Productions of Camille Saint-Saens’ Opera “Henry VIII” on the Russian Stage in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries: A Dialogue of the Cultures of Russia and France
Abstract
On the basis of archival materials, musical periodicals and the composer’s memoirs, this article
examines the history of the production of Camille Saint-Saens’ opera “Henry VIII” at the Bolshoi
Theater (1897) and the Zimin Opera (1911). On the basis of archival materials, the details of the
production and the perception of the opera by Russian audiences are reconstituted. The late 19th
and early 20th centuries constituted an epoch of close interpenetration of Russian and French opera
theaters. On the one hand, French opera during the fin de siècle presented an object of steadfast
attention of Russian audiences, composers and musicians. On the other hand, French composers were
interested in productions of their operas in Russia and presented themselves in concerts in Moscow
and St. Petersburg with the aim of popularizing their works. Among the cosmopolitan composers it
is, undoubtedly, possible to list Charles Camille Saint-Saens, who during the course of his musical
activities visited over 20 countries. The Moscow public’s introduction to Saint-Saens as an opera
composer took place in 1897 together with the premiere of his opera “Henry VIII” on the stage of
the Bolshoi Theater. The story of English king Henry VIII aroused interest among the leading opera
theaters, both in Russia and in France, and the production was vividly illuminated in the musical
press. The critical articles of the composer and his contemporaries present the unique opportunity to
compare the perception of the Russian and French audiences of the story of English king Henry VIII.
Keywords: Camille Saint-Saens, French historical opera, musical criticism, “Henry VIII.”
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33779/2587-6341.2020.2.156-165
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