prerequisites in the previous work of Rimsky-Korsakov, but here acquires universal significance, is expressed in what Yu. D. Engel called the “autocracy of the musical concept” in relation to drama, and E. M. Petrovsky - “absolute songfulness”. We are talking about the dominance of song-strophic forms in opera, about their symmetry, repetition, etc. The originality of the use of these forms typical of Rimsky-Korsakov in Kitezh was noted by one of the first listeners: “The individual structures are not fused with each other... here there is no trace of obscuring the boundaries of the constructions. Here they are crowned with certain, clearly distinguishable cadences, just as the “amen” of the choir follows the exclamations of the priest.”

The constancy of the strophic principle is combined in Kitezh with the constancy of the melodic material. A.I. Kandinsky characterizes the musical development of the image of Fevronia as a variation on a constant theme, but the same can be said about all other images of the opera, including the key ones - the Great Kitezh, the “Mother Desert”, the Tatars, Grishka Kuterma. “In musical terms, the opera-tale appears as an opera-song, where the number principle is completely overcome, the contrasts between melodious and recitative moments are smoothed out, and traditional operatic ensemble forms are abolished.<...>The complex, multicolored melodic fabric of the opera is essentially monothematic, for it unfolds from a small number of generalized song phrases. There is not a single random chant in the entire opera.”

The first reviewers of Kitezh associated the novelty of the style and form of the opera with the phenomenon of the final “overcoming of Wagnerism.” “It turns out,” wrote Yu. D. Engel, “something completely special, undoubtedly arising from the general Wagnerian leitmotif principle and at the same time absolutely opposite to Wagner in style. The endless song of “Kitezh” flows in an even, measured wave, from beat to beat, from act to act. This wave carries on its ridge now one, now another face, now one, now another picture, but each of these faces is placed in one specific, basic musical perspective, each picture is epically sustained in one basic, long-lasting mood.”

“Wagner’s opera,” wrote E. M. Petrovsky, “is a drama that has become a song; Korsakov’s opera is a song that freely takes on the guise of a stage spectacle.”

Sending the score of “Kitezh” to Petrovsky in 1905, the composer provided the gift with an ironic inscription: “Trying or trying all my life to move past Wagner, and not from him, in my work, perhaps, I find myself deprived of forward movement and, like a chicken, I rush while sitting.” - this follows two epigraphs: the first is from Petrovsky: “If the forward movement of musical and stage art is possible beyond Wagner, then it will go from Wagner, and not past Wagner”; the second is from Kozma Prutkov: “Running, I move forward, and you rush while sitting.”

Nevertheless, Wagnerian comparisons and contrasts, of course, often arose in the process of working on the opera. So, before starting work, the composer told Yastrebtsev that “he wants to write this opera very much in Russian and, moreover, to instrument it as interestingly as possible, a la Tristan.” Comparisons with “Parsifal” appear strongly in all reviews of the premiere of “Kitezh” - including because, when creating the libretto, Belsky did not at all pass by Wagner’s last opera: Fevronia is, as the composer himself later said, “the Slavic Parsifal”; therefore, other parallels are included: Kuterma - Kundri (and maybe Amfortas), Prince Yuri - Gurnemanz, Great Kitezh - Monsalvat, etc. In the end, the plot of "Parsifal" is nothing more than the "finding hail", and the images of the transforming earth, the Easter mood of the finale are by no means alien to Wagner. At the musical level, there are also obvious similarities - in the “rustling of the forest”, in the bells of the invisible city. And of course, some important similarity between Parsifal and Kitezh lies in the bold departure of both artists from the framework of operatic performance.

As we know, Wagner gave his last opera the subtitle Biihnenweihfestspiel, which can be loosely translated as “stage mystery.” Rimsky-Korsakov defined “Kitezh” as a “legend”, he also liked the term “liturgical opera” proposed by Petrovsky, and he even thought of introducing it into the text of the author’s preface to the publication, but refrained (apparently for fear of “ beautiful words"). “Liturgical opera,” according to Petrovsky, is “an opera emancipated from the realistic requirements of the dramatic theater... an opera that dares to use beautiful conventions, to harmonious and orderly design (like the tragedy of the Greeks) of the events depicted in general, to symbolism that may be close to symbolism of church services, although applied to a different content" (Letter from E.M. Petrovsky to N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov dated April 20, 1904. It should be emphasized that this term arose in connection with “Sadko” and not with “Kitezh” and did not imply associations with Christian symbolism, not textual content, namely musical dramaturgy.). If we recall Rimsky-Korsakov’s reflections on “beauty” and “truth” (or “realism”) during the period of “The Tsar’s Bride” and “Saltan” (“ Truth always somehow rational”, “in opera, in my old age, I am more attracted singing, A Truth very little”, “music is essentially a lyrical art”, etc.), then we can conclude that “Kitezh” was the next - and very radical - step in this direction. However, Rimsky-Korsakov did not intend to write “mystery,” which is emphasized in his letter to Petrovsky: “... Deviations... towards the realistic, I believe, should always exist. They will give life and variety to the liturgical form, without which this form can easily fall into monotony and ossification of the church liturgy.”

