Life in the Times of the Tsar, A

Opera by Mikhail Glinka (libretto by C F Rosen), first produced in St Petersburg, Russia, on 9 December 1836. In the story, Ivan Susanin delays the wedding of his daughter Antonida to Bogden Sobinin because of invading Poles who are hunting down the tsar. Knowing where the tsar is hiding, Susanin deliberately leads the Poles astray, knowing that he will be killed when the deception is discovered. Susanin willingly sacrifices his life for the tsar; his bravery is praised by all.