View source for Sadko (opera)

{{Short description|Opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov}}
{{Infobox opera
| name              = Sadko
| composer          = [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]]
| image             = Chaliapin F. (Шаляпин Ф. И.) 1898 as varyag in Sadko.jpg
| image_upright     = 1.1
| caption           = [[Feodor Chaliapin]] as the Varangian Guest, in 1897
| native_name       = {{langx|ru|Садко|link=no}}
| librettist        = Rimsky-Korsakov<br>[[Vladimir Belsky]]<br>[[Vladimir Stasov]]
| language          = Russian
| based_on          = 
| premiere_date     =  7 January 1898
| premiere_location = [[Solodovnikov Theatre]], Moscow
}}
'''''Sadko''''' ({{langx|ru|'''Садко'''|Sadkó|links=no}} {{Audio|Ru-Sadko.ogg|listen}}, the name of the main character) is an 1898 [[opera]] in seven scenes by [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]]. The [[libretto]] was written by the composer, with assistance from [[Vladimir Belsky]], [[Vladimir Stasov]], and others.<ref name="groveop">{{harvnb|Taruskin|1997}}</ref> Rimsky-Korsakov was first inspired by the [[bylina]] of [[Sadko]] in 1867, when he completed a [[symphonic poem|tone poem]] on the subject, his [[Sadko (musical tableau)|Op. 5]]. After finishing his second revision of this work in 1891, he decided to turn it into a dramatic work.<ref>[[Gerald Abraham|Abraham, Gerald]]. ''Rimsky Korsakov – A Short Biography.'' Duckworth, London, 1945, pp. 87–88.</ref>

The music is highly evocative, and Rimsky-Korsakov's famed powers of [[orchestration]] are abundantly evident throughout the score. According to the Soviet critic Boris Asafyev, writing in 1922,<ref>Quoted in {{harvnb|Morrison|2001|p=263}}</ref> ''Sadko'' constitutes the summit of Rimsky-Korsakov's craft. From the opus 5 tone poem the composer quoted its most memorable passages, including the opening theme of the swelling sea,<ref name="groveop" /> and other themes as leitmotives<ref>Abraham, pp. 96–97.{{incomplete short citation|date=January 2020|reason=Is this Abraham 1945 or 1936?}}</ref> – he himself set out to "utilize for this opera the material of my symphonic poem, and, in any event, to make use of its motives as leading motives for the opera".{{sfn|Rimsky-Korsakoff|1924|p=292}}

==Performance history==
The composer was closely involved in the "assiduous" rehearsals, and he "drilled the orchestra with great care, together with [the conductor] Esposito who proved a very fair musician". Rimsky also corrected errors in the score and worked hard with the chorus. Apart from the [[Sea Tsar]] singer "whom I could not endure" he approved of all the solo singers and singled out Zabyela, who "sang magnificently" and Syekar-Rozhanski.{{sfn|Rimsky-Korsakoff|1924|pp=313–314}}

The world premiere took place on 7 January 1898 ([[Old style and new style dates|O.S.]] 26 December 1897), presented by the [[Russian Private Opera]] at the [[Solodovnikov Theatre]] in Moscow. Its conductor was Eugenio Esposito,{{sfn|Taruskin|1997|loc=para. 4}}{{Request quotation|date=January 2020|reason=Almanacco gives Michele Esposito}} the brother of [[Michele Esposito]],{{sfn|Horner|loc=para. 2}} with scenic designers [[Konstantin Korovin]] and [[Sergey Malyutin]]. The production was financed by the railway tycoon Savva Mamontov; this was the first time that one of Rimsky-Korsakov's operas was staged by a commercial theatre rather than the Imperial Theatres.{{sfn|Morrison|2001|p=262}} The St. Petersburg premiere followed 26 January 1901 at the [[Mariinsky Theatre]], conducted by [[Eduard Nápravník]], with scenic design by [[Apollinary Vasnetsov]].{{citation needed|date=January 2020|reason=Almanacco gives 8 February 1901}}

