The inexorably approaching spring and the awakening of nature to life set the mood for a romantic mood. I want to touch something sincere, pure and real!

Today I will tell you about the musical “Juno and Avos”, about the history of the creation of the musical itself, about the real events that underlie this musical performance and about the creators of this wonderful creation. And at the end of the article you will find a pleasant surprise on the topic.

“Juno and Avos” a musical?

It would be more correct to call this artistic performance a rock opera, but the birth of this rock opera took place during the times of severe Soviet censorship and therefore at that time everything connected with rock music would never have been released to the public. And what a loss would befall us if such injustice happened!!! Therefore, this musical performance was called “modern opera” by its savvy creators. Musical is a general name for musical performances and films; we already talked about the musical genre in the article. Well, it doesn’t matter to us what genre the performance belongs to, what’s important is that it turned out to be amazingly insightful and captured our hearts for a long time.

Creators

The musical is based on Andrei Voznesensky's poem "Maybe", the music for the play was written by composer Alexey Rybnikov, and was staged by Mark Zakharov on the stage of the Moscow Lenin Komsomol Theater in 1981.

There is a story about how the happy meeting of the creators took place. And it was like this... Composer Alexey Rybnikov came to Mark Zakharov and presented his works, they were improvisations on Orthodox chants. Zakharov appreciated Rybnikov’s work and he had the idea of ​​​​creating a musical performance, the only topic that interested him at that time was the theme of the work “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” With thoughts of combining Rybnikov’s improvisations and “The Lay,” Zakharov went to the poet Andrei Voznesensky and, at the meeting, outlined his idea to him.

Andrei Voznesensky, having listened to Zakharov’s idea, proposed an even more daring option for a musical performance and gave Zakharov his poem “Maybe” to read.

Zakharov quickly read the poem and even more quickly agreed to stage a play based on it.

This is how the creators of this unforgettable musical were connected.

The story of “Juno and Avos”

If you think that the names of the heroes of the rock opera are Juno and Avos, then you are mistaken, these are the names of the sailing ships on which our main character sailed to the shores of California.

More about this. Voznesensky’s poem was written, as it is now customary to say, “based on real events.” It is based on the biography of Nikolai Rezanov, a Russian officer, leader of the first round-the-world expedition. Reading the story of Rezanov’s life and the navigator’s travel diary, Voznesensky was inspired by the life of his brave compatriot. The real story was this: Nikolai Rezanov sailed to California in 1806 to replenish food supplies for the Russian colony in Alaska. In San Francisco he met Conchita Arguello, with whom he fell in love and became engaged. But Rezanov, due to duty, was forced to leave first for Alaska, and then to the emperor’s court in St. Petersburg. At the emperor's court, he planned to get permission to marry a Catholic. And on the way, Rezanov fell ill... He fell seriously ill and died in Krasnoyarsk, never returning to his beloved. Rezanov was 42 years old when he met Conchita, Conchita was 16 years old. Rezanov died at 43.

Conchita refused to believe the rumors about Nikolai's death and waited for his return until 1842, when the English traveler George Simpson was able to tell her the exact details about what happened to Rezanov and his death. She believed the news of her beloved’s death only 35 years later, after which she became a nun and took a vow of silence. She passed away in 1857, having lived in the monastery for almost two decades.

This hopelessly poignant story has a small continuation in our time. In 2000, the sheriff of the city of Benish, where Conchita Arguella was buried, traveled to Russia to the city of Krasnoyarsk and brought a handful of earth from Conchita’s grave and a rose to Rezanov’s grave. Centuries later, our contemporaries tried to reunite these loving hearts.

On Rezanov’s grave there is a white cross, on it are carved the words “I will never forget you” on one side and “I will never see you” on the other side.

This is the story of Conchita Arguello and Nikolai Rezanov, the rest, what the poet Andrei Voznesensky added, is the artistic frame of this poignant story of two people who lived in the 19th century.

