Opera "Katerina" based on the poem by T. G. Shevchenko

Nikolay Arkas Opera in 3 acts "Katerina" Libretto by Nikolay Arkas and Diodor Bobyr based on the poem of the same name by Taras Shevchenko Musical edition of Gleb Taranov Performed in Ukrainian       Duration of the performance with intermissions: 2 hours 25 minutes       Nikolai Nikolaevich Arkas (1852 - 1909) - Ukrainian historian, ethnographer, enlightener, composer. He served in the office of the naval department in Nikolaev. He was an adjutant to the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, and held the post of honorary magistrate in Kherson. He had the rank of civilian state councilor (equal to the military general).       Katerina is the first Ukrainian opera created based on the poem by Taras Shevchenko. “Such a fiery cult of motherhood, such an apotheosis of female love and female torment cannot be found, probably, in any poet in the world,” wrote Maxim Rylsky, a classic of Ukrainian literature of the twentieth century, about Shevchenko’s work.       Nikolay Arkas wrote the opera in 1891 on the wave of national democratic sentiments that were prevalent in society at the end of the 19th century. The text of the libretto was composed by himself, literary processing was carried out by Diodor Bobyl. The score was based on folk songs sung by kobzars and bandurists, whom the composer invited to his house in Nikolaev.The first director of the opera was the famous Ukrainian theater figure Mark Kropyvnytsky. The premiere took place at the Moscow Aquarium Theater on February 12, 1899, and six months later the audience saw the performance in Odessa. The second production at the Odessa Theater took place in 1957. The third was carried out 32 years later by conductor David Sipitiner, director Georgy Dikiy, artist Natalia Bevzenko-Zinkina, choirmaster Leonid Butenko and Igor Didushok. Opera took first place in the review of performances of Ukrainian theaters dedicated to the 175th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko.