The miller who was a wizard, a cheat and a matchmaker[a] (Russian: Мельник – колдун, обманщик и сват [Melnik – koldun, obmanshchik i svat]) – is a Russian ballad opera in three acts with a libretto by Alexander Ablesimov that premiered on 31 January [O.S.

The music for the opera is nowadays agreed to be by Mikhail Sokolovsky, although for a century it was mistakenly attributed to Yevstigney Fomin.

[4] It is also believed that the overture to the opera may have been written by the Bohemian composer, working in Russia, Arnošt Vančura (d.

Act 1: The miller Fadei prospers by exploiting his reputation amongst the peasants as a wizard.

When Fetinia and Ankudin meet they quarrel over the apparently incompatible promises given to them by the miller.