Though overshadowed in the repertory by more frequently performed works like Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Glinka's A Life for the Tsar (1836) is a singularly important work in the history of opera. It was the first Russian opera to receive a foreign production (Prague, 1866), the first to establish itself permanently in the repertory, and the work which, in the view of many, marked the beginning of Russian nationalism in music.

A Life for the Tsar tells the story of the 1633 founding of the Romanov dynasty, which ruled Russia for nearly 300 years. It is the tale of Ivan Susanin, a peasant who sacrificed his life in order to thwart a Polish army force sent to kill the new boy Tsar (Michael Feodorvich) and install a Polish puppet ruler. (The focus on Susanin was virtually dictated by a Russian court rule that no member of the Romanov dynasty could be depicted on stage.) Glinka originally intended to call the opera Ivan Susanin, but when Czar Nicholas I expressed his enthusiasm for the work during rehearsals, he adopted the present title.

The opera was highly popular in Russia until the end of the Romanov reign, and its reception abroad was similarly enthusiastic. However, the Bolshevik regime forced the opera, with its glorification of the Tsar, off the stage for 20 years. In 1939, a nascent nationalist spirit in the face of the Fascist threat prompted the opera's return to the Russian stage, this time under the earlier title that places its peasant hero front and center.

The opera's most effective parts are those that turn to the melodic style of Russian folk and liturgical music; there are also some memorable numbers based on Polish music. For all his unabashed nationalism, Glinka at times could hardly escape conventional Italian operatic formulas. Nevertheless, with its pageantry and gripping action, as well as Glinka's effective orchestration, A Life for the Tsar makes for exciting listening, and it still holds the stage well as a vital part of the Russian repertoire.

© All Music Guide

Act 1 - 1.Ouverture

Glinka, considered the father of Russian Nationalism in music, is largely known for two works: the operas A Life for the Tsar (1834 - 1836) and Ruslan and Lyudmila (1837 - 1842). Though the latter work met with a tepid reception at its premiere, while the former was an immediate success, Ruslan would eventually come to be ranked as his most influential effort, its rhythmically and harmonically inventive music rising above its mediocre libretto. Popular in the concert halls for a century and a half has been the work's perky overture, probably the composer's most widely performed orchestral piece. The Overture opens with a driving rhythmic figure that augurs the rhythmic styles of Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, and so many other Russian composers from succeeding generations. There follows a vigorous, joyous theme that hustles and leaps about with seemingly unbounded energy. After this melody is presented in a slightly subdued guise, a second theme is heard, a lively but mellow creation especially in its first appearance, played in the middle ranges of the cellos. Later, the opening rhythm is recalled and the themes are developed somewhat as the mood turns playful. Another go-round of themes is given before a variant of the main theme leads to the brilliant and colorful coda. A typical performance of this work lasts about five to six minutes.

© All Music Guide