“A provincial lady” A. Tchaikovsky based on the comedy of the same name by I. Turgenev: to the problem of genre definition

The contemporary light-genre musical theatre offers numerous examples of adaptations in librettos based on classical literary works, which often become a defining factor for the high textual and dramaturgical level of musical-stage pieces. This approach allows for the formation of a quality figurative and semantic foundation as well as a solid narrative structure. A.Tchaikovsky’s “A Provincial Lady” based on the eponymous comedy by I.Turgenev, serves as an example of interpreting a work from the golden treasury of Russian literature within the context of musical, which today is the most relevant, democratic, and accessible form of theatrical art. Despite the author’s designation of the genre, this production has significantly been influenced by other forms of lightgenre musical theatre, primarily operetta, which has long been firmly rooted in the national tradition. As demonstrated in the article, the two genres – musical and operetta – define the unique character of “A Provincial Lady,” where their characteristics are synthesized at both the compositional-dramaturgical and musical-stylistic levels. In exploring this aspect, the author addresses a broader issue regarding the substantial commonality between these two genre models, which often makes it difficult to draw a clear line between them.

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