New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-19

Until half a dozen years ago Russian
opera was unknown 20 the western
world. Thanks to the audacity for 2
was nothing short of audacity OF Serge
DaghilefF. along with his Russian bal
let he brought two examples Of works
for the lyric stage by cOmpatriots 70
Paris. where their presentation resulted
in a brilliant success. One Of these
Russian operas was Moussorgsky's
Boris Godunof." which has become an
established favorite in the repertoire
Of the Metropolitan Opera Company.
The other was prince Igor composed
by Alexander Porphyrieyich Borodln.
This latter opera is now being re-
hearsed by the Metropolitan Opera
Company and will shortly be given its
first production on this side Of the At
lantic.
Both Moussorgsky and Borodin we're
musical amateurs. The composer OF
Boris" was an army officer; the com
poser of prince Igor" professor Of
chemistry at the Moscow Medical Col
lege. 10 was during his leisure hours
that Borodin devoted himself TO music.
and he had the good fortune to marry
a woman Of fine musical taste and &C
complshment. Although he composed
a goodly number of instrumental works,
prince Igor" is his only opera, and
even that was not finished when he
died In 1887, although he is said TO
have begun IL twenty years before. IL
was written In piecemeal during such
time as he could spare from his work
in his laboratory, in his lecture room
or on his examination boards.
an winter" he wrote, 81 can only
compose when ! am too unwell TO give
my lectures. So my friends never say
10 me, Il hope you are WELL but l do
hope you are ill., At Christmas | had
influenza; so | stayed home and wrote
the Thanksgiving chorus in the last act
of Igor"
It was Borodin's friends, Rimsky-
Korsakoff and Glazounoff, who com
pleted the opera. which had its
premiere at the St. Petersburg Imperial
Opera House, October %, 1890. Rim
ky-Korsakoff, writing of the circum-
stances Of its completion, says:
in the early morning OF February
1e, 1887, was visited by Mr.. Stassow,
who entered with strange expression
on his face. DO you know he said,
that Borodin is dead" The thought
of the unfinished Prince Igor at once
flashed through my mind. After the
burial In the graveyard OF NeWsky
Monastery took hold of the manu-
script with Glazounof and we decided
TO complete it, Several parts, such as
the first chorus, the dance OF Polov-
etsky. the final chorus. the part or
Vladimira, the airs of Konchak, kon-
cbakowna. etc, were already finished
and orchestrated. Other numbers were
merely in the form of n piano score,
and MANY parts did not exist. For the
second and third acts there was not
even a libretto-merely some unfinished
songs and sketches. But | knew well
he design Of these acts, having dis
russed II so often with the composer
Ieast finished Of all was the third act
We decided that Glazounoff should fin
ish the third act and the overture, which
the composer had played so often, while
| did the rest
The overture which Glazounof had
reproduced entirely from memory will
be omitted from the Metropolitan pro-
duction.
The book Of prince Igor" which
Borodin planned with the aid OF his
friend. vladimir StAssow, is based on
the Epic OF the Army Of Prince Igor,
attributed TO the twelfth century, and
regarded hy some az one OF the earli-
est examples Of Russian literature, but
whose antiquity is questioned by 9th
ers who consider IL a monkish invention
of the eighteenth century.