Ru
EnL. Yadlovskaya
I. Krylov’s fables in the “eccentric” perspective: the opera “Grandfather Laughs” by A. Tchaikovsky (towards the problem of genre specificity)
The article is devoted to one of the brightest and most original examples of musical “Kryloviana” in the 20th century – the opera “Grandfather Laughs” (1972) by the Russian composer A. Tchaikovsky. This opera was successfully staged on the stage of Moscow Chamber Musical Theatre (1976–1977, director – B. Pokrovsky). The author of the article notes this work up to the present time is the only musical-theatrical production based on the fables by I. Krylov and addressed to an adult audience. In addition, the composer’s libretto of “Grandfather...” contains a number of socio-critical allusions referring to the late Soviet era. Based on the above, it should be recognized as appropriate to consider the genre specifics of the opera, which was called “eccentric” by A. Tchaikovsky himself, sustained in the lines of “surrealism”, etc. The researcher identifies the most important aspects of eccentricity, characteristic of theatrical and musical art, which find multifaceted embodiment in the opera “Grandfather Laughs” (compositional, story-scenic, musical-stylistic, etc.). The general “eccentric” orientation of the original conceptual idea of the opera is contrasted with the traditional factors inherent in the fable literary genre – “allegorism” and “moralizing”. In connection with the hypothetical parallels that are drawn between the named opera and B. Brecht’s “epic theatre”, the author of the article indicates an “alternative” succession, which is motivated by the general passion of A. Tchaikovsky during the 1970s for the early musical-theatrical works by I. Stravinsky. The need for a “relevant” stage production of the opera “Grandfather Laughs” in our days is substantiated with the aim of a more consistent implementation of the initially formed creative components of this project.
Key words
literary heritage by I. Krylov, fables, musical-theatrical “Kryloviana”, A. Tchaikovsky, opera “Grandfather Laughs”, production by B. Pokrovsky, eccentric in theatrical and musical art.
For citation
Yadlovskaya L. I. Krylov’s fables in the “eccentric” perspective: the opera “Grandfather Laughs” by A. Tchaikovsky (towards the problem of genre specificity) // South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2025. No. 1. Pp. 153–159.
