Cultural Revolution

FIRST ACTION

The morning after the Streltsy mutiny

Moscow fell silent after the Streltsy riot, during which a lot of blood was shed.

Denunciation

Shaklovity dictates a denunciation to the clerk, in which he names the Khovansky father and son as the instigators of the troubles.

Lists on a pole

The clerk reads to the newcomers the names of those killed and exiled as a result of the rebellion, engraved on a pillar.

"The big one is coming!"

Prince Ivan Khovansky, commander of the archers, appears. He leads his troops on a detour around Moscow.

Andrey and Emma

The son of Ivan Khovansky, Andrei, is pursuing Emma, ​​a resident of the German settlement that he likes. The girl is protected by Marfa, the former lover of Andrei Khovansky.

"Why are you freaking out?..
" Ivan Khovansky returns. Seeing the beautiful German woman, he orders the archers to take her to him. Andrey does not want to give up the girl to his father. The fight, ready to begin, is stopped by the leader of the schismatics, Dosifei. He calls to forget the strife and unite in the face of impending disaster.

SECOND ACT

Divination

Martha, invited to Prince Golitsyn, predicts imminent disgrace and exile for the all-powerful favorite of Princess Sophia. The frightened Golitsyn gives the order to drown Marfa in the Swamp.

Conspiracy of Princes

Prince Ivan Khovansky comes to Golitsyn. Next appears Dositheus, in the worldly past Prince Myshetsky. Each of the princes claims power, and they are unable to agree on joint actions. Returning Martha says that she was saved by Peter’s soldiers. Shaklovity brings frightening news: the young Tsar Peter received a denunciation against the Khovanskys.

INTERMISSION

ACT THIRD

"Terrible torture, my love..."

The schismatic Susanna reproaches Martha for giving in to sinful temptation. Martha is protected by Dositheus.

"The archer's nest is sleeping..."

Shaklovity, who came to Streletskaya Sloboda, dreams of a strong hand that will save Rus' from its enemies.

"Dad, dad, come to us..."

The archers are waking up. The clerk brings them the news that Peter’s troops are not far away.

Sagittarius calls Ivan Khovansky to listen to his orders. But Khovansky refuses to lead the archers into battle and orders them to go home.

ACT FOUR
Massacre

Ivan Khovansky’s soul is restless, although he feels safe in his own home. Khovansky brushes off the warning that Prince Golitsyn’s minion conveys to him, and falls victim to the killers sent by Shaklovit. The disgraced Prince Golitsyn is taken into exile. The archers, who have already laid their heads on the block, are pardoned by Tsar Peter.

ACT FIFTH

Skeet

Dositheos calls schismatics to martyrdom.
Having gathered together, they commit self-immolation.

Show summary

The opera takes place in Moscow in 1682. At the beginning of the opera, the boyar informs Peter about an incident that recently occurred in the city: the chief of the Streltsy, Ivan Khovansky, is aiming for the throne of Peter, and he wants to put his son on the throne. He is not satisfied with the new order of Peter's laws, which, in his opinion, will lead to devastation and disorder.

Next, the author describes the honoring of Ivan Khovansky by other archers for such a decisive and bold step. At the same time, a love line appears: Andrei falls in love with Emma, ​​but the most interesting thing is that the father also has uneven feelings for the girl from the German settlement. A brawl occurs, but as a result of the arrival of Dosifei, the head of the schismatics, everything is resolved quite favorably.

Next we observe the scene in which Prince Golitsyn is. He is worried about something; the day before, Martha, introducing herself as a fortune teller, prophesied trouble. He doesn’t want to believe it and orders the girl to be drowned, but thanks to circumstances, she manages to escape. After something terrible happens, the conspirators learn that all the tricks and plans have long been known to the king and reprisals should be expected.

Khovansky hid on the estate, believing that he would be absolutely safe there. His belief that there was nothing to worry about was not justified. Khovansky comes to him, ostensibly to give an invitation, but as soon as he leaves, he is struck by a dagger.