Conchita and Rezanov

Even without the artistic image supplemented by Voznesensky, the story of Conchita and Rezanov is piercing to the core! In our age of consumerism and cynical disregard for spiritual values, it is difficult to imagine such devotion and all-consuming love of Conchita, who devoted her entire life to Rezanov alone, rejecting her own desires and expectations.

The fate of the musical

The musical was staged in 1981, and it was surprising that the commission passed the rock opera the first time, without changing anything about it. Voznesensky recalled that before this commission they were in church at the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, which is mentioned in the musical, and even brought illuminated icons to their dressing rooms.

The first performers of the roles were Rezanov - Nikolai Karachentsov, Conchita - Elena Shanina, Fernando (Conchita's fiance) - Alexander Abdulov.

Nikolai Karachentsov played Rezanov until the accident that happened to him.

The performance toured abroad - New York, Paris, Germany, the Netherlands, etc.

In 2010, the musical appeared on stage for the 2,000th time; it was also staged in other countries: Germany, South Korea, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

Where to watch a rock opera?

It would be great to watch the musical with your own eyes, but we don’t always succeed, and therefore I advise you to watch a rock opera without leaving your home.

I recommend watching the musical "Juno and Avos", staged by Lenkom in 1983, this is one of the first productions, in my opinion the most successful! For some reason, subsequent re-productions always lose something elusively valuable.

As I promised at the beginning of the article, I give you a surprise

For more than 30 years, the phenomenal rock opera “Juno and Avos” continues to excite hearts, immersing viewers in the romantic world of two lovers: Count Rezanov and young Conchita. Their sad love story ended more than two centuries ago, but thanks to the soulful poems set to beautiful music, this story seems to live forever.

Background

The modern opera “Juno and Avos” is based on real events that occurred back in the 18th century. In St. Petersburg, a son, Nikolai, was born into the impoverished noble family of the Rezanovs. The boy received a good education at home and showed brilliant abilities for learning languages. In addition, by the age of 14 he had grown handsome beyond his years and was able to enlist in military service in the artillery. In a fairly short time, the ambitious and purposeful young man changed several positions and rose to the rank of ruler of the chancellery under Catherine II’s secretary, Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin.

Portrait of a correspondent of the Russian-American trading company, Count Nikolai Rezanov, by an unknown artist

However, the appearance of the young, tall, handsome Rezanov at court aroused fears among the Empress's new favorite, Count Zubov. The latter, deciding to remove a potential rival from the road, ordered Nikolai to be sent to Irkutsk. In the province, Rezanov was supposed to inspect the trading activities of the merchant and traveler Grigory Shelikhov, known as the Russian Columbus. He became the founder of the first Russian settlements in America; it was with the help of Shelikhov that Alaska became part of the Russian Empire under Catherine II.

From that moment on, Rezanov’s fate was forever connected with Russian America. He married Shelikhov's daughter, young Anna, and both benefited greatly from this marriage. Shelikhov strengthened his position at court, his daughter received the title of nobility and all the privileges associated with it, and Nikolai became a co-owner of huge capital. By order of Paul I, who succeeded the Empress, a single Russian-American company () was created on the basis of the Shelikhov trading company and the companies of other Siberian merchants. Of course, Rezanov became its authorized representative, who made every effort to merge the companies into one powerful organization.

At his new post, Rezanov submitted a petition to the emperor to establish sea communications with Russian settlers in America. Due to the irregular and long delivery of food from Russia, they often received food that was expired and no longer suitable for consumption. By 1802, a plan for a trip around the world was developed, the goals of which were to inspect Russian settlements in Alaska and establish ties with Japan.

However, preparations for the expedition for the count were overshadowed by the death of his wife. Anna died 12 days after the birth of their second child. The inconsolable widower was about to resign and devote himself to raising his children, but was stopped by the order of the emperor. He appointed Rezanov as envoy to Japan and leader of the first Russian round-the-world expedition. In 1803, the count set off on two ships “Nadezhda” and “Neva”.

