The Snow Maiden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Snow Maiden |
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| by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | |
Yevgeniya Zbruyeva as Lel at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow (1894)
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| Native title | Russian: Снегурочка–Весенняя сказка, romanized: Snegurotchka Vesennyaya Skazka |
| Librettist | Rimsky-Korsakov |
| Language | Russian |
| Premiere | 29 January 1882: Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg |
The Snow Maiden (also called A Spring Fairy Tale) is an opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. An opera is like a play where the story is told mostly through singing, with music played by an orchestra. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote this opera between 1880 and 1881.
The story of The Snow Maiden comes from a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the words (called the libretto) for the opera himself, in Russian. The very first time this opera was performed was on January 29, 1882. It happened at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The conductor was Eduard Nápravník.
Rimsky-Korsakov loved this opera the most out of all his works. He even made some changes to it in 1898, which is the version we know today. In 2017, the Paris Opera made a film of the opera. It was based on a live show with the Orchestre de l'Opera National de Paris.
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Opera performances
The opera was first shown in Moscow three years after its Saint Petersburg premiere, in 1885. It was put on by the Russian Private Opera. Famous artists like Viktor Vasnetsov helped design the sets.
Later, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow also performed the opera in 1893. The opera traveled to the United States too. Its first performance there was on January 23, 1922. It was shown at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. A famous singer named Lucrezia Bori played the main role.
In March 2014, the University College Opera presented a new English version of The Snow Maiden. This was performed at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London.
Main characters
Here are the main characters in The Snow Maiden:
| Character | Voice type | First singer in Saint Petersburg (1882) |
|---|---|---|
| Tsar Berendey | tenor | Mikhail Vasilyev |
| Bermyata, a trusted advisor to the Tsar | bass | Mikhail Koryakin |
| Spring Beauty | mezzo-soprano | Mariya Kamenskaya |
| Grandfather Frost | bass | Fyodor Stravinsky |
| The Snow Maiden | soprano | Feodosiya Velinskaya |
| Bobyl Bakula | tenor | Vasily Vasilyev |
| Bobylikha | mezzo-soprano | Olga Shreder |
| Lel | contralto | Anna Bichurina |
| Kupava, a young woman | soprano | Mariya Makarova |
| Mizgir, a merchant | baritone | Ippolit Pryanishnikov |
There are also many other characters like villagers, musicians, shepherds, and magical forest creatures.
The story of the opera
The story takes place a very long time ago in the land of the Berendeyans.
Prologue: The Snow Maiden's wish
The story begins on Red Hill. The Snow Maiden is 15 years old. She is the daughter of Spring Beauty and Grandfather Frost. She wants to live among the people in a nearby village. Her parents agree to let her go. She is adopted by a couple named Bobyl-Bakula and his wife.
Act 1: Love and heartbreak
The Snow Maiden lives in the village of Berendeyevka. She loves listening to the songs of a shepherd named Lel. But she feels sad when Lel leaves with other girls. Then, a young woman named Kupava enters. She announces that she is getting married to Mizgir.
The wedding ceremony starts. But Mizgir sees the Snow Maiden and falls in love with her right away. He begs her to love him instead. Kupava is very upset by this. She tells the villagers what Mizgir has done. They tell her to go to the Tsar for help.
Act 2: The Tsar's challenge
Kupava goes to Tsar Berendey's palace. She complains to the Tsar about Mizgir. The Tsar decides to send Mizgir away to the forest as punishment. But then, the beautiful Snow Maiden appears. The Tsar asks her who she loves. She says she loves no one.
The Tsar then declares a contest. He says that whoever can make the Snow Maiden fall in love with them will win her hand and a royal prize. The young women suggest Lel as the best choice. But Mizgir promises that he will win the Snow Maiden's heart. The Tsar agrees to the contest, and the people sing his praises.
Act 3: A wish for love
That evening, everyone is having fun in a forest. They sing and dance. The Tsar asks Lel to choose a maiden. Even though the Snow Maiden begs him, Lel kisses Kupava and leaves with her. The Snow Maiden is left alone and feels very sad. She wonders why Lel did not choose her.
Suddenly, Mizgir appears again. He tries once more to win her love. The Snow Maiden is scared by his words and runs away. A magical Wood-Sprite tricks Mizgir into following a fake image of the Snow Maiden. Lel and Kupava then enter, showing their love for each other. The Snow Maiden sees them and their happiness. At last, she truly wishes she could feel love too.
Act 4: The sun's warmth
The next day, dawn breaks in the valley of Yarilo, the sun god. The Snow Maiden calls for her mother, Spring Beauty. Spring appears from a lake, surrounded by flowers. Spring gives her daughter a special garland. She warns her to stay out of the sun's bright light. Spring and her helpers then go back into the lake.
Before the Snow Maiden can hide in the forest, Mizgir appears. The Snow Maiden can no longer resist. She tells him that she loves him. The Berendeyans arrive in pairs, celebrating Yarilo's Day. Mizgir introduces the Snow Maiden as his bride. As she tells Mizgir she loves him, a bright ray of sunlight shines on her. The Snow Maiden says goodbye. The power to love is also the reason she must disappear. To everyone's surprise, she melts away. Mizgir is heartbroken and dies soon after.
The Tsar calms the shocked people. He explains that this event has ended the long winter that has lasted for 15 years. The people then sing a powerful song to Yarilo, the sun god.
Music highlights
The opera has many beautiful musical pieces. Some of the most famous parts include:
- Prologue
- Introduction
- Chorus of the Birds
- Snow Maiden's Aria (a song for one singer)
- Act 1
- Lel's First Song
- Lel's Second Song
- Act 3
- Dance of the Skomorokhi (a lively dance)
- Lel's Third Song
- Act 4
- Hymn to Yarilo (a song praising the sun god)
- A special musical suite (a collection of pieces) was made from the opera. It includes:
- Introduction
- Dance of the Birds
- Procession of Tsar Berendey
- Dance of the Skomorokhi
- Before Rimsky-Korsakov's opera, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky also wrote music for Ostrovsky's play The Snow Maiden in 1873.
Recordings
You can find several recordings of The Snow Maiden. One recent recording is from a 2017 performance by the Opéra national de Paris. It features singers like Aida Garifullina as the Snow Maiden and Yuriy Mynenko as Lel. This performance is available on Blu-ray and DVD.
See also
In Spanish: La doncella de nieve para niños