Peter also kills Prince Golitsyn. Only Andrei Khovansky remains alive. Taking pity on him, Peter ordered the young man to be pardoned.

The next scene shows a clearing in a forest. Dosifei asks to be burned at the stake for his actions, he blames himself for the deaths of his comrades, and he also understands the inevitability and collapse of all plans. In addition, he encourages everyone to follow his example. Peter's soldiers enter the clearing and see everything engulfed in flames.

This opera very realistically showed the inevitability of changing the tsar’s way of life. All those who opposed Peter's reforms suffered death. Initially, it was clear that Peter’s reforms would not bear fruit, but it was not worth risking human life for his ideas.

Picture or drawing Mussorgsky - Khovanshchina

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The plot of “Khovanshchina” based on the historical events of 1682 was suggested to the composer by his close friend, the famous critic Stasov. Mussorgsky began work on the opera in the summer of 1872, when Boris Godunov was not yet fully completed. He intensively studied historical materials, pondered the details of the libretto and individual musical episodes. Mussorgsky was captivated by the wealth of collected materials; musical and poetic images arose in his imagination in inextricable unity.

Beginning in 1873, Mussorgsky’s letters increasingly contain references to “Khovanshchina,” in which he wanted to combine the fidelity of the characters and the dramaturgy of folk scenes, for which he had already been prepared by working on “Boris Godunov.” Persistently striving for the convexity of dramatic development, composing text and music, he constantly consults with Stasov, to whom he dedicated his creative work. The opera completely absorbed his thoughts and thoughts; he said with good reason: “I live in Khovanshchina, just as I lived in Boris.”

Gradually, one after another, the numbers of the new opera took shape. In August 1875, the composer completed the first act. However, further work proceeded intermittently, until the last days of Mussorgsky’s life. On August 22, 1880, he informed Stasov that Khovanshchina was ready, “except for a small piece in the final scene of self-immolation.” A huge amount of orchestration work lay ahead, but the composer already had less than a year to live. After his death, Rimsky-Korsakov completed, edited and orchestrated the opera, and in this form it became known throughout the world. In Soviet times, Shostakovich re-orchestrated “Khovanshchina” based on the author’s clavier.

“Khovanshchina” is a folk musical drama that tells about the events of the late 17th century, about the struggle between old and new Rus', about the conspiracy of the chief of the Streltsy army, Prince Ivan Khovansky. The composer took liberties with chronology, connecting events separated by an interval of sixteen years, but this did not stop him from writing a true picture of Russian life.

Opera images

Just as in “Boris Godunov,” the action of “Khovanshchina” unfolds on two planes: on the one hand, the Khovansky princes, Golitsyn, and the schismatic leader Dosifei. On the other hand, the people: archers, schismatics. What comes to the fore here is either the hairy old man Ivan Khovansky, who knows no limits in stubbornness and self-will, or Dosifey. Dositheus is not only an Old Believer fanatic, but also a man of a big heart, in whose soul the suffering of the people resonates. Next to him is Martha the schismatic, with her deep spiritual feeling, unshakable honesty and intransigence towards lies and deception, one of Mussorgsky’s most poetic images. All of them are revealed in all the fullness of their life manifestations with that amazing truthfulness that is so characteristic of Mussorgsky.

Khovansky and Dosifey are different people. But they are united by a commitment to the “holy antiquity” and hostility to the new, which Peter’s reforms bring to Russia. Taking advantage of their influence on the archers and schismatics, they are trying to delay the march of the new. However, the “Khovanshchina” (as the Streltsy rebellion is called in the opera) finds its inglorious end; Dosifei and the schismatics loyal to him die in the burning monastery. The dawn of a new life is rising over the Russian land, symbolically embodied in the music of the famous introduction to the opera “Dawn on the Moscow River.”

Of course, the content of “Khovanshchina” is broader and more diverse than this schematic presentation. It tells about the spiritual drama of Martha, who was deceived in her love for Prince Andrei Khovansky, about the complex palace intrigues in which Prince Golitsyn is involved, who, for all his “Westernism,” is also a supporter of the old. The most important thing is expressed by the composer in wonderful folk scenes.

