Rutger Helmers
May 16, 2013, 15:30-17:00
Universiteitstheater, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 16, zaal 3.01
The history of nineteenth-century Russian opera has
always been closely associated with the search for a distinctive, national style
of composition. It is worth noting, however, that the notion of what
constitutes Russian music is closely associated with actual portrayals of
Russia: the vast majority of the Russian canonical operatic repertoire is based
on Russian subjects—something that is hardly the case, for instance, for the
French or Italian traditions. The Russian conception of national opera,
therefore, appears to be intimately related to the notion of local colour, and
as Marina Frolova-Walker recently argued, this relation is worth exploring in
more detail. What were the implications when Russian composers chose a
non-Russian subject? How did such works relate to the widespread desire to
develop a recognizable national style of Russian music? How did the potential tension
between the portrayal of the characters on stage and the sense of the
composer’s own national identity play out?
Focussing on Aleksandr Serov’s biblical opera Judith (1863), this lecture will show
the confusion and lack of consensus surrounding these questions in nineteenth-century
discourse and examine the implications for our understanding of the role of
nationalism in the history of Russian music.