Boyarina Morozova
composer: Rodion Shchedrin
interpreter: Larisa Kostyuk - Kirill Soldatov - Viktor Grishin - Mikhail Davydov - Mikhail Dunayev - Veronika Dzhioeva - Andrew Goodwin
booklet writer: Natalia Nicklas
choir: Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory
chorus master: Leonid Baklushin
conductor: Boris Tevlin
The Life and Sufferings of Boyarina Morozova and Her Sister Princess Urusova
Russian Choral Opera in Two Parts for Four Soloists, Mixed Chorus, Trumpet, Timpani, and Percussion
Libretto by Rodion Shchedrin after texts from “The Life of Protopope Avvakum” and “The Life of Boyarina Morozova”
Publisher: Wergo
Edition: CD - 88-page booklet, slipcase
Order number: WER 67002
Recommended titles
Description
ECHO Klassik 2008 within the category "Opera Recording of the Year (20th/21st century)" for "Boyarina Morozova".
On the occasion of the composer’s 75th birthday on 16 December 2007, WERGO continues publishing CDs within the Edition Rodion Shchedrin with a world premiere recording. The Russian choral opera “Boyarina Morozova” describes the schism in the Russian Orthodox Church that began in the seventeenth century. This religious conflict, whose effects are still felt today, ignited in reaction to the ecclesiastical reforms of Nikon, then patriarch of Moscow.
The composer's preface: "Setting to music this terrible page in the history of the schism of the church and the rise of the Old Believers in Russia and the bitter fates of the people involved was a long-held dream. Several times I began it, but each time I dropped it again, because I could not, it seemed to me, suitably tackle this gripping theme. Only when it became clear to me that it should take the musical form of a 'Russian choral opera' did my work make progress. As literary materials I used texts from the two great books 'The Life of Protopope Avvakum, Written by Himself', and 'The Life of Boyarina Morozova, Princess Urusova, and Mariya Danilova'. The four soloists (Boyarina Morozova; her sister, Princess Urusova; Protopope Avvakum, and Czar Alexei Mikhailovich) would be joined by three instrumental soloists: trumpet, timpani, and a percussionist playing other instruments. The choir would not only take on the usual role of a choir but that of the orchestra, which sometimes plays the part of a narrator, sometimes that of a modest accompanist."
Content
The Life and Sufferings of Boyarina Morozova and Her Sister Princess Urusova.
Russian Choral Opera in Two Parts
for Four Soloists, Mixed Chorus, Trumpet, Timpani, and Percussion: -
Anathema
Two Sisters
Threats
Avvakum (Lamento I)
The Killing of Morozova’s Son
Morozova’s Lamentation over Her Son
Second Part:
Torture
Avvakum’s Lamentation (Lamento II)
Incarceration in the Dungeon
Death of Princess Urusova
The Czar’s Command
Words with the Guard, and Death of Morozova
Basket
Nearest vendors
Advanced Search

Help
Further questions?
Have a look at our help section for answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Newsletter











