Mariinsky Theatre tickets 10 May 2025 - The Tale of Tsar Saltan | GoComGo.com

The Tale of Tsar Saltan

Mariinsky Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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Saturday 10 May 2025
1 PM 7 PM
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Important Info
Type: Opera
City: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Starts at: 13:00
Acts: 4
Intervals: 1
Duration: 3h
Sung in: Russian
Titles in: English,Russian

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Cast
Performers
Chorus: Mariinsky Chorus
Creators
Composer: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Music Director: Valery Gergiev
Stage Director: Alexander Petrov
Poet: Alexander Pushkin
Ballet master: Irina Novik
Musical Preparation: Larisa Gergieva
Librettist: Vladimir Belsky
Set Designer: Vladimir Firer
Costume designer: Vladimir Firer
Lighting Designer: Vladimir Lukasevich
Overview

In all probability, everyone knows the virtuoso piece Flight of the Bumblebee, a dazzling example of musical perpetuum mobile. And yet this is but one highlight from the brilliant opera by Rimsky-Korsakov – a maestro and poet of the orchestra. In The Tale of Tsar Saltan there are also scenes of the sea, a forest at night, of dawn, affixed by the composer to each act. Audiences will remember the captivating melodies of the Swan-Princess in the orchestra and the ominous march of the noisy knights of the sea. The composer himself, not without pride, called the score “a guide to magic tricks”.

In as much as Russian audiences know the plot inside-out, the librettist Vladimir Belsky and the composer, once again narrating a fairy tale, complicate the intrigue with new characters and situations and they provide an abundance of detail: Saltan’s nameless wife is called Militrisa, Saltan’s kingdom is known as Tmutarakan, and Tsarevich Guidon rules on the island of Ledenets. Whereas, however, Pushkin notes that the fairy-tale squirrel, gnawing nuts, “sings in front of all the honest people ‘Whether in the garden or in the kitchen garden’”, Rimsky-Korsakov does not deny himself the pleasure of quoting this song. And Guidon’s meeting with the inhabitants of the island of Buyan is illustrated by the chorus to a motif of the famous refrain, because the poet states that at that moment “the church chorus praises God”. Recognising this reveals much of the pleasure to be gained from the opera: for young audiences it is a magical fairy-tale-come-to-life on the stage, for more sophisticated audiences it is an example of conditional theatre, an artistic commentary by one artist, a “magician”-composer, on the text of another – a “fairy-tale-narrator” poet.

This production is one of the most colourful at the Mariinsky Theatre. The St Petersburg State Musical Theatre for Children Zazerkalye stage director Alexander Petrov typically strives to occupy his audience’s attention with vivid scenes. Here he is assisted by set designer Vladimir Firer. It is not by chance that in the sets and costumes one may see the famous book illustrations of Ivan Bilibin: the production was conceived as a recognition of the fairy tale by Pushkin, well-loved from childhood. Anna Petrova

History
Premiere of this production: 03 November 1900, Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow

The Tale of Tsar Saltan is an opera in four acts with a prologue (a total of seven scenes) by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by Vladimir Belsky, and is based on the poem of the same name by Aleksandr Pushkin. The opera was composed in 1899–1900 to coincide with Pushkin's centenary, and was first performed in 1900 in Moscow, Russia.

Synopsis

Prologue
A winter’s evening in a village, and three sisters are sitting at home spinning yarn. The eldest and the middle sister boast of their beauty and skills while the youngest remains silent.
Her sisters consider her a fool for  being so mild and modest and leave the work to her.
Each dreams of how happy she would be if the Tsar married her. The eldest boasts of the feast she would throw, such as has never been seen before; the second would weave a great amount of linen; and the youngest promises she would bear the Tsar a brave son. Tsar Saltan, who has been standing by the window, overhears the conversation. He enters the room and announces his decision – all three will live at the palace, the eldest as a cook, the second as a weaver and the youngest as his wife. The Tsar departs with the youngest sister and the two remaining sisters begin to plan how they can undo their foolish sister’s happiness. They plot to deceive Saltan.

