A Life for the Tsar

A Life for the Tsar (Russian: "Жизнь за царя", tr. Zhizn za tsarya listenⓘ) is a "patriotic-heroic tragic opera" in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka. During the Soviet era the opera was known under the name Ivan Susanin (Russian: Иван Сусанин listenⓘ).

A Life for the Tsar
Opera by Mikhail Glinka
Osip Petrov as Ivan Susanin in the premiere
Native title
Russian: "Жизнь за царя", Zhizn' za tsarya
Librettist
  • Nestor Kukolnik
  • Egor Fyodorovich Rozen
  • Vladimir Sollogub
  • Vasily Zhukovsky
LanguageRussian
Premiere
9 December 1836 (New Style)
Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, Saint Petersburg

The original Russian libretto, based on historical events, was written by Nestor Kukolnik, Egor Fyodorovich (von) Rozen, Vladimir Sollogub and Vasily Zhukovsky. It premiered on 27 November 1836 OS (9 December NS) at the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg. The historical basis of the plot involves Ivan Susanin, a patriotic hero of the early 17th century who died in the expulsion of the invading Polish army for the newly elected Tsar Michael of Russia, the first of the Romanov dynasty, elected in 1613.

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