Rimsky Korsakov Golden Cockerel Opera - Essay Example

? Rimsky Korsakov Golden Cockerel December 2, Rimsky Korsakov Golden Cockerel Introduction. Opera is one the music-based art genres. The research delves on satire. The research delves on Golden Cockerel themes. The satire, Golden Cockerel opera, pokes fun at real life issues. Body. The Golden Cockerel Opera story is classified as a music-based satire (Twark 2007, 21). The musical score is strong evidence of the opera composer’s very vibrant musical temperament (http://music.yahoo.com/golden-cockerel/ ). The Pushkin satire intends to poke fun. The story centers on making the audience happily laugh after seeing the entire opera. One such satiric scene is the small fragile powerless Golden Cockerel easily killing of the strongly overpowering king. Another satiric scene is king’s being late to save his sons from the deadly onslaught of the enemy army. A third satiric opera scene is disloyal astrologer’s forcing his superior king to turn over the Shemakha queen to the astrologer. The king was right to kill the astrologer. Viewing the Youtube Video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gva90C_7NeQ, Olga Trifonova played the important musical parts of the play, as the lead singer. Olga is the soprano of the Rimksy-Korsakov tragedy. Music, text, etc. of Nationalism and Exoticism. The opera musical score is excellently orchestrated. The characters are assigned different singing voice levels. King Dodon sings the bass tone. Prince Guidon sings using the tenor tone. Prince Afron sings using the baritone tone. General Polkan sings using the bass tone. Armelfa, the royal housekeeper sings using the contralto tone. The Astroloer sings using the tenor tone. The queen of Shemakha sings using the soprano tone. Lastly, the Golden Cockeral sings using the soprano tone (Osborne 2007, 362). One video shows the virtuosity of 13 year old Anna Savkina playing the violin in one orchestra rendition of the play (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFTAxa6bF0M). In another video, Soprano Olga Trifonova gives a lively rendition of the Hymn to the Sun song of Opera. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gva90C_7NeQ). A separate video shows the lively musical notes of the violin section of the complex orchestra play (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_He3VLpICg). Vocal ranges. In addition, the opera includes singers who surpass the required vocal ranges. Further, different singers were hired to add color to the exciting orchestra play (www.youtube.com) Nationalism Satire (Nationalism and Exoticism). Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel (Le Coq D’ Or) musical masterpieces centers on the fairy tale satire of Alexander Puskin (http://www.youtube.com). The opera piece combines several themes that include the themes of nationalism and exoticism. The themes include brutality, romance, and mild fantasy scenes. The story also includes romance scenes in the violence-tainted operatic masterpiece. The story revolves around King Dodon. As in other fairy tale stories, the king is old and tired from the daily grind of one’s kingly duties. The fantasy includes the astrologer’s offering the King a golden cockerel. The cockerel is trained to crow whenever danger approaches (Ackart 1992, 88). Nationalistic mockery theme: Untimely death of the King’s sons.vThe musical play shows a nationalistic statement that the Russian King Czar’s children are weak and cannot defend themselves. In the Golden Cockerel Opera, King Dodon’s sons are not successful in their desire to defend the kingdom from the approaching enemy’s army (Goodman, 1992, 101). The king did not arrive in time to save his sons from the marauding enemy army. The king failed to fulfill his duty to ensure his children are not killed in battle. Likewise, the astrologer is not successful in persuading the king to give the Queen as payment for the golden cockerel bird. The king represents the theme of mistrust. The astrologer should not have trusted the king. The king broke his promise to grant the astrologer anything the astrologer chooses as payment for the golden cockerel. When the astrologer forces the king to give up Queen, the king kills the astrologer. The opera shows that many people in power often abuse their power. The king’s action shows the theme of selfishness. Nationalism theme. Likewise, the orchestra songs delve on nationalism (Kumar 2006 7). The soldiers of the king are willing to die for the king and the kingdom. The story turns sad when the king’s sons are killed in battle. The sons’ nationalistic temperament precipitates to the ending of their young lives. The king could have run away from the battle. Upon seeing that the enemies are too powerful, the king could have run away. Instead, the king stands his ground. During the thickness of the battle, the king searches for his sons. The king finds his sons’ dead bodies in the battlefield. The king decides to stay