The Story of a Real Man
Encyclopedia
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.
The libretto
, by the composer and Mira Mendelson, is based on the novel of the same name by Boris Polevoy
; this in turn was based on the story of pilot Alexey Maresyev. The opera received its premiere on 3 December 1948 at the Kirov Theatre, Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg
). 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
.
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 four acts by the Russian composer 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...
, his opus
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
117. It was written from 1947 to 1948, and was his last opera.
The libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
, by the composer and Mira Mendelson, is based on the novel of the same name by Boris Polevoy
Boris Polevoy
Boris Nikolaevich Polevoy was a notable Soviet writer. He is the author of the book Story of a Real Man about a Soviet World War II fighter pilot Alexei Petrovich Maresiev ....
; this in turn was based on the story of pilot Alexey Maresyev. The opera received its premiere on 3 December 1948 at the Kirov Theatre, Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
). 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
Formalism (music)
In music theory and especially in the branch of study called the aesthetics of music, formalism is the concept that a composition's meaning is entirely determined by its form.-Aesthetic theory:Leonard B...
" 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
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...
, 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...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, closed rehearsal 3 December 1948 (Conductor: Boris Khaykin) Leningrad, Kirov |
Bolshoi Cast, public premiere 8 October 1960 (Conductor: Mark Ermler Mark Ermler Mark Fridrikhovich Ermler was a Russian conductor.-Biography:Mark Ermler was born in Leningrad in 1932. His parents were Vera Bakun, a film set designer, and Friedrich Ermler, a film director. He began to study piano at age 5.... ) Studio recording, 1961 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexey Maresyev, pilot | 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... |
Yevgeny Kibkalo Yevgeny Kibkalo Yevgeny Gavrilovich Kibkalo was a Ukrainian baritone and National Artist of the Soviet Union.... |
|
| Andrei Dzhegtyarenko, pilot | bass | Georgi Pankov | |
| Klaudiya Michailovna, nurse | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
Kira Leonova | |
| Konstantin Kukushkin, pilot | 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... |
Alexei Maslennikov | |
| Grandfather Mihailov | tenor | Georgi Shulpin | |
| Olga, Alexey's fiancée | 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... |
Glafira Deomidova Glafira Deomidova Glafira Vladimirovna Deomidova is a Russian soprano who sang at the Bolshoi Theatre company 1956—1977.... |
|
| Commissar Semyon Vorobyev | baritone / bass | Artur Eizen | |
| Sinocka | soprano | Maria Zvenzdina | |
| Varya | 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... |
Margarita Miglau | |
| Surgeon Vasilyevich | bass | Mark Reshetin | |
| Grandmother Vasilissa | contralto | Vera Smirnova | |
Synopsis
The story is set during the Second World War. Alexei, 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 Alexei taking to the air again in his new plane.Recordings
Source: Recordings of The Story of a Real Man on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk- Yevgeny KibkaloYevgeny KibkaloYevgeny Gavrilovich Kibkalo was a Ukrainian baritone and National Artist of the Soviet Union....
(as Alexei), Glafira DeomidovaGlafira DeomidovaGlafira Vladimirovna Deomidova is a Russian soprano who sang at the Bolshoi Theatre company 1956—1977....
(as Olga). Chorus and Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, dir. Mark ErmlerMark ErmlerMark Fridrikhovich Ermler was a Russian conductor.-Biography:Mark Ermler was born in Leningrad in 1932. His parents were Vera Bakun, a film set designer, and Friedrich Ermler, a film director. He began to study piano at age 5....
. Studio recording, 1961, Moscow, based on 1960 Bolshoi Theatre production CHANDOS CHAN 10002 (2CD, with libretto in Cyrillic, and translations). The recording contains some cuts.