The Giant (opera)
Encyclopedia
The Giant is an opera
in three acts by Sergei Prokofiev
. The 12 page work was written for performance by the nine-year-old composer's family.
, where he heard opera for the first time, (including Prince Igor
and Gounod's Faust
). Keen to write an opera of his own, he wrote out a libretto in three acts and six scenes. With the help of his mother, the music he devised for this was transcribed. The plot was elaborated from the children's games he played with his friends Yegorka and Stenya, whose names are preserved in those of the characters. In the following year, the first act of the opera was given a premiere by the family at the estate of one of Prokofiev's uncles near Kaluga
, with his aunt Tatyana taking the title part, and the composer and his cousins taking the other leading roles. There is no record of further performances.
A terrible Giant tries to kidnap the little girl Ustinya, who is rescued by her friends Sergeyev and Yegorov with the assistance of a good King. However, according to Prokofiev's mother, the opera ended with the defeat of the King by the Giant. She wrote, "Now at the time of extremely strict monarchy, this idea was not approved of by the paternal authority, and the young composer, very much put out by this censorship, would not consent to write an ending involving a reconciliation.". Perhaps this refers to an earlier version, but scholarship has not advanced on this tricky point.
A TV documentary film about Prokofiev by Andrey Nekrasov The Prodigal Son (1991) contains a 'recreation' of the premiere of The Giant, but this is inaccurate since it shows Prokofiev at the piano, whereas it was his cousin Andrei who accompanied.
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 three 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...
. The 12 page work was written for performance by the nine-year-old composer's family.
Origins
In 1899, at the age of eight, Prokofiev, who had already evinced remarkable musical abilities and had composed some piano pieces, was taken by his parents to MoscowMoscow
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...
, where he heard opera for the first time, (including Prince Igor
Prince Igor
Prince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...
and Gounod's Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
). Keen to write an opera of his own, he wrote out a libretto in three acts and six scenes. With the help of his mother, the music he devised for this was transcribed. The plot was elaborated from the children's games he played with his friends Yegorka and Stenya, whose names are preserved in those of the characters. In the following year, the first act of the opera was given a premiere by the family at the estate of one of Prokofiev's uncles near Kaluga
Kaluga
Kaluga is a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: It is served by Grabtsevo Airport.-History:...
, with his aunt Tatyana taking the title part, and the composer and his cousins taking the other leading roles. There is no record of further performances.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, Summer 1901 (first act only) (Director: Sergei Prokofiev - Piano accompaniment Andrei Rayevsky ) |
|---|---|---|
| The Giant | Tatyana Rayevskaya | |
| Sergeyev | Sergey Prokofiev | |
| Ustinya, the heroine | Katya Rayevskaya | |
| Yegorov, Sergeyev's friend | Shura Rayevsky | |
| King | - Rayevsky |
Synopsis
The opera is apparently nearly entirely lost, although Nest'ev quotes some musical extracts.A terrible Giant tries to kidnap the little girl Ustinya, who is rescued by her friends Sergeyev and Yegorov with the assistance of a good King. However, according to Prokofiev's mother, the opera ended with the defeat of the King by the Giant. She wrote, "Now at the time of extremely strict monarchy, this idea was not approved of by the paternal authority, and the young composer, very much put out by this censorship, would not consent to write an ending involving a reconciliation.". Perhaps this refers to an earlier version, but scholarship has not advanced on this tricky point.
Reception
The composer recalled that 'although I had directed the rehearsal [...] I was so nervous that when I came out on stage I began to sing the wrong part'. Nevertheless the audience of six applauded and the composer's uncle said 'When your operas are performed on the Imperial stage, remember that your first opera was staged in my house'.A TV documentary film about Prokofiev by Andrey Nekrasov The Prodigal Son (1991) contains a 'recreation' of the premiere of The Giant, but this is inaccurate since it shows Prokofiev at the piano, whereas it was his cousin Andrei who accompanied.