The Maid of Pskovitaine: Overture and Entr’actes (La Pskovitaine, 2nd version)

The Maid of Pskov is an opera in three acts and six scenes, the first opera Rimsky-Korsakov ever composed. The libretto was written by the composer, and is based on the drama of the same name by Lev Mei. The story concerns the Tsar Ivan the Terrible and his efforts to subject the cities of Pskov and Novgorod to his will. The first product of the composer’s interest in this work was a lullaby composed in 1866. There are three versions of the opera. The original version was composed in the years 1868-1872, and received its premiere in 1873. The composer revised the opera in the years 1876-1877. Later he completed a final version in the years 1891-1892. This edition is a reprint of the Overture and Entr’actes from the 1877 version.