Opera Scotland

César Cui Suggest updates

César Antonovich Cui.

Born Vilna (Vilnius), 18 January 1835.

Died Petrograd, 26 March 1918.

Russian composer and critic.

Cui was of French-Lithuanian origin, and less in tune with the new Russian style.  Nevertheless he became one of the leading group of Russian composers known as the 'Mighty Handful'.  While successful during his lifetime, his reputation has faded by comparison with the other four - Balakirev, Borodin, Musorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.

Just as Rimsky-Korsakov's editorial work helped to bring about performances of several of his alcohol-fuelled friend Musorgsky's works, including Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina, so Cui did the same for Sorochintsy Fair.

He composed operas throughout his career, with subjects frequently drawn from Western authors, including Heine and Victor Hugo:

01    Neuhausen Castle (1859 unfin)

02    Prisoner of the Caucasus (1857-8, rev 1881-2; prod 1885)

03   The Mandarin's Son (1859)

04   William Ratcliff (1861-68)

05   Mlada (Act 1 only) (1872)

06   Angelo (1871-75)

07   Le Filibustier (1888-89)

08   The Saracen (1896-98)

09   A Feast in Time of Plague (1899-1900; Moscow 1901) (Pushkin)

10   Undina (1900-04 unfin)

11   Mam'zelle Fifi (1902-03)

12   The Snow Bogatyr (1905)

13   Matteo Falcone (1906-07)

14   The Captain's Daughter (1907-09)

15   Little Red Riding Hood (1911)

16   Ivan the Fool (1913)

17   Puss-in-Boots (1913 unperf)