In 1906, the opera was presented at the [[Bolshoi Theatre]] in Moscow conducted by [[Vyacheslav Suk]], with scenic design by [[Konstantin Korovin]]. The first US performance occurred at the [[Metropolitan Opera]] in New York on 25 January 1930 in French with [[Tullio Serafin]], followed a year later by the first performance in London in June 1931.{{sfn|Holden|2001|p=752}}

A truncated production was mounted in Monte Carlo in 1921, conducted by [[Victor de Sabata]], with Dimitri Smirnov in the title role. Revivals took place at the Bolshoi in 1935, 1949 and 1963. A production at the Berlin Staatsoper in 1947 featured [[Ludwig Suthaus]], [[Erna Berger]] and [[Margarete Klose]].<ref name="Kaminski">{{harvnb|Kaminski|2003|p=1280}}</ref> [[Aleksandr Ptushko]] directed [[Sadko (film)|a film of the opera]] in 1952 with the music but without singing.<ref name="Kaminski"/> A new production by Alexei Stepaniuk for the [[Mariinsky Theatre]] in 1993 was later toured to Paris ([[Théâtre des Champs-Élysées]]) and recorded.<ref name="Kaminski"/>

''Sadko'' is rarely performed today outside the Russian Federation. However, there have been recent performances by Opera Vlaanderen and in Bratislava.

== Roles ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Role
![[Voice type]]
!Premiere cast<br>Moscow, 7 January 1898<br>(Conductor: Eugenio Esposito)
!Premiere cast<br>St. Petersburg, 26 January 1901<br>(Conductor: [[Eduard Nápravník]])
|-
|Foma Nazarich, ''doyen, elder of [[Novgorod]]''
|[[tenor]]
|
|
|-
|Luka Zinovich, ''governor, elder of Novgorod''
|[[bass (voice type)|bass]]
|
|Vladimir Mayboroda
|-
|[[Sadko]], ''[[gusli]]-player and singer in Novgorod''
|tenor
|Anton Sekar-Rozhansky
|Aleksandr Davïdov
|-
|Lyubava Buslayevna, ''his young wife''
|[[mezzo-soprano]]
|Aleksandra Rostovtseva
|Nina Fride
|-
|Nezhata, ''young gusli-player from Kiev''
|[[contralto]], at Dmitry Chernyakov's performance since  2020- [[countertenor]]
|Varvara Strakhova
|Mariya Dolina (in 2020 performance- Yuri Minenko
|-
|Duda, ''[[skomorokh]]''
|bass
|Aleksandr Brevi
|
|-
|Sopel, ''skomorokh''
|tenor
|
|
|-
|The [[Varangians|Varangian]], ''overseas guest''
|bass
|I. Aleksanov
|Aleksandr Antonovsky
|-
|The Indian, ''overseas guest''
|tenor
|Yekab Karklin
|Mitrofan Chuprïnnikov
|-
|The Venetian, ''overseas guest''
|[[baritone]]
|I. Petrov
|Aleksandr Smirnov
|-
|Ocean-Sea, ''the Sea Tsar''
|bass
|Anton Bedlevich
|Konstantin Serebryakov
|-
|Volkhova, ''the beautiful princess; his youngest, favorite daughter''
|soprano
|Emilia Negrin-Schmidt
|Adelaida Bolska
|-
|The Apparition, ''a mythic mighty warrior in the guise of a pilgrim''
|baritone
|
|
|-
|colspan="4"|Chorus, silent roles: ''Merchants of Novgorod, wandering minstrels, sailors, maidens, inhabitants of the undersea tsardom, people''
|-
|}

==Synopsis==
[[File:Volkhova by Mikhail Brubel (1897 custume).jpg|thumb|Volkhova costume design by [[Mikhail Vrubel]], 1897]]
[[File:Volkhova by Mikhail Vrube (costume design) 1897.jpg|thumb|Volkhova costume design by [[Mikhail Vrubel]], 1897]]
('''Note''': Instead of traditional acts, ''Sadko'' is divided in seven scenes, and, as that type of structure would suggest, is more loosely constructed than a traditional opera. The opera is usually performed in three or five acts, depending on how the scenes are grouped: Three acts – 1–2, 3–4, 5–6–7 or 1–2–3, 4, 5–6–7: Five acts – 1, 2–3, 4, 5–6, 7)

:Time: The historical figure Sadko lived in the 12th century.
:Place: The action takes place in Novgorod and in the legendary realm of the Sea Tsar.

