The Captain's Daughter (opera)

The Captain's Daughter (Капитанская дочка in Cyrillic; Kapitanskaja dočka in transliteration) is an opera in four acts (eight tableaux) by César Cui, composed during 1907-1909. The libretto was adapted by the composer from Alexander Pushkin's novel of the same name.

The opera was premiered on 14 February 1911 (Old Style) at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg under the conductorship of Eduard Nápravník. Its Moscow premiere took place on 17 September 1914 at the Solodovnikov Theater, with S.I. Zimin's Opera Company.

The action takes place in Russia, in 1775.

(Note: in the score the tableaux are designated with continuous numbering.)

Tableau 1. The Grinevs' house. The father decides to send his seventeen-year-old son Petr off to become a soldier; the household bids him farewell as he leaves with Savel'ich. An orchestral interlude represents their journey, in which they are trapped in a snowstorm and rescued by a Guide.

Tableau 2. Arriving at an inn, the three of them set up lodgings. The Guide and the Innkeeper converse in coded language. Everyone goes to bed. Petr has a dream in which his father lies dying on a bed with his mother and servants around. Petr walks up to the scene and finds that the man in the bed is not his father, but the Guide, who tries to bless him and then waves an axe in all directions, causing a disturbance. The dream ends as a rooster crows and dawn breaks. The guests prepare for travelling again. Petr gives his coat to the Guide to stay warm. The three leave.

Tableau 3. Belogorsky Fortress, the square and the porch of the Commandant's house. Zharkov his helping Mironova wind her yarn, a group of invalid soldiers marches past. Petr, who has already settled in, reads a love poem he has written to get Shvabrin's opinion. This leads to an argument between them concerning Masha,; they agree to a duel and go off elsewhere to take care of it. The invalids march by once more. Savel'ich, who has seen the duel, arouses the residents. Petr is brought in on a stretcher unconscious and taken into the Mironov's house.

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