Act I
The Tsar has left for  the wars, and in the meantime Tsaritsa Militrisa has given birth to a son. Life in the Tsar’s palace is peaceful. Only the Tsaritsa is troubled: she is worried that the Messenger has not come with a letter from Saltan for  a long time. In vain the jester tries to amuse her with his tricks; she is left unaffected by the Old Man’s tales and the feigned kindness of her sisters who bring her presents. Suddenly the unceremonious and indiscreet Messenger appears; the plotters, having got him tipsy, have managed to substitute Saltan’s letter. The people seem undecided but give way to the triumphant threats of the sisters and Babarikha – Militrisa and the young Tsarevich are sealed in a barrel and cast into the sea.

Act II
The bare shore of the island of Buyan. Having listened to the Tsaritsa’s prayers, a wave has washed the barrel ashore. Militrisa laments her fate, while the Tsarevich, now a young man, amuses himself, taking delight in the world around him. He makes a bow and departs to hunt some game, but suddenly sees a huge kite chasing a swan; taking aim, he shoots an arrow at the kite and kills it. To the great surprise of the Tsarevich and the Tsaritsa, the Swan-Bird comes out of the sea and begins to speak to them. She promises to repay kindness with kindness and disappears. Night falls. Mother and son are asleep. At first light, they see a city has magically appeared out of the mist. A festive procession appears at the city gates to the merry peal of bells and cannons firing. The residents of the magical city of Ledenets rapturously welcome Guidon and ask him to become their ruler.

Act III
First scene
Guidon has become the people’s Prince, but he thinks longingly of his father. His sad gaze follows a ship that is headed towards Saltan’s kingdom. The Swan-Bird appears at Guidon’s call.
On hearing the reason of his sorrow, she turns the Prince into a bumble-bee so he can catch up with the ship and see his father.
Second scene
The ship arrives in Saltan’s kingdom. The Tsar welcomes the shipmen, lays on a feast and asks about the miraculous things they have seen on their journeys around the world. The shipmen tell of the magical appearance of the city of Ledenets on a desert island, of a squirrel that nibbles golden nuts, of thirty-three knights of the sea and of the brave and mighty Prince Guidon who rules the city. Saltan is astonished – he wishes to see this miraculous city;
Tkachikha and Povarikha anxiously try to dissuade him. Babarikha tells of one miracle not to be found in the city of Ledenets – a Tsarevna of indescribable beauty, who lives far away across the seas. Angered by the intrigues of the conspirators, the bumble-bee stings each of them in turn and flies off, leaving behind chaos and confusion.

Act IV
First scene
Guidon once again sadly walks by the sea. He cannot get Babarikha’s tale out of his mind.
He sorrowfully calls the Swan-Bird and, telling her of his passionate love for  the unknown beauty, asks for  her help. The Swan-Bird is moved by Guidon’s plight and she turns into the beautiful Princess he dreamed of. Tsaritsa Militrisa gives her blessing to the young couple.
Second scene
Guidon and Militrisa await Saltan’s arrival in joyous trepidation. To the sound of bells ringing, the people welcome the Tsar and lead him and his retinue to the palace. The miracles of Ledenets are displayed. The Tsar and the guests are astonished when they see the magical squirrel in its crystal house, the thirty-three knights of the sea and the beautiful Swan-Princess; finally Saltan’s beloved wife Militrisa enters. In tears, the Tsar embraces her and his son, and in his joy for gives the two envious sisters. A great feast ensues.

Time: Unspecified
Place: Partly in the city of Tmutarakan and partly on the island of Buyan

Prologue

On a wintry evening three sisters are sitting at spinning wheels. As Tsar Saltan overhears from outside the door, the oldest sister boasts that, if she were Tsaritsa (the bride of the Tsar), she would prepare a sumptuous feast; the middle sister would weave a grand linen; the youngest promises to bear, as son for the Tsar, a bogatyr (warrior-knight). Saltan enters, chooses the third sister to be his bride ("Zdravstvuy, krasnaya devitsa!" = "Greetings, beautiful girl!"), and takes her away. The old woman Babarikha devises a revenge for the two jealous older sisters ("Nu, tak slushat, ne meshat" = "Then listen well and don’t interrupt"): when the Tsar is away at war, a message will be sent to him that the child born to his Tsaritsa is not human, but a monster.