The opera tells the story of [[Sadko]], a [[gusli]] player (''guslar''), who leaves his wife, Lubava, and home in [[Novgorod]] and eventually returns a wealthy man. During his years of travel he amasses a fortune, weds the daughter of the Tsar and Tsarina of the Ocean and has other adventures. Upon his return, the city and Lubava rejoice.

''Scene 1 – The rich mansion of a guild in Novgorod''

The wealthy Novgorod merchants congratulate themselves on their prosperity. Nezhata, a gusli player from Kiev, sings an heroic song. In reply, Sadko also sings, but the merchants laugh at him when he suggests that Novgorod would be more prosperous if a river joined Lake Ilmen to the ocean.

''Scene 2 – The shores of [[Lake Ilmen]]''

Sadko wanders unhappily by the lakeside. His singing attracts some swans, one of which changes into Volkhova, the Sea Princess, who wishes to marry a mortal. She explains to Sadko how to catch three golden fish which will lead to his fortune after a long voyage. The Princess promises to him to wait patiently for his return. At dawn, from the lake the voice of the Sea-Tsar is heard. He calls his daughters home into the depths. The girls once again turn into white swans and swim away into the distance.

''Scene 3 – An attic in Sadko's home (in Novgorod)''

Sadko's wife, Lubava, is missing her husband. She is happy when he comes home at last, but distressed when he announces his intention to leave immediately in order to seek his fortune.

''Scene 4 – A pier in Novgorod (on the banks of Lake Ilmen)''
{{listen|type=music|filename=Rimsky-Korsakov - Vasa Prihoda (1929) Chant Hindou.ogg|title="The Song of the Indian Guest"|description=1929 recording of transcription for violin and piano, featuring violinist [[Váša Příhoda]]}}
Merchants assemble at the quayside and Nezhata sings another gusli song. The merchants deride Sadko when he explains how he will win his fortune by catching three golden fish. Sadko bets them that he can do this, and, after he is successful in catching the fish, he wins their ships to take on his voyage. He sets about gathering a crew for his voyage. Three visiting merchants, a Viking, an Indian and a Venetian, sing in turn of their homelands ([[Song of India (song)|Song of India]]). Sadko decides to set sail for Venice.

''Scene 5 – A peaceful expanse of the ocean''

Sadko's fleet of ships is returning home, laden with treasure, but becomes becalmed. Sadko's crew throw treasure over the side to propitiate the Sea-Tsar, but no wind appears. Sadko is left behind, clinging to a log, when the wind suddenly picks up while he is overboard.

''Scene 6 – In the depths of the sea''

The scene shifts to the realm of the sea-Tsar, where Sadko sings to the Tsar and tsarina , winning the hand of their daughter, Volkhova. The wedding celebrations become so boisterous that a storm springs up, sinking ships on the surface of the sea, and the realm of the Sea-Tsar is destroyed. The end of the reign of the pagan tsar is heralded by an apparition of a Christian pilgrim (actually [[Saint Nicholas of Mozhaysk|St Nicholas of Mozhaysk]]).{{sfn|Morrison|2001|pp=285–286}} Sadko and Volkhova escape the destruction on a sea-shell.

''Scene 7 – Novogrod, a green meadow on the shores of Lake Ilmen''

Sadko is asleep by the lakeside. Volkhova watches over him and sings a lullaby. Before he wakes, she bids him farewell and then disappears, becoming changed into the River Volkhova that now links Lake Ilmen with the sea. Lubava finds her husband asleep and wakes him: he believes that his voyage was nothing but a dream, but the sight of the new river and his fleet of ships convinces him that he really is now a very wealthy man.

