J believe the power of fate. Giuseppe Verdi the power of fate

Music by Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave based on the drama “Don Alvaro, or the Force of Destiny” by Angel Perez de Saavedra.

The Stars of the White Nights festival at the Mariinsky Theater continues with a parade of Verdi's masterpieces. Alexey Markov is working his ass off in this marathon, and so am I, since my schedule for attending performances is largely correlated with his performances. And today there was “The Power of Destiny,” which I didn’t get to see in the spring. And in the role of Leonora is the sweet-voiced siren Elena Stikhina. I realized this is fate. But you cannot resist fate, as Verdi and his comrades proved to us today for about 4 hours.

The Internet told me that the commissioner for the opera was the Russian Imperial Theater Directorate. “Force of Destiny” became the only opera by Verdi written specifically for the Russian theater. On the other hand, why not? After all, he wrote for the Paris Opera, and we also don’t slurp consommé. The premiere took place on November 10, 1862 at the Bolshoi Kamenny (Mariinsky) Theater.

For the modern production, sketches by the artist Andreas Roller for the premiere in 1862 were used, so that the audience also becomes familiar with the old school of design. I really liked the scenery - both those that were drawn and the designs. Everything is somehow sweet, real, atmospheric. The photographs on the website, by the way, do not convey this.

The action takes place in southern Spain and Italy in the 18th century. We saw a rich house with a balcony, a tavern, a monastery, a city square, mountains. Heartwarming! I experienced a severe attack of nostalgia: I remembered the Pedralbes monastery, located in Barcelona, ​​and the hot streets of Seville, the embankments of Cadiz and the white city in the mountains - Ronda... They cut to the quick! My soul at the same time wept and soared on the wings of vague dreams, which often squeeze my heart when I think of Spain.

Each nation has its own characteristics. Take the same Spaniards: these people came up with eating tartilla and gazpacho, drinking sangria, dancing Sevillana and buleria, gave birth to virtuoso guitarists and “cante jondo”, and they also came up with bullfighting and burning people at the stake on religious grounds, not a single war in Europe, it seems, could not have done without their participation; they sent conquistadors to conquer the vastness of the New World and significantly reduced the Inca population there, built the Escorial Castle, which became synonymous with gloomy court ceremony, and also became famous as arrogant, stubborn proud people. And all these contradictory national traits were very accurately embodied by the magnificent Verdi and Francesco Piave in “Force of Destiny”! There are also funny crowd scenes from the category of Tristan’s verses in the tavern and in the city square, as well as harsh and lyrically tragic arias of the main characters, and prayer chants. The opera stands apart from his other works, filled with tragedies and gloomy pathos (albeit against the backdrop of cheerful dance melodies), because in it the tragic inevitability of fate is intertwined with cheerful everyday scenes from the life of ordinary people, so the overall aftertaste from the performance is very cheerful. True, this was also facilitated by some features of the libretto, which sometimes made one wonder, and sometimes even giggle (from the series “Don Alvaro will live - that’s good, because I myself can kill him.”)

The opera tells us about the beautiful Donna Leonora di (de) Vargas, the daughter of a proud aristocrat, the Marquis de Calatrava, in love with a certain nameless Don Alvaro. In the process, it turns out that he is a descendant of the royal family of the Incas, however, for the Spanish grandee, both the king of the Incas and the leader of the Papuans are a suspicious person and certainly not a future son-in-law, so finding the hero-lover in his daughter’s room (the lovers were preparing to escape), dad strongly got angry, there was a quarrel, an accident, and we lost the marquis at the very beginning of the opera. The tragedy separates young people who continue to suffer alone. Don Alvaro, like any worthy husband, goes to the army to heal his spiritual wounds, because what else can console a real man than the opportunity to make a chop out of an enemy, or, to spite everyone, freeze his ears off and die the death of the brave? Donna Leonora lives as a hermit in some cave in order to cherish her misfortunes to the fullest, because if she returned home, then at some point, after drinking sangria, buying a new mantilla and a comb for her hair, one evening she might change her mind about suffering, and would have gotten married, because, as we know from another opera, “the heart of a beauty is prone to betrayal” and if there had been some Don Diego with dark eyes and a black mustache above his lip, singing under the window “The crown of creation, marvelous Diana, ugh, that is, Leonora,” then the girl’s heart could not resist. In general, the whole family is proud and, let’s call it, very consistent in implementing their plans. Donna Leonora's brother, Don Carlos, especially distinguished himself, who entered the business after the death of his father and, instead of increasing the wealth and glory of the family, as well as preoccupied with its continuation, he scoured Spain from Salamanca to Cadiz in search of his sister and “her lover” (as he thinks) with the aim of avenging the death of his father and the desecrated family honor. Ironically, he became friends with Don Alvaro under a different name, and after “a friend saved the life of a friend” and vice versa, the secret nevertheless becomes clear, the men sort things out twice (in the first duel, Don Alvaro struck with a saber (which for some reason called a sword), but instead of checking whether the enemy was dead or not, he drank wine from a jug and sang about how everything was lost), and what was the result? The arrogant Don Carlos, abundantly equipped with pride and family stubbornness, survived, spent several more years, but again got on the trail and that’s it - Memento mori, instantly at sea (C) and “And this abyss swallowed her up in one moment. In general, everyone died."

The central place in the opera is occupied by the idea of ​​God, to whom the protagonists of the story turn in search of consolation and peace of mind (in the final aria of the heroine, I heard very familiar notes of a prayer to the Virgin Mary), and the idea of ​​mercy and forgiveness, when the dying Leonora forgives her murderous brother, and Don Alvaro tries in every possible way to avoid conflict (it doesn’t work out very well, because if one man wants a fight, then there will be a fight). In the life of ordinary Spaniards, religion is also an important element: the monks not only provide shelter, but also read sermons in the square and feed the poor. The dying Don Carlos calls the priest, however, thoughts of confession flew out of his head at the sight of his sister and returned to the old rails, because the man said - the man did, apparently.

About today's performance. I walked purposefully toward Markov and Stikhina, because I couldn’t miss this opportunity to hear them together.

Elena Stikhina / Leonora - magical and amazing. A real diva. The feeling is that singing comes so easily to her that she can easily drown out an orchestra, especially one as friendly as Verdi’s (this is not Richard Strauss or Wagner). And at the same time, the timbre of the voice is very beautiful, especially on piano and on downward transitions. She is also sweet, impetuous, and radiant. Most of all I liked how her voice flowed over the choir in the tavern (as the composer bequeathed to us), and the final aria was performed simply brilliantly - tenderly, heartfelt, doomed. And in general, the image turned out to be very solid, it seems to me.

August Amonov / Don Alvaro’s voice is too dull for me (well, I’m a little hard of hearing), I always wanted to ask: “Uri, where is his button? - Which? - Volume."

I really liked Fra Melitone / Alexander Nikitin. An enviously unlucky character, by the will of the creators, introduced a comic element into the opera. And that's who had a blast! He even played well with his voice - when he first appeared, we first heard only his voice - thick and malicious.

Alexey Markov / Don Carlos was once again wonderful today - for me. And this is not to mention the fact that objectively he was the most handsome man on stage (over the knee boots, a frock coat and a black bow definitely suited him), as well as the purest, fullest vocals, shimmering from dark density into sparkling ringing tenderness with him, although there was the moment when it seemed that he was already tired of this festival, but there were still so many accomplishments ahead! From new impressions about him - for the first time I saw a lively, almost cheerful image, when in a tavern he portrayed a student and - oh gods! - almost flirted with an appetizing gypsy girl (it’s a pity that baritones rarely sing duets about mutual love, I would watch and, especially, listen to Alexey in this role). In general, he was somehow energetic and even a little reckless. His signature hand gestures, legs apart and head tilted back were very appropriate - a stubborn aristocrat in his own right, get it, sign it! In our gallery, each of his appearances was accompanied by lively whispering, while it seemed that the ladies themselves were not aware of what exactly was exciting them so much (Markov and the oddities of the libretto), but I wanted to click on their heads, because it was very difficult to listen. And I also saw a real fan of Alexei Markov (it turns out that I still have room to go in this direction).

About the gypsy Preziosilla / Natalia Evstafieva I will say that I liked the image. In the opera, she acts as the voice of fate, a conductor of truth and, concurrently, “freedom on the barricades,” since the finale of the second scene of the third act - the famous “Rataplan” with her call for everyone to join the army - reminded me of Delacroix’s painting.

The evening was a success.

PERFORMERS

Conductor - Mikhail Sinkevich

Donna Leonora - Elena Stikhina

Don Carlos - Alexey Markov

Don Alvaro - August Amonov

Preziosilla - Natalya Evstafieva

Padre Guardiano - Vladimir Felyauer

Fra Melitone - Alexander Nikitin

G. Verdi opera “Force of Destiny”

The opera “Force of Destiny” speaks to a person about what he should do. Fate itself leads the heroes, evading the final dotting of all the i's, to a tragic ending. Sentiment does not overcome the heroes' ideas about honor and fate. War, monastery walls, long distances and mountains - nothing can resist the fate of fate - the fate of the challenge thrown at the heroes in the first act of the opera. The power that permeates the performance is framed in a classic operatic performance, each scene of which sounds special - an alluring and frightening image of omnipotent rock, breaking everything in its path. The combination of classical forms of opera plot with the deepest semantic message expressed by great music - this is real opera, breaking through all barriers and reaching the ultimate questions.

Read a summary of Verdi's opera "" and many interesting facts about this work on our page.

Summary of “Forces of Destiny”

The story takes place around 1750 and takes place in Spain and Italy. The plot of the plot is the contradiction between the Marquis Calatrava’s father’s idea of ​​a proper groom for his beloved daughter and the love between the Marquis’s daughter Leonora and Don Alvaro, whose claims to Leonora’s hand are rejected by the head of the family. The tragic death of the Marquis Calatrava, for which there is literally no one to blame, ends with a terrible father's curse against his daughter.

The son of the Marquis, Carlos, vows to avenge his father by killing his sister Leonora and her lover Alvaro. At the same time, the lovers are sure of each other’s death and each goes their own way.

Leonora, having changed clothes, runs to the monastery, where, with the blessing of the abbot, she settles as a hermit. Alvaro finds himself part of the Spanish army fighting against the Germans in Italy, trying to escape his fate into war. But battles on the front line and military exploits do not protect Leonora’s lover. The war unfolds against the backdrop of revelry and passions in the camp of the Spanish army, in which the impulse for heroism is combined with a craving for base pleasures. During one of the battles, Alvaro saves Carlos' life and they swear eternal brotherhood. But when Carlos finds out that the soldier who saved him is the same Alvaro, a duel ensues between the heroes, after which the action eventually moves to the monastery... then the inexorable pace of fate begins.

Photo:

Interesting Facts

• The libretto of the opera “Force of Destiny” was written by Francesco Piave, with whom Verdi worked for many years. The plot is based on the work of the Spanish author Angel Saavedra “Don Alvaro, or the Force of Destiny.”
• The commissioner for the opera was the Russian Imperial Theater Directorate. “Force of Destiny” is the first and only opera by Verdi written specifically for the Russian theater.
• The premiere of "Force of Destiny" was delayed by one season due to the illness of the famous soprano Emma Lagroix, who was supposed to sing the role of Leonora. And eventually it took place on November 10, 1862 at the Bolshoi Kamenny Theater in the capital of the Russian Empire.

• After the premiere, Emperor Alexander II summoned Verdi to congratulate him on the success of the opera.
• Giuseppe Verdi, together with Antonio Ghislanzoni, made changes to the opera, including partly changing the ending. The premiere of the new, modified version, which later became the most widespread, took place on February 27, 1869 in Milan, at the La Scala theater.
• The Milanese version has a different plot from the original St. Petersburg one. The introduction was replaced by an overture, and in the third act the third and fourth scenes were swapped. The scene of the first duel between Carlos and Alvaro is interrupted by soldiers who are on alert. Finally, the ending was changed, in which Alvaro survives by heeding the admonitions of the abbot of the monastery Guardiano.
• The Mariinsky Theater retains in its repertoire the original, canonical production of Verdi’s opera “Force of Destiny”. The opera lasts four hours with two intermissions. At the same time, other theaters in Russia stage the Milanese version of the opera.
• Based on the opera, the Italian director made the film “Force of Destiny,” which premiered in 1950.
• The opera “Force of Destiny” formed the basis of the musical score of the films “Jean de Florette” (1986, France-Italy), “Manon from the Source” (1986, France-Italy-Switzerland) and “The Scarlet Letter” (2004, South Korea).
• "Force of Destiny" was the last collaboration between Verdi and Piave. In 1867, Piave suffered an apoplexy, after which he was paralyzed and unable to continue further work.

