This year marks the 205th anniversary of the birth of the world-famous composer, our famous countryman Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819–1872). By this date, the National Library of Belarus is replenishing with new materials the already existing virtual project "Stanislaw Moniuszko. Musical romantic from Minsk region", created in 2019.
Five years ago, the composer's landmark 200th anniversary was included in the UNESCO list of memorable dates and was widely celebrated by the world and Belarusian cultural community. Now, approaching the next anniversary, which will be celebrated on May 5, 2024, we are pleased to inform our readers and users about the unique documents that will soon become available to a wide audience in the mentioned virtual project.
This year, the library established fruitful cooperation with the archive of the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter – the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus), whose staff handed over valuable materials about the composer preserved in archival collections. Among the documents are posters of Stanislaw Moniuszko's operas “Galka” and "Terrible Courtyard", as well as scenes from productions of these outstanding works by the composer, which were once offered to the Belarusian public on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus.
Posters of the operas ”Galka“ and ”Terrible Courtyard". From the archive of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Thus, information has been preserved that the composer's most famous opera “Galka” (1847) was first held in Minsk back in 1856. In 1975, the audience saw the famous “Galka” already on the stage of the Belarusian State Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre. The work was performed by soloists invited from Poland, Halina Romanowska and Boleslav Paulus, directed by Boleslav Jankowski from Wroclaw. It is pleasant that Lev Lyakh, a graduate of the Belarusian State Conservatory (now the Belarusian State Academy of Music), stood at the conductor's desk, who achieved high musical accuracy and coherence of performance in this performance.
From the archive of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
For about 90 years, the opera “Terrible Courtyard" (1861–1864), the pinnacle of Stanislaw Moniuszko's operatic skill, has been waiting for a stage incarnation in Belarus. This work is inextricably linked with the homeland of our countryman, the Smilovichi, and embodies the legends of the Smilovichi Castle, which the future composer visited in childhood during visits to his relatives. For the first time on the national opera stage, Belarusians saw the staging of an outstanding work only in 1952.
From the archive of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
After the premiere, critics wrote: "The opera sounded in the Belarusian language “ in a picturesque design that personified the picture of nature, the modest setting of a simple rural house and the patriarchal family estate of the brothers Stefan and Zbigniew. The viewer effortlessly recognized the motifs of his native land". It is noteworthy that the famous Moscow musicologist Igor Belza noted the skill of the author of the scenery-the famous painter Pavel Maslenikov, who at that time worked as an opera house production designer.
From the archive of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
It is worth noting that valuable posters and photographs from productions of Stanislaw Moniuszko's operas have already been presented to the general public during the exhibition dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth, which was organized at the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus in May 2019. Now digitized copies of archival materials will become even more accessible to researchers and anyone interested in the musical culture of Belarus of the XIX century.
The National Library of Belarus expresses its gratitude to the great Theatre of Belarus for the valuable materials that will decorate the project!
We invite you to listen to individual audio fragments from the composer's operas "Pebbles” and “the terrible courtyard" performed by Belarusian musicians on the page of the virtual project "Stanislaw Moniuszko. A musical romantic from Minsk region"in the section "musical heritage".
Follow the further news of our virtual project!
The material is presented by the information and analytical department.