== Principal arias and numbers ==
[[File:Ilya Repin - Sadko - Google Art Project levels adjustment 2.jpg|right|thumb|150px|''[[Sadko (painting)|Sadko]]'', painting by [[Ilya Repin]] (1876)]]
[[File:Zabela-Vrubel as Volkhova by Mikhail Vrubel.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Nadezhda Zabela-Vrubel]] as Volkhova by [[Mikhail Vrubel]], 1898]]

* Three arias fit into the plot as descriptions by foreign merchants of their respective countries.
** Song of the Varangian Guest (Песня Варяжского гостя), or "Song of the Viking Guest"
** Song of the Indian Guest (Песня Индийского гостя)
** Song of the Venetian Guest (Песня Веденецкого гостя)
*Volkhova's Lullaby (Колыбельная Волховы)

==Recordings==
* 1950, [[Nikolai Golovanov]] (conductor), USSR Bolshoi Theatre Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra, Georgi Nalepp (Sadko), Yelizaveta Shumskaya (Volkhova), Vera Davydova (Lyubava), Sergei Krasovsky (Sea Tsar), Yelizaveta Antonova (gusli-player), Sergei Koltypin (Buffoon 1), Alexei Peregudov (Buffoon 2), Tikhon Chernyakov (Novgorod head), Stephan Nikolau (voyvode), [[Mark Reizen]] (Viking merchant), [[Ivan Kozlovsky]] (Indian merchant), Pavel Lisitsian (Venetian merchant), Ilya Bogdanov (Mighty Old Man). (Melodiya LP M10 01480, 4 records; Preiser Mono 90655, 3 discs; Naxos Classical Archives 9.80931-33).
* 1994, [[Valery Gergiev]] (conductor), Kirov Orchestra and Chorus of the Marijinski Theater, St. Petersburg, [[Vladimir Galouzine]] (Sadko), Valentina Tsidipova (Volkhova), Marianna Tarassova (Lyubava), Sergei Aleksashkin (Sea Tsar). (Philips CD 442 138–2, 3 discs; reissued as part of Decca set ''Rimsky-Korsakov: 5 Operas'' 478 2705, 11 discs, but without text or translation).

===Video===
* 1980 live performance: [[Yuri Simonov]] (conductor), Orchestra & Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre. [[Vladimir Atlantov]] (Sadko), [[Tamara Milashkina]] (Volkhova), [[Irina Arkhipova]] (Lyubava), [[Boris Morozov]] (Sea Tsar), Alexandre Ognivstev (Viking Guest), Lev Kuznetsov (Indian Guest), Alexander Voroshilo (Venetian Merchant). Mono. 173 minutes. (DVD VAI 4512; Classound DVD CLASS 001)
* 1994, [[Valery Gergiev]] (conductor), Kirov Orchestra and Chorus of the Marijinski Theater (artist details as for CD version listed)
* 2020 live performance: Timor Zangiev (conductor), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Chorus. Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov (Sadko), [[Aida Garifullina]] (Volkhova), [[Ekaterina Semenchuk]] (Lyubava), Stanislav Trofimov (Sea Tsar), Dmitry Ulianov (Varangian Guest), Alexey Nekludov (Indian Guest), Andrey Zhilikhovsky (Venetian Merchant). 186 minutes, Blu-Ray BelAir BAC 488.

==Related works==
*Rimsky-Korsakov's earlier symphonic poem [[Sadko (musical tableau)|''Sadko'', Op. 5]] (1867), may be regarded as a precursor to the opera, as it is based on the same story and the opera incorporates several musical ideas from the orchestral work. There are three versions:
#''Episode from the [[Bylina|Bïlina]] of Sadko'' (1867)
#''Musical Tableau–Sadko'' (1869)
#''Musical Tableau–Sadko'' (1892)

==Adaptations==
In 1922 the English composer [[Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji]] wrote a pastiche on the "Hindu Merchant's Song" as the third of his ''Three Pastiches for Piano''. In 1953, a Russian film directed by [[Aleksandr Ptushko]] entitled ''[[Sadko (film)|Sadko]]'' based on the opera and featuring Rimsky-Korsakov's music was released.
The 1953 Soviet biopic ''[[Rimsky-Korsakov (film)|Rimsky-Korsakov]]'' features pieces of the opera.
{{anchor|Dorsey}}[[Tommy Dorsey]]'s 1938 instrumental arrangement of the "Song of the Indian Guest" is a [[jazz]] classic, compiled on ''[[This Is Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra, Vol. 1]]''.

