Message #41417

[guest224]

Bila Tsyganka (= The White Gypsy Girl)

Opera written 1908, in Lviv.

Soloists:
Stepan Drobit (baritone),
Christina Makar (soprano),
Lilia Nikitchuk (mezzo-soprano),
Andriy Stetsky (baritone),
Vitaliy Koval (tenor),
Roman Grabovensky (tenor)

Ukrainian Festival Orchestra & Ukrainian Festival Choir
Ivan Ostapovych - conductor

Synopsis and Dramatis Personae (using google translate from the youtube page):

Set in the time of the Boyars.

Sandra - a white gypsy
Bogdan Boyarin
Elena is his sister
Vasilko is his brother
Yuri Boyarin
Les is his son
Vaida is the leader of the gypsies
Klutza is his wife
Malka is his daughter
Gypsies
Gypsies
Hutsuls

Act I
In the foothills

The events take place in the Carpathians. Boyar Bohdan's wife recently died, leaving his daughter Oleksandra an orphan. She is rocked by Olena, Bohdan's sister.
His brother Vasilko asks for money, but Bohdan refuses to borrow, saying: "Father gave, where did you go?", And adds that he will give all the money to the orphan - his daughter. Offended, Vasilko persuades the gypsies who set up camp nearby in the mountains to kidnap little Alexandra.
Olena fell asleep for a moment and did not notice how the girl was abducted by gypsies led by Vaida and his wife Klutse.

Act II
12 years in the mountains

12 years have passed. We see Sandra in the woods - a gypsy girl. She ran away from Vaida's father, who beats her for not being able to learn to steal. The girl got lost and went out on the bears. She is saved from the beasts by accurate shots fired by a young boyar Les, who was just on the hunt. Les falls in love with Sandra at first sight and invites her to go with him. But Sandra confesses to her rescuer that she is a gypsy and refuses to go with him, although she also liked the guy.
Sandra tells about Lesya to her mother, an old gypsy Kluca, but here comes her father Vaida with company. Vaida puts Sandra's head on the anvil and sharpens the ax. The girl says she'd better die, but she won't steal. The gypsy choir stops Vaida and enters because they got food.
Sandra stays with her younger sister. Here she is met by Bogdan, who wonders why one sister is "white" and the other "black". He also notes that Sandra is very similar to his late wife: "This gypsy woman is my vicana woman, one drop." Bohdan talks to Klutza, who assures that both girls are her own daughters, and one is white, because "you were born that way". Bogdan wants to buy a white gypsy Sandra, but Klutza refuses. Bogdan gives the gypsies bread, promises to come tomorrow.

Act III
Bogdan is looking for gypsies in the forest, Sandra doesn't get out of his head. Tired, he sits down to rest and falls asleep. It turns out Vasilko with a knife. He wants revenge on his brother for calling him a windmill and not borrowing money. Already brings a knife, but does not dare to strike. At that moment, he is stopped by Les, who went hunting with his father Yuri and his comrades.
They meet Sandra and Klutz. An old gypsy woman is dying. Klutza admits that once a gentleman gave Weidi money to kidnap Sandra. She was then 4 years old and her name was Alexander. Bogdan recognizes his daughter: “Oh! you are my dear ”.
Immediately, Bohdan and Yuri bless Lesya and Oleksandra for marriage. The Hutsul choir reports that Vasilko drowned: "Drowned, Mr. Gypsy Company." Klutza died. Sandra cries because she loved her sincerely as a mother. The Hutsul choir sings: "We went to the bear, and burned the girl."