Magic Opera-Ballet “Mlada” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. Experience of Analysis in the Context of Communicative Theory

Abstract

The opera “Mlada” occupies a special place in the work of the Russian “composer-storyteller” N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. According to him, it is a “study” for a more successful opera “Sadko”. Despite the fact that the composer himself and critics noted the dramatic weakness of the libretto, the artificiality of intrigue and the absence of lively characters, the opera-ballet “Mlada” is unique in its genre, requiring the use of musical and choreographic means, stands out for its orchestral coloring in the depiction of the fantastic, magical and folk, “the world of the Slavs” and the world of other cultures, the picturesque music, the system of leitmotifs. B. V. Asafiev considered “Mlada” “undeservedly forgotten”, full of pictorialism, enchanting, valuable for its spectacular and musical side and unique symphony. Within the framework of the festival “Rimsky-Korsakov–175” (2019), “Mlada” was characterized by V. A. Gergiev as “a very expensive project”, the actualization of which is due to the fact that "we have gaps in the national repertoire". This study offers an attempt to apply modern philosophical approaches to the analysis of this work. It is proposed to understand this work as communication in the interpretation of N. Luhmann (the unity of information, message, understanding), which is encoded in accordance with the goals of success within the subsystem of art. The method of analysis of differences (i.e. forms, techniques used by the author) within the opera is used, as well as comparison with the cultural context of the historical period. The opera-ballet “Mlada” is considered in the context of the network of communications and memory of the system of musical art during its creation, the reception of the original idea of 1872, the theoretical and actual conditions of its composition, which influenced the semantic connotations in it. The involvement of “Mlada” in the system of art, which testifies to its communicative success, is analyzed. Semantic distinctions are revealed: antiquity / modernity; fantasy (fabulous, mythological) / reality; expressibility in language, singing / silence, inexpressibility; Slavic culture (“Rusinism”) / other cultures; realm of light / realm of darkness; world with gods / transcendent Christian God (audience discrimination); loyalty to one's gods / morality; individual / society. U. Eco's method of semiotic analysis is used, which makes it possible to interpret musical forms (leitmotifs, melodies, harmonic solutions) as signs associated with a certain meaning that can be decoded and interpreted.