Betrothal in a Monastery
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| Operas by Sergei Prokofiev |
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The Gambler (1916) |
Betrothal in a Monastery (Obrucheniye v monastïre in transliteration) was Sergei Prokofiev's sixth opera with an opus number. The libretto, in Russian, was by the composer and Mira Mendelson, after Richard Brinsley Sheridan's ballad opera libretto for Thomas Linley the younger's The Duenna.
Prokofiev began the work in 1940, and it was in rehearsal that year, but World War II halted production of the opera.[1] The first performance did not occur until 3 November 1946[2], at the Kirov Theatre with Boris Khaikin conducting.
Commentators have noted that this opera lacks any particular political or social comment, except for the scene with the drunken monks, given the context of its creation in the 1940's in the Soviet Union.[3]
In recent years, the opera has been performed in 1989 at the Wexford Festival and in 2006 at Glyndebourne[3]and will be performed at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Spain in 2008.
Contents |
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 3 November 1946, St Petersburg (Conductor: Boris Khaikin) |
|---|---|---|
| Don Jerome | ||
| Don Ferdinand, son of Don Jerome | ||
| Louisa, daughter of Don Jerome | ||
| The Duenna | ||
| Don Antonio | ||
| Clara d'Almanza | ||
| Mendoza, a fish merchant | ||
| Don Carlos, friend of Mendoza | ||
| Padre Augustin | ||
| Father Elustaf | ||
| Father Chartreuse | ||
| Father Benedictine | ||
| Lauretta | ||
| Rosina | ||
| Lopez | ||
| Pablo | ||
| Pedro | ||
| Miguel | ||
| Three Maskers | ||
| Two Lay Brothers |
[edit] Synopsis
The opera is in four acts.
Don Jerome intends his daughter Louisa to marry the wealthy fish merchant Mendoza. However, she loves instead Antonio, who is poor, though noble in spirit. Furthermore, Don Ferdinand, son of Don Jerome and prone to fits of jealousy, wants to marry Clara d'Almanza, who is a virtual prisoner of her stepmother.
In Act III, Mendoza and Don Carlos unintentionally help Louisa elope with Antonio. Don Jerome is tricked into composing a letter that gives his permission for Louisa to marry Antonio. In a fit of jealousy, Don Ferdinand chases after Louisa and Antonio, after he mistakes Louisa for Clara.
Act IV opens with a drinking song for the monks in the monastery where the marriages are to be performed. The monks then switch to a hymn that extols fasting and abstinence, to a tune that is a slower variant of the earlier drinking song. Finally, Louisa and Antonio are united, as are Don Ferdinand and Clara. In addition, Mendoza ends up marrying Louisa's duenna.
[edit] Instrumentation
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Percussion cont. |
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[edit] Recordings
| Orchestra | Choir | Conductor | Record Company | Year of Recording | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirov Orchestra | Kirov Opera Chorus | Valery Gergiev | Philips | 1998 | DVD/CD |
| Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre | Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre | Alexander Lazarev | BMG Classics | 1990 | CD |
| Orchestra of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre | Choir of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre | K. Abdullayev | Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga | ? | LP |
[edit] Summer Night
Summer Night (Op. 123) is an orchestral suite with music drawn from Betrothal in a Monastery.
[edit] Movements
The suite, lasting around 20 minutes, consists of five movements:
- Introduction: Moderato, ma con brio
- Serenade: Adagio
- Minuet
- Dreams (Nocturne): Andante tranquillo
- Dance: Allegretto
[edit] Premiere
[edit] Instrumentation
Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, Cor Anglais, 2 Clarinets, Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, Contrabassoon, 4 French Horns, 3 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion (Triangle, Wood Blocks, Tambourine, Snare Drum, Maracas, Cymbals, Bass Drum, Glockenspiel), Harp, and Strings.
[edit] Recordings of Summer Night
| Orchestra | Conductor | Record Company | Year of Recording | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russian National Orchestra | Mikhail Pletnev | Deutsche Grammophon | 1994 | CD |
| Philharmonia Orchestra | Neeme Järvi | Chandos Records | 1991/2 | CD |
| St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra | Vladimir Ashkenazy | Exton | 2002 | SACD |
[edit] References
- ^ Slonimsky, Nicolas, "The Duenna. A Lyric-Comic Opera in Four Acts, Nine Scenes" (June 1955). Notes (2nd Ser.), 12 (3): 484-485.
- ^ Law, Joe K. (2000). "Betrothal in a Monastery. Sergei Prokofiev". Opera Quarterly 16 (2): 319–322. doi:.
- ^ a b Tom Service. "Betrothal in a Monastery/Glyndebourne", The Guardian, 25 July 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
