Selected fragments from the opera by M.I. Glinka will be performed by soloists of the opera, choir and symphony orchestra. The artistic director of the Buryat State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater maestro Vladimir Alekseevich Rylov will read poems from A.S. Pushkin. We will hear a large-scale introduction, the gentle cavatina of Lyudmila, the bright, comic duet of Naina and Farlaf and the brilliant rondo of Farlaf, the philosophical aria of Ruslan, the famous March of Chernomor, the aria of the yearning Gorislava, the extraordinary aria of Ratmir, praising the “wonderful dream of living love”, and the grandiose final scene. The scenery, which uses illustrations for various Pushkin stories, will create a fabulous atmosphere and lead the audience into the world of Ancient Russia.Ruslan and Lyudmila is an epic opera in five acts to a libretto by the composer V. Shirokov (with the participation of K. Bakhturin, N. Kukolnik, N. Markevich, A. Shakhovsky and M. Gedeonov). The text of the libretto included some fragments of the poem, but in general it was written anew. M.I. Glinka worked on the creation of the opera for five years. The work was completed in 1842. The premiere of "Ruslan and Lyudmila" took place on December 9 of the same year at the Bolshoi Theater in St. Petersburg and was not a resounding success, but success increased from performance to performance. Musicologist Yury Zlatkovsky called the opera a "musical monument to Pushkin".
“Wherever I work, I try to introduce Glinka’s music everywhere,” explains the inclusion of the pages of the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila” in the repertoire of the BGATOiB Vladimir Alekseevich Rylov, laureate of the Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR (1984). — For me it is fundamental. This is my idol, my god. This is a miracle that never ceases to amaze me. His music, his life, his personality. And I want to have as many like-minded people and fellow believers as possible in this belief in Glinka of mine.
The choice of fragments for concert performance is not accidental. “Ruslan’s aria is very close to me personally,” admits V.A. Rylov. - So, the hero addresses Perun with the words: “Give me, Perun, a damask sword in my hand!”. You see, so that he can perform these feats. I had very decent theaters, both this one and others, but I still didn’t have a sword in my hand, unfortunately. I tell you frankly. Therefore, for me, this aria is my next confession. I have already said that we have to confess publicly. And it is very important for me that this text be heard from the stage.”
“In his notes M.I. Glinka tells how once, being already famous, he came to observe the preparations for the production of the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila, continues Vladimir Alekseevich. - Having discovered that the performer of Finn's part did not appear at the rehearsal, the composer decided to replace him. And this is what he writes: “I went on stage. This huge space of the auditorium stunned me, I got confused, did not hear the orchestra, lost the rhythm, mixed up and went backstage. You know, when I read this, I reconsidered my attitude towards the singers, whom I treated very harshly (for which I blame myself) in my younger years: “How come you don’t join?! Don't you hear?!…” But really: you can't always hear the orchestra from the stage. The work of the singer is a colossal effort, many hours of rehearsals, endless practice in preparing each episode. So now in our conditions, it is not only premature to talk about staging Ruslan and Lyudmila, but even impossible, because the theater has many other obligations. But still, to launch this enzyme, this miraculous vitamin of Glinka's music, which will give life, movement, perspective to singers, orchestra, choir - I consider it necessary.