Popular arias and numbers from the opera “Force of Destiny”

Leonora's aria "Pace, pace, mio ​​Dio!" - listen

Don Alvaro's aria "La vita e inferno all'infelice" - listen

Don Carlos' aria "Urna fatale del mio destino" - listen

Overture - listen

History of creation

Initially, the opera was supposed to be based on the drama “Ruy Blas” by Victor Hugo, but subsequently the choice of the customer (the Directorate of Imperial Theaters of Russia) was settled on the drama “Don Alvaro, or the Force of Destiny” by Angel Saavedra. After the premiere of the play in St. Petersburg in 1962, Emperor Alexander II awarded Verdi the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislaus.

After St. Petersburg, the opera was staged in Rome and Madrid in 1863, in New York and Vienna in 1865, in Buenos Aires in 1866, in London in 1867 and in a new version in 1869 in Milan.

If in Romeo and Juliet love tramples death and becomes above it, then in Verdi the power of fate tramples everything, becoming above the created world. Neither tragic love, nor readiness to die, nor military brotherhood, nor family ties, nor religion - nothing can stop the destiny of fate. Such is the power of fate. The presence of two alternative endings to the opera especially emphasizes the fundamental foundations of " Forces of fate" In one of the endings, the power of fate destroys everything that resists it, and in the other, the life that bows to it is preserved.

Giuseppe Verdi "Force of Destiny"

Fate rules over people, and we are always powerless before it.

We just came from the Mariinsky Theater. My favorite music by Verdi was playing.

The power of destiny (Italian: La forza del destino) - an opera by Giuseppe Verdi with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave based on the drama “Don Alvaro, or the Force of Destiny” by Angel Saavedra. Written for the Bolshoi Kamenny Theater in St. Petersburg, where it was first staged on November 10, 1862. The only one of Verdi’s operas written specifically for the first production in this theater. Soon the opera was also staged in Rome, Madrid, New York, Vienna, Buenos Aires and London. After Verdi made some changes to the opera, the premiere of the new version used today took place on February 27, 1869 at La Scala in Milan.

We said that opera, as an art, was born in Italy back in the 16th century. But only in 1735, on the orders of Empress Anna Ioanovna, did the Italian drama, led by an entrepreneur and composer, arrive in St. Petersburg Francesco Araiyo. The Italian opera stayed in St. Petersburg for 3 years. Particular attention in the productions was paid to dance numbers. They were performed by graduates of the land gentry corps, which was created in 1731. Reporting on the successes of his students, in a letter to the Empress, Corps teacher Jean Baptiste Lande proposed the creation of a dance school in St. Petersburg. Lande's project was approved, and in 1737 it was created Academy of Russian Ballet, which now bears the name of A. Ya Vaganova.

In the 18th century, St. Petersburg became the center of European musical culture. During the reign of Catherine II, the era of great Italian composers began in St. Petersburg. Baltasaro Galuppi began to write music for Orthodox services. Tomaso Traetta significantly expanded the repertoire of the St. Petersburg Opera House. Giovanni Paisiello staged The Barber of Seville in 1782. Domenico Cimarose wrote 4 operas in St. Petersburg. Ends the era of Italian stars Giuseppe Sarti, who held the position of court bandmaster for 18 years. After the death of Catherine II, the Italian troupe ended its activities in St. Petersburg. Only in the second quarter of the 19th century did the Italian theater appear again in the Russian capital. In 1827 appeared on the St. Petersburg horizon Gioachino Rossini. He staged 12 of his operas here. But the opera was closed after 4 years due to financial problems and reopened only 20 years later. Worked in St. Petersburg Donizetti, Bellini. And then it came Verdi era. Great Italian singers such as Polina Viardot, Grisi, Tamburini, Rubini performed in Russia.

While productions of Italian operas in St. Petersburg and Moscow were furnished with extraordinary luxury, and Italian singers were paid fabulous fees for those times, Russian opera was barely making ends meet. On this occasion, P. I. Tchaikovsky wrote with bitterness in the newspaper “Modern Chronicle” dated November 15, 1871: “ I am ready to agree that it is indecent for a self-respecting capital to do without Italian opera. But, as a Russian musician, can I, listening to the trills of Mrs. Patti, forget even for one moment the humiliation in which our native art is placed in Moscow, which finds neither place nor time for shelter? Can I forget about the pitiful existence of our Russian opera at a time when we have in our repertoire several such operas that any other self-respecting capital would be proud of as a most precious treasure?. There were many protests to high-ranking officials organizing the fate of opera houses from representatives of Russian opera. Those who opposed “Italianism” (Odoevsky, Tchaikovsky, Stasov, Serov) took up arms mainly against the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, so popular not only in Russia, but throughout the world. They noted shortcomings in Italian opera itself that limited its realistic orientation: romantic exaggerations in the setting of action and in the depiction of dramatic situations, sometimes the formulaic nature of the vocal melody, in some moments only the accompanying role of the orchestra, etc. At the same time, it was argued that the realism of Russian classical operas was at a higher level compared to the realism of even such outstanding Verdi operas as “Rigoletto”, “Il Trovatore” and “La Traviata”. The fact is that in the 1860s, Russian opera began to play a very important role, a new period in its history began. “A number of major events are taking place in theatrical life: the opening of the Mariinsky Theater, intended for the Russian troupe, ... the enrichment of the repertoire of the Russian stage. By the 1870s it has become an equal and strong rival to the Italian one - both in repertoire and in the performing staff.” Therefore, the Russian public arose in the late 1870s. there was a noticeable cooling towards Italian opera, and the Italian theater even ceased to pay for itself. But, nevertheless, Italian opera, and namely the works of Verdi, played a leading role on the Russian stage at the turn of the century. Even during periods of stagnation, Verdi continued to dominate the repertoires of Russian opera houses. And this is no coincidence. Giuseppe Verdi is a very bright personality, who left a significant mark on art and culture not only in his homeland in Italy, but throughout the world. In Russia, Verdi's music has always been popular; there is not a single Russian opera house that does not stage operas by this greatest Italian composer. And now Verdi writes the opera “Force of Destiny” especially for the Russian theater. Verdi notes that the Russian public is purer and more naive than the European one.

