Prince Igor
Prince Igor (Russian: Князь Игорь, romanized: Knyaz Igor, ) is an opera in four acts with a prologue, written and composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the early Russian epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of the 12th-century prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Cuman ("Polovtsian") tribes in 1185.[1] He also incorporated material drawn from two medieval Kievan chronicles. The opera was left unfinished upon the composer's death in 1887 and was edited and completed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. It was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1890.[2]
This article is about the opera. For the historical figure, see Igor Svyatoslavich. For the Warren G song, see Prince Igor (song). For 1969 filmed version, see Prince Igor (1969 film).Prince Igor
Musical analysis[edit]
Central to the opera is the way the Russians are distinguished from the Polovtsians through melodic characterization. While Borodin uses features of Russian folk music to represent his compatriots, he uses chromaticism, melismas and appoggiaturas—among other techniques—represent their 'heathen' opponents. These methods had already been used by Glinka and others to portray Orientalism in Russian music.[13]
Note:
Critical analysis[edit]
Prince Igor is a staple of Russian opera, but has not travelled well abroad. One obvious reason is the Russian language, although translation into Italian was once a solution.
Another explanation for the failure to gain acceptance is its lack of unity resulting from its unfinished state. Despite the skill and efforts of editors Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov, the opera is still episodic and dramatically static, a problem of which the composer himself was aware when he embarked on composition (see quote above in "Composition History"). This is partly a consequence of Borodin's failure to complete a libretto before beginning composition of the music—the same problem that plagued his colleague Mussorgsky in the composition of Khovanshchina.[24] Both composers wrote their librettos piece by piece while composing the music, both lost sight of the overall narrative thread of their operas, and both wound up with pages and pages of music that needed to be sacrificed to assemble a cohesive whole. Also, both died before finishing their operas, leaving the task of completion, editing, and orchestration in both cases to Rimsky-Korsakov.
One of the main considerations when performing Prince Igor is the question of whether to include Act 3, much of which was composed by Glazunov. The practice of omitting it was mentioned as early as 1909 in Rimsky-Korsakov's memoirs.[25] Many productions leave Act 3 out because it "fails to carry conviction both musically and dramatically."[26]
On the other hand, maintaining the act has certain benefits. It contains some fine pages (e.g., the "Polovtsian March"), provides an important link in the narrative (Igor's escape, Vladimir's fate), and is the origin of some of the memorable themes first heard in the overture (the trio, brass fanfares). Fortunately, the option of omitting the fine overture, also known to have been composed by Glazunov, is seldom considered.
Recently, the question of the best sequence of scenes in which to perform the opera has gained some prominence. Borodin did not complete a libretto before composing the music to Prince Igor.[24] The opera has traditionally been performed in the edition made by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. It will be obvious that the positions to which they assigned the Prologue, Act 3, and Act 4 cannot be changed if the story is to make sense. However, because the events of Act 1 and Act 2 overlap and are independent of one another, Act 2 may just as well precede Act 1 without any loss of coherence. Soviet musicologists Pavel Lamm and Arnold Sokhor reported the existence of a written plan (now in Glinka's Musical Culture Museum, Moscow), in Borodin's hand, that specified this sequence of scenes:[5]
Sokhor assessed the plan as not written later than 1883.[27]
The 1993 recording of Prince Igor by Valery Gergiev with the Kirov Opera features a new edition of the score with additions commissioned from composer Yuri Faliek for a production at the Mariinsky Theatre, adopting this hypothetical original sequence. The authors of the notes to the recording assert that this order better balances the musical structure of the score by alternating the acts in the Russian and Polovtsian settings with their distinctive musical atmospheres.
Despite this justification, there is reason to maintain the traditional sequence. Act II contains most of the numbers for which the work is known today, with Igor's brooding and impassioned aria ("Oh give me freedom") at the center, flanked by Vladimir's cavatina and Konchak's aria, not to mention the rousing conclusion provided by the Polovtsian Dances. Moving its wealth of arias and dances from the center of the work to near the beginning may weaken the opera's structure.
The "Mariinsky edition" makes other important changes and additions to the score. Although much of the material composed or orchestrated by Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov is retained, there are additions culled from the unpublished vocal score by Pavel Lamm, orchestrated and linked by Faliek. The changes include:[28]
Outside Russia, the opera has often been given in languages other than Russian. For example, the 1960 recording under Lovro von Matačić is sung in German, the 1964 recording under Armando La Rosa Parodi is in Italian and the 1982 radio broadcast of Opera North conducted by David Lloyd-Jones is in English. On the other hand, the 1962 Oscar Danon and the 1990 Bernard Haitink recordings are Western performances sung in Russian.[30]
This is a list of studio recordings. A comprehensive list of all recordings of Prince Igor may be found at operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
Audio
Video
In the American musical Kismet (1953), most of the score was adapted from works by Borodin. Themes from the Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor were used extensively and the "Gliding Dance of the Maidens" provided the melody for the popular hit song "Stranger in Paradise".
In The Simpsons episode "Simpson Tide", the Boyars' Chorus (Act 1, Scene 2) plays while tanks emerge from parade floats during a peace parade on Red Square in front of Saint Basil's, soldiers walk out of a building, the Berlin Wall re-erects itself out of the ground, and Lenin rises from his grave, saying "Rrr! Must Crush Capitalism, Rrr!". The "Gliding dance of the Maidens" is also played during the Valentine's Day Itchy and Scratchy cartoon featured in The Simpsons episode "I Love Lisa".
Musical quotations from the Polovtsian Dances can be heard:
Notes
Sources