Prisoner of the Caucasus (Cui, César)

Sheet Music

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Overture

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IgorCello (2016/11/28)

Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., n.d.(ca.1870). Plate 123.
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Misc. Notes Balakirev reorchestrated the overture in 1861.
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Circassian Dances (Act III, No.18)

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Carolus (2010/10/20)

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Carolus (2010/10/20)

Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., n.d.(ca.1883). Plates 1481a-b.
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Misc. Notes This file is part of the Sibley Mirroring Project.
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Lyle Neff (2007/10/11)

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Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., n.d.(ca.1883). Plates 1481a-b.
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Vocal Scores

1882 edition (Russian)

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Lyle Neff (2007/9/29)

9 more: Overture, arr. for piano 4-hands • Act I, No.1: Eastern Prayer • Act I, No.2: Duet of Fatima and Her Father • Act I, No.3: Aria of Fatima • Act I, No.4: Chorus of Circassians Returning from a Raid • Act I, No.5: Quartet • Act I, No.6: Aria of the Prisoner • Act I, No.7: Duet of Fatima and the Prisoner • Act I, No.8: Finale I (aria of Kazenbek with chorus)

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/2)

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/2)

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Arranger Nadezhda Rimskaya-Korsakova (née Purgold, 1848–1919), arranger of overture
Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., n.d.(ca.1883). Plates 122, 1459–61a,б; 1463-65
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Misc. Notes Balakirev reorchestrated the overture in 1861.
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Lyle Neff (2007/10/3)

7 more: Act II, No.10: Recitative Scene and Arioso of Mariam • Act II, No.11: Duet of Fekherdin and Kazenbek • Act II, No.12: Duettino of Fatima and Mariam, / Little Chorus of Abubeker's Friends • Act II, No 13: Aria of Abubeker • Act II, No.14: Duettino of Abubeker and Fatima • Act II, No 15: Chorus (with gifts) • Act II, No.16: Finale II (sextet with chorus)

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/3)

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Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., n.d.(ca.1883). Plates 1465a-1473a.
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Misc. Notes Plate numbers employed:
1465a, 1466, 1466a, 1467, 1467a, 1468, 1468a, 1469, 1469a, 1470, 1471, 1472, 1473, 1473a
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Lyle Neff (2007/10/4)

8 more: Act III, No.18: Dances [Recitative] • Act III, No.18a: [Women's Dance], arr. piano 4-hands • Act III, No.18b: [Men's Dance], arr. piano 4-hands • Act III, No.19: Circassian Song • Act III, No.20: Recitative Scene, Duet of Abubeker and Fatima • Act III, No.21: Cavatina of the Prisoner • Act III, No.22: Duet of the Prisoner and Fatima • Act III, No.23: Finale

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/4)

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/4)

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/4)

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/4)

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/4)

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Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., n.d.(ca.1883). Plates 1474-1480a.
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Misc. Notes Plate numbers employed:
1474, 1474a, 1475, 1476, 1476a, 1477, 1477a, 1478, 1479, 1480, 1480a
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1885 edition (French)

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Massenetique (2011/10/4)

4 more: Preliminaries and Overture • Act I • Act II • Act III

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Lyle Neff (2009/1/14)

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Lyle Neff (2009/1/14)

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Lyle Neff (2009/1/14)

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Translator Mr. Guthals (or Goethals?), French text (not credited)
Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., 1885. Plate 595 (Overture, Dances)
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Misc. Notes Censor's date at end. Facing pages. Translator not cited on the score, but is identified as Гутгальс in a letter from Borodin to his wife (E.S. Borodina), December 25, 1885, in Письма А.П. Бородина [Letters of A. P. Borodin] (Moscow: Gos. muz. izd.-vo, 1928-1950), t. 4, p. 169. Overture and dances arranged for piano solo (see 1882 Russian ed. for piano 4-hand arrangements).
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Arrangements and Transcriptions

Overture

For Piano 4 hands (Purgold)

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Lyle Neff (2007/9/29)

Arranger Nadezhda Rimskaya-Korsakova (née Purgold, 1848–1919)
Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., n.d.(ca.1870). Plate 122.
Copyright
Misc. Notes Balakirev reorchestrated the overture in 1861.
N.N. (Nadezhda Nikolaevna) Purgold, the arranger of this piano 4-hand transcription, became the wife of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. Given the plate number and the use of her maiden name in this publication, this arrangement had to have been published originally much earlier than the complete opera, but was nevertheless included in the first piano-vocal score. (Carolus: She married R-K in July 1872; this publication might be from 1870 or even earlier. To date this is IMSLP's earliest Bessel title.)
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For Piano solo (Dütsch)

