Alexander Serov

Alexander Nikolayevich Serov (Russian: Александр Николаевич Серов, scientific transliteration: .. .. Aleksandr Nikolaevich Serov; * 11.jul / January 23 1820greg in Saint Petersburg; † 20 Januarjul / February 1 1871greg in Saint Petersburg ) was a Russian composer and music critic and father of the painter Valentin Serov. Serov was not only one of the most important Russian music critic 1850-1870, but also a remarkable composer of opera in the years between Dargomyschskis Rusalka and the early operas by Cui, Rimsky -Korsakov, Mussorgsky, and Tchaikovsky.

Serov was first friends with the critic and historian Vladimir Stasov, but later they fell out over the rating of the two operas of Glinka. Serov's admiration for Richard Wagner also made him the Mighty Handful suspect, especially the younger music critic César Cui.

Although Serov's opera Judith and Rogneda were initially very successful, it later came into oblivion. A CD recording of Judith (with some cuts ) was recorded in 1991 by the Ensemble of the Bolshoi Theatre under Andrey Chistiakov.

Operas

• Judith ( Юдифь, 1861-1863 )
• Rogneda ( Рогнеда, 1863-1865 )
• The enemy's power ( Вражья сила, 1867-1871 )

Bibliography

• Taruskin, Richard. Opera and Drama in Russia As Preached and Practiced in the 1860s. New ed Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 1993.