The opera “Force of Destiny” occupies a special place both in the work of Verdi and in the history of Verdi’s operas on the Russian stage. The fact is that “Force of Destiny” was created by Verdi specifically for Russia. It acquired the name "Verdi's St. Petersburg Opera". By that time, the composer had already enjoyed worldwide fame, stood on the threshold of his 50th anniversary and had already written 21 operas. “Force of Destiny” is a late opera; after it, Verdi wrote four more - “Don Carlos”, “Aida”, “Othello” and “Falstaff”. The composer received the order for “The Force of Destiny” from the director of the imperial theaters A.I. Saburov through Enrico Tamberlik, a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater of St. Petersburg, who recruited artists abroad for the St. Petersburg Italian troupe. The opera was intended specifically for this Italian troupe, which constantly performed (since the 1843-44 season) on the stage of the capital's Bolshoi Theater. No expense was spared in staging this opera. New sets were created (the luxurious sets by Andreas Roller, now kept in the St. Petersburg Museum of Theater and Musical Art) (as opposed to the “prefabricated” sets from old performances of approximately the same theme). "Force of Destiny", like many of his operas, “they are distinguished by complexity... and with all that beauty, organic naturalness, full-blooded melodicism of solo parts”. So, A.N. Although Serov (one of the most passionate fighters against “Italianism”) expressed many reproaches against the prime minister, he still uttered the most insightful words: “We must understand that the enormous worldwide success of any author can never be without a significant reason, lying in the works of this author themselves, that it is impossible to capture the masses of all kinds of publics without deep inner dignity, without great talent. Like any powerful talent, Verdi reflects his nationality and his era. He is the flower of his soil. He is the voice of modern Italy... Italy awakened to consciousness, Italy agitated by political storms, Italy bold and ardent to the point of fury.”. Hippolyte Ten spoke of Verdi’s music in the following way: “ The intensity of Verdi’s music is the intensity of the atmosphere of struggle... this is a man in anger, who has been accumulating indignation for a long time and full of suffering and internal tension, suddenly discharges like a hurricane.”. This image could not be more appropriate for “The Force of Destiny,” where the dramatic tension of the music is extremely high. L. Kazarnovskaya (performer of the role of Leonora in the 1986 productions) called this intensity “a huge boiling point of the spirit,” and characterized the music of the opera itself as “generous in beautiful dramatic arias and sharp, nervous recitatives.”

Unlike Verdi’s other works, the opera “Force of Destiny” received a cold reception at its premiere in St. Petersburg. The generally accepted opinion is that “Force of Destiny” does not belong to the best works of Verdi, despite its vivid drama, the subtlety of psychological details and the melodic beauty of certain moments of the music. The failure of the opera is largely due to the extremely ridiculous libretto, borrowed from a Spanish romantic drama. On the evening of November 10, 1862, the premiere of “Forces of Destiny” took place at the Bolshoi Theater in St. Petersburg. The Bolshoi Theater was located on the site of the Opera Studio of the Leningrad Conservatory and was famous for its acoustics, in contrast to the Mariinsky Theater located opposite (built in 1860). Due to illness, Tsar Alexander II arrived only for the fourth performance. At the end of the performance, he calls the Maestro to personally congratulate him. A few days after such unofficial recognition, the tsar received official recognition: Verdi was awarded the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislav 2nd degree. Evidence of the reception given to “Force of Destiny” by the Russian public is very contradictory. There are even discrepancies as to who conducted the first three performances - Eduard Bavery (kapellmeister of Italian opera since 1847) or Maestro Verdi himself. Five days after the premiere, Verdi writes to the same L. Escudier: “three performances of “Force of Destiny” took place in a crowded theater and with excellent success.” According to researcher In. Popova, Verdi was never, even in his younger years, deluded by the amount of applause, so we can assume that Verdi himself was satisfied with the reception of his 22nd opera. Confirmation of this success can be the intention of the bandmaster of the Guards Corps, Derfeldt, to place plays from “The Force of Destiny” in the “Military Musical Album” he published for 1863. Thus, some excerpts from the opera gained popularity thanks to the arrangement of pieces from the opera for a brass band in the “Military Musical Album” for 1863. Everything, it would seem, testified to enormous success and foreshadowed a great repertoire destiny.

But the opposite happened: “Force of Destiny” did not remain in the repertoire. There are many explanations for this. So, let us present other, less flattering opinions regarding the reception of opera on the Russian stage. Many musicologists believe that, nevertheless, “Force of Destiny” does not belong to the best achievements of the composer, and the success was more likely the success of the name, rather than the opera.

After the revolution, the opera did not appear on stage for a long time: in 1934 there was a concert performance in the Great Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic and only on the 150th anniversary of Verdi's birth, in 1963 - the premiere in Russian at the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after Kirov.

Nevertheless, I really liked the opera. Especially the music. And the unflattering reviews are explained by the need to fight Italianism in young, democratic Russia.

Well, now we’ll start getting acquainted with the opera with Angel Saavedra, based on whose drama the opera’s libretto was written.

Angel Saavedra(Spanish) Angel de Saavedra y Ramírez de Baquedano, Duque de Rivas; — ) - Spanish writer and politician, Duke.

In his youth he was a staunch liberal and served in the Revolutionary War; was wounded eleven times. During the years of the revolution, he was elected to parliament and voted for the overthrow of the king. Sentenced to death for this, the poet fled to Gibraltar and lived in Malta, England and France. After the amnesty, he returned to his homeland in 1834 and later held high government positions.

A. de Saavedra began writing poetry at an early age under the influence of the patriotic tradition; His turn to romantic poetry occurred during the period of emigration.

It's time to talk about romanticism.