The author's description of the work, given in a letter to F. Grus, suits Kitezh very well. Discussing the translation of the words “invisible city” proposed by Grus as “transformed city” (in German Weltverklarte Stadt instead of Unsichtbare Stadt; the second version remained in the publication) and agreeing with this change, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote: “The plot of my opera has precisely a spiritual connotation and borrowed from schismatic legends<... >The meaning of it [the German title] seemed to me even more suitable to the content of the opera than the Russian word invisible... it is especially pleasant to emphasize the spiritual connotation in the title, so that the meaning seems to be spiritual verse dramatized and adapted to the stage, despite some scenes of a secular nature" (Italics mine. - M.R.).

Of course, the definition of “Kitezh” as a dramatized spiritual verse should not be taken literally. And yet, the very mention of this genre contains an important indication of the style, form and even type of melodic material (just as, for example, the subtitle “true carol” in “The Night Before Christmas” is the key to understanding the concept of this opera). Russian spiritual verse is always apocryphal, that is, a free interpretation and development of canonical texts and symbols in the popular consciousness, and “schismatic” or “sectarian” (a word also used by Rimsky-Korsakov and his critics (Something specifically “sectarian” was heard, in particular, in the finale of the opera: P. Karasev imagined “echoes of zeal” in the enthusiastic “outbursts” of the choir; B.V. Asafiev also recalled “zeal” or “trochae of early Christianity.” In intonation in the context of “Kitezh”, a complex associative series is evoked by images of prophetic birds: although in the songs of Sirin and Alkonost one can hear the typical Rimsky-Korsakov techniques of musical fantasy (reduced and increased frets, chromatics, “artificial” intervalics), these images are no more fantastic than the Great himself Kitezh; they are its special, mysterious, and if not “sectarian”, then precisely apocryphal color.)) predetermines the special coloring of imagery. Within its limits, those motives of Fevronia that were often interpreted as “pantheistic” (worship of the Earth, appeal to God-Light, spiritualization of everything) are also quite appropriate visible world etc.); in the categories of folk spiritual verse, the philosophy of Grief-Misfortune can also be understood, professed by the “last drunkard” Grishka (who, with all the gravity of his deeds, is in the opera not only a fighter against God, but also a seer of God, although in contrast to the heavenly visions of Fevronia, Grishka’s visions apocalyptically scary). The reference to spiritual verse gives some explanation of the dramaturgy of repetition - at the level of form, since the verse is always strophic, and at the level of melody, since the chants of spiritual verses are usually short and have either a narrative or an insistently “incantatory” character. (In the second act of the opera there are several direct inclusions of verse, and in different forms: an epic verse about the vision of the Mother of God - it plays an important dramatic role, predicting a coming disaster, and correlates with the appeal of the Kitezh residents to the Heavenly Queen in the first scene of the third act; a verse by the poor brethren - Rimsky-Korsakov often heard such poems in childhood; there are direct textual associations with the spiritual verse in the first act (poems about the “beautiful desert”), in the finale (“The Pigeon Book”), etc. )

This special structure of melody was clearly felt by the first listeners of “Kitezh”. Petrovsky wrote about the “constancy of the melodic melody that hits the consciousness,” Yastrebtsev expressed the idea, with which Rimsky-Korsakov immediately agreed, that in Fevronia’s themes there is “some kind of isolation (almost stubborn persistence)” and this “is the best way to achieve the impression her idealistic fanaticism." Indeed, already the first and main motive of Fevronia clarifies the verse basis of the image: it not only has a laconic and completely closed form, but also contains a range of fifths and a descending cadence that are very characteristic of poetry.

Of course, the melodic sources of “Kitezh” are not at all limited to one genre - we are talking about mood And stock of spiritual verse as some kind of fundamental principle. Other sources include znamenny chant, epic and lyrical song, round dance and dance genres, laments, lullabies, buffoons, etc. In accordance with the plot, it is of particular importance Old Russian Znamenny intonation. It lives in the opera on two levels: as one of the constant components of its melodic language and as an independent figurative and melodic layer (in this capacity it comes to the fore in the scene of the immersion of hail and in the finale, as well as in the second scene of the fourth act, in “ antiphonal" stage of Fevronia and Knyazhich). In a special work on this topic, many examples are given of the almost word-for-word coincidence of individual cells of the opera’s thematics with the intonations and chants of Znamenny chant, including in themes of a purely lyrical nature. However, all this is not borrowing at all. The only quotation of this kind in “Kitezh” - the chant “Behold the Bridegroom is coming” in the scene of the appearance of the murdered Prince - refers not to the Znamenny chant, but to the Kiev (that is, later) chant and was taken by the composer as an easily recognizable motif for the listener, having a direct associative meaning: both in the time of Rimsky-Korsakov, and now this chant is heard in churches during Holy Week, before the Resurrection, and in the opera - before “Walking into the Invisible City”.

All melodic sources in “Kitezh” are not interpreted quotationally: they are transposed into the structure of the “legend” (including authentic melodies of songs about the Tatar full). Yu. D. Engel characterized such a transposition as bringing the thematic material of the opera “under a single denominator of song leitmotivism”, A. I. Kandinsky - as “recreating all-Russian stylistic typicality”. G. A. Orlov’s conclusion is much more harsh: “idealization, largely dogmatization of song stylistics”; “artificial, motionless perfection, detachment from both the primordial folk element and spontaneity, the individually unique musical self-manifestation of the composer’s personality.”

However, with a careful and unbiased look, “Kitezh” appears precisely as an individually unique self-manifestation of the composer’s personality, and a complete, final manifestation: after all, can’t all of Rimsky-Korsakov’s music be understood as “a single grandiose “praise to the desert,” a single bright akathist to God’s world and everything hedgehog in it,” and “the indescribable light of sound beauty,” which, in Engel’s beautiful expression, radiates from Rimsky-Korsakov’s score, isn’t this the ideal toward which the artist has been working his entire life? It is clear what is meant by the terms “all-Russian song stylistics” or “idealized song stylistics”, especially if we take into account the time of the appearance of “Kitezh” and compare its style with the style of the early “Russian” opuses of Stravinsky or Prokofiev. However, not every “ethnographism” conveys the “primordial element of folklore,” and the task of “Kitezh” was completely different than, for example, in Stravinsky’s “Le Noces”: to reproduce not folklore, not a ritual, but a folk ideal. Is it correct, recognizing, as G. A. Orlov does, the style of “Kitezh” as the final, exhaustive manifestation of the Kuchka idea of ​​the people, to see in this work a “dogmatization” of style?

For all its contemplation, the dramaturgy of Kitezh has a clearly expressed aspirational character - more than in any other opera by Rimsky-Korsakov. In addition to the sharp dramatic contrasts introduced by plot-driven scenes (Tatar invasion, battle, Grishka’s betrayal), the opera has a single intra-musical dramaturgy of “ascent to the city”.

“Out of two plot options: a) Kitezh is hidden under water, b) Kitezh remains on earth, but invisible to the “blind” - the composer chooses the second,” writes B.V. Asafiev. - This gives him the opportunity to develop the action as an ascent to the sight of Kitezh<...>. The desire to comprehend the light, spiritualization of consciousness, transformation and transformation - these are the actual volitional principles of the developing, growing up actions "Tales".<...>The technique of parallelism, constantly used by Rimsky-Korsakov in almost all of his operas... in this case is deepened, thanks to the unique concept of the plot, to a degree of extreme tension and significance: namely, to the point of bringing the visible divisibility of the world to internal unity.”

These words of B.V. Asafiev from “Symphonic Etudes” can be considered the most serious and profound ever said about “Kitezh”. Indeed, the parallelism in this opera does not lie in the sphere of contrast between the real and fantastic worlds; it is not expressed in the fatal clash of good and evil, as was the case in the operas of the 90s. The idea of ​​"Kitezh" is in the spiritual overcoming of evil - both "external" ("the evil of the Tatars" as God's punishment, an instrument for testing people and the city), and "internal" (Grishka's betrayal). The result of overcoming is the acquisition of hail. According to Asafiev, the opera contains, in addition to the main one, several “small acts”: lyrical - Fevronia and Knyazhich, dramatic - Fevronia and Grishka, epic - Maly Kitezh and the Tatars. Fevronia takes part in each of them, and in general her image is built as a kind of tripartite. “In the first act of a legend, like in a grain, everything is potentially contained further development actions.<...>In this regard, the central point of this act unfolds in the “great doxology” of Fevronia (“we have Sunday service day and night”). Through at the moment a deep and continuous thematic connection is outlined between this action and the process of “ascent to Kitezhgrad” and with staying in it, that is, with the fourth act.<...>. The dogma of joyful acceptance of the world is expounded by Fevronia in the beautiful lyrical arioso “Darling, how to live without joy.” Through this, a connection is outlined with Fevronia’s feat in relation to Grishka, who slandered her (third act, scene of Grishka’s release from his bonds). Arioso develops into a “prophetic vision”: “and the unprecedented will come true: everything will be adorned with beauty.” This music summarizes and thus, as it were, predicts the entire wonderful scene of the “transfiguration” of nature in the first half of the fourth act.<...>The result of it all: this is the appearance of the theme of the capital city of Kitezh after Poyarka’s explanation of who Fevronia met.<...>Now the fate of Fevronia is connected with the fate of Kitezh."

Thus, the last act of “Kitezh” is, as it were, a dynamic reprise of the first. In the middle of this tripartite there is the scene of the invasion and Fevronia’s prayer to save the city, as well as scenes of Fevronia and Grishka. This second most important individual image of the opera is also very dynamic. Grishka is just as relentlessly drawn to evil as Fevronia is to good, and throughout the opera he goes from “just drunkenness” to a terrible crime and a terrible retribution for it. “In Grishka’s musical characteristics one can distinguish... two main units of motives: impudently daring - defiant - and mournfully intense... From the last “series” of these motives are distinguished and received wide application and deep transformation are those that sound in the second act in Grishka’s phrases: “We won’t get used to grief...” and “grief is fiercely envious.”... As Grishka’s mind becomes cloudy, his themes become more and more distorted and an ugly print.<...>In place of bitter grief and irrepressible melancholy, He now appears - the demon-tempter. From pure diatonicism, Grishka’s thematics tend toward unstable chromaticism.”

The moment of rapprochement between the antagonistic images of Fevronia and Kuterma is their joint prayer to the Earth, but if in Fevronia’s mouth the prayer, built on Grishka’s intonations, turns into doxology, into a premonition of heaven, then in Grishka’s mouth it disintegrates, replaced by a mad dance. The development of his image ends here, but a short minor episode in the dazzlingly bright finale connects Grishka with the transformed city with a thin thread of hope. This episode-memory of Fevronia is built not on Grishka’s themes, but on the initial and end-to-end theme of the “Tale” - the theme of “ice”, here depicting the symbol of the earthly share.

