Composed: 1866–69, completed by Cui and Rimsky-Korsakov 1870 Premiered: 1872, St Petersburg Libretto set directly to Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin’s verse tragedy Act I Don Juan has been exiled from Madrid for murdering Don Alvaro, the commander. He has now returned in secret, accompanied by his servant Leporello, to see an old flame, the actress Laura. ...
1813–69, Russian Alexander Dargomïzhsky belonged to an aristocratic family in St Petersburg. He entered government service, but resigned his post in 1843. The musical training he received in his youth enabled him to build a reputation as a pianist and his acquaintance with during the winter of 1833–34 with Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804–57) involved him in the movement to ...
(Al-yek-san-der Där-go-mezh’-ke) 1813–69 Russian composer From a landowning background, Dargomïzhsky was renowned in the salons of St Petersburg as a performer and composer, while pursuing a civil service career. Emulating the example of his contemporary Glinka, Dargomïzhsky followed his first opera Esmeralda (1839) with two works of overtly Russian character based on Pushkin, Rusalka (1856) and The Stone ...
1806–78, Russian Osip Petrov, a Russian bass with a rich, dark voice and strong dramatic instincts, made his debut in 1826 and sang regularly at St Petersburg from 1830 until his death. He soon established himself as the first great Russian bass. His arrival on the Russian opera scene was fortuitous. Nationalist composers sought him out to ...
1824–74, German The German composer Peter Cornelius first intended to be an actor, but instead chose music after studying in Mainz, his home town, and Berlin. In 1852, Cornelius went to Weimar, where he encountered Liszt, then Kapellmeister to the grand duke. While admiring him, Cornelius was wary of the influence of Wagner ...
(Van-son’ Dan-de’) 1851–1931 French composer An influential member of Franck’s circle, D’Indy was a vociferous promoter of Franck’s ideas, and his biographer. He was a prolific composer in every genre. He excelled in programme music, inspired by French and Swiss landscapes and nature. Best known are the colourful tone-poems for piano and orchestra, Jour d’été à la montagne ...
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