Act 1

Introduction — Saltan’s Departure

Scene

The Tsar has gone off to war. In his palace in Tmutarakan, the Tsaritsa has given birth to a son, to whom a chorus of nannies sings a lullaby ("Bayushki, bayushki!"). She is despondent: there is no reply from her husband to the news of the birth of their child. Her sisters are (with Babarikha) now part of the court: the older sister as Cook, and the middle sister as Weaver. (They have secretly replaced the message of the Tsaritsa to her husband with news of her son's birth with another message: it said that she has borne neither a daughter nor a son, neither a mouse nor a frog, but a kind of monster.) They try to entertain her, as does the skomorokh (jester) and the old man ("Gosudarynya, tsaritsa, matushka" = "Your highness, queen, mother"). But all this is to no avail. The young Tsarevich baby, who has been lulled to sleep during this scene, awakens and runs about, accompanied by his nurses, and the people wish God's blessings upon him. Then a messenger stumbles in, having been waylaid with drink by Babarikha. He sings "Gosudarynya moya, ne veli kaznit menya" ("Your highness, don’t punish me"), and his message from the Tsar is read by the scribes: the Tsaritsa and her progeny must be placed in a barrel and thrown into the sea. Reluctantly the people carry out the Tsar's command.

Act 2

Introduction — Militrisa and Gvidon Afloat In the Barrel

Scene

The Tsaritsa and her son Gvidon have landed on the island of Buyan, and broken out of the barrel in which they were trapped. Gvidon, who has grown remarkably rapidly into a young man, is searching for sustenance. While doing this, he rescues a swan from being killed by a kite. in gratitude, the Swan-Bird sings to him ("Ty, tsarevich, moy spasitel" = "You, Prince, my Saviour"). The Tsaritsa explains Gvidon's early history to her son, and the Swan-Bird causes the city of Ledenets (Russian: Леденец, "lollipop") to arise magically on the island. Gvidon is hailed by its inhabitants as its Prince.

Act 3

Scene 1

By the shore of Buyan, the merchant ships have left, and Gvidon laments having being separated from his father ("Veter po moryu gulyayet" = "The wind blows over the sea"). The Swan-Bird will help him by changing him into a bumblebee. He will be able to fly over the sea, as a stowaway on Saltan's ship, to visit him (incognito) in Tmutarakan.

Interlude — Flight of the Bumblebee

Scene 2

The sailors arrive at Tmutarakan from their visit to Buyan. The sailors tell Tsar Saltan of the wonders of Gvidon's island (the magically appearing city itself, a magic squirrel, and the thirty-three bogatyrs from the sea). The two older sisters are concerned that the Tsar will become interested in visiting the island, and they try to dissuade him. In retaliation the bumble-bee Gvidon stings each of them in the brow. Babarikha then tries to trump the sailors, by speaking of a fabulous Princess on the sea, at which point Gvidon stings her in the eye and blinds her. Saltan decides to visit the island, but, in view of the havoc caused by the bumblebee, forbids that breed of insect from ever entering the palace again.

Act 4

Scene 1

Gvidon, again by the seashore of Buyan, longs for a bride ("V sinem more zvyozdy bleshchut" = "Over the blue sea stars shine"). The Swan-Bird appears, and Gvidon tells her of the Princess that he heard about at Tmutarakan. The Swan-Bird transforms herself into that very Princess. His mother and a chorus of maidens enter, and bless the prospect of their wedding.

Orchestral interlude — Three Wonders

Scene 2

Gvidon, with his mother hidden, awaits the arrival of Saltan. When the ship arrives with the Tsar and his retinue, Gvidon greets him, and questions him as to whether or not he will have a son to carry on his work. The Saltan does not yet know that Gvidon is his son ("Akh, moguchiy knyaz Gvidon" = "Ah, mighty Prince Gvidon"), and expresses regret for his rash treatment of his wife many years earlier. Although Gvidon tries to cheer him up with the three wonders, it becomes clear that only the presence of Militrisa can assuage Saltan's guilt. The Princess-Swan (Lyebyed) appears and reveals the Tsar's long-lost wife. The older sisters beg forgiveness, which in his happiness Saltan grants. Everyone then joins in a celebration of the upcoming wedding of Gvidon and the Princess-Swan.

Venue Info

Mariinsky Theatre - Saint Petersburg
Location   1 Theatre Square

The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. Through most of the Soviet era, it was known as the Kirov Theatre. Today, the Mariinsky Theatre is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, Mariinsky Opera and Mariinsky Orchestra. Since Yuri Temirkanov's retirement in 1988, the conductor Valery Gergiev has served as the theatre's general director.

