Ru
EnN. Stanovova
The birth of opera in Belgorod
This article presents an analytical interpretation of the heroic historical opera “Belgorod Regiment. Abatis Line” by contemporary Russian composers N. Biryukov and E. Latysh-Biryukova. The stage premiere of this work, which was the first appeal of Belgorod composers to the opera genre, took place in June 2024. Noting the inherent 19th-century Russian cultural tendency toward a focused interpretation of past Russian historical events, the researcher emphasizes the continuity in the interpretation of this genre (from classical operas to 20th-century musical theatre), right up to the most recent works on the subject. It is further noted that “Belgorod Regiment...” is one of the rare examples of heroic historical operas created to original librettos that do not rely on a previous literary source. V. Ovchinnikov’s text recreates little-known events of the Northern War (1700–1721), connected with the presence of the Belgorod Infantry Regiment in Belgorod on the eve of the Poltava Battle. Emphasizing the enduring significance of this battle, the author of the article notes the weighty contribution of this military unit to the victory. The author examines the most important features of the collective image of the people, captured in the opera through diverse choral numbers and crowd scenes, as well as the musical characteristics of the key characters, especially real historical figures (Field-Marshal B. Sheremetev, Brigadier Savva Aigustov, Metropolitan Justin, and others). The dramatic idea of “Belgorod Regiment...” is elucidated: this concept initially conditioned by the parallelism of several interacting lines – heroic, lyrical, tragic, epic – and the conjugation of various (individual and collective) principles of musical expression. Summarizing the aforementioned research, the author of the article concludes that the genre features of oratorio play a significant role in the opera “Belgorod Regiment...”. Furthermore, the fundamental role of the creative dialogue with the traditions of the 19th and 20th centuries Russian historical opera, realized in this work, to be emphasizing by the researcher.
Key words
genre of heroic-historical opera in Russian music, creative work by composers of Belgorod, N. Biryukov, E. Latysh-Biryukova, opera “The Belgorod Regiment. An Abatis Boundary”.
For citation
Stanovova N. The birth of opera in Belgorod. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2025. No. 3. Pp. 66–72.