They amaze with the richness and vitality of their sketches and the truth in revealing people’s characters. Here the gift of the composer-psychologist is revealed with particular force, embodying in his music the subtlest features and broad movements of the masses. Mussorgsky deeply and subtly managed to show the tragedy of a people deceived in their hopes. One of the main nodes of the dramatic conflict is in the second act, where at the beginning the archaic song of the schismatics is heard. They are, according to Mussorgsky, a symbol of the inert, outdated and reactionary, retreating before the rise of the new.

In the second act we also hear Shaklovity’s aria “The Archer’s Nest Sleeps,” which sounds like a heartfelt meditation on the fate of the homeland. Criticisms have been expressed many times about the fact that the composer put it into the mouth of Shaklovity, a far from positive person involved in various dark intrigues. But be that as it may, the aria occupies one of the central places in the musical dramaturgy of the opera. A sad premonition of impending disaster grows in the final scene of Streletskaya Sloboda, where the mournful melody of the chorus “Dad, Dad, come out to us” appears. From here the composer leads to the denouement of the tragedy - the death of Prince Khovansky himself and the end of his violent army: the archers march along Red Square to the place of execution.

In this scene, as well as in the finale of the opera (the self-immolation of schismatics), Mussorgsky reaches the heights of his tragic art, reviving the pages of the distant past in all their life reality and in the fidelity of the transfer of every character trait, every experience.

Mussorgsky introduced several authentic folk songs into the score of the opera - “The Baby Was Coming”, “Near the River in the Meadow”, “Sitting Late in the Evening”, “The Swan is Swimming”. They further emphasize the Russian flavor of the music, which corresponds to the plot and images of the opera. There are many recitative and declamatory episodes in it, but they are invariably melodically rich. Melodiousness was the composer’s conscious goal: “By working on human speech,” he wrote to Stasov, “I have reached... the embodiment of recitative in melody... I would like to call this a meaningful, justified melody.” Indeed, the freely flowing melody becomes the main means of dramatic characterization in Khovanshchina. This also applies to instrumental episodes, among which are remarkable “Dawn on the Moscow River,” with its almost visible imagery, and “Dance of the Persians,” with its languidly sultry slow theme, which is then replaced by a whirlwind dance. “Dance of the Persians” is one of the best oriental pages of Russian classical music.

Like “Boris Godunov,” “Khovanshchina” is a deeply tragic work, telling about difficult times that brought untold suffering to the people. In both operas, protest against the forces of social oppression comes to the fore. Before Mussorgsky, no composer had created operas that explored this theme with such powerful force. He planned to return to it again - in the third opera, dedicated to the Pugachev uprising. Thus, his plan covered more than a century and a half of Russian history: the troubled years of the reign of Boris Godunov, the struggle between old and new in the era of Peter the Great and the spontaneous peasant movement that shook the foundations of the noble monarchy. Such a plan itself testifies to the extraordinary breadth of the composer’s creative horizons.

In one of his letters, Mussorgsky wrote that he had one thought: “to tell people a new word of friendship and love, direct and across the entire width of Russian glades, the truth-sounding word of a modest musician, but a fighter for the right thought of art.” He said this word in his brilliant works, one of the first places among which is occupied by the folk musical drama “Khovanshchina”.

M.P. Mussorgsky opera "Khovanshchina"

“Khovanshchina” is an inexhaustible palette of riotous colors, furiously unleashing all its power on the viewer and leaving not the slightest chance to resist, to stay on their feet - so that all attention is riveted on the stage from the beginning to the very end of the opera. Taking as the basis of the work the ambiguous events of the first Streltsy riot of 1682, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky put all his originality into the music, with confident strokes of his composer's talent, reflecting in the sound both the raging crowd and the calm islands of reason in the midst of raging passions. Unfortunately, the work was not performed during the author’s lifetime, so he never knew what influence it had on his contemporaries, and how it sank into the souls of fans of his talent, being a reflection of the rebellious inner world of Modest Petrovich...

