Semyon Kotko (Prokofiev)
Encyclopedia
Semyon Kotko Op. 81, is an opera
in five acts by Sergei Prokofiev
to a libretto by Sergei Prokofiev and Valentin Katayev based on Katayev's 1937 novel I Am the Son of Working People .
), Semyon Kotko was composed between the summers of 1938 and 1939. From the beginning, it was intended that the opera would be produced by the brilliant director and a great friend of Prokofiev, Vsevolod Meyerhold
, who was at that time the director of the Stanislavsky Opera Theatre. Both Prokofiev and Meyerhold had tried to plan productions of several of Prokofiev's operas in the past, but all of them had failed. However, on 20 June 1939, just a week before Prokofiev completed the piano score of Semyon Kotko, Meyerhold was arrested. Nothing would be heard about his fate from then on; many years later it was revealed that he had been shot in February 1940. The whole production fell into jeopardy. An actress, Serafima Birman, took Meyerhold's place, but the result was dissatisfying. The opera was further compromised by the Nazi-Soviet pact
, which made it necessary to change the operatic enemies from Germans to haydamaks (Ukrainian nationalists).
The opera received its premiere on 23 June 1940 at the Stanislavsky Opera Theatre in Moscow
conducted by Mikhail Zhukov
. The reception was moderately enthusiastic, but at that time ideology took precedence over all other considerations, and discussions in the press focused exclusively around Semyon Kotkos importance as a “Soviet Opera”. The inherent quality of the music was simply ignored. Yet the production made a deep impression on the pianist Sviatoslav Richter
, who recalled: "The premiere of the opera was a momentous event in my life [...] That evening, when I first heard Semyon Kotko, I understood that Prokofiev was a great composer."
. It finally entered the repertory of the Bolshoi Theatre
in Moscow in 1970, and it is now one of the main repertory staples of the Kirov Opera at the Mariinsky Theatre
, St. Petersburg, where it has been repeatedly conducted by Prokofiev interpreter Valery Gergiev
.
Prokofiev later extracted an orchestral suite (Op. 81a) from the opera.
The newly-established Bolshevik government has reached peace with the Germans, but some of their forces still occupy the territory. The advancing Red Army is hampered by Ukrainian nationalists and the remaining Germans. Semyon, a demobilized soldier and prominent young man in his village, is hoping to marry Sofya, daughter of the wealthy Tkachenko. The latter hopes to restore the old order and plots with loyalist elements and Germans to undermine the revolution and to thwart Semyon's marital intentions. In the end, Semyon, after Tkachenko's intrigues have cost the lives of two friends, is reunited with Sofya, and Tkachenko is arrested and executed leaving behind the merry chorus of the Red Army.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in five acts by Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
to a libretto by Sergei Prokofiev and Valentin Katayev based on Katayev's 1937 novel I Am the Son of Working People .
Composition history
One of only two operas written by Prokofiev on a Soviet subject (the other being The Story of a Real ManThe Story of a Real Man
The Story of a Real Man is an opera in four acts by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, his opus 117. It was written from 1947 to 1948, and was his last opera....
), Semyon Kotko was composed between the summers of 1938 and 1939. From the beginning, it was intended that the opera would be produced by the brilliant director and a great friend of Prokofiev, Vsevolod Meyerhold
Vsevolod Meyerhold
Vsevolod Emilevich Meyerhold was a great Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor and theatrical producer. His provocative experiments dealing with physical being and symbolism in an unconventional theatre setting made him one of the seminal forces in modern international theatre.-Early...
, who was at that time the director of the Stanislavsky Opera Theatre. Both Prokofiev and Meyerhold had tried to plan productions of several of Prokofiev's operas in the past, but all of them had failed. However, on 20 June 1939, just a week before Prokofiev completed the piano score of Semyon Kotko, Meyerhold was arrested. Nothing would be heard about his fate from then on; many years later it was revealed that he had been shot in February 1940. The whole production fell into jeopardy. An actress, Serafima Birman, took Meyerhold's place, but the result was dissatisfying. The opera was further compromised by the Nazi-Soviet pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
, which made it necessary to change the operatic enemies from Germans to haydamaks (Ukrainian nationalists).
The opera received its premiere on 23 June 1940 at the Stanislavsky Opera Theatre in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
conducted by Mikhail Zhukov
Mikhail Zhukov (conductor)
Mikhail Nikolayevich Zhukov was a Russian conductor and composer.Zhukov graduated 1918 from the National Choral Academy in Moscow. In 1919-22 he was first concert master, then 1922-32 conductor at the Stanislavsky Opera Studio...
