The Snow Maiden

The traditional Russian folk tale of the Snow Maiden (Snegurochka) was turned into a play by Alexander Ostrovsky and first staged in 1873. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov based his opera of the same name on Ostrovsky’s play. Premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1882, The Snow Maiden enjoyed great popularity and was subsequently mounted by many Russian and foreign companies. Leading artists designed the sets and costumes for the various productions of the opera. The set and costumes for the version staged at the Russian Private Opera in 1885 were designed by Victor Vasnetsov, Isaac Levitan and Konstantin Korovin. Dmitry Stelletsky contributed to the production mounted at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1910.

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman who had never had any children of their own. One wintry day, the couple saw some children playing in the snow. The old man and his wife decided to go outside and build a snowgirl for themselves. To their amazement, the figure came to life. The old couple were overjoyed, took her into their hut, and named her the Snow Maiden. The Snow Maiden grew quickly, and the old couple doted on her. But winter soon passed and spring came around. The girl now became quite depressed and hid from the sun. One day, a group of girls invited the Snow Maiden to go for a walk in the woods. The Snow Maiden did not want to go, but her parents urged her on. So she went with the girls, who built a fire and began jumping over it. Halfway through her leap, the Snow Maiden melted, and the old couple were left on their own again.