Romanticism (fr. romanticisme)- a phenomenon of European culture in the 18th-19th centuries, representing a reaction to the Enlightenment and the scientific and technological progress stimulated by it. Romanticism replaces the Age of Enlightenment and coincides with the industrial revolution, marked by the appearance of the steam engine, steam locomotive, steamship, photography, telegraph and factory outskirts. If the Enlightenment is characterized by the cult of reason and civilization based on its principles, then romanticism affirms the cult of nature, feelings and the natural in man.

Romanticism cannot be called a “school” or a “system of views,” both because of its inconsistency and because it was based on a fundamentally new human perception of the world, alien to the previous passion for system-building as a kind of universal mediation of the connection between the Self and the world. "Better superstition than systemic belief"(Wackenroder) is one of the mottos of romanticism. Romanticism is more of a "new way of experiencing life"(A. Blok) or an attempt to find and give an adequate understanding of the new nature of the relationship between man and the world.

It was in the era of romanticism that the phenomena of tourism, mountaineering and picnics took shape, designed to restore the unity of man and nature. The image of a “noble savage”, armed with “folk wisdom” and not spoiled by civilization, is in demand. Interest in folklore, history and ethnography is awakening, which is politically projected in nationalism.Romanticism is an aesthetic revolution that replaces science and reason with the artistic creativity of the individual, which becomes a model for all types of cultural activity.

The main feature of romanticism as a movement is the desire to oppose the world of reason, law, individualism, utilitarianism, atomization of society, naive faith in linear progress - a new system of values: the cult of creativity, the primacy of imagination over reason, criticism of logical, aesthetic and moral abstractions, a call for the emancipation of human personal powers, adherence to nature , myth, symbol, the desire to synthesize and discover the relationship of everything with everything.

Romanticism is characterized by a desire for boundless freedom and the “infinite,” a thirst for perfection and renewal, and the pathos of personal and civil independence. The painful discord between the ideal and social reality is the basis of the romantic worldview and art. Romantics are characterized by the affirmation of a self-valued spiritual and creative personality, the depiction of strong passions, spirituality and the healing power of nature.

New criteria in art were freedom of expression, increased attention to the individual, unique features of a person, naturalness, sincerity and relaxedness, which replaced the imitation of classical models of the 18th century. The Romantics rejected the rationalism and practicalism of the Enlightenment as mechanistic, impersonal and artificial. Instead, they prioritized emotional expression and inspiration. Feeling free from the decaying system of aristocratic rule, they sought to express their new views and the truth they had discovered. Their place in society has changed. They found their readership among the growing middle class, ready to emotionally support and even worship the artist - a genius and prophet. Restraint and humility were rejected. They were replaced by strong emotions, often reaching extremes. Romanticism was partly associated with democratic, national and revolutionary movements. At this time, several literary movements emerged, the most important of which were Sturm und Drang in Germany, primitivism in France, led by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the Gothic novel, and interest in the sublime, ballads and old romances increased. Representatives of romanticism were characterized by disappointment in the teachings of the 18th century enlighteners. Romanticism contrasted utilitarianism and the leveling of the individual with aspirations for boundless freedom, a thirst for perfection and renewal, and the pathos of personal and civil independence. Representatives of the romantic movement showed significant interest in the national past (often idealized it), the traditions of folklore and culture of their own and other peoples, and sought to create a universal picture of the world (primarily in the field of history and literature). Romanticism reached its heyday in the 20s and 30s of the 19th century.

“Romanticism everywhere has a national coloring, there is no romanticism in general, but there is German, French, English romanticism - different everywhere”

In the first half of the 19th century. created Heinrich Heine(1797--1856), great poet of Germany.

In England, the impact of lyrical romanticism was enormous George Noel Gordon Byron (1788 -- 1824). Also among English writers, the writer stands out for his wealth of artistic forms of romantic prose and poetry Walter Scott.

The head of the French romantics is the writer and poet Victor Hugo. The main character of his novel “Notre Dame Cathedral” is the people, their fate, their role in history. The work of V. Hugo had a great influence on world artistic culture.

The romantic direction in music turned out to be extremely rich and had outstanding talents.The artistic embodiment of the advanced ideas of the time sounds in the work of the great German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. We hear the music of the revolution in his symphonies. The third "Heroic" symphony contains the theme of a hero giving his life in the struggle for the freedom of the people. The movement of the masses, the call for the unity of millions is heard in his “Ninth Symphony”. Passion, the power of the spirit of the lyrical hero, his ability to selflessly love is the main theme of such works of Beethoven as “Moonlight Sonata” and “Appassionata”. The desire for happiness, light, a desperate struggle against all the forces of evil and oppression, faith in the capabilities of Man are the main ideas of the composer’s work. The romanticism of Beethoven's works is especially strongly felt because the basis for the construction of his musical works is antithesis (opposition).

The ideas of romanticism in music can be traced in the romantic work of the Austrian composer Franz Peter Schubert, creator of romantic songs, ballads, vocal cycles, piano miniatures, symphonies, which are distinguished by the depth of embodiment of feelings. “Schubert’s songs are lyrics of simple, natural thoughts and deep humanity” (B. Asafiev). Melodic richness, vivid imagery, and visibility of musical images are inherent in the composer’s music. His legacy is distinguished by a variety of musical forms. Schubert's songs are true masterpieces of musical miniature ("Ave Maria", "Serenade", "King of the Forest"). He created about 600 songs based on poems by I.V. Goethe, F. Schiller, G. Heine, which are distinguished by their subtle transmission of the elusive change of feelings of a lonely suffering person.

Works of the Polish romantic composer Frederic Chopin connected with the tradition of the Polish people. The image of the Motherland dominates in the composer’s works, which is clearly felt in his mazurkas and polonaises. The composer uses the rhythm and movement patterns of folk dances to convey complex feelings and create various musical images. Chopin - “poet of the piano” (F. Liszt). He created new genres of piano music: nocturnes, preludes, fantasies, impromptu, romantic musical miniatures. They feel the subtlety and depth of feelings, melodic beauty, vivid imagery of the music, virtuosity and soulfulness of Chopin's performing skills.