In a letter dated 1872 and addressed to V.V. To Stasov, Mussorgsky wrote: “I ask you to consider this epistole in numbering order No. 1, for other epistoles will appear in succession, of different tastes and flavors, but on the subject of Streltsy. Let this be the memory of our new labor, dashing labor.” From that moment on, painstaking work on the opera began, full of heavy creative torment and tossing.

Summary

“Khovanshchina” shows the terrible events of a relatively short time period in 1682, a time of wild and eventful Streltsy revolt and seizure of power, led by Prince Khovansky, the chief of the Streltsy troops. Another contender for the throne is Prince Golitsyn, a European-style man who, at the same time, clings to antiquity. Both princes, hating each other, are trying to conclude an alliance in the face of a new force in the person of the young Tsarevich Peter. In their plans they also rely on the help of schismatic Old Believers, led by Dosifei. But Khovansky’s plans were not destined to come true. During the feast, he is invited to a council, supposedly on behalf of Princess Sophia, and then Shaklovity stabs the prince with a dagger. Golitsyn is sent into exile as someone who has not lived up to his trust. Streltsy troops, accused of rebellion and accompanied by weeping wives, are to be executed, but Peter has mercy on them. Dosifei, after long, difficult deliberations, decides to call on the Old Believers to burn themselves. Marfa and Andrei Khovansky walk together into the flames of the fire. When Peter's troops appeared, only charred ruins remained.

Photo:

Interesting Facts

• As is known, Mussorgsky did not have time to finish Khovanshchina, and all the more valuable is the work of the Soviet musicologist Pavel Lamm, who was able to restore the full original text of the opera from the author’s autographs. The opera has undergone numerous editions by different composers: ON THE. Rimsky-Korsakov, I.F. Stravinsky in collaboration with M. Ravel, B.V. Asafiev, D.D. Shostakovich.
• Mussorgsky very meticulously and thoroughly researched the plot and characters of all the characters, giving each its own specificity and uniqueness. A supporter of the “Pushkin school,” he unraveled the psychology of people, sat at night over historical documents, creating whole, complete images from scattered passages. At the same time, he started not only from the “historicity” of the character, but also deeply revealed his inner world, his experiences, supplementing them with his creative imagination.
• There was an opinion that the opera is the joint fruit of two composers: N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov and M.P. Mussorgsky. Allegedly, Modest Petrovich made only a raw, unfinished thing, but Rimsky-Korsakov designed and gave it a finished look. The son of Rimsky-Korsakov mentions this in his memoirs.
• It is interesting that in the 20s of the last century the work was considered religious, a kind of “pathetic tragedy of faith.” Naturally, such blasphemous views were subsequently rejected.
• F. Chaliapin, starting from November 12, 1897, was the most famous performer of Dosifey. For the first time, Dosifey's aria performed by him was performed at the Moscow Private Opera by S.I. Mamontova. Then in 1911 in St. Petersburg, on the Mariinsky stage, and in Paris he sang in the first foreign production of S. Diaghileva.
• Mussorgsky specially created a special notebook, which he called “Khovanshchina”. It is known that the idea of ​​the opera belonged to Stasov, and Modest Petrovich dedicated this work to him. In the notebook, the composer kept written data from the books he read, concerning events and historical figures that interested him. Initially there were nine main sources, but then the composer expanded his knowledge in this area so much that he stopped making notes, keeping everything in his head.
• P. Lamm's opera was divided into 5 acts, where the 4th was divided into 2 scenes. Mussorgsky wanted to make 6 paintings that would be equal in value to acts.
• Modest Petrovich independently wrote the libretto of the opera, constantly consulting with Stasov on all issues. At the same time, he was extremely exacting about the quality of the text, repeatedly correcting and redoing the finished material.

Famous arias and numbers:

Introduction “Dawn on the Moscow River” (listen)

Chorus “The Swan is Floating” (listen)

Martha’s aria “The Baby Was Coming” (listen)

Shaklovity’s aria “The Streltsy Nest Sleeps” (listen)

Closing chorus (listen)

Historical accuracy in the images of the characters of “Khovanshchina”

“What a vast, rich world of art, if the target is a person! You come upon unusual, completely unexpected tasks, and not forcefully, but as if they were being done by accident.”

