Rothschild's Violin (opera)

Rothschild's Violin (Russian: Скрипка Ротшильда) is a one-act opera by Russian composer Veniamin Fleishman (1913–1941) set to the Russian libretto by the composer after the short story "Rothschild's Fiddle" by Anton Chekhov.

The opera centres on the bitter central character, Yakov Ivanov, a coffin-maker and amateur fiddler, his gradual understanding of life and his bequest of his violin to Rothschild, who also plays in the Jewish band with Ivanov and whom he has treated with contempt.

Between 1939 and 1941, the young Fleishman was one of Dmitri Shostakovich's most promising students at the Leningrad Conservatory, where he composed his first work, a one-act opera entitled Rothschild's Violin. His mentor had suggested Anton Chekhov's story as the basis for the libretto. Setting his tale in an Eastern Europe shtetl at the end of the 19th century, Fleishman paid a musical homage to a world on the verge of extinction.

During World War II Fleishman joined the civil brigades formed to defend Leningrad and was among the first to be killed in action. Evacuating Leningrad on Stalin's order, Shostakovich managed to salvage Fleishman's unfinished score. In memory of his talented student, Shostakovich completed it and orchestrated it in 1943/1944. Shostakovich dated his completion of the score February 5, 1944. Later, he exerted influence so that the opera should be published and performed.

Baritone, 2 tenors, mezzo soprano; male chorus of 6–8 voices 3 flutes, (III = piccolo), 3 oboes (III = cor anglais), 3 clarinets (III = E-flat clarinet/bass clarinet), 3 bassoons (III = contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, 3 percussion (side drum, bass drum, crash cymbals, suspended cymbal, tambourine, glockenspiel, xylophone), 2 harps, strings.

This work is represented by Boosey & Hawkes in the UK, Commonwealth of Nations (excluding Canada), Republic of Ireland, mainland China, Korea and Taiwan; and by Hans Sikorski for Europe.

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