The romantic element is clearly expressed in creativity Robert Schumann. This is the German composer, music critic, exponent of the aesthetics of romanticism Robert Schumann (1810-- 1856). He is the creator of program piano cycles ("Butterflies", "Carnival", "Fantastic Pieces", "Kreisleriana"), lyrical-dramatic vocal cycles, the opera "Genovena", the oratorio "Paradise and Peri" and many other works. A cycle based on Heine's poems "A Poet's Love" - ​​a fusion of music and poetry, a deep and accurate reflection in music of the poetic images of the great poet, Schumann's romantic irony

The representative of romanticism was a French composer and conductor Hector Berlioz(1803--1869). He owns the “Fantastic Symphony”, “Mourning and Triumphal Symphony”, the opera-dulogy “The Trojans”, Requiem. The romantic direction is also represented in the works of the German composer, conductor, music writer, reformer of the art of opera Richard Wagner (1813-1883). His operas are famous and widely known: “Rienzi”, “The Flying Dutchman”, “Tannhäuser”, “Lohengrin”, “Tristan and Isolde” and many other musical works.

The ideas of romanticism were also reflected in the work of the Hungarian composer, pianist, and conductor Franz Liszt(1811 --1886). He created the oratorio "Faust Symphony", 13 program symphonic poems, 19 rhapsodies, etudes, waltzes and about 70 other musical works.

A representative of the romantic movement was the Polish composer and pianist Fryderyk Chopin(1810--1849). He wrote 2 concertos, 3 sonatas, 4 ballads, scherzos, a number of impromptu works, nocturnes, etudes and songs.

These composers are the pride of not only European but also world culture

There is no doubt that it was the romantic spirit of seeing a mystery in everything and not so much solving it as building all sorts of concepts about it that created an intellectual atmosphere beneficial for the latest philosophical and anthropological developments: voluntarism (philosophy of life), Marxism, psychoanalysis, existentialism, positivism, structuralism etc.

Where they judge fairly, think sensibly,
Where the law is made for good,
Where reason is respected and law is valued,
There my spirit is inspired with happiness.

But the kingdom of pure faith is perishing,
The splendor has fallen to dust,
The age is merciless, evil has no measure,
And Beauty left in tears.

The naivety of pious souls,
Bride of God, where is she?
The shamelessness of zealous clever men,
Struck by a criminal joke.

Where is the house in which, to everyone’s surprise,
The whole world of miracles is open to the soul,
And Labor is honest, Love is beautiful
And the celebration of life has not disappeared?

These poems were written by A. Saavedra. He penetrated deeply into the depths of romanticism. He lived in a century when romantic ideas became mainstream.

In 1833 he wrote drama "Don Alvaro, or the Force of Destiny." It conveys the idea that impulses of passions are beautiful to the point of majesty, but are disastrous, and only reason saves a person.

Don Alvaro's main conflict is a clash with society. Class prejudices, laws of honor that demand vengeance, and the ardor of the hero himself, who cannot bear threats and insults, drag him from disaster to disaster. The revelation of the secret of Alvaro's birth - he is the son of the Viceroy of Peru and an Inca princess - is prepared by the motif of the sun, which often sounds in the hero's monologues. Seemingly a familiar metaphor, this image unexpectedly reveals a hidden meaning: after all, the Incas worshiped the sun and considered their king the son of the sun. Taking advantage of the War of the Spanish Succession (the drama takes place in the mid-18th century), Father Alvaro “fled to the mountains to the wild Indians and blasphemously raised the banner of betrayal and rebellion.” The drama was written less than ten years after the end of the Revolutionary War in Spain's American colonies. The hero of the drama, born “under the banner of rebellion,” embodied the real element of the struggle for freedom.The Indian blood of the Incas dooms Alvaro to eternal renegade. Alvaro suffers a crushing defeat from Spanish society, which fanatically guards the privileges of blood, sweeping away both compassion and the arguments of reason when centuries-old foundations waver. As in other romantic works, church vows made in moments of weakness and despair turn out to be intolerable bonds for the heroes. Both Alvaro and his beloved Leonor are ready to break them - the restrictions on freedom are unbearable for their passionate natures. “This whole world is such a cramped prison!” - Don Alvaro exclaims, referring not only to the social, but also to the metaphysical lack of freedom of man. “Let the sky fall! May the human race perish! Destruction, destruction..." - these are the last words of the desperate Alvaro.

Each act of the drama is divided into two parts. In one there is a multifaceted folk choir, in the other there are central characters leading the intrigue. The crowd: traders, gypsies, soldiers, beggars - comments on the events, its support is always on Alvaro's side. The hero is, as it were, surrounded by a folk choir, raised to the forefront by them. And if all the characters associated with the church (the canon, brother Meliton and father Guardian) are on the side of the “foundations” and the originality of Alvaro’s personality scares them, then the water seller Paco asserts a humanistic slogan: “Everyone is the son of his own deeds” .

There was an excellent talk about this opera on Radio Orpheus on October 29, 2015. I recommend taking the time to listen to this program). Have fun. Well, then listen to the entire opera performed by soloists of the Mariinsky Theater. Conductor V. Gergiev

Opera by G. Verdi POWER OF DESTINY

Don Carlos de Vargas, his son is a baritone.

Don Alvaro, Leonora's admirer - tenor.

Curra, Leonora's maid - mezzo-soprano.

Preciosilla, a young gypsy - mezzo-soprano.

Mayor- bass

Maestro Trabuco, mule driver, peddler, gossip - tenor.

Padre Guardiano, Franciscan - bass.

Fra Melitone, Franciscan - baritone.

Doctor- bass

Peasants, servants, pilgrims, soldiers, monks- chorus

Act I

House of the Marquis Calatrava. In the evening, the Marquis and his daughter Leonora are sitting in the living room, the Marquis tells his daughter about his love and care, mentioning that he managed to ward off the unworthy applicant for her hand, Alvaro, from the house. Meanwhile, that night Leonora and Alvaro prepare to escape. After her father leaves, Leonora has only a few minutes left to say goodbye mentally to the house (“ Me pellegrina ed orfana» - « Homeless orphan"). An enthusiastic Alvaro appears, ready to take Leonora away (“ Ah, per sempre, o mio bell'angiol"), but Leonora begs him to postpone his flight for at least one day in order to say goodbye to his father. Alvaro reproaches Leonora for neglecting his love, because he is just a half-breed Indian. Struck by the reproach, Leonora is ready to flee (“ Son tua, son tua col core e colla vita! - “yours, yours with all your heart and life”), but then the Marquis Calatrava bursts into the room with armed servants. Alvaro tells the Marquis that Leonora is innocent and throws the pistol on the floor, not wanting to raise his hand against his beloved’s father. The pistol fires spontaneously, and the marquis, struck to death, dies, cursing his daughter. In the confusion, Alvaro manages to escape.