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{reflist|25em}}
'''Sources'''
* {{cite book |last=Abraham|first=Gerald|author-link=Gerald Abraham|title=Studies in Russian Music|year=1936|publisher=William Reeves / The New Temple Press|location=London|pages=221–245|chapter=XI. ''Sadko''}}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Holden|editor-first=Amanda|editor-link=Amanda Holden (writer)|title=The New Penguin Opera Guide|location=New York|publisher=Penguin Putnam|year=2001|isbn=0-14-029312-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780140514759}}
*{{cite book|last=Horner|first=Keith|chapter-url=http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/09001|chapter-url-access=subscription|chapter=Esposito, Michele|title=The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|title-link=The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|access-date=13 July 2015}}
*{{cite book|last=Kaminski|first=Piotr|chapter=Rimski-Korsakov: ''Sadko''|title=Mille et un opéras|location=Paris|publisher=Fayard|year=2003}}
*{{cite journal|last=Morrison|first=Simon|author-link=Simon Morrison|title=The Semiotics of Symmetry, or Rimsky-Korsakov's operatic history lesson|journal=Cambridge Opera Journal|volume=13|number=3|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2001|pages=261–293|doi=10.1017/S0954586701002610|s2cid=191628071}}
*{{cite book|last=Rimsky-Korsakoff|first=NA|title=My Musical Life|translator=J A Joffe|publisher=Martin Secker|location=London|year=1924}}
*{{cite book|last=Taruskin|first=Richard|author-link=Richard Taruskin|chapter-url=http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O002379|chapter-url-access=subscription|chapter=''Sadko''|title=The New Grove Dictionary of Opera|title-link=The New Grove Dictionary of Opera|year=1997|access-date=13 July 2015}}

==Further reading==
*[[George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood|Harewood, Lord]]: "Sadko", pp.&nbsp;944–947 of ''Kobbé's Complete Opera Book'' (London: Putnam, 9th Edition 1976); {{ISBN|0-370-10020-4}}.
*Huth, Andrew: booklet included in ''Rimsky-Korsakov: 5 Operas'', Decca Music Group, 2011. 11 CDs 478 2705
*[[John Warrack|Warrack, John]] and West, Ewan: ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), {{ISBN|0-19-869164-5}}.

==External links==
{{commons category|Sadko (opera)}}
* {{IMSLP|work=Sadko (opera) (Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay)|cname=''Sadko''}}
* {{Almanacco|<!-- dmy=07-01-1898| -->match=Sadko|label=''Sadko'', all dates}}
* [http://www.dicoseunpo.it/R_files/Sadko.pdf Libretto in transliterated Russian plus Italian translation]
* [http://www.ceo.spb.ru/libretto/classic/posle_glinki/sadko.zip Compressed version of the libretto in Russian]
* [http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/p/phi42138a.php Review of Gergiev recording] (CD version) by Steve Schwartz
* [http://www.operatoday.com/content/2007/04/rimskykorsakov_1.php Review of Gergiev recording] (DVD version) by Roy J. Guenther
* [http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLRISADK.HTM#5 Discography]
* {{YouTube|22zE-jgh5JU|''Sadko'' in Bolshoi (1980)}}

{{Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov}}
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[[Category:Russian folklore]]
[[Category:Operas by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]]
[[Category:Russian-language operas]]
[[Category:1898 operas]]
[[Category:Operas]]
[[Category:Operas set in Russia]]
[[Category:Novgorod Republic]]
[[Category:Libretti by Vladimir Belsky]]
[[Category:Hinduism in opera]]