Sorochintsy Fair

opera by Mussorgsky

Also known as: “Sorochinskaya yarmarka”

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July 14, 2026

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Sorochintsy Fair is an unfinished opera by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky. Inspired by a tale by Nikolay Gogol, Mussorgsky began composing the opera in his later years. Despite his struggles with alcoholism and financial difficulties, he worked on this piece, which was intended to be a vibrant portrayal of Russian folk life. The opera was left incomplete at the time of Mussorgsky's death in 1881, with Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov later completing some of Mussorgsky's other unfinished works. Mussorgsky is renowned for his nationalist approach to music, evident in his operas like Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina, which significantly influenced Russian opera.12

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Modest Mussorgsky
Life and career
…his opera Sorochinskaya yarmarka (unfinished; Sorochintsy Fair), inspired by Gogol’s tale. As the accompanist of an aging singer, Darya Leonova, Mussorgsky departed on a lengthy concert tour of southern Russia and the Crimean Peninsula. On his return he tried teaching at a small school of music in St. Petersburg.
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…his opera Sorochinskaya yarmarka (unfinished; Sorochintsy Fair), inspired by Gogol’s tale. As the accompanist of an aging singer, Darya Leonova, Mussorgsky departed on a lengthy concert tour of southern Russia and the Crimean Peninsula. On his return he tried teaching at a small school of music in St. Petersburg.
Read More