The Story of a Real Man
- Sergei Prokofiev
- Mira Mendelson
The Story of a Real Man (Russian: Повесть о настоящем человеке, romanized: Povest' o nastoyashchem cheloveke) is an opera in four acts by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, his opus 117.[1] It was written from 1947 to 1948,[2] and was his last opera.
The libretto, by the composer and his wife Mira Mendelson, is based on the eponymous novel by Boris Polevoy; this in turn was based on the story of pilot Aleksey Maresyev. The opera received its premiere on 3 December 1948 at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad. The audience was made up of Soviet cultural officials who gave the work a poor reception. This was a great disappointment to the composer who had intended the opera to rehabilitate his reputation with the Communist authorities after he had been accused of "formalism" earlier in the year. As a result, performances of The Story of a Real Man were forbidden to the general public until after Prokofiev's death. It received its public premiere on 7 October 1960 at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow.
Roles
Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, closed rehearsal 3 December 1948[3] Conductor: Boris Khaykin Leningrad, Kirov | Bolshoi cast, public premiere 8 October 1960 Conductor: Mark Ermler Studio recording, 1961 |
---|---|---|---|
Aleksey Maresyev, pilot | baritone | Yevgeny Kibkalo | |
Andrei Dzhegtyarenko, pilot | bass | Georgi Pankov | |
Klaudiya Michailovna, nurse | contralto | Kira Leonova | |
Konstantin Kukushkin, pilot | tenor | Aleksei Maslennikov | |
Grandfather Mihailov | tenor | Georgi Shulpin | |
Olga, Aleksey's fiancée | soprano | Glafira Deomidova | |
Commissar Semyon Vorobyev | baritone / bass | Arthur Eisen | |
Sinocka | soprano | Maria Zvenzdina | |
Varya | mezzo-soprano | Margarita Miglau | |
Surgeon Vasilyevich | bass | Mark Reshetin | |
Grandmother Vasilissa | contralto | Vera Smirnova |
Synopsis
The story is set during the Second World War. Aleksey, a Soviet fighter pilot, is shot down in combat against the Germans and badly wounded. He is rescued and cared for by villagers from a collective farm before being transferred to a hospital, where both his legs are amputated. He is inspired by the thought of his girlfriend and the support of his fellow patients, one of whom tells him the story of a First World War ace who continued to fly after losing one of his legs. The opera ends with Aleksey taking to the air again in his new plane.
Recordings
- Yevgeny Kibkalo (as Aleksey), Glafira Deomidova (as Olga). Chorus and orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, dir. Mark Ermler. Studio recording, 1961, Moscow, based on 1960 Bolshoi Theatre production; CHANDOS CHAN 10002 (2CD, with libretto in Cyrillic, and translations).[4] The recording is abridged.[5]
References
- ^ "Prokofiev Opera Opus 117". G. Schirmer. Retrieved 2009-01-04..
- ^ Nestyev, Israel V.; transl. Jonas, Florence (1961). Prokofiev at Google Books. Stanford University Press. pp. 402–404, 411, 512. ISBN 0-8047-0585-2.
- ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Povesth o nastojascim celovjeke, 3 December 1948". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- ^ Recordings of The Story of a Real Man, operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
- ^ See Review by Rob Barnett
Further reading
- Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
- v
- t
- e
- The Giant
- Maddalena
- The Gambler
- The Love for Three Oranges
- The Fiery Angel
- Semyon Kotko
- Betrothal in a Monastery
- War and Peace
- The Story of a Real Man
- Ala i Lolli
- Chout
- Trapèze
- Le pas d'acier
- Prodigal Son
- On the Dnieper
- Romeo and Juliet
- Cinderella
- The Tale of the Stone Flower
- No. 1 in D major ("Classical")
- No. 2 in D minor
- No. 3 in C minor
- No. 4 in C major
- No. 5 in B♭ major
- No. 6 in E♭ minor
- No. 7 in C♯ minor
Piano |
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Other |
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- Violin Sonata No. 1
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- Flute Sonata in D major
- Cello Sonata in C major
- Sonata for Two Violins in C major
- Sonata for Solo Violin
- Sonata for Solo Cello in C♯ minor
Sonatas |
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Other |
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- Ballets Russes
- Sergei Diaghilev
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- Prokofiev (crater)
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- Lina and Serge: The Love and Wars of Lina Prokofiev
- Mira Mendelson
- Oleg Prokofiev
- Shostakovich v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
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