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/6)

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Arranger Georgy Dütsch (1857–1891)
Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., 1885. Plates 1842, 595
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Misc. Notes Extracted from the 1885 French edition of the vocal score (see above)
The 1842 plate number is on the first page of the Overture only, all later pages are 595.
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Circassian Dances (Act III, No.18)

Piano solo (Dütsch)

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/9)

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Lyle Neff (2007/10/9)

Arranger Georgy Dütsch (1857–1891)
Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., 1885. Plate 595.
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Misc. Notes This piano-solo score follows the music of the original Russian edition of 1882 rather than the later French ed. or the 2nd Russian ed. The sung text is not included in this piano-solo score. Like the piano 4-hand arrangement of the first Russian edition, there is no cut (before the 3/4 coda) in this version of the [Men's] Dance.
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Lyle Neff (2007/10/6)

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Publisher. Info. St. Petersburg: W. Bessel & Co., 1885. Plate 595.
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Misc. Notes Extracted from the 1885 French edition of the vocal score (see above). A portion of the Men's Dance (before the 3/4 coda) is cut in this edition and in the full score; see the piano 4-hand arrangement from the 1st Russian ed. and the piano-solo arrangement.
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Librettos

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Lyle Neff (2016/9/18)

Publisher. Info. Moscow: Bessel, 1882.
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Free Recordings

Complete opera (1882 edition), piano solo arr.
Lyle Neff (piano)
Overture, piano 4-hand arr.
Synthesized audio (Lyle Neff)
Act III, No.18b. Men's Dance
Synthesized audio (Lyle Neff)
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General Information

Work Title Prisoner of the Caucasus
Alternative. Title The Prisoner in the Caucasus ; Кавказский пленник ; Le prisonnier du Caucase
Name Translations カフカスの捕虜; Кавказский пленник; Le Prisonnier du Caucase; El prisionero del Cáucaso; Der Gefangene im Kaukasus; Кавказький бранець; Il prigioniero del Caucaso; El presoner del Caucas; Fangen i Kaukasus; Fången i Kaukasus
Name Aliases El prisionero del Caucaso
Authorities Wikipedia; GND: 1036153630; BNE: XX5364377
Composer Cui, César
I-Catalogue NumberI-Cat. No. ICC 82
Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's 3 acts (overture + 24 numbers)
Overture
Act I
1. Eastern prayer (men's chorus)
2. Duet of Fatima and Her Father
3. Aria of Fatima
4. Chorus of Circassians Returning from a Raid
5. Quartet
6. Aria of the Prisoner
7. Duet of Fatima and the Prisoner
8. Finale (aria of Kazenbek with chorus)
Act II
9. Introduction and Women's Little Chorus
10. Recitative Scene and Arioso of Mariam
11. Duet of Fekherdin and Kazenbek
12. Duettino of Fatima and Mariam, and Little Chorus of Abubeker's Friends
13. Aria of Abubeker
14. Duettino of Abubeker and Fatima
15. Chorus (with gifts)
16. Finale (sextet with chorus)
Act III
17. Festive Chorus
18. Dances
Recitative
18a. [Women's Dance]
18b. [Men's Dance]
19. Circassian Song
20. Recitative Scene and Duet of Abubeker and Fatima
21. Cavatina of the Prisoner
22. Duet of the Prisoner and Fatima
23. Finale
Year/Date of CompositionY/D of Comp. 1857-58; 1881-82; 1885
First Performance. 1883-02-16 – St. Petersburg: Maryinsky Theatre
First Publication. 1882 – St. Petersburg: Bessel
Librettist Viktor Krylov (1838-1906) [not credited on score] after Aleksandr Pushkin
Language Russian; also French translation in 1885
Composer Time PeriodComp. Period Romantic
Piece Style Romantic
Instrumentation voices, mixed chorus, orchestra
External Links Wikipedia article
Extra Information Version History
The original version of this opera, from 1857-58, was in two acts and did not get past rehearsals. The 2nd version of 1881-82 gained a new middle (2nd) act and the Women's Dance of Act III and was published in Russian as the first edition, with a premiere in 1883. For the 1886 Western premiere in Liege, Belgium, Cui added further music to the beginning of the finale of the 2nd act, thus engendering in 1885 a second version of the opera published in a French edition and the 2nd Russian edition. The opera was published in 3 piano-vocal scores (the 2 Russian editions and the one French edition), a piano-solo score, and at least one full score. The overture, dances, and Circassian Song were published separately in full score as well.

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