“Spring” in F major, in which the Kitezh theme first appears at the very end of the first act, then acquires a special symbolic meaning. “The tendency of the action of the “Tale” to be a bright, festive stay in F major is emphasized several times, and the appearance of this key each time sounds like a symbol of hope and becomes more stable, more persistent... the closer the process is to its final completion.” In parallel with the rise of F major, the motifs of ringing also develop, which first appear in the first act (“crimson ringing” in Fevronia’s visions), then are recalled along with the theme of hail in Fevronia’s prayer for the salvation of Kitezh at the end of the second act, in the appearance of Kitezh to the Tatars at the bottom of the lake in the first scene of the third act and are heard in full force during the intermission between the two scenes of the fourth act - “Walking into the Invisible City” - and in the finale. Between these festive Kitezh ringings there are two more very significant transformations of the bells: in the first scene of the third act - first a mournful, and then a quiet, mysteriously joyful ringing (“the hum of bells”) in the scene of the transformation of the city and in the second scene of this action - “the damned ringing , frantic ringing” in Grishka’s visions.

The essay about “Kitezh” in Asafiev’s “Symphonic Etudes” ends with the words: “Apparently, with it [“Kitezh”] the era of national-epic operatic works ended. Such great achievements always serve as milestones: a synthesis of the past and a challenge to the future.<...>And we... are not even able to indicate the place and significance of this work in the future evolution of Russian culture.” Historical circumstances have developed in such a way that these words fully retain their meaning today.

M. Rakhmanova

This essay takes special place in the works of Rimsky-Korsakov. Its philosophical and ethical meaning was not immediately understood by contemporaries, accustomed to the traditional Christian-mystical interpretation of the legend. The composer was reproached for the abundance of everyday and crude details (especially in the scenes of the 2nd act).

The premiere of the opera at the Mariinsky Theater (1907), although it became an important milestone in the history of Russian opera, was not entirely successful for a number of reasons. This performance became Shkafer's directorial debut at the Mariinsky Theatre. He was unable to attract the artist M. Nesterov to the production, whose work (as the director believed) in the best possible way corresponded to the style of the opera.

The main roles at the premiere were performed by Kuznetsova, Ershov, Labinsky. Cherkasskaya later became one of the best performers of the title role.

The work contains many striking episodes: Fevronia’s arioso lament from act 3 “Oh, you, my dear groom”, the symphonic intermission “The Battle at Kerzhenets”, etc. Let us note the productions of 1983 at the Bolshoi Theater (director Svetlanov), 1994 at the Mariinsky Theater ( director Gergiev). Among the best foreign productions recent years performance 1995 at the opera festival in Bregenz (dir. Kupfer, director Fedoseev, soloists Prokina, Galuzin, etc.). In 1995 the opera was staged in Yekaterinburg.

Discography: CD - Le Chant du Monde. Dir. Svetlanov, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich (Vedernikov), Prince Vsevolod Yurievich (Raikov), Fevronia (Kalinina), Grishka Kuterma (Pyavko) - Arlecchino. Dir. Nebolsin, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich (I. Petrov), Prince Vsevolod Yurievich (Ivanovsky), Fevronia (Rozhdestvenskaya), Grishka Kuterma (D. Tarkhov).

Opera masterpieces

Legend
about the invisible city of Kitezh and the maiden Fevronia

“The peasant squad rose up at midnight...” The song of the warriors from Great Kitezh going to battle for their native land sounds courageous. This tune foreshadows the terrible music of a bloody battle. Behind the walls of the city its sounds fade away, far from the square, where the people are languishing in mortal melancholy, having prepared for an evil death, but were saved from it...

In the fourteenth, penultimate opera N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia" in accordance with the title, real events are intertwined with legendary and fantastic ones. The complex plot of the opera contains several dramatic lines, and the deeply lyrical tragedy of the love of its main characters is closely connected with the “trouble in Rus',” although it ends happily in a fabulous final apotheosis.

Main idea "Tales"- defense of the Russian land, dedication in resisting enemy invasion and a harsh sentence on betrayal. The opposition and struggle of two principles is what distinguishes "Legend" from "Pskovites" And "Sadko", opera Rimsky-Korsakov on the topic of either reliable or refracted historical events in the popular imagination. And from the composer’s other “fairytale” operas "Legend" distinguished by the legendary fantasy nature of its plot.

A. Chekhov

A mighty epic canvas embodied with great tragic force Rimsky-Korsakov resurrects one of the dark pages of the history of the Russian people. This is a story about his moral strength; about those who heroically fought with weapons in their hands, and about those who believed in the triumph of good over evil, in the power of mercy and conviction; about the meek one, joyfully accepting the world to the maiden Fevronia , about Prince Vsevolod Yurievich , about Fedor Poyarka , about the kitezh team . But to the brave prince and

pure forgiving Fevronia confronted by the brute force of enemies and the bitter image of the “last drunkard”, a weak-hearted traitor Grishki Kuterma ; although his betrayal was in vain, and he could not lead the Tatars to Great Kitezh , the conscience that had previously been dormant in him executed him with the torment of madness.

To the real Kitezh belong to the “beautiful forest desert” and vivid pictures of folk life in Small Kitezh , where on the street you can hear the buffoon's tunes (and the learned bear and goat dance to them), the epic tale of the guslar and the plaintive lamentation of women, the songs of tramps, the voices of the poor brethren, the jingling bells of the wedding train Fevronia and Vsevolod and a majestic choir; The Kerzhenets River also belongs to it, on whose banks the Russian army fearlessly fought with the Tatar hordes in a brutal battle to death.

But there is in "Tales" and another, legendary Great Kitezh , from hordes of Batu miraculously saved. A cloud cover fell over him and hid him from human eyes. But its walls are white, the domes are golden and the tower is decorated in clear waters of Svetloyar Lake they look the same. At dawn, a bell can be heard ringing from there. Not from the other world, but from the same earthly world, only special, invisible, joyful and prosperous. There is a path to that city, and along that path Youth will go letter from Fevronia to Grishka Kuterma that he disappeared in the dense forest, he will take it away.

Grishka Kuterma - I. V. Ershov

So the reality is "Tales" Rimsky-Korsakov merged with fabulousness, fanned by religious fiction, inseparable from historical era. Because with the image "The Great Kitezh of the Invisible" identified the eternal aspirations of the suffering people for a bright life “in a place hidden from the evils of the world.”

In majestic music "The City of Kitezh Transfigured" Rimsky-Korsakov used intonations close to Znamenny singing. However, as pointed out I. F. Stravinsky , according to the sober way of his thinking, the composer’s mind “was closed to any religious or metaphysical idea.” “My religious beliefs are rather conventional, however, as an artist I sincerely admire the entire ritual, so to speak, “pagan” side of religion” - remarked once Rimsky-Korsakov to his biographer V. V. Yastrebtsov . Therefore, the last scene of the opera sounds like a festive “action”, like a glorification of the ideal Life.

The beauty of Russian nature, the joy of communication and the merging of man with it "Legend". Everything happy and terrible happens in it among the endless Trans-Volga forests or in the radiant Kitezh, lost in their wilderness.

Fevronia - E.D. Kruglikova, Bolshoi Theater of the USSR

Accordingly, the music of the opera is woven from many diverse elements of ancient Russian folk songs, inspired and skillfully implemented by the composer. Its origins are in poetic everyday and ritual songs and tunes, epic melodies, lamentations, and spiritual poems. The melody of the folk song “About the Tatar is full” and its variants symbolize Tatar-Mongol invasion of Russian soil . In contrast to the characteristics of Russian people, which reflect their spiritual beauty, music depicting enemies conveys only their general ominous appearance. The melodies and chants are also contrasting, embodying the beautiful spiritual world of love for people and nature. Fevronia, and those that depict a remorseful hawkmoth and a traitor Grishka Kuterma.

A system of expressive leitmotifs Rimsky-Korsakov used in "Tales" very wide. Their interweaving, interaction, and development create a continuous flow of musical fabric that does not break up into separate numbers in the opera. On several occasions, the composer entrusted the orchestra with a symphonic narrative of what was happening in front of the audience or behind the stage. These are: "Praise of the Desert" - introduction to the first act, where the rustling of leaves and the voices of forest birds are heard; miraculous disappearance Great Kitezh at the end of the third act; "walking into the invisible city" Fevronia And Prince Vsevolod Yuryevich - transition to the second picture of the fourth. And above all "The Battle of Kerzhenets" - a symphonic intermission separating the two scenes of the third act; brilliant dramaturgical

The climax of the opera, after which the tension gradually weakens, finally dying in the static of the bell conclusion. Main idea "Tales"- courageous and steadfast defense of the homeland - received a vivid and historically accurate embodiment here. The song of the Kitezh people, sounding widely against the backdrop of a feverish horse race, is pressed, angrily advancing, by the sharply defined theme of the Tatars, gradually becoming more and more established towards the end of the play.

Fevronia - K. G. Derzhinskaya.Bolshoi Theater of the USSR

It should also be mentioned that in order to create greater authenticity of everyday color in the first half of the second act Rimsky-Korsakov originally introduced into the orchestra Russian folk instruments , balalaikas and domras, but soon abolished them, since they were not audible in the general sound.

Action "Tales" dates back to the middle of the 13th century, the era of the invasion of hordes into Rus' Khan Batu. The idea of ​​composing an opera based on this plot came to the composer back in the late 1890s. The desire for original Russian themes is reflected in the paintings V. M. Vasnetsova and M. V. Nesterova , heroic, magical or imbued with the hidden poetry of ancient legends, which are close and "Legend" Rimsky-Korsakov . This was pointed out to the composer and V. V. Yastrebtsov in a conversation about "Kitezh". In the coming years Rimsky-Korsakov thought about his plan, discussed the plan and its text with librettist V. I. Velsky , sketched out individual topics in a notebook. When everything was finally agreed upon, Velsky started writing libretto based on many historical and literary sources (chronicles, legends, spiritual poems,

Bedyay - L. A. Yaroshenko,Burunday - I. N. NavoloshnikovLeningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov

Fevronia - M. N. Kuznetsova-BenoisMariinsky Theater

schismatic legends, oral traditions, the novel “In the Woods” P. I. Melnikov-Pechersky etc.). In the spring of 1903, not yet having the full text of the libretto, Rimsky-Korsakov began to write the music for this opera, instrumenting it immediately as it was composed. He wanted to write this opera “for himself, without rushing.” The composer considered it a work that summed up the quest of the last decades of his composer's life. B. V. Asafiev recalled one of the conversations with Rimsky-Korsakov when he “it became clear that Nikolai Andreevich, deep down in his soul, was very worried about the fate of Kitezh: will they understand and how? - and that strong creative challenges are associated with this music dear to him” . Score "Tales" he graduated on September 27, 1904, and the alterations were completed the following year.