The brainchild of geniuses

The Land of the Rising Sun kept the diplomat on its soil for six months and eventually refused to do business with Russia. After the failed mission, Rezanov continued his journey to Alaska. Arriving at the place, he was amazed: the settlers lived on the verge of starvation, in devastation, and scurvy “flourished.”

Seeing the confusion of the ruler of Russian America, Baranov, Rezanov, using his own funds, purchased the frigate “Juno” with a cargo of food from a visiting merchant. However, it was clear that these products would not last long. Then the count ordered the construction of another ship - the tender "Avos". For provisions, he decided to go to the rich and prosperous Fort San Francisco in California, and at the same time establish trade relations with the Spaniards, under whose rule this part of America was.

Starting from this journey, the action of the famous rock opera “Juno and Avos” unfolds, although at first there was only “Avos”. The poet Andrei Voznesensky wrote the poem “Maybe!”, based on Rezanov’s travel diary and the notes of J. Lensen, who had a very high opinion of the Russian count. The poem told the sad love story of 42-year-old Rezanov and 15-year-old Spaniard Conchita, a girl whom Nikolai met on the Californian coast.

Anna Bolshova as Conchita and Dmitry Pevtsov as Nikolai Rezanov on the stage of the Lenkom Theater in the rock opera “Juno and Avos”

When director Mark Zakharov approached Voznesensky with a request to write a libretto for the plot of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” the poet was not at a loss and suggested instead that the play be based on his poem. The director agreed, and invited Alexey Rybnikov as a composer. Thus, thanks to the initiative of three geniuses, one of the most piercing musical performances of the 20th century was born, which became a sensation both in the USSR and abroad.

The rock opera premiered on July 9, 1981 on the stage of the Lenkom Theater. Those who were lucky enough to participate in the production of the rock opera later admitted that the performance owed its stunning success to love. Every syllable and every note of the work is imbued with an atmosphere of love and inspiration, and even with the replacement of familiar and beloved actors, the opera does not lose its charm. But still, the version of the play with Nikolai Karachentsov and Elena Shanina - the first Rezanov and Conchita - is considered canonical.

"I will never forget you"

The events described in the rock opera are romantic, and the main characters are full of love and self-sacrifice. Reality differs from fiction, but, oddly enough, only slightly. When Juno and Avos arrived in California in 1806, the Spaniards greeted the Russians unfriendly and refused to sell them anything. However, pretty soon the governor of San Francisco, Jose de Arguello, succumbed to Rezanov’s diplomatic gift of persuasion and charm, especially since the governor’s young daughter, the beautiful Maria dela Concepcion, or, simply, Conchita, fell in love with the count.

Despite the fact that Rezanov was already 42 years old, he had not lost any of his attractiveness; in addition, he was famous, rich and moved in the highest circles of society. Conchita's contemporaries claimed that Conchita's desire to marry a Russian count contained as much love as calculation; she supposedly dreamed of a luxurious life at court in St. Petersburg, but subsequent events proved the sincerity of her feelings for Rezanov.

The Count stayed in San Francisco for only six weeks, but during this time he managed to successfully complete his mission and even more: he obtained provisions for the starving people from Alaska, enlisted the support of the Spanish governor and became engaged to Conchita. At first, Jose de Arguello did not want to marry his daughter to the Russian count. Her parents took the girl to confession and convinced her to give up such an unexpected marriage, but Conchita was adamant. Then they only had to give their blessing for the engagement, but the final decision on the issue of marriage was behind the Roman throne.

However, the harsh Russian winter and the long journey through Siberia undermined the diplomat's strength. Due to a severe cold, Rezanov lay unconscious and feverish for almost two weeks. In serious condition, he was brought to Krasnoyarsk, where he died on March 1, 1807. When the news of the count's death reached Conchita, she did not believe him. True to her promise, she waited for Rezanov and for a year every morning she came to a high cape, from where she peered into the ocean. Over the following years, the best grooms in California approached the beautiful girl, but each time they received an invariable refusal.

