Versions of «Mazepa» by P. Tchaikovsky through the prism of the value theory of culture
Authors: Du Ling 
Published: September 2023

Statement of the problem. An important component of every nation’s existence is the cultivation of its own culture, based on an original system of values that defines the processes of creating/perceiving artefacts. In this regard, it is difficult to overestimate the influence of opera. At the same time, opera is an example of how even iconic musical works can lose their relevance, despite the outstanding aesthetic value of their musical component. Opera combines music and the particularly important lyrics, although the verbal component of an opera performance can change. A simple example of such a change is a translation into another language, which makes adjustments to the intonation and metrical organization of the text. The transformation of the lyrics of an opera performance can also be caused by other factors: an attempt to actualize a particular work, a desire to change It`s ideological guidelines. The purpose of this article is a comparative analysis of Tchaikovsky’s versions of “Mazepa” opera through the prism of value theory. Results and conclusion. Hetman Ivan Mazepa is one of the most popular and underrated Ukrainian figures. He had a controversial personality, which partly explains the negative connotations of the works dedicated to him. For instance, Alexander Pushkin portrayed Mazepa as a selfish and cruel villain, which shaped Tchaikovsky’s interpretation of his character in the opera. However, the composer was reproached for significant discrepancies between the opera libretto and historical facts. Despite these criticisms, Tchaikovsky’s opera Mazepa quickly became part of the world’s concert repertoire. This can be partly explained by the popularity of Tchaikovsky’s other works, and partly by the fact that it reflects the version of the history of Hetman’s Ukraine that prevailed in the Soviet Union. Let us try to comprehend how a work like this, whose ideological orientation is obviously at odds with the public perception of the historical facts in it, can be adapted to the prevailing value systems. The simplest thing to do is to translate the libretto into Ukrainian, as was done by the prominent Ukrainian poet Maksym Rylsky. A more difficult task is to change the political emphasis of the work and use the music of a famous composer to promote the ideas of a free Ukraine (libretto by D. Chutra and L. Tsegelsky). This version of the libretto remained unknown in Ukraine for a long time, but in 2017, the Kharkiv M. Lysenko State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre chose it as the basis for a new concept of the opera. The value orientations of Ukrainian society as a whole and the authors of the project led to the need of finding ways to update the work, which determined not only the use of another version of the libretto, but also a number of decisions regarding the design of the stage space. Retelling the story of the reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky’s opera Mazepa allows us to explore how changing value orientations affect art as a form of social life. From accepting a preconceived version of the history of one’s own people, trying to somehow combine two diametrically opposed worldviews, to endowing the author’s work with new meanings that reflect the current understanding of values.