However, the composer had to wait more than two years for the production of “The Tale.” The revolutionary events of 1905, which captured the progressive-minded and courageous in action Rimsky-Korsakov , his sympathy for the student movement, which led to the dismissal of the composer from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, on for a long time made his name unreliable in the eyes of the ruling circles.

Rehearsals for the opera began at the Mariinsky Theater only at the end of 1906. St. Petersburg residents were looking forward to the production. S. S. Prokofiev later recalled how at the conservatory “they said that this opera was extremely interesting and that there were all sorts of new things in it.”

The first performance of “The Tale” took place on February 7, 1907. The high humanity, beauty of the music and plot of the opera made a deep impression on the audience, and it was received enthusiastically. “Kitezh immediately captivated me,” he wrote Prokofiev in "Autobiography". Under control F. M. Blumenfeld The best forces of the troupe sang in the performance - M. N. Kuznetsova-Benois (Fevronia), N. I. Zabela (Sirin), A. M. Labinsky (Knyazhich), V. I. Kastorsky (Guslyar) and others. But what attracted the main attention was I. V. Ershov, who created a tragic image with extraordinary brilliance and drama Grishki Kuterma .

The composer's fears were in vain: the opera was understood. “There was an external brilliant ovation, but it was felt that immediately, from the premiere, the music of the opera evoked with its wise humanity the deepest response in the inner, spiritual and emotional sphere of people, as happens with highly poetic phenomena in literature and art, with works of lasting value. We compared impressions from Kitezh with impressions from the publication of certain major phenomena of Russian literature,” wrote B. V. Asafiev .

Fevronia - M. B. CherkasskayaMariinsky Theater

To the Russian people, with whose joys and sorrows creativity is closely connected Rimsky-Korsakov , the composer musically retold one of his beautiful ancient legends. And the famous one was right music critic V. G. Karatygin , who indicated in a review of the premiere "Tales", What is this "a precious and original contribution to the treasury of Russian operatic literature."

About the opera "The Tale of the City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia" Act I
In the Trans-Volga forests, near Small Kitezh
Fevronia lives in the deep forest. Birds and animals flock to her voice. Suddenly a young man appears, lagging behind the group of hunters and lost in the forest. Seeing the girl surrounded by wild animals, he at first fears that he has met the forest spirit. Fevronia warmly greets the stranger, treats him with bread and honey, and all the young man’s doubts are dispelled. Admired by the beauty, purity and wisdom of Fevronia, he asks her to become his wife. Fevronia at first doubts, fearing that the princely hunter, for whom she mistakes the stranger, is not a match for her, but then she happily agrees. Hearing the sound of the horn, the young man says goodbye to the bride and leaves to answer this call. Archer hunters appear with Fyodor Poyark. From them, the amazed Fevronia learns that her fiancé is none other than Vsevolod Yuryevich, the son of the Prince of the Great Kitezh.

Act II
In Maly Kitezh on the banks of the Volga
The shopping area of ​​Maly Kitezh is crowded with people waiting for the wedding train heading to Great Kitezh. Little Bear plays the pipe and shows the learned bear. The guslar sings a song full of gloomy omens. Rich townspeople, dissatisfied with the choice of the prince, give money to the tramp Grishka Kuterma so that he gets drunk and meets the bride “with dignity.”
The wedding train is approaching. The people praise the future princess. Grishka Kuterma tries to get forward, but they don’t let him in. Fevronia notices this and asks to let Grishka through, despite Fyodor Poyarka’s attempts to dissuade her. The mess showers Fevronia with insults, but it is not anger, but pity and compassion that the drunkard evokes in her. The people drive Grishka out of the square and start a wedding song.
Suddenly a column of dust rises and a noise is heard. These are the Tatars approaching, among whom are Bedyai and Burundai. The people run away in horror and hide, the Tatars find the frightened residents and kill them. Fevronia is also grabbed, but Burundai, amazed by her beauty, decides to save her life. The Tatars are looking for a way to Great Kitezh, but no one, even under torture, agrees to take the enemies to the city, until Grishka Kuterma, frightened by torment, decides to betray. The triumphant Tatars are heading towards Kitezh. Fevronia prays to God to make the city invisible.

Act III
Scene 1
In Great Kitezh
The Tatars, having blinded Fyodor Poyark, sent him as a messenger to Great Kitezh. Fyodor tells the people gathered in the square about the sad fate of Little Kitezh and the impending arrival of the Tatars. According to rumors, Fevronia herself is leading enemies into the city. While the residents of Kitezh pray to heaven for protection, Prince Vsevolod and his retinue advance to meet the enemy. The bells of Kitezh begin to ring of their own accord, a golden fog descends from the heavens and envelops the city.