Act II

First scene (tavern)

The tavern is filled with muleteers. Among them is Trabucco, who is accompanied by Leonora, dressed in a man's dress, who immediately goes upstairs. Her brother Carlos also comes here in search of Leonora, vowing to kill his sister and her seducer. In vain, Carlos tries to find out the identity of Trabucco's companion - the latter laughs it off and then snaps. The sutler Preziosilla enters the tavern, surrounded by admirers, calling on everyone present to go to war with the Germans in Italy (“ Al suon del tamburo» - « Drum beat"). The stormy fun is interrupted by pilgrims going on pilgrimage; everyone present joins in prayer (“ »).

Carlos's questions raise a counter question about who he is. Carlos tells the story of the murder of his father, while, however, calling himself Pereda, a friend of Carlos, and the unsuccessful search for his adulterous sister and her seducer (“ Son Pereda son ricco d'onore"). Leonora hears this story and understands that there is no mercy to be expected from her brother.

Second picture (monastery courtyard)

Dressed in a man's dress, Leonora arrives at the monastery at night (“Sono giunta! Grazie, o Dio!”). She is in confusion, only in the monastery, in strict solitude, does she hope to escape from her brother’s revenge and beg God’s forgiveness for her involuntary participation in her father’s death. She is sure of Alvaro's death. Melitone responds to the knock on the door, not wanting to let the stranger in. Then Abbot Guardiano comes out and agrees to talk with Leonora alone (“Or siam soli” - “We are alone”). Leonora tells Guardiano her story (“Infelice, delusa, rejetta” - “Unhappy, deceived, abandoned”) and begs for shelter in a secluded cave. Guardiano instructs Melitone to gather the brethren in the church to participate in the tonsure of the new brother.

Third picture (monastery)

« Il santo nome di Dio Signore» - « Holy name of the Lord“Guardiano informs the brethren that a hermit will live in a secluded cave. No one except Guardiano is allowed to approach the cave (“ Maledizione» - « A curse"). In case of danger, Leonora will notify the monks by ringing the bell.

Act III

First scene (forest near Velletri)

Contrary to Leonora's opinion, Alvaro is alive and under a false name (Don Federico Herreros) serves in the Spanish army in Italy. Moving away from the card-playing soldiers (“ Attenti al gioco, attenti, attenti al gioco, attenti"), Alvaro yearns for broken love (" » - « Life is hell for the unfortunate"), wishes to die and be reunited with Leonora, long dead, in his opinion (" Leonora mia, soccorrimi, pietà» - « Leonora, have mercy"). Suddenly, a fight breaks out in the camp, Alvaro intervenes in it and saves the life of Don Felice Bornos's adjutant, under which name Carlos is hiding. Alvaro and Carlos, under assumed names, vow eternal friendship (" Amici in vita e in morte» - « Friends in life and death»).

Second picture

In the battle, Alvaro is seriously wounded; he may die if he cannot withstand the operation. Alvaro gives Carlos a box with personal documents (“ Solenne in quest'ora"), Carlos, at Alvaro's request, vows to destroy these documents without reading them. Left alone, Carlos gives vent to his suspicions - something tells him that his new friend is his father’s killer. Doubts can be easily resolved by reading the documents, but the oath is sacred (“ Urna fatale del mio destino» - « The fatal box of my destiny"). Having opened the box, Carlos discovers not only prohibited documents, but also a medallion. The oath does not apply to the contents of the medallion; Carlos opens it and discovers a portrait of Leonora there. Everything is clear to him, and all that remains is to pray to God that Alvaro survives the operation in order to be able to kill the enemy with his own hands. The surgeon enters and reports that Alvaro has been saved. Carlos rejoices - he will be able to take revenge on his father’s killer (“ È salvo!» - « Saved!»).

Third scene (camp in Velletri)

A crowd scene representing the morals of a Spanish army camp. Preciosilla predicts the fate of soldiers ( Venite all'indovina), Trabucco is trying to sell his goods (" A buon mercato"), beggars beg for alms (" Pane, pan per carità"), sutlers led by Preziosilla seduce young soldiers (" Che vergogna! Su, coraggio!”), Melitone reproaches the soldiers for debauchery. In the final scene, everyone present, led by Preziosilla, glorifies the war to the beat of drums (“ Rataplan, rataplan, della gloria»)

Fourth picture (Alvaro's tent)

Alvaro has recovered from his wound, and Carlos comes to challenge his friend to a duel. Alvaro, having learned who is really in front of him, begs Carlos to forget the insults and become brothers. But Carlos is inexorable: he wants to first kill Alvaro, and then find and kill Leonora (unlike Alvaro, Carlos realizes that his sister is alive). During the duel, Alvaro's sword pierces Carlos, and he falls dead. Realizing that he already has the blood of the second Vargas on him, Alvaro rushes into battle, wanting to find death there.

Act IV

First picture (monastery)

In the courtyard of the monastery, numerous beggars ask for bread (“ Fate, la carita"). On behalf of the brethren, Melitone distributes alms, but the beggars are dissatisfied with his arrogance and callousness - they gratefully remember Father Raphael, truly kind and merciful (“ Il padre Raffaele! Era un angelo! Un santo!"). After the expulsion of the beggars, Melitone, in a conversation with the abbot, Guardiano claims that Raffaele is a strange man and, perhaps, obsessed. Guardiano urges Melitone to be merciful and imitate Rafaela.

An unknown caballero arrives at the monastery, demanding that Melitone, who met him, take him to Raphael. Rafaele comes out to meet him, and the enemies recognize each other - over the past years, Alvaro has become a monk, and Carlos did not die during the duel and still seeks revenge. Carlos insists on a duel, Alvaro calls to forget and forgive the insults (“ Fratello! Riconoscimi...") Carlos manages to inflict an indelible insult on Alvaro - the enemies leave the monastery to fight in a mortal duel far from people.

