The Demon

Demon (1960) is a Russian musical based on the eponymous opera by Anton Rubinstein with lyrics by Mikhail Lermontov. Lermontov's Demon is a long poem in Russian featuring some of the most mellifluous lines in the language. God, in Lermontov's interpretation, is the hardest of all tyrants, who takes control over human thoughts and lives, thus pushing people to more sins. Demon is the only man who can liberate people and wake them up to reality, and guide them to their true feelings. He gives beautiful Princess Tamara his demonic love which celebrates the carnal passions of the "eternal spirit." Demon is played by the brilliant Estonian singer Georg Ots. Lermontov's poem "Demon" was banned from publication for decades, and the Anton Rubinstein's lush opera was also banned by censors who deemed it sacrilegious.