Conchita remained faithful to the deceased count and saw her destiny in charity and teaching the Indians; in her homeland they began to call her La Beata - the Blessed One. After 35 years, Maria Concepcion entered the third Order of the White Clergy, and after another 10 years she was ordained a monk. She died at the age of 67, and a stele was erected next to her grave in the cemetery of St. Dominic in memory of her fidelity and love.

Thanks to the world-famous rock opera, a symbolic reunion of the unhappy lovers took place. In 2000, the sheriff of the city in which Conchita was buried brought a handful of earth from the Spanish woman’s grave and scattered it over Rezanov’s burial place in Krasnoyarsk. A monument was erected at the count’s grave, which contains lines from the famous romance: “I will never see you, I will never forget you.”

Publications in the Theaters section

"Juno and Avos". 10 facts about love history

Unfulfilled dreams and distances. The strength of spirit that drives overseas in the interests of state and gives love for courage. The story of 42-year-old Nikolai Rezanov and 16-year-old Conchita has been living for the third century, and for almost 40 years on the stage of Lenkom.

First there was the Word

In 1978, composer Alexey Rybnikov showed Mark Zakharov his improvisations based on Orthodox chants. I liked the music, and the director suggested that Andrei Voznesensky create a performance based on the plot of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” The poet presented his own version - the poem “Maybe,” written under the impression of “Concepcion de Arguello” by Bret Harte. “Let me read,” said Zakharov and the next day he agreed.

For help, go to Yelokhovsky Cathedral

Rock opera on the Soviet stage is a real test. “The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta” from 1976 by the same Mark Zakharov was rejected by the commission 11 times. Taught by bitter experience, Zakharov and Voznesensky, as the poet later recalled, went to the Yelokhovsky Cathedral and lit candles at the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, which is discussed in the opera. “Juno and Avos” was accepted the first time.

Scene from the rock opera “Juno and Avos” (1983)

Elena Shanina as Conchita in the rock opera “Juno and Avos” (1983)

Premiere before premiere

Even before going on stage, the performance was heard in the Church of the Intercession in Fili at a creative meeting with restorers. In February 1981, speakers were installed in the church, Alexey Rybnikov was sitting at the table and there was a tape recorder. The composer gave an opening speech. “After that, people just sat and listened to an hour and a half of recording. And nothing else happened. This was the premiere of the opera “Juno and Avos”.

Tours from Cardin

The “anti-Soviet” production was ordered to tour abroad. But Paris still saw “Juno and Avos” thanks to a French couturier who was friends with Voznesensky. Pierre Cardin presented Russian rock opera for two months at his theater on the Champs-Elysees. The success was extraordinary. Not only in Paris, where the Rothschild clan, Arab sheikhs, Mireille Mathieu came to the performance.

Double anniversary

The rock opera about intercontinental love premiered in 1975. A century and a half earlier, Nikolai Rezanov and Concepcia de Arguello met. In 1806, the count's ship arrived in California to replenish the food supplies of the Russian colony in Alaska. Although Andrei Voznesensky himself emphasized that the poem and opera are not at all historical chronicles from life: “Their images, like their names, are only a capricious echo of well-known destinies...”

Nikolai Karachentsov as Count Nikolai Rezanov in the rock opera “Juno and Avos” (1983)

Irina Alferova as Conchita's older sister in the rock opera Juno and Avos (1983)

History in the museum

The first museum of Russian America in the city of Totma. The house where the sailor and founder of the Ross fortress Ivan Kuskov spent the last years of his life. Among the documents, letters, portraits of the 18th–19th centuries, there is also a story about one of the founders of the Russian-American Company, Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov. About service for the benefit of the country and the romantic story of one of the initiators of the first Russian round-the-world expedition.

The first rock opera

Juno and Avos became the first Soviet rock opera. But in 1975, the VIA “Singing Guitars” staged the zong opera “Orpheus and Eurydice” by Alexander Zhurbin and Yuri Dimitrin for the first time in the Soviet Union in the opera studio at the Leningrad Conservatory. The bourgeois word “rock” was replaced by “zong” (from German - “pop song”). In the Guinness Book of Records, Orpheus and Eurydice was named a musical with a record of being performed by one group 2,350 times.

