Organization

Stage director

Natalya Bevzenko-Ziniina

Singer

Bass

Yuriy Dudar

Karas

Mezzo-soprano

Natalia Kadantseva

Odarka

Tenor

Oleksandr Prokopovych

Andriy

Soprano

Anna Litvinova

Oksana

Baritone

Aleksandra Strunk

Sultan

Denis Daniil Bogachyov

Ibrahim-Ali

Pavel Smirnov

Selikh-Aha

Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater

Zaporozhets za Dunayem -  (A Cossack Beyond the Danube)

Odesa

Ukraine

Zaporozhets za Dunayem Gulak-Artemovsky

Public

A Cossack Beyond the Danube

Approved

Gulak-Artemovsky's fame as a composer was brought by his opera "Zaporozhets za Dunayem", which he completed in 1862. It premiered on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg a year ago. In 1864-65 the opera was staged in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theater. In both performances, the role of Karas was played by the author. The theme of the opera "Zaporozhets on the Danube" is closely connected with Ukrainian history. The idea of ​​its creation was suggested to the composer by the outstanding Ukrainian historian, poet and thinker Mykola Kostomarov. In 1775, by order of Empress Catherine II, the Zaporozhian Sich was destroyed. Many Zaporozhians fled abroad, to the territory that belonged to the Turks. The Transdanubian Sich was formed there. Although the way of life there was similar to Zaporizhzhya Sich, the Cossacks dreamed of returning to Ukraine. Turkey hoped to use the Cossacks against Russia, but in 1828, during the Russo-Turkish War, some Cossacks returned to their homeland, and the Transdanubian Sich was destroyed. It was these events that formed the basis of the opera's design. The author rethought them and moved them to the XVIII century.

The opera fell in love with the audience, but was soon removed from the repertoire. The reason was the Polish uprising of 1863. Censorship also affected the development of Ukrainian drama and theater. Apart from amateur productions, for the first time since 1863 "Zaporozhets za Dunayem" was staged by a Ukrainian troupe for 21 years, in 1884, in Rostov-on-Don. The restoration of the stage life of the opera dates back to Soviet times. It was staged in many theaters not only in Ukraine but also in other republics of the USSR, as well as abroad. "Zaporozhets on the Danube" is the first work with which Ukrainian folk song and folk dance appeared on the stage. One of the features of the opera is conversational dialogues, which allow to reveal the images of the heroes more vividly.

G
Semyon Stepanovych Hulak-Artemovsky – Ukrainian composer, singer, dramatic artist, playwright, author of the first Ukrainian opera. He was born in 1813 in Horodyshche, Cherkasy County (now Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine). The fate of S. Hulak-Artemovsky was decided by his beautiful voice. In 1838, when Gulak-Artemovsky was studying at the Kyiv Stock Exchange, Glinka drew attention to his talent and took the talented young man with him to St. Petersburg. Glinka first gave him singing lessons, and in 1839 he organized several concerts in his favor. Gulak-Artemovsky studied abroad with the funds raised. After visiting Paris, he went to Italy, where after two years of study he made his debut at the Florentine Opera. In 1842 Semyon Gulak-Artemovsky returned to St. Petersburg, where for 22 years he was a soloist of the Russian Imperial Opera in St. Petersburg, and in 1864-1865 – a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. A special place in Gulak-Artemovsky’s creative heritage is occupied by Ukrainian songs, in particular “A sycamore stands above the water” (dedicated to T. Shevchenko, with whom the author has been friends since 1838), “I don’t want to sleep”, “Oh, the reapers are reaping on the mountain.” “- a rhapsody from a collection of seven songs under the general title” Ukrainian wedding “, and others. Semyon Gulak-Artemovsky was also interested in folk medicine, statistics, and compiled “Statistical and Geographical Tables of the Cities of the Russian Empire.” Semyon Stepanovich Gulak-Artemovsky died in 1873 in Moscow and was buried in Vagankovsky Cemetery.

English

A Cossack Beyond the Danube by Gulak-Artemovsky, From (2023/2023), Directed by Natalya Bevzenko-Ziniina,, Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Odesa, Ukraine

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues