The Golden Cockerel at Mariinsky-2 in St. Petersburg, the 15th of December, 2019

It was a must to end the Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov anniversary year with a bang, which means, of course, his best-known opera “The Golden Cockerel”, especially since there happened to be now in December a Sunday matinée performance of it in Mariinsky-2 theatre in St. Petersburg.

“The Golden Cockerel” tells about tsar Dodon and his two sons. Donon is worried about enemy attacks and his sons give different pieces of advice on the matter. The astrologer gives Dodon a golden cockerel, who will warn about any dangers. As a reward the astrologer wants a promise to fulfill his request and Dodon promises this. In the beginning the cockerel is calm, but then it warns the tsar. Both sons leave for battle and kill each other. Dodon follows them and meets the enchanting tsaritsa of Shemakha. Dodon falls in love with her and proposes, thus avoiding also the war. The astrologer arrives again and requests the tsaritsa for himself. Dodon gets angry and kills the astrologer, after which the golden cockerel as a revenge kills him with its beak. The tsaritsa and the bird disappear. The astrologer reappears stating that only he and the tsaritsa are real people and the others just illusions.

Rimsky-Korsakov composed this last opera of his originally as a critique against the tsar and it was first performed only after his death. From the music’s point of view it is not so different from his other works, but perhaps because of its theme, the Golden Cockerel is perhaps his best-known opera – at least in the west.

The absolute queen of the evening was Antonina Vesenina in the role of tsaritsa. Rimsky-Korsakov had composed to her the most beautiful music of the opera with its Near Eastern tones and Versina’s bright, agile and high soprano voice mastered even the toughest bits with ease. No wonder the audience yelled bravo in the end for her.