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| Zaporozhets za Dunayem | |
|---|---|
| comic opera bySemen Hulak-Artemovsky | |
 The composer and librettist | |
| Native title | Ukrainian:Запорожець за Дунаєм |
| Translation | Cossack Beyond the Danube |
| Librettist | Hulak-Artemovsky |
| Language | Ukrainian / Russian |
| Premiere | |
Zaporozhets za Dunayem (Ukrainian:«Запорожець за Дунаєм»,lit. 'AZaporozhian (Cossack) Beyond theDanube', also referred to asCossacks in Exile) is aUkrainiancomic opera with spoken dialogue in three acts with music andlibretto by the composerSemen Hulak-Artemovsky (1813–1873) about Cossacks of theDanubian Sich. The orchestration has subsequently been rewritten by composers such asReinhold Glière andHeorhiy Maiboroda. This is one of the best-known Ukrainian comic operas depicting national themes.
It was premiered with a Russian libretto on 26 April [O.S. 14 April] 1863, inSt Petersburg (at the time the capital of theRussian Empire). However, it is now normally performed in a Ukrainian translation.
According to contemporary accounts, Hulak-Artemovsky based the libretto on a story by the historianMykola Kostomarov. The composer wrote nearly all of libretto, although some poetic phrasings are attributed to his good friend, the journalist V. Sykevych.
The story depicts the events following the destruction of the island fortress ofZaporizhian Sich, the historic stronghold of the UkrainianCossacks on theDnieper River. Although historically this destruction was ordered by the Russian EmpressCatherine II in 1775, for unknown reasons the composer chose to set the action in 1772. To tell the story of the freedom-lovingZaporozhian Cossacks ofUkraine, who had fought against the Russian Empire, Hulak-Artemovsky deliberately[citation needed] set the story inTurkish lands with the Cossacks fighting for theSultan. This change of locale helped the work get past theTsar's censors, who normally banned stories about Ukrainian Cossacks.[citation needed]
The orchestral score was completed in the autumn of 1862 by Konstantin Lyadov, (father ofAnatoly Lyadov), who developed it under the guidance of Hulak-Artemovsky. Hulak-Artemovsky had composed the original piano score and written the libretto (in Russian), no later than 12 July of that year (as the earliest known manuscript bears that date). The libretto and score were first published in 1866 in St Petersburg, by the firm of F. Stelovsky.
In 1902, the Ukrainian composerOleksandr Horily wrote theariaPrylyn', prylyn (Ukrainian:Пpилинь, пpилинь – "Come, come"), when arranging the comic opera forMykola Sadovsky's theatrical troupe. The aria essentially extended the vocal range of the character Oksana, who had previously been played bymezzo-sopranos; this aria is intended for asoprano.
After 1898, the original role of Prokop Teren (Ukrainian:Пpoкoп Tepeн), a rival of Andriy for the affections of Oksana, was eliminated (although in Moscow, the role was performed up until 1915).
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 26 April 1863 |
|---|---|---|
| Ivan Karas,a Zaporozhian Cossack, aged 45–50 | bass | Semen Hulak-Artemovsky |
| Odarka,aged 35, wife of Karas | soprano | |
| Andriy,a young Zaporozhian Cossack | tenor | |
| Oksana,an orphan maiden, raised by Karas and Odarka | soprano (originallymezzo-soprano) | Darya Leonova |
| The Sultan,aged 30 | baritone | |
| Selikh-Aha,a Turkish lord | tenor | |
| Ibrahim-Ali,anImam | bass | |
| Hasan,a servant |
The story is based on a historical event: when theZaporizhian Sich was overwhelmed by the Russian army, the Zaporizhian Cossacks and their families headed across theDanube River to the apparently safe haven of theOttoman Empire (this area is now part ofRomania) and established theDanube Sich (seeZaporozhian Host: Russian rule).
The comedy arises from the efforts made by a Cossack clan to adjust to their new home, and from the eccentric behaviour of an amorous TurkishSultan. The plot revolves around a chance encounter between Ivan Karas, an oldDnieper Cossack and the Turkish Sultan travelling incognito, resulting in permission for all the "Cossacks beyond the Danube" to resettle onImperial Russian land, back inUkraine.
Zaporozhets za Dunayem (A Cossack Beyond the Danube)
Zaporozhets Za Dunayem also known asCossacks Beyond the Danube 1938-Ukraine/USSR-Costume Adventure/Film-Opera
Produced in Ukraine by a home-grown production staff, this comic opera was released in English-speaking countries asCossacks Beyond the Danube. Distributor:Amkino; Running Time: 73 Minutes; Starring: Stepan Shkurat; Directed by: Ivan Kavaleridze