New lines

The play “Juno and Avos” is the calling card of Lenkom. Nikolai Karachentsov played Nikolai Rezanov without an understudy for almost a quarter of a century. The image created by the actor was preserved in the 1983 video performance. Now the main male role is Dmitry Pevtsov. At the request of Mark Zakharov, Andrei Voznesensky changed the final line: “Children of the twenty-first century! Your new century has begun."

Other scenes

“Juno and Avos” stepped from the stage of the Moscow theater to the St. Petersburg Rock Opera theater. Alexey Rybnikov noted that “Singing Guitars” more accurately embodied the idea of ​​the creators, preserving the author’s genre of mystery opera. Posters in Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Korean and many other languages ​​told about the love between the girl and the commander. And in 2009, the author’s version of the play by the Alexei Rybnikov Theater was released in France. There the main emphasis is on the musical parts.

“Juno and Avos” is the most famous and still popular Russian rock opera. The play premiered in 1981 at the Moscow Lenin Komsomol Theater, on whose stage it continues to this day.

Composer

The author of the music for the play is A. L. Rybnikov. He was born in Moscow on July 17, 1945. His parents were people of creative professions: his mother was an artist-designer, and his father was a violinist. Alexey Lvovich began writing music at the age of 8. His first compositions were pieces for piano, and at the age of 11 he wrote the ballet “Puss in Boots.” A. L. Rybnikov graduated from the conservatory in composition class, his teacher was Aram Khachaturian.

In addition to the work “Juno and Avos,” Alexey Lvovich wrote another legendary rock opera, “The Star and Death of Joaquin Murrieta.” He is the author of music for the mystery play “Liturgy of the Catechumens”, for the musical drama “Maestro Massimo”, for the modern opera “War and Peace”, for such films as: “Treasure Island”, “That Same Munchausen”, “The Tale of the Star Boy” ", "Andersen - Life without Love", "The Adventures of Pinocchio", "Little Red Riding Hood", "The Brothers Karamazov", etc., as well as cartoons: "The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats in a New Way", "The Black Hen", series " Moomin-Troll", etc. In addition, A. L. Rybnikov writes symphonic, chamber and choral music. And there is no doubt that awarding him the title of People's Artist in 1999 is quite fair.

Plot

The most famous work of composer A.L. Rybnikov was and remains the rock opera “Juno and Avos”. A brief summary of the performance will be presented in this article. The plot is based on the poem of the same name written by Andrei Voznesensky. She introduces us to the true story that happened at the beginning of the 19th century. Russian statesman Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov took a trip to California in 1806, where he met Conchita, the daughter of the commandant of San Francisco.

So, “Juno and Avos” (a summary of the opera will be described in detail later) is a story about how Nikolai Rezanov, as part of the expedition he led, stops in California on the way to Alaska. At the ball, he meets sixteen-year-old Conchita, who falls in love with him. After getting engaged to her, Nikolai Rezanov is forced to continue the expedition and leave his bride in California. On the way to St. Petersburg, where he was going to apply for permission to marry Conchita, since she is a Catholic, Nikolai Petrovich falls ill and dies. Conchita waited for him for many years and did not believe that he was dead, and having received confirmation of his death, she became a nun and took a vow of silence.

Prologue

The rock opera “Juno and Avos” (the summary goes hand in hand with the work itself) begins with a prologue. Nikolai Petrovich prays, calling on the Lord and the Motherland. After which a prophet appears on stage and predicts to Russia that the difficult year 1812 is coming soon.

The first act of the rock opera "Juno and Avos"

The summary of the first part is as follows: after the funeral service in the church of his wife, Rezanov submits a petition to Count Rumyantsev to support his project - the first round-the-world trip in the history of Russia, which he intends to lead in order to establish friendly relations with America, which promises great benefits for Russia . Having received the go-ahead from Rumyantsev, N.P. Rezanov sets sail.