Second scene (Leonora's Cave)

Far from people, Leonora lives in a cave. Years have passed, but she still cannot forget Alvaro and find peace (“ Pace, pace, mio ​​Dio!"). Suddenly, steps are heard, Leonora loudly warns that this is a place forbidden for people, and hides in a cave, having previously struck the bell.

Alvaro and Carlos appear. By the force of fate, they chose for the duel the place where Leonora had been hiding for so many years. Carlos is mortally wounded and demands a priest (" Io muoio! Confessione!"). Alvaro cannot accept confession and asks the hermit to do so. After a long conversation, Leonora emerges from the cave and all three participants in the scene recognize each other. Carlos asks his sister to hug him, stabs her with a dagger and dies, satisfied. Alvaro runs to the mountains in despair.

Meanwhile up the hill singing Miserere The monks rise, led by Guardiano and Melitone. In the light of lightning, the monks see the dead Carlos and the hermit, who, to their even greater horror, turns out to be a woman. Only Rafaele's father is missing - but now he appears on the top of the cliff. In front of the frightened brothers, Alvaro (Rafaele's brother) throws himself into the abyss. The tragic scene ends Miserere.

Differences of the second (Milanese) version

In 1869, the opera was staged in a new version in Milan. It is this Milanese version that is more common on the world opera stage. The main difference was the less bloody ending - Alvaro remains to live, obedient to Guardiano’s call to humble himself before the power of fate. For the new version, Verdi rewrote the overture, which became the longest he had previously written. In the third act, the third and fourth scenes swapped places, and the melodramatic scene of the first duel between Carlos and Alvaro became more prosaic - the duel was interrupted by soldiers on alarm.

Most Famous Moments

• Me pellegrina ed orfana- Leonora's aria (1 act),
• Padre eterno Signor, pieta di noi- chorus from 1 scene 2 acts,
• Sono gigunta! Grazie, o Dio!- Leonora's aria (2nd scene of action),
• La vita è inferno all'infelice- Alvaro's aria (1 scene 3 acts),
• Urna fatale del mio destino- Carlos's aria (2 scene 3 acts),
• Fratello! Riconoscimi- duet of Alvaro and Carlos (1 scene 4 acts),
• Pace, pace, mio ​​Dio!- Leonora's aria (2 scene 4 acts)

Audio recordings

• Leonora- Leyla Gencher, Don Alvaro- Giuseppe di Stefano, Don Carlos- Aldo Protti, Guardiano- Cesare Siepi, Preziosilla- Gabriella Carturan, choir and orchestra of La Scala, conductor - Antonio Votto, 1957.

• Don Alvaro- Jose Carreras, Leonora- Rosalyn Plowright Don Carlos- Renato Bruzon Guardiano- Paata Burchuladze, Melitone- Juan Pons Preziosilla- Agnes Baltsa, Marquis di Calatrava- John Tomlinson, London Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor - Giuseppe Sinopoli, 1987.

• Leonora- Renata Tebaldi, Don Alvaro- Mario del Monaco, Don Carlos- Ettore Bastianini, choir and orchestra of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, conductor - Francesco Molinari-Pradelli.

This story originates in Seville in the 18th century. Leonora di Vargas, an aristocratic heroine, is in love with a certain Don Alvaro, a descendant of the ancient Inca family of New India. No one from this family can, of course, be considered a suitable candidate for marrying a Spanish noblewoman. The arrogant Marquis di Calatrava, Donna Leonora's father, orders her to forget about Don Alvaro, but Donna Leonora has already given her consent to her lover to escape secretly that night. When the Marquis leaves, she confesses these plans to her maid, Curra. Donna Leonora is torn between her father, for whom she feels filial affection, and her lover; she still hesitates whether to accept Don Alvaro's plan. And when Don Alvaro, excited by the race, suddenly appears to her through the window, he at first thinks that she no longer loves him. But in a passionate duet they swear eternal fidelity to each other, and now they are ready to run away (“Son tua, son tua col core e colla vita” - “Yours, yours in heart and life”). But at this moment the Marquis suddenly returns, a sword in his hand. He is sure that the worst thing has happened here - that his daughter has been dishonored. Don Alvaro swears that Donna Leonora is innocent. To prove this, he is ready to accept death from the Marquis’s sword and does not intend to use his pistol - he throws it aside. Unfortunately, the gun falls to the floor and suddenly goes off due to the impact. The bullet hits the marquis. Dying, the Marquis utters a terrible curse on his daughter. This will be her rock. This is how the forces of fate begin to act. Don Alvaro takes his beloved away. ACT II Scene 1. Many events happened between the first and second acts. Don Carlos, arriving home, heard that his sister Donna Leonora had fled with her lover, Don Alvaro, who had killed their father before they could escape. Naturally, he, a Spaniard of noble birth in the 18th century, vows to kill both - his sister and her lover. Meanwhile, the two lovers find themselves separated, and Leonora, disguised as a young man and under the tutelage of an old mule driver named Trabuco, devoted to her, wanders around the world. With the beginning of the second act, the power of fate clearly begins to operate: thus, Donna Leonora and her brother, Don Carlos, it turns out, settled, without knowing it, under the same roof - in a hotel in Gornajuelos. Fortunately, Don Carlos does not see his sister, who does not go out to the cheerful crowd, she is hiding. Preziosilla, a gypsy fortune teller, to the sounds of a military tune, convinces all the guys to enlist in the Italian army to fight the Germans (“Al suon del tamburo” - “Under the thunder of drums”). No sergeant could have done this better. She then predicts the future for some, including Don Carlos, who is not very enthusiastic. Behind the stage you can hear the singing of pilgrims passing by - they sing a wonderful passionate prayer; in their singing, Leonora’s soaring soprano can be heard most clearly. Donna Leonora, long separated from Alvaro, sees her brother and hides in fear. As the procession passes, Don Carlos tells the story of his life. His name, he says, is Pereda, and he is a university student. And then he lays out a thinly veiled version of his father's killer and his sister's lover. This is a beautiful baritone aria with a choir, beginning with the words “Son Pereda, son ricco d"onore” (“I am Pereda, I am an honest fellow”).