Juno and Avos (opera)
| Juno And Avos | |
|---|---|
 Original Record, 1980 | |
| Music | Alexey Rybnikov |
| Lyrics | Andrei Voznesensky |
| Productions | 1979 Original Version |
Juno and Avos (Russian: Юнона и Авось, Junona I Avos') is a popular Russian-language rock opera written by Alexey Rybnikov, poetry by Andrei Voznesensky. It was first performed in 1981 in the Lenkom Theatre, Moscow, directed by Mark Zakharov. Main roles in the premiere performed by Soviet stars Nikolai Karachentsov and Elena Shanina.
The opera is named after the two ships Juno and Avos that constituted the expedition headed by Russian explorer Nikolai Rezanov. The plot is based on the love story of Nikolai Rezanov and Concepción Argüello, a 15-year-old daughter of José Darío Argüello, the colonial governor of Spanish California.
The performance was first recorded for television in 1983, the second television version was created in 2002.[1]
The opera's first premiere abroad took place at Espace Cardin theater in Paris in 1983.[2]
Original story
The
In 1806 Nikolai Rezanov arrived in California, then a part of New Spain, to get provisioning for Russian settlements in Alaska. Maria fell in love with Rezanov and they got engaged. To marry Maria, a Catholic, Rezanov had to obtain the Emperor's permission. He also had to sail back to Alaska. On his way back to
In the fall of 2000 the sheriff of Benicia, California, where Maria is buried, brought a handful of earth and a rose from her grave to Rezanov's grave in Krasnoyarsk. The cross on the grave is engraved with "I will never forget you" on one side and "I will never see you again" on the other, referencing a line from a popular track of the opera performed by a male and a female singer.
Voznesensky never claimed historical accuracy in his account, stating that characters in his poem are images echoing the fates of real people.
Plot
After his wife's death, Court Chamberlain Rezanov decides to commit himself entirely to the service of Russia. His attempts to arrange trade with North America are not well received at government, but finally he is ordered to organize the expedition he desires. Before his departure, Rezanov tells a story that has been bothering him since his youth. Once he saw the icon of
Two ships, Juno and Avos, under
But good fortune is no longer on Rezanov's side. Fernando calls for a duel. The Russian-American company business is in decline. The scandal prompts the Russians to leave San Francisco. On his way back to Saint Petersburg, Rezanov falls ill and dies in Krasnoyarsk. Conchita dies in a Dominican monastery.
Credits
Original 1980 album version
- Gennady Trofimov – Nikolai Rezanov
- Anna Rybnikova – Conchita
- Peteris Tils – Federico
- Felix Ivanov – Count Rumyantsev; Lieutenant Khvostov; Father Yuvenali
- Alexander Samoilov – Jose Dario Arguello
- Jeanne Rozhdestvenkaya – Our Lady's Voice
- Konstantin Kuzhaliev – Lieutenant Davydov
Original 1981 stage version cast
- Nikolai Karachentsov – Nikolai Rezanov
- Elena Shanina – Conchita
- Aleksandr Abdulov – Fernando Lopez, Conchita's suitor; theatre actor; the heretic
- Pavel Smeyan – the first narrator
- Gennady Trofimov – the second narrator
- Vladimir Shiryaev – Aleksey Rumyantsev; José Darío Argüello, governor of San-Francisco and Conchita's father
References
- ^ "Рок-опера "Юнона и Авось". Справка". RIA Novosti. 9 July 2011.
- ^ "Stage". Los Angeles Times. 13 October 1989. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ "A Presidio Love Story". U.S. National Park Service, Presidio of San Francisco.
- ^ "Complete Poetical Works by Bret Harte: Concepcion de Arguello".
- ^ http://www.worldcat.org/title/history-of-the-russian-american-company/oclc/3089256 [bare URL]
External links