Second act

Rock opera “Juno and Avos” summary (second part) tells about what is happening to the heroes already in America. The scene begins with Nikolai Petrovich writing a letter to A.N. Rumyantsev about the state in which his expedition arrived on the shores of California, and how they were greeted by local residents. Next, the action moves to the ballroom. This is where N.P. Rezanov met Conchita, in honor of whose 16th birthday a ball was given. Nikolai Petrovich presents the commandant's daughter with a gift - a golden diadem from the collection of Empress Catherine. After the ball, Rezanov enters Conchita's bedroom and seduces her. The girl falls in love with him, and he only feels remorse. During confession, the girl tells everything to her confessor, which he reports to her father, who insists on an engagement in order to hide his daughter’s dishonor. Rezanov and Conchita get engaged, after which he sails away, but he is never destined to return to her. For thirty years Conchita waited for the return of N.P. Rezanov, not believing the rumors about his death.

The famous poem Juno and Avos of Russian modern opera, written in 1970. In those years, they avoided using the word “rock opera” because rock was banned. But the fact is obvious - this was the first Russian rock opera.

It remains the most popular to this day. One of the great playwrights said: “For a play to be successful, it must have a positive ending, where everyone is happy. And only a genius can afford to create a performance with a tragic ending.”

The masterpiece is not destined to sink into oblivion! The exciting and charming story has traveled all over the world in its production. The first premiere of the opera abroad took place at the Espace Cardin in Paris in 1983. Buy tickets for Juno and maybe you will see a legend that continues to capture the hearts of people today.

It just so happened that all the components of this performance turned out to be brilliant: poetry, music, staging. The plot incredibly captivated its creators. The libretto of Juno and Avos is based on the true events of 1806 surrounding the love story of Nikolai Rezanov, a Russian nobleman, and Maria Concepcion Arguello, the daughter of the Spanish governor of Alta California.

Voznesensky was inspired to create his own poem by the diaries of Count Rezanov, a book about Rezanov’s expedition by George Alexandra Lensen, the ballad “Concepcion de Arguello” by Francis Bret Harte, and read Pyotr Tikhmenev’s “History of the Russian-American Company.”

Come share the excitement of the famous dramatic production of Juno and Avos, a story of romantic love so celebrated by poets and writers. Their love story, like the love stories of Alexander the Great and Thais of Athens, Anthony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, is worthy of admiration.

Original story: Juno and Avos

The opera is named after the two sailing ships Juno and Avos, which formed the expedition of the Russian explorer. Voznesensky never claimed that the opera was historically accurate, but the characters in his poem are an echo of the destinies of real people.

Conchita was just a teenager when the Russian ship arrived in San Francisco Bay. Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov, the envoy of Tsar Alexander I, has a difficult mission: he needs to establish trade relations with the Spanish side of colonial North America. There was a desperate need to provide food to the Russian settlement of Sitka, Alaska. The task was complicated by the fact that Spain was an ally of Napoleon.

Perhaps the mission would have been a failure if it had not been for the mutual love that broke out between the 15-year-old beauty Conchita, a young Spaniard, and the Russian captain Rezanov. Their love was not hindered by barriers of religion, language, or age. The girl's shocked parents give their consent to their engagement. This wedding was supposed to be a friendly alliance between Spain and Russia.

Nikolai must return to St. Petersburg in order to obtain permission for a mixed Orthodox-Catholic marriage. On the way, he fell ill with pneumonia, and also suffered a head injury when he fell from a horse and died near Krasnoyarsk. Concepcion, however, waits patiently for him: every day she goes to the cape to meet him. This is now the site of the Golden Gate Bridge.

After 5 years, she receives reliable information informing her of his death.
After the death of her lover, Concepcion remains to live in her parents’ house for another 20 years, struggling with thoughts of tragedy and constantly refusing all her many fans. During these years, she has been involved in charitable activities in California, Guadalajara, and Mexico. Then she joined the sisterhood of the Dominican monastery, where she lived until 1857.

Even if we return to Earth
We are secondary, according to Hafiz
Maybe we can warm up with you
I'll never see you again!