. The reception was moderately enthusiastic, but at that time ideology took precedence over all other considerations, and discussions in the press focused exclusively around Semyon Kotkos importance as a “Soviet Opera”. The inherent quality of the music was simply ignored. Yet the production made a deep impression on the pianist Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
, who recalled: "The premiere of the opera was a momentous event in my life [...] That evening, when I first heard Semyon Kotko, I understood that Prokofiev was a great composer."
Performance history
Semyon Kotko was dropped from the Soviet repertoire in 1941, and the opera was not staged again anywhere until 1958 at Brno in CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. It finally entered the repertory of the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
in Moscow in 1970, and it is now one of the main repertory staples of the Kirov Opera at the Mariinsky Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
, St. Petersburg, where it has been repeatedly conducted by Prokofiev interpreter Valery Gergiev
Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,...
.
Prokofiev later extracted an orchestral suite (Op. 81a) from the opera.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 23 June 1940, Moscow (Conductor: Mikhail Zhukov) |
|---|---|---|
| Semyon Kotko,a demobilized soldier who loves Sofya | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
|
| Semyon's mother | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
|
| Frosya, Semyon's sister who loves Mikola | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
|
| Remeniuk, chairman of the village Soviet and commander of a partisan unit | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
|
| Tkachenko, a former sergeant-major and Sofya's father | bass | |
| Khivrya, Tkachenko's wife | mezzo-soprano | |
| Sofya, Tkachenko's daughter who loves Semyon | soprano | |
| Tsaryov, a sailor and one of the friends of Semyon who gets hanged by the Germans | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
|
| Lyubka, Tsaryov's fiancée | soprano | |
| Mikola, a young lad who loves Frosya | tenor | |
| Ivasenko, an old man and the other one of the friends of Semyon who gets hanged by the Germans | bass | |
| Workman, the former landowner in the name of Klembovsky | tenor | |
| Von Wierhof, lieutenant in the German army | ||
| German sergeant | ||
| German interpreter, two old men, three village women, two villagers, young man, Bandura player, two Haydamaks, peasants, partisans, Red Army soldiers, Germans, Haydamaks | ||
Synopsis
- Place: Ukraine
- Time: 1918.
The newly-established Bolshevik government has reached peace with the Germans, but some of their forces still occupy the territory. The advancing Red Army is hampered by Ukrainian nationalists and the remaining Germans. Semyon, a demobilized soldier and prominent young man in his village, is hoping to marry Sofya, daughter of the wealthy Tkachenko. The latter hopes to restore the old order and plots with loyalist elements and Germans to undermine the revolution and to thwart Semyon's marital intentions. In the end, Semyon, after Tkachenko's intrigues have cost the lives of two friends, is reunited with Sofya, and Tkachenko is arrested and executed leaving behind the merry chorus of the Red Army.
Recordings
| Year | Cast: Sofya, Frosya, Lyubka, Semyon's mother, Khivrya, Semyon Kotko |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Lyudmila Gelovany, Tamara Antipova, Tatiana Tugarinova, Tamara Yanko, Antonina Klescheva, Nicholai Gress |
Mikhail Zhukov Mikhail Zhukov (conductor) Mikhail Nikolayevich Zhukov was a Russian conductor and composer.Zhukov graduated 1918 from the National Choral Academy in Moscow. In 1919-22 he was first concert master, then 1922-32 conductor at the Stanislavsky Opera Studio... , USSR State Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir |
Audio CD: Chandos Cat: 10053 |
| 1999 | Tatiana Pavloskaya, Olga Savova, Ekaterina Solovyeva, Ludmila Filatova, Olga Markova-Mikhailenko, Viktor Lutsiuk |
Valery Gergiev Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,... , Kirov Orchestra and Chorus |
Audio CD: Philips Cat: 464 605-2 |
Suite from Semyon Kotko
The orchestral suite, Op. 81a, consists of 8 movements, lasting around 40 minutes.- Introduction
- Semyon and His Mother
- The Betrothal
- The Southern Night
- Execution
- The Village is Burning
- Funeral
- Ours Have Come
Recordings of the suite
| Orchestra | Conductor | Record Company | Year of Recording | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symphony Orchestra of Radio Berlin | Rolf Kleinert | Urania Urania Urania was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy. Some accounts list her as the mother of the musician Linus. She is usually depicted with a globe in her left hand. She is able to foretell the future by the arrangement of the stars... |
1955 | LP |
| Scottish National Orchestra | Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others... |
Chandos | 1989 | CD |
| WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln | Michail Jurowski | CPO CPO -Officers:* Chief Performance Officer of the United States* Chief Petty Officer, a military rank* Chief privacy officer, an executive responsible for managing issues of privacy laws and policies... |
1997 | CD |
| USSR Radio/TV Large Symphony Orchestra | Gennadi Rozhdestvensky | Russian Revelation | 1985 | CD |