food and fight for the survival of his only kingdom. Anti Czar Theme. The music-based satire has the impression that the author, Rimsky-Korsakov, wanted to make a nationalistic statement (Osborne 2007, 362). The nationalistic statement is that the play’s King Dodon character resembles the Russian Czar Nicholas II. The character presents the Russian King as slothful. Likewise, the King Dodon character presents the Russian King Czar Nicholas II as often engaging in extremely crazy war activities. The play portrays the real Russian Czar as having a weak will. The play brings to mind the recently concluded Japanese- Russian war. The war ended with a humiliating defeat of the Russian Nation. Because of the anti- Czar nationalistic themes, the author, Rimsky-Korsakov, was not allowed to stage the play without making the necessary adjustments. The adjustments were needed to diffuse the anti-government scenes and anti- Czar political speeches of the characters and the entire story. Refusing to implement the necessary play adjustments to curtail the anti-Czar comments, the play was banned from being shown in Russia’s opera theatres (Osborne 2007, 362). After, Rimsky-Korsakov’s death, the required music, text, and other politically-constrained changes were implemented. The king character was demoted to a mere commander. Likewise, the General Polkan character was demoted to a Colonel. More importantly, the Golden Cockerel’s song to King (or Colonel) Dodon was changed from the original Rule, and sleep easy in your bed to the tempered Sleep easy in your bed (Osborne 2007, 362). The changes were done to diffuse the anti-Czar nationalism and exoticism themes of the play. Nationalism: Lazy King. Further, the story revolves around the king’s desire to stay in bed (setting a nationalistic mocking of Russian Czar Nicholas II. However, the constant attacks on the kingdom forces the king to stay awake and alert for the next possible territorial breach. In addition, the opera author also includes disunity in the story. The king’s two children are constantly bickering (Osborne 2007, 362). The bickering prevents the children from helping the king protect the kingdom from the continuing enemy attacks. To help the king, the astrologer helps reduce the king’s tiring watch. The astrologer’s golden cockerel gift offers the king more time to rest and sleep. The astrologer assures the king that the cockerel will inform the king of any possible enemy dangers. Nationalism: Disloyalty of Astrologer. After the king kills the astrologer, the golden cockerel kills the king with his beak (McCants 2003, 73). The Opera closes with the astrologer mentioning to the audience that the entire story is a dream. The queen’s music al voice fills the air in passionate manner. An historic Russian musical piece permeates the opera stage to bring to mind the stories of the king and the king’s court. Nationalism: Characters of Golden Cockerel. The story revolves upon several characters. The king is described as a person who prefers to stay in bed all day and all night. The king prefers to sleep all long. The king is depicted as a lady person. The lazy king abhors having to stay awake to fight the approaching enemies. In addition, the opera centers on the constantly fighting brothers. The two brothers are depicted as often in an unfriendly mood. The sons are depicted people who cannot control themselves. Since the brothers cannot control themselves, the Golden Cockerel opera audience is given the impression that the king’s sons are fit to rule. Nationalism: Leadership qualities. To be the nation’s good ruler, the play uses the medium of music offers a nationalistic impression that the king or ruler must have strong self -control. The author’s story includes having the king’s children as framed as foolish children. The story also includes gullible court members. The story also shows the people, inhabitants, or residents of the king’s kingdom as immature. The inexperienced king’s soldiers do not have the strength and expertise to defend the kingdom against the advancing enemy soldiers. The opera’s curtain closes as each of the three Golden Cockerel acts end (McCants 2003, 73). Exoticism In terms of exoticism, the author, Rimsky-Korskov’s Le Coq d’ Or (The Golden Cockerel) was based on the Alexander Pushkin’s popular story The Tale of the Golden Cockerel. The author incorporated modern themes in the writing of the musical and story parts of the play. The author injected a realist and a satirical theme to the play. Other observers indicated that the author also incorporated some modern and hermetic themes. The author admits that he intentionally infused the story with ambivalent modern musical concepts. To successful infuse the play with modernist themes, the librettist Vladimir Belsky (a modernist) and the author collaborated in the polishing of the opera’s musical and story text lines (Wachtel 1998, 73). Exoticism theme. More importantly, the Golden Cockerel opera espouses