“M.P. Mussorgsky. Literary Heritage"

In Khovanshchina, Mussorgsky conveys historical realities through the eyes of those who directly participated in them. A people who “cannot check with their own eyes what is being cooked up from them.” The suffering side, which under any reigning ruler remains where it was - at the bottom, hopeless and dark. This is what runs through the entire musical narrative as a connecting leitmotif.

Images

• Prince Khovansky - according to the recollections of people who knew him - is a man “famous mainly for his defeats and complaints about him from his subordinates.” Frivolous, intoxicated with power and cruel, not taking into account anyone's opinion;
• Prince Golitsyn is an inconsistent, explosive person, hot-tempered and many-sided. But at the same time it is poetic, not without its own charm and subtlety. An extremely complex image, contradictory and dual;
• Podyachiy is a fictitious composite personality that does not have a name or a specific historical prototype. A representative of the orderly class, so unloved by the people. A two-faced, fussy and slippery type, currying favor only with power, adapted to any conditions of existence;
• Prince Andrei, Khovansky’s son, is a character who was supposed to show the complex relationship between father and son. Due to lack of time, the author did not assign him an important role in the opera;
• Shaklovity, the composer, boldly wrote down Princess Sophia’s closest assistant as the sole compiler of the denunciation against the Khovanskys. In the author's interpretation, this character does not have a specific representation. Rather, he can be represented as the embodiment of blind historical force;
• Dosifei – the background for creating the image of the schismatic was the book “The Life of Archpriest Avvakum”. She was a kind of muse, but the composer did not blindly copy the image shown in the Life. In the opera, Dositheus is much softer than his predecessor Avvakum, closer to the people, more noble and sublime;
• Marfa is a bright lyrical image, permeated with the features of a harsh nationality. Spiritualized and confident, Martha is a completely fictional character. Helps Dosifei in his political struggle/

Supporting characters of the opera

• Emma, ​​Khovansky’s concubine, is, in fact, his slave;
• Varsonofyev is a follower of Golitsyn, does not have his own opinion on any issue;
• Susanna, Pastor, Sagittarius Kuzka, Golitsyn's minion;
• three unnamed archers;
• Moscow's diverse newcomers, archers, schismatic Old Believers, Khovansky's slaves, people.

Adhering to historical events, Mussorgsky added quite noticeable distortions of historical facts to the opera, but only in order to help better understand the dramatic collisions occurring at that time. Thus, in addition to the main characters, fictional minor characters were added, which help to better understand the composer’s intention and greatly enhance the effect on the viewer. The key figure in the development of the plot is the people - as a driving force that sweeps away everything in its path, unstoppable and crushing all obstacles, but at the same time subservient to the authorities. In addition, the composer was quite free with the time frame and added to what was happening on stage those actions that would take place only much later - in 1689. To emphasize the horror of lawlessness and show the impossibility of influencing what is happening to just one person, such a merger of temporary events is completely justified and only proves the skill of Mussorgsky, who was able to harmoniously combine different periods of history with the lives of the main characters.

Modest Mussorgsky "Khovanshchina"(folk musical drama)

Libretto by Modest Mussorgsky

Historical basis of the plot

Khovanshchina- events of 1682, a short period of omnipotence in Moscow by Prince Ivan Khovansky, appointed by Princess Sophia after the Streltsy riot as the head of the Streltsy order. Khovansky was extremely popular; the archers even called him “father.” The summer of 1682 was marked by the activation of the Old Believers, who hoped, with the help of Khovansky, to overcome the official church, supported by Sophia, and return Rus' to the “old faith.” The culmination was a dispute about faith in the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin (July 5, 1682), which boiled down to mutual accusations of heresy and ignorance between the parties. However, the Old Believers, having left the Kremlin, publicly announced their complete victory on Red Square. This story finally separated Sophia from her nominee Khovansky. Less than three months had passed before the ruler found a way to deal with the leader of the archers: on September 17, 1682, Ivan Khovansky and his son Andrei were arrested by Sophia’s supporters and executed without trial on the same day. Fyodor Shaklovity was appointed the new head of the Streltsy order.

