Ivan Karamazov's poem and libretto to R. Rossellini’s opera "La leggenda del Ritorno": transforming events and protagonists

“Grand Inquisitor” - a chapter of Dostoevsky’s materpiece “The Brothers Karamazov” is a pre-text for Rossellini's opera La Leggenda del Ritorno (1966, Milan). In the what follows we dissect and interpret changes in plot and system of protagonists which are determined by transformation of literary text into opera. We have come to the conclusion that the stage and staginess became influencing benchmarks for Diego Fabri, a librettist, who thus did not add into his music piece some leitmotivs which were for Dostoevsky of great importance, namely: freedom of belief and choice, freedom of Christian charity and constitution of worldly happiness. In fact, he developed his opera as one based on the conflict between spiritual and temporal authorities, and emphasized the spectacular scenes of King’s murder and Stranger’s disappearance.