THE CONFLICT OF EMOTION AND DUTY IN THE INTONATION DRAMA LES DANAIDES BY A. SALIERI

Abstract

The research defines the peculiarities of embodiment of the conflict of emotion and duty in the intonation drama of Les Danaides by A. Salieri. With the purpose to cover the topic, the author uses the structural-functional method, in-tended for the study of compositional-dramatic aspect of the opera of the Italian composer, whose artistic works unreasonably had been fallen into oblivion. The study of the opera Les Danaides, which ranges among the masterpieces of the ingenious Master, helps to make the following conclusion – the Salieri’s invention is prophetic for the future opera history. The main theme is based on the conflict of emotion and duty. The main idea of the central core of meaning of the opera is developed. It consists in antagonism of two antinomic mentality systems, one of which is formed by incompatible with the idea of duty revenge, barbarity, cruelty, oath-breaking, when the other one – self-giving love within marriage, having a value of sacred duty. Originality of interpretation of the conflict of emotion and duty consists in identification of self-giving love with duty. Solution to the main conflict of the age of Enlightenment shows: A. Salieri predicted its romantic interpretation, where emotions dominate duty, seems like love wins the rule of fate. The study shows that the composer not only embodied progressive interpretations of the genre developed by Gluck who had already finished his career and Mozart rising fast to the opera Olympus but predicted the future opera innovations. In the 80th of the XVIII century, A. Salieri as well as V.A. Mozart succeeded the ideas of Gluck reform. But he did not so much imitate him as interpreted the innovative achievements of his predecessor and brought out his individuality. Relationship between heroic and lyric dramas of Salieri’s opera helps to reveal the main conflict of the age of Enlightenment – collision of the ideal and the fatal. The study of peculiarities of the development of the conflict of emotion and duty in the intonation drama Les Danai-des and finding of intonemas-symbols thanks to which the semantization of opera drama takes place (in particular in-tonema of fate, emotional trembling, fury and bond of love) promote the determination of historic role of A. Salieri in the process of the development of not only music drama of the age of Enlightenment but of future opera.