Leyli and Majnun (Azerbaijani: Leyli və Məcnun) - is Azerbaijani, the Caucasian and the Eastern first opera, which was performed in 1908 for the first time. The opera has been written by Uzeyir Hajibeyov. This opera is in four and six scenes. On January 12, 1908, the opera was shown on the stage of Taghiyev theater in Baku. The opera opera is considered Muslim world's first dubbed opera as well[1].
In the first performance of the opera was led by Hussein Rabynsky and even Hajibeyov himself was played violin.
Uzeyir Hajibeyov and his brother Jayhan rewrote the poem for the opera based on Azerbaijani poet Muhammad Fizuli's Leyli and Majnun poem . By the way, most part of the poem remains unchanged.
Thus, Leyli and Majnun opera became a founder of the unique new genre in musical culture of the world ,which synthesizes Oriental and European musical forms, resembling a dialogue of two musical cultures of East and West[2][3].
This opera has shown more than 20,000 times in Azerbaijan State Theater Opera and Ballet as well as in other countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Turkey, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
Contents |
| Role | Voice type | |
|---|---|---|
| Geys (Majnun) | Lyric tenor | |
| Leyli | Lyric soprano | |
| Geys’s father | Tenor | |
| Geys’s mother | Soprano | |
| Leyli’s father | Baritone | |
| Leyli’s mother | Mezzo-soprano | |
| Ibn Salam | Tenor | |
| Nofel | Baritone | |
| Zeyd | Tenor | |
| The 1st Arab | Tenor | |
| The 2nd Arab | Tenor | |
| Matchmakers, heralds, guests, pupils-girls and boys. | ||
Boys and girls go out of school. Beautiful Leyli and Geys love each other; they are chatting fondly, forgetting about others. But friends find Leyli’s behavior very unethical and hastily take her away. Geys begs father to marry Leyli to him, without whom he can’t live.
Leyli’s parents have heard about Gey’s love to Leyli and Leyli’s mutual love to him. Girl’s mother angrily reproaches her and Leyli listens to her sadly. She doesn’t deny that she loves Geys more than anything in the world.
Geys’s father comes to bring in Leyli and Geys together. Leyli’s father sharply and decidedly refuses it : he will never decide to marry his daughter to Majnun (madman)-how everybody calls Geys, who becomes crazy by love.
Knowing about refusal, Geys frantically curses people and his sad destiny. He seeks for loneliness and takes himself off to desert.
But Leyli’s destiny is solved in other way. Her parents have agreed to marry her to wealthy Ibn Salam. Astonished by these news Leyli fainted away.
Sorrow, changed Geys’s mind. He walks in mountains and sands of desert, thinking about Leyli. Majnun’s father and friend-Zeyd have found him-but crazy young man hasn’t decided them. Emaciated appearance of the anchoret, his uncheerful destiny and his father’s sorrow arouses sympathy of Arabs passing through the desert. A commander Nofel shows interest in them. He would like to help unlucky Majnun and sends a herald to Leyli’s father.
But even Nofel’s intervention has made Leyli’s father to change his mind. Then Nofel decides to compel him by force and challenges him to a struggle. Leyli’s father asks him for execution and explains the reason of refusal: his daughter Leyli is other person’s fiancée.
The wedding day of Ibn Salam and Leyli comes. Guests are happily feasting, wishing happiness to the newlywed. And at last the newlyweds remain together. Leyli is confused. At this moment Majnun’s weak voice is heard , which appears near them as a shadow. Ibn Salam stands-still, Leyli faints away. Servants carefully take the madman away.
There is not happiness in Ibn Salam’s house. Leyli is ill by depression. She confesses to husband that she loves geys and can’t love anybody anymore. Let Ibn Salam waits , maybe her feelings to Majnun will pass. Pained Ibn Salam goes away. And suddenly Majnun again appears in front of Leyli as a bodiless shadow. He bitterly complaints to Leyli, that she has betrayed him, destroyed his life, brought sorrow and pain. Forgetting about her illness, Leyli throws herself into her lover’s arms, but he doesn’t recognize her, he looks for and calls his former, pure lover.
Leyli’s heart can’t bear it. She dies in arms of Ibn Salam.
Mejnun comes to Leyli’s grave. Now, Leyli has decided to belong him , now they will be together forever. Desperated Majnun falls on lover’s grave and dies.