exotic theme, love. The king is enamored by the Queen of Shemakha’s exotic beauty (Goodman 101). The king is easily magnetized by the foreign queen’s beauty. The queen shows that she has a unique exotic seductive beauty. The queen’s beauty is strong enough to make one a clown. The queen’s beauty is fragrant enough to make the suitor sing for the exotic beauty of the Shemakha. The queen’s beauty is able to make any admirer dance for joy. The king would do anything to have the queen all for him self. The queen’s exotic beauty is alluring enough to catch the admiring eyes of the astrologer. In addition, the exotic Golden Cockerel story brings out one of the most popular opera themes (Ackart, Classical Music -Rimsky-Korsakov's The Golden Cockerel 1992, 88). The theme is love. The opera proves that love can move mountains. The opera shows that the love can soften even the strongest person. In the story, the queen of Shemakha tests if the king has true love for the queen. The queen successfully seduces the king. The king eagerly complies. The king dances to win the heart of the Shemakha queen. The king sings his heart out to lovingly melt the queen’s heart. The king makes funny gestures in order to make the king’s love object, the Shemakha queen accept the king’s love overtures. After leaving the opera, the audiences will recall the opera’s favorite musical scores. The favorite parts of the opera include the wedding song, the Hymn to the Sun and the King Dodon’s Dance songs. The orchestra’s musical rendition of the songs elevates the Golden Cockerel musical story to the prestigious masterpiece plateau. The satire makes the audience happy by making fun of real life situations (Osborne 2007, 360). Exoticism: Seduction, woman’s weapon. However, the play borders on the exotic theme of women’s seduction. The queen uses her womanly charms to persuade the king to do whatever she pleases. The queen uses her beautiful body to neutralize the king’s brutality. When the story ends, the astrologer informs the attentive Opera audience that the king is only one of the astrologer’s dream characters. The astrologer persuades the opera audience that the king’s brutality is only a fantasy. The astrologer states that the fantasy is only the astrologer’s dream. The story ends with the astrologer giving an impression that the only real persons in the entire story are the astrologer and the queen. The astrologer hints that the other persons in the story are figments of fancy (Goodman 1992, 101). Seductive theme. Furthermore, the Rimksy-Korsakov music borders on exoticism’s seductive or sensual themes. The king’s desire to marry the Queen of Shemakha and the Astrologer’s desire to take the Queen as payment for the golden cockerel impresses on the opera audiences of the author’s love theme. Further, the music includes political themes of loyalty. The king’s constant watch for possible enemy encroachments into his kingdom shows vivid themes of political leadership. The king will go the extra mile to prevent the enemies from overrunning the king’s territorial jurisdiction. Real singers are person who can sing well and can act out the story lines in perfect cadence (Ackart 1992, 88). Exoticism: Gift. The play includes the giving of an exotic gift. The Golden Cockerel is the astrologer’s exotic gift to the king. In exchange for the gift, the king grants the astrologer anything. In response, the astrologer requests that the king give the Queen of Shemakha’s hand in marriage to the astrologer. The King is caught off guard. The king was planning to marry the Queen of Shemakha. The king refuses to grant the astrologer’s demand that the king turn over the Queen of Shemakha to the Astrologer (Osborne, The Opera Lover's Companion 2007, 360). Conclusion. Summarizing the above discussion, the opera has nationalistic and exotic themes. The satire injects comedy in the musical score. The two Golden Cockerel themes satirically incorporate romance, love, disloyalty, and other issues to the previously banned play. Evidently, the satire, Golden Cockerel opera, majestically adds a comedic spice to real life themes of exoticism and nationalism. References: Ackart, Robert. "Chorus and Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre." Stereo Review 57, no. 5 (1992): 88. Kumar, Krishan. The Handbook of Nations and Nationalism. New York: Sage Press, 2006. Osborne, Charles. The Opera Lover's Comparison. New York: Univesity Press, 2007. McCants, Clyde. Opera for Libraries. New York: McFarland Press, 2003. Youtube. The Golden Cockerel. Retrieved December 3, 2012 from Youtube. The Goldern Cockerel. Retrieved December 3, 2012 from Youtube. The Goldern Cockerel. Retrieved December 3, 2012 from Yahoo.comThe Golden Cockerel by Rimskii Korsakov. Retrieved December 2, 2012 from < http://music.yahoo.com/golden-cockerel/ > Twark, Jill. Humor, Satire, and Identity. New York: Walter Gruyter Press, 2007. Rimskii korsakov golden cockerel, retrieved November 28, 2012 from Read More