Act III
Scene 2
On the shore of Lake Svetloyar
Vsevolod's squad was defeated. The prince himself was killed in the battle of Kerzhenets. Grishka Kuterma leads the Tatars to the shore of Lake Svetloyar, but on the opposite shore, where Great Kitezh should rise, nothing is visible, everything is hidden by thick fog. The Tatars, fearing that Grishka has deceived them and led them into the thicket, tie him to a tree so that he does not run away until the morning, and they themselves begin to divide the spoils. A quarrel breaks out between Bedyai and Burundai over Fevronia. Burunday kills Poor. The Tatars fall asleep.
Fevronia mourns Prince Vsevolod. Kuterma begs the girl to free him, because she has no need to fear reprisals from the Tatars: after Grishka “ordered to say” that she betrayed Great Kitezh, anyone who meets her will kill her. The shocked Fevronia frees him. Turtle rushes to the lake and freezes when he sees that the shore is empty, but the reflection of the city is still visible in the water. Struck by the spectacle, he runs screaming into the forest, dragging Fevronia with him. The Tatars, awakened by his scream, see the reflection of an invisible hail in the lake and run away in horror.

Act IV
Scene 1
In the Kerzhen forests
Night. Fevronia and Grishka make their way through the forest thicket. The mess continues to mock the princess. She prays to God to have mercy on Grishka and send him at least one tear of compassion. Fevronia and Grishka pray together, but Kuterma, pursued by terrible visions, runs away.
Exhausted Fevronia lies down on the grass. Suddenly, thousands of candles are lit on the trees, and unprecedented flowers bloom around. The singing of the birds of paradise Alkonost and Sirin is heard, heralding death and eternal life. The ghost of Prince Vsevolod appears. The bride and groom head together into the invisible city.

Act IV
Scene 2
In the invisible city
The people praise the bride and groom by starting a wedding song, which was interrupted by the Tatar invasion. Prince Yuri blesses Fevronia, but the thought of Grishka, who has disappeared in the forest, does not leave her, and she dictates a letter to Kuterma to Fyodor Poyark, who has regained his sight. Finally, the bride and groom head to the cathedral.

88. THE TALE OF THE INVISIBLE CITY OF KITEZH

In the Trans-Volga forests there is a lake called Svetloyar.

The lake is small, but its depth is up to thirty meters, and the water level is always the same, whether in the summer or during the spring flood. In winter, special “lace” ice freezes on the lake. Svetloyarsk water is unusually clean, transparent and has healing properties. Local residents say: “Drink water directly from the lake - don’t be afraid, take it home - it will last for months without spoiling.”

MM. Prishvin, having visited Svetloyar, wrote in the essay “Bright Lake”: “... a calm, clear eye looked at me from the forest. The bright lake is a bowl of holy water in a green jagged frame.”

Here, on the shore of Lake Svetloyar, a legend arose about the invisible city of Kitezh.

The legend says that in ancient times, Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich built the city of Maly Kitezh or Gorodets on the banks of the Volga, and then, having crossed the rivers Uzola, Sanda and Kerzhenets, he came to the Lyudna River, originating from Lake Svetloyar.

The places there were beautiful, inhabited, and the prince, “at the request of the residents,” built the city of Kitezh the Great on the banks of Svetloyar, but he did not stay in it, but returned to Small Kitezh.

At this time, “like dark clouds in the sky,” hordes of Tatar-Mongols under the leadership of Batu Khan moved to Rus'. The enemies approached Maly Kitezh and took the city by storm, killing almost all of its defenders.

Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich with the remnants of the army managed to hide in the forests. He went along secret paths to Kitezh the Great to gather new forces there.

Batu could not find traces of the prince and began to “torment” the captive residents of Small Kitezh, wanting to find out the path along which the prince left. One of the prisoners “could not bear the torment” and led Batu through the forest to Great Kitezh.

The Tatars besieged the city, but suddenly, by God's permission, Kitezh became invisible.

Frightened by the miracle that had happened, the enemies fled.

People tell different stories about how exactly the Lord saved Kitezh from enemies.

Some say that the city still stands in its place, but no one sees it, others say that the city has disappeared under the high hills surrounding Svetloyar. Writer V.G. Korolenko, who visited Svetloyar in late XIX century, wrote down the following story from a local old fisherman: “(...) ours, brother, is not a simple place... No-no... Not simple... It seems to you: a lake, a swamp, mountains... But the creature here is completely different. On these mountains (he pointed to the hills), they say there will be churches. This is where the chapel - the cathedral of the Most Pure Savior stands. And nearby, on another hill, is the Annunciation. Here in the old days there was a birch tree, so it turns out, on the church dome.”

According to the third version, the city, together with its inhabitants, sank to the bottom of Lake Svetloyar. People still live in it, and sometimes the ringing of Kitezh bells can be heard from under the water.

The legend about the invisible city of Kitezh has existed for a long time in oral form, passed down from generation to generation.

In the 17th century, schismatic monasteries began to appear in the forests of the Trans-Volga region - secret settlements of adherents of “ old faith", not recognized official church. It was the schismatics in the 18th century who first recorded the legend of Kitezh in the work “The Book of the Chronicler.”

As presented by the schismatics, the legend acquired a pronounced religious character. In their minds, the underwater city is a monastery in which they live righteous elders, and only people who are true believers can see Kitezh and hear the bells of Kitezh.

