The Snow Maiden: Estonian National Opera

Sobre o Evento

A concert performance of the fairy‐tale opera Rimsky‐Korsakov declared his "best work ever!".

Estonian National Opera visit the Estonia Concert Hall with an unstaged performance of Rimsky‐Korsakov's fairy‐tale opera "The Snow Maiden", whose story is the timeless one of the struggles between mortal and divine, realistic and fantastic.

The events of the opera take place in the pre‐historic times, in a fairyland, where injustice is unknown and the unanimous people are ruled by the wise and nature‐loving Tsar Berendey. All would be fine, if the Sun God Yarilo would not be jealous for the love of Spring Beauty and Grandfather Frost and their daughter Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden. Yarilo refuses the Berendeyans his warming and invigorating sun rays and therefore the country is reigned by eternal winter. Snegurochka is enchanted by the songs of the shepherd Lel that reach her in the depths of the forest and make her long for life in the village. Her parents grant her permission to go live with the humans. There, a young tradesman Mizgir falls in love with her, but Snegurochka has her father’s icy heart that does not understand human feelings – she is incapable of falling in love. Spring gives her daughter a magic garland that awakes love in her heart and warns her to stay out of the light of the sun. Being free of her iciness, she is now vulnerable to Yarilo’s sun rays – she melts and dies. With the death of Snegurochka, the reign of frost in the land of Berendeyans is over, the sun rises again and Yarilo has taken the country under his protection.