Only seven years later power passed from the hands of Princess Sophia to the hands of Peter. On August 7, 1689, Sophia ordered Shaklovity to equip more archers in the Kremlin, as if to accompany her to the Donskoy Monastery on a pilgrimage. A rumor spread that in fact the Streltsy regiments were preparing to march on Preobrazhenskoye in order to beat all of Peter’s supporters. Having received news of this, Peter and a small retinue took refuge in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. On August 8, “amusing” regiments with artillery arrived here. A few days later, Peter ordered all other regiments located in Moscow to go to Trinity. Most of the troops obeyed the legitimate king. Princess Sophia, who had lost her power, was soon imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent, and her favorite, Prince Vasily Golitsyn, was sent into exile. Fyodor Shaklovity was executed.

Drama and music

In the real events of the Khovanshchina of 1682, 10-year-old Tsar Peter did not take any part. However, Mussorgsky wanted to show the transfer of power from the hands of Princess Sophia to the hands of Peter. Therefore, the libretto of his opera bizarrely mixes the events of 1682 and 1689. Mussorgsky shows forces hostile to Peter: the archers, led by Prince Khovansky; Prince Golitsyn, Sophia's favorite; Old Believers led by Dosifei (real Abbot Dosifei (d. 1690)). If Prince Khovansky, indulging the Streltsy in everything, strives for royal power, then the Streltsy themselves are shown as a dark mass used in the interests of others. Old Believers are presented as courageous people who commit self-immolation for the sake of faith.

A huge role in the development of action belongs to the people - even more so than in Boris Godunov. The choirs are very diverse. Individual images are no less vividly embodied: the arrogant and autocratic Khovansky; the crafty and narcissistic Golitsyn; the majestic Dositheus; strong, impetuous, passionate, ready for heroism Martha; restless and weak Andrei Khovansky; patriotically minded and capable of anything for the sake of saving Rus', Shaklovity; the cheerful and reckless young archer Kuzka; a cowardly and selfish clerk.

The most famous of the music of “Khovanshchina” are: the introduction (“Dawn on the Moscow River”); the scene of Martha's fortune telling from Act 2 (“Secret powers, great powers”); Shaklovity’s aria from Act 3 (“The Streltsy’s Nest is Sleeping”); intermission to the 4th act (“Golitsyn’s Train”); “Dances of the Persians” from Act 4.

History of creation and orchestration options

Khovanshchina was conceived by Mussorgsky in 1872. He wrote it (with interruptions) until the very last days of his life, but never completed it. The music of the 2nd act remained unfinished (the manuscript ends at the words of Shaklovity “And he ordered to find...”) and the 5th act. Some of the autographs have been lost, including Martha's Love Funeral Service, of which Mussorgsky was especially proud. Most of the music that was recorded by the composer as a clavier was not orchestrated. In Mussorgsky's orchestration, only the Streltsy chorus "Rise up, good fellows" (3rd act) and Martha's Song have been preserved.

The entire opera was orchestrated for the first time by Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov, who preferred to call his work not orchestration, but arrangement. Based on his own professional convictions and taking into account the demands of the time, he significantly shortened the opera, added the necessary connections, and changed Mussorgsky’s voice and harmony. Rimsky-Korsakov's score was published in 1883.

In 1958, Dmitry Shostakovich made a new orchestration based on the original score published by P. Lamm (1932). It was this option that was used in the film-opera “Khovanshchina” (1959, director Vera Stroeva, screenwriter and composer D. D. Shostakovich). In 1960, the opera in this version was staged in Leningrad at the Kirov (Mariinsky) Theater. Shostakovich's score was published in 1963.

His own version of the final chorus (in the scene of the self-immolation of schismatics) was written by I. F. Stravinsky, who, together with M. Ravel, prepared a new edition of the opera for production in 1913 in Paris by S. Diaghilev’s troupe. This edition used Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestration, and the work of Stravinsky and Ravel consisted of restoration (in some cases reconstruction) and orchestration of fragments not included in Rimsky-Korsakov's edition.