Over time, Lake Svetloyar became a place of pilgrimage for believers. V.G. Korolenko said: “Crowds of people gather on the banks of Svetloyar, trying to shake off the deceptive vanity of bustle and look beyond the mysterious boundaries, at least for a short time. Here, in the shade of trees, in the open air, day and night you can hear singing, the sound of (...) chanting, and debates about the true faith raging. And at sunset and in the blue darkness of a summer evening, lights flicker between the trees, along the banks and on the water. Pious people crawl on their knees three times around the lake, then float the remains of candles onto the water on chips, and crouch to the ground and listen. Tired, between two worlds, with lights in the sky and on the water, they give themselves up to the lulling swaying of the shores and the indistinct distant ringing... And sometimes they freeze, no longer seeing or hearing anything from their surroundings. The eyes seem to have gone blind for our world, but they have received their sight for the otherworldly world. The face has cleared up, there is a “blessed” wandering smile on it and - tears... And those who strived, but were not rewarded due to lack of faith, stand around and look in surprise... And they shake their heads in fear. This means that it exists, this other world, invisible, but real. We didn’t see it ourselves, but we saw those who saw it..."

Belief in the real existence of the invisible city persisted in the vicinity of Svetloyar in later times. In 1982, folklorists recorded the story of a local resident: “People say that somewhere in the middle of the lake there is a hole - not very big - well, it looks like it will be the size of a ladle. It's just very difficult to find. In winter, the ice on Svetloyar is pure, pure. So you need to come, shovel the snow, and you can see what’s going on there at the bottom. And there, they say, there are all sorts of miracles: white stone houses stand, trees grow, bell towers, churches, chopped towers, living people walk... But not everyone will see it, not everyone will be able to find this hole.”

At the end of the 1930s, the following story was recorded from a certain old man Markelov. There lived in their village “a man who was so brave.” This brave man became interested in the hole he discovered under the roots of a fallen birch tree - and climbed into it. “He climbed and climbed, then he saw a bright place, and in that place the bright-faced elders were sitting and sorting out the affairs of the peasants. And he recognized his grandfather, and his grandfather threatened him with a stick and did not order him to climb any more.”

Another local resident in 1982 told from the words of his father how he “was in the city of Kitizh - they fed him there and gave him money.” The narrator’s father “went as a carriage driver,” and then one day he was contracted to carry sacks of grain with a convoy. “And the convoy set off. As soon as we reached the road, it got dark. I don’t know how many hours they drove and where they were going, they just saw a plank gate. Kind of like a monastery. They are moving in. It’s dark there, there are some houses standing there. While the convoy was being unloaded, everyone was taken into the house, fed, given money - and generously. And before dawn the gates were opened, and the convoy, already empty, drove back... Where were they at night? (...) While they were judging, they turned around and there were no gates.”

Stories about how Kitezh residents bought bread from peasants are taken for granted by local residents. One narrator clarifies: “The Kitezh elders bought bread from the Vyatka people.” Another cites the case of “one Vyatichi” who “brought rye from his Vyatka region to the market in the village of Voskresenskoye to sell. And so (...) a gray-haired old man came up to him, looked at the grain, tasted it and said: “I’ll buy the whole carload of rye from you (...). I just ask you, good man, to take the loaf of bread to us in Vladimirskoye. I’ll give you an extra fee for each bag for this.” Vyatich agreed. Near Vladimirskoye (the nearest village from Svetloyar) he saw a monastery. The monks met him and helped him pour the grain into the barn. Having received the payment, Vyatich went back. “I drove some distance from the lake, stopped and wanted to pray to the monastery for good luck with the sale. I looked back and the monastery was not there.” (Recorded in 1974.)

Local residents, according to them, know of cases when Kitezh residents helped people in the most ordinary matters. “I remember, when I was still a little boy, my grandmother told me that there was an old man who lived here in a village by the lake - in Vladimirskoye or Shadrin, or something. So, that old man once went into the forest to pick mushrooms. (...) I walked and walked, and all to no avail - not a single mushroom! The old man was exhausted and tired. And so he sat down on a tree stump; he wanted to rest. (...) It’s a shame for him that he went around a lot, but there was no collection. Then he thought something: “If only the old people of Kitezh would help.” Before he had time to think, he fell asleep. (...) After some time, the old man woke up, opened his eyes, looked into the basket - and couldn’t believe his eyes: it was filled to the brim with mushrooms. And what kind of ones - one to one, and all white! The legend of Kitezh is often compared to the legend of Atlantis. The historicity of the invisible city (as well as Atlantis) has been repeatedly tried to prove or disprove.

Since the middle of the 19th century, the legend of Kitezh has become the object of research. It aroused interest among a variety of specialists - folklorists, literary scholars, historians, archaeologists. Scientific expeditions have been sent to Svetloyar more than once. In the 50-70s of the 20th century, it was established that Lake Svetloyar was formed as a result of a “failure” - a sudden, strong shift of the soil, and this happened approximately at the time to which legend attributes the disappearance of Kitezh. At the bottom of the lake, a certain “anomaly” was discovered - a half-meter layer of semi-liquid rock, in which there were numerous fragments of wood. The examination showed that these fragments “have traces of cutting tools,” that is, they were processed by human hands.

The poetic image of the city of Kitezh inspired many poets, artists, and composers. Maximilian Voloshin, Nikolai Klyuev, Sergei Gorodetsky wrote about Kitezh. N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the famous opera “The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia”, N.K. Roerich created a picturesque panel curtain for this opera - “The Battle of Kerzhenets”.

The legend of the city of Kitezh - miraculously saved by God from destruction by enemies, sheltered and preserved until better times, when it will again appear to the world, preserving its ancient roots, ancient faith and truth - is one of the most cherished legends of the Russian people, who for centuries have been subjected to invasions by external enemies.

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