''Christus'' is an opera in seven scenes with a prologue and epilogue by

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein, who founded the Moscow Conservatory. As a pianist, Rubinstein ran ...

, written between the years 1887–1893 to a libretto after a poem by

Heinrich Bulthaupt Heinrich Bulthaupt (October 26, 1849 – August 20, 1905) was a German poet, dramatic author, and lawyer, as well as librarian of his native town, Bremen. Many of Bulthaupt's works found considerable widespread popularity in the lyrical and dra ...

Background

''Christus'' was described by its composer as a 'sacred opera'. This is a term invented by Rubinstein, ('geistliche Oper' in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

) denoting staged works with 'use of polyphonic choruses and a sober, edifying style relying on ‘exalted declamation’.' Rubinstein composed three other works of this type, ''

Sulamith Sulamith may refer to: People * Sulamith Goldhaber (1923–1965), high-energy physicist and molecular spectroscopist * Sulamith Ish-Kishor (1896–1977), American writer *Sulamith Isman (1925–1943), Dutch girl killed in Auschwitz * Sulamith Messe ...

'', ''

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

'' and '' Der Thurm zu Babel (The

Tower of Babel The Tower of Babel is an origin myth and parable in the Book of Genesis (chapter 11) meant to explain the existence of different languages and cultures. According to the story, a united human race speaking a single language migrates to Shin ...

)''. A fifth sacred opera, ''

Cain Cain is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. How ...

'', was uncompleted at his death. Rubinstein considered ''Christus'' to be his finest composition.

Performance history

Parts of the work were performed in Berlin in April 1894, and Rubinstein conducted a complete performance in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

on 2 June 1894. This was in fact his last public appearance as a conductor. The work received a further series of complete performances, at

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

, in 1895. Applause between scenes and after the performance was forbidden. Apparently the work was not revived until a performance in

Tyumen Tyumen ( ; rus, Тюмень, p=tʲʉˈmʲenʲ, a=Ru-Tyumen.ogg) is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is situated just east of the Ural Mountains, along the Tura ( ...

in 2002, conducted by the composer's great-grandson, Anton Sharoyev. This was also therefore the work's first performance in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. A recording of part of the work was made from live performances under Sharoyev in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

in 2003.Sleeve notes to recording of ''Christus'', 2003

Roles

Synopsis

''Christus'' treats the life of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

according to the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

. It is made up of the following scenes: *Outside the stable at

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

; the

three kings In Christianity, the Biblical Magi ( or ; singular: ), also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and Three Magi, are distinguished foreigners who visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in homage to hi ...

arrive to pay homage. *Jesus arguing with

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

in the desert *His baptism by

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

*Jesus performs miracles and defends Mary Magdalene. *Jesus's anger in the Temple *The

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...

and Jesus's arrest *The trial before

Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and ultimately ordered his cruc ...

*The

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

(off-stage): demons and angels battle. *

St Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

leads praise of Christ.

Notes

Sources

* Anon, Sleeve notes to recording of ''Christus''; Anton Sharoyev conducting Tyumen State Philharominc Orchestra, 2003,"Zvuk" ZV - 11 03207 * Graham Dixon and

Richard Taruskin Richard Filler Taruskin (April 2, 1945 – July 1, 2022) was an American musicologist and music critic who was among the leading and most prominent music historians of his generation. The breadth of his scrutiny into source material as well as ...

. "Sacred opera."

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

accessed 17 April 2010 * H Krehbiel
''A Second Book of Operas''
, accessed 17 April 2010 * Charles Maclean, ''Rubinstein as Composer for the Pianoforte'' (January–March 1914). ''Sammelbände der Internationalen Musikgesellschaft'' 15. Jahrg. (H. 2.): pp. 360–374. * R. Taruskin, ''Christian Themes in Russian Opera: A Millennial Essay''(March 1990). ''Cambridge Opera Journal'', 2 (1): pp. 83–91. {{Portal bar, Classical music, Opera, Music Operas by Anton Rubinstein German-language operas Operas Operas based on the Bible Operas based on real people Operas set in the 1st century 1894 operas Depictions of Jesus in music Cultural depictions of John the Baptist Cultural depictions of Mary, mother of Jesus Cultural depictions of Paul the Apostle Operas based on literature