First productions

The opera was not performed during Mussorgsky's lifetime.

First productions :

1. in St. Petersburg: through the Musical and Dramatic Circle of Amateurs, in the I. A. Kononov Hall, February 9, 1886, conducted by E. Yu. Goldstein.

3. in Moscow: Russian private opera by S. I. Mamontov, in the premises of the G. G. Solodovnikov Theater, November 12, 1897. Conductor E. D. Esposito, Dosifey - F. I. Chaliapin, artists A. M. Vasnetsov, K. A. Korovin and S. V. Malyutin.

Summary of M. Mussorgsky's opera "Khovanshchina"

The action takes place in 1682.

Act one

Moscow. Red Square at dawn. The morning blast is heard. The archer Kuzka is sleeping near a stone pillar, with his comrades around him. Boyar Shaklovity enters and dictates to the clerk an anonymous denunciation addressed to Tsars Ivan and Peter (both of them are young and are under the tutelage of their sister, Princess Sophia): Prince Ivan Khovansky, the head of the Streltsy, is inciting a rebellion and has planned, with the help of schismatics, to place his son on the throne Andrey. The people and archers greet Ivan Khovansky (“The path is wide for the White Swan”). The prince addresses the people: his duty is to protect the young kings from the rebellious boyars. Emma, ​​a girl from a German settlement, appears on the stage, pursued by Andrei (duet “Let me in, let me in, leave me!”). Marfa comes to Emma’s aid, she reproaches the prince for leaving her, he tries to stab her with a knife, but she, in turn, also raises the knife (terzetto “So, so, prince!”). Martha prophesies to him that this is not the death he should die. Andrei contemptuously calls her possessed. Ivan Khovansky, struck by Emma's beauty, orders the girl to be taken to his chambers. But Andrei is ready to kill her rather than give in to his father. Dositheus, the leader of the schismatics, stops Andrei in time. He calls on the Orthodox to fight for the true faith (with the choir “God, take away”).

Act two

Prince Golitsyn's office. Late evening. Golitsyn reads a love letter from Princess Sophia. He is tormented by anxiety. Martha enters disguised as a fortune teller. She predicts Golitsyn that disgrace, exile and poverty await him (“Secret Forces”). The prince orders her to be drowned, but Marfa hears everything and disappears in time. Suddenly Ivan Khovansky appears. The princes argue about politics, blaming each other (duet “And we are without a report, prince: that’s how”). Dositheus interrupts their argument (terzetto “Princes, subdue your anger”). At the back of the stage, schismatics pass, chanting victory over the heretics. Marfa runs in: Golitsyn’s servant wanted to drown her, but Peter’s men came to her aid. The princes are amazed that the king's troops are so close. Shaklovity announces to them that their conspiracy has been discovered, Peter called him “Khovanshchina” and “ordered to find him.”

Act three

Streletskaya settlement in Zamoskvorechye. Martha remembers her unhappy love and predicts that she and Andrei will die together, in flames (“The Baby Was Coming Out”). Dositheus consoles her (duet “Oh, my killer whale”). Shaklovity mourns the fate of Rus' (“The Streltsy Nest Sleeps”). The sound of a fight can be heard from the settlement. Suddenly a clerk runs in: Peter’s troops are beating the archers. Kuzka suggests calling Ivan Khovansky for help (“Dad, Dad, come out to us”). But the prince orders the archers to go home and wait for the verdict.

Act four

Chambers of Ivan Khovansky. The prince sits at the table, and the girls entertain him with songs (“Near the river, on the meadow”, “About the haiduchka”). Varsonofyev, sent by Golitsyn, warns Ivan that his life is in danger. The prince is outraged. After some time, Shaklovity brings an order from Princess Sophia, who calls him to the court. The prince orders them to bring formal clothes and demands that the girls sing in his honor (“The swan floats, floats”). Having barely reached the threshold, he falls screaming, struck by the killer.