The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya (Russian: Сказание о невидимом граде Китеже и деве Февронии, romanized: Skazániye o nevídimom gráde Kítezhe i déve Fevrónii listenⓘ)[a] is an opera in four acts by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

The libretto was written by Vladimir Belsky, and is based on a combination of two Russian legends: those of Saint Fevroniya of Murom and of the city of Kitezh, which became invisible when attacked by the Tatars.

Rimsky-Korsakov and Belsky first became interested in writing an opera on the Kitezh legend during the winter of 1898-1899, while they were working on the libretto to The Tale of Tsar Saltan.

During the period between 1898 and the beginning of 1903, the composer was occupied with the composition of the operas The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Servilia, Kashchey the Immortal and Pan Voyevoda.

[3] In his My Musical Life, Rimsky-Korsakov mentions "In the midst of work on Pan Voyevoda Belsky and I pondered intensively the subject of The Tale of the Invisible City of Kityezh and of the Maiden Fyevroniya.

The Bregenz Festival presented it in 1995 in a production by Harry Kupfer conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev with Elena Prokina as Fevroyniya, described by the Opera reviewer as "thrilling from start to finish".

[8] Source:[10] Kitezh is arguably Rimsky-Korsakov's finest opera, often being referred to as "the Russian Parsifal;[11] however, it is not part of the standard operatic repertoire outside Russia.

[12] In its use of Russian history and legend, Oriental exoticism, and a mix of the real and the supernatural, the work has been called a "summation of the nationalistic operatic tradition of Glinka and The Five.

Kerzhenskii Woods These wild forests with dense thickets and bogs are the home of Fevronia (and her "brother", a treecreeper), who lives in a hut.

She is besotted with dreams and poetical fancies, and is a daughter of nature, being on friendly terms with the birds and wild animals, and knowing all the mysteries of the forest.

Little Kitezh on the Volga Holiday festivities are going on in the market square in this place, because the wedding procession of Princess Fevronia is expected to come through.

The rich townsfolk, who think Prince Vsevolod should have married a girl with better family connections, persuade Grishka Kuterma (the local drunkard) to mock the princess.

The procession approaches to the sound of bells, and (in an old custom) the wedding guests throw honey-cakes, ribbons and coins into the crowd as the bride's 'ransom'.

Then, a golden fog rises over the Lake and shrouds the city, hiding it from the enemy: only the church bells drone faintly.

Vsevolod leads his bride to the altar with wedding songs, and a Hymn of Joy, as a solemn chorus, ends the opera.