About the work
Askold's Grave is a Romantic opera in four acts by Alexei Nikolayevich Verstovsky, with a libretto by Mikhail Zagoskin based on his own 1833 novel of the same name. It premiered on 16/28 September 1835 (Julian/Gregorian) at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
Plot
At the legendary grave of Prince Askold near Kyiv, a love story unfolds between Vseslav, a ward of Grand Prince Svyatoslav, and the fisherman's daughter Nadezhda. A mysterious stranger tries to incite Vseslav to avenge Askold's death on Svyatoslav; in a magical conjuring scene the lovers narrowly escape drowning in the Dnieper, while the stranger perishes in the waters.
Cultural significance
The opera became a decades-long repertoire staple, reaching about 200 performances in St Petersburg and 400 in Moscow by the late 1860s; in 1865 it became the first Russian opera performed in the United States. Singers including Feodor Chaliapin later made the title role famous.