The theatre is named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Tsar Alexander II. There is a bust of the Empress in the main entrance foyer. The theatre's name has changed throughout its history, reflecting the political climate of the time.

The theatre building is commonly called the Mariinsky Theatre. The companies that operate within it have for brand recognition purposes retained the Kirov name, acquired during the Soviet era to commemorate the assassinated Leningrad Communist Party leader Sergey Kirov (1886–1934).

The Imperial drama, opera and ballet troupe in Saint Petersburg was established in 1783, at the behest of Catherine the Great, although an Italian ballet troupe had performed at the Russian court since the early 18th century. Originally, the ballet and opera performances were given in the wooden Karl Knipper Theatre on Tsaritsa Meadow, near the present-day Tripartite Bridge (also known as the Little Theatre or the Maly Theatre). The Hermitage Theatre, next door to the Winter Palace, was used to host performances for an elite audience of aristocratic guests invited by the Empress.

A permanent theatre building for the new company of opera and ballet artists was designed by Antonio Rinaldi and opened in 1783. Known as the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre the structure was situated on Carousel Square, which was renamed Theatre Square in honour of the building. Both names – "Kamenny" (Russian word for "stone") and "Bolshoi" (Russian word for "big") – were coined to distinguish it from the wooden Little Theatre. In 1836, the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre was renovated to a design by Albert Cavos (son of Catterino Cavos, an opera composer), and served as the principal theatre of the Imperial Ballet and opera.

On 29 January 1849, the Equestrian circus (Конный цирк) opened on Theatre Square. This was also the work of the architect Cavos. The building was designed to double as a theatre. It was a wooden structure in the then-fashionable neo-Byzantine style. Ten years later, when this circus burnt down, Albert Cavos rebuilt it as an opera and ballet house with the largest stage in the world. With a seating capacity of 1,625 and a U-shaped Italian-style auditorium, the theatre opened on 2 October 1860, with a performance of A Life for the Tsar. The new theatre was named Mariinsky after its imperial patroness, Empress Maria Alexandrovna.

Under Yuri Temirkanov, Principal Conductor from 1976 to 1988, the Opera Company continued to stage innovative productions of both modern and classic Russian operas. Although functioning separately from the Theatre’s Ballet Company, since 1988 both companies have been under the artistic leadership of Valery Gergiev as Artistic Director of the entire Theatre.

The Opera Company has entered a new era of artistic excellence and creativity. Since 1993, Gergiev’s impact on opera there has been enormous. Firstly, he reorganized the company’s operations and established links with many of the world's great opera houses, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, the Opéra Bastille, La Scala, La Fenice, the Israeli Opera, the Washington National Opera and the San Francisco Opera. Today, the Opera Company regularly tours to most of these cities.

Gergiev has also been innovative as far as Russian opera is concerned: in 1989, there was an all-Mussorgsky festival featuring the composer’s entire operatic output. Similarly, many of Prokofiev’s operas were presented from the late 1990s. Operas by non-Russian composers began to be performed in their original languages, which helped the Opera Company to incorporate world trends. The annual international "Stars of the White Nights Festival" in Saint Petersburg, started by Gergiev in 1993, has also put the Mariinsky on the world’s cultural map. That year, as a salute to the imperial origins of the Mariinsky, Verdi's La forza del destino, which received its premiere in Saint Petersburg in 1862, was produced with its original sets, costumes and scenery. Since then, it has become a characteristic of the "White Nights Festival" to present the premieres from the company’s upcoming season during this magical period, when the hours of darkness practically disappear as the summer solstice approaches.

Presently, the Company lists on its roster 22 sopranos (of whom Anna Netrebko may be the best known); 13 mezzo-sopranos (with Olga Borodina familiar to US and European audiences); 23 tenors; eight baritones; and 14 basses. With Gergiev in charge overall, there is a Head of Stage Administration, a Stage Director, Stage Managers and Assistants, along with 14 accompanists.

Important Info
Type: Opera
City: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Starts at: 13:00
Acts: 4
Intervals: 1
Duration: 3h
Sung in: Russian
Titles in: English,Russian
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