Prokofiev's opera "Betrothal in a Monastery" ("Duenna"). Betrothal in a monastery. Musical Theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. Press about the play Betrothal in the Monastery Mariinsky Theater contents

Vremya Novostei, September 25, 2000

Mikhail Fikhtengolts

Fun for nothing

Prokofiev's "Duena" was greeted with homeric laughter at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater

“Duena” (“Betrothal in a Monastery”), one of the most cheerful operas by Prokofiev, despite its undeniable merits, is not particularly popular among directors. After the first production at the Mariinsky Theater (then the Kirov Theater, in 1946), it was occasionally shown in many major theaters in the country, but has not yet become a hit.

The plot, composed by the author of The School of Scandal, Richard Sheridan, is typical of the gallant age. The grumpy father of the family wants to marry two of his children - Louise and Ferdinand. But the children turn out to be smarter than their dad and, having deftly messed with his brains, go down the aisle with their lovers, having received a blessing from the slightly drunken monks. Just as Sheridan’s libretto directly corresponds with Beaumarchais’s “A Vain Precaution,” so Prokofiev’s music refers to Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” and Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.” Prokofiev's rhythmic stilettos peek out from the powdered minuets, and the mischievous nature of the man in glasses constantly provokes the heroes, after a graceful bow, to kick someone in the ass. The pastoral atmosphere of Seville of the 18th century is constantly filled with a draft from the turbulent century of the present.

Therefore, directors Alexander Titel and Lyudmila Naletova rejected the calendar and shoved the action into a certain space where all eras alternately enter. A nice postmodern vinaigrette includes both the attributes of socialist realism of the 30s, with its passion for plump sportswomen and morning exercises, and the farce of the Italian comedy del arte with countless clowns scurrying back and forth. The firefighters are drinking alcohol from their helmets; a partisan with a machine gun and wearing an acid green hat with earflaps suddenly emerges from some bearish corner. Why was this done? Yes, just like that. The viewer cackles at the cute nonsense, subtly and precisely soldered into Prokofiev’s music. There were also specific allusions: Don Carlos (Anatoly Loshak) appears on stage on an iron cart, almost like Mozart’s Stone Guest, and the plump, red-haired Duena (Elena Manistina), who started the whole intrigue, sings a serenade and sways to the beat on a swing that suspiciously resembles about the Bolshoi Theater's infamous "Rusalka".

The cast of singers is notable not so much for their vocal feats as for their winning appearance. What are Renoir's woman Elena Manistina and the bearded Carlson worth - Vyacheslav Voinarovsky in the role of the hapless dad Don Hero! In the appearance of the latter, the directors saw something Rabelaisian: remembering food with or without reason, Kherom receives a generous gift from the directors when fish come to life in his dream and begin to walk around the stage, shaking their scaly tails. The rest of the characters match the aforementioned revelers: Louise Khibly Gerzmava charms with her bright soprano, and her failed fiance, fishmonger Mendoza (Dmitry Stepanovich), gracefully retouches her vocal problems with brilliant acting. The orchestra has more or less caught up with the singers: after last year’s boring Carmen, it has become noticeably prettier and now obediently follows the singers, for which conductor Ara Karapetyan has a certain merit. During the rehearsals, all the participants in “The Betrothal” had a lot of fun and put on a performance that, I think, will become something new for our operatic history.

Perhaps for the first time in recent years in musical theater, behind the external surroundings you don’t see the director’s conceptual idea, which, as a rule, crushes the music and hits the eye with its primitiveness. Having turned Sheridan's comedy into a carnival and sensitively listening to the vibrations of Prokofiev's music, the directors realized the main thing: this opera, like its main character Louise, is better not to be pulled and not to impose your opinion on her, because she will manage just fine on her own and will do everything in the best possible way. Finally, an opera comedy is truly funny: people laugh not according to the instructions of the libretto, but simply because they find it funny. The performance leaves a feeling of some naive, but intoxicating happiness. The meaning of life is concentrated in a glass of champagne, all problems are solved with the help of a stupid grimace, and your most cherished dreams come to life and walk past you like fish around Don Hero.

MN Time, September 23, 2000

Yulia Bederova

With the breeze

Musical Theater named after. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko opened the season with the premiere of Prokofiev's opera "Betrothal in a Monastery"

Pilots in big glasses and postmen (with a thick shoulder bag), firefighters in golden helmets with an elephant curl and a lot of lanky and pot-bellied aibolit, berets, caps and gym shorts from the 30s, a rhythmic gymnast with a ribbon (from the 70s) , and all this is mixed with columbines, carnival masks, Spanish ruffles. And the main character of the new production, which opened with great cheerfulness new season, - large turntables, the same ones (only of modest size, made of colored foil on a stick) were adored by Soviet children. As soon as you stretch your hand in front of you, the wind sets all these paper flowers in motion, turning them into propellers, and you get a mini-miracle.

Alexander Titel made his next, after the long-standing Sverdlovsk, version of Prokofiev’s last opera (sunny and affectionate, composed in 1940, not staged by either Tairov or Meyerhold, but staged only in 1946 at the Kirov Theater), not at all similar to , say, a performance at the Mariinsky Theater in 1996. It was exquisite, mysterious, twilight, toy-like, and, most importantly, the scenography seemed to be an upturned reflection of a funny and colorful musical score, as if set in motion by the refined, dancing, multi-colored play of Gergiev’s orchestra. Titelev's performance works exactly the opposite.

A frank performance, like a fair booth, filled to the brim with various gags, paradoxical theatrical inventions, everything in the light, everything alive and circus-like, so strongly dominates the score that the orchestra (and by no means the Mariinsky orchestra), playing rather rudely and humorously, then thickly , now empty, now harmonious, now waddling (conductor Ara Karapetyan), itself resembles an overturned reflection of the stage action. And the reflection is inaccurate. In this case, the original is much more precise, attractive and slender. The first act is generally charming, here everything moves, everything turns, fantasies run from side to side on thin legs, and along the roads different stories there are countless wacky characters, and a cluster of eccentricities like the enchanting shaping of Louise (the touching and vocally precise Khibla Gerzmava) and her fat nanny (the rustic Elena Manistina), a living mermaid in an aquarium, Don Carlos, who is a hilarious allusion to the Stone Guest (Anatoly Loshak ), an aluminum pipe on which, in the “A and B sat on a pipe” genre, Antonio (Ahmed Aghadi) sings his serenade, as well as all these dancing firefighters, Eskimos and postmen (the shadows of Soviet ancestors - not a pompous philosophical context, but decor, moving pictures from a children's primer) seems not pretentious, but, on the contrary, an intriguing phantasmagoria. Will something come out of this affectionate primer?..

But the fantasy world is dimming, and nothing will be born from it except the above-mentioned rollicking farce. As it turns out by the end, there is no mystery in the performance, the presence of which could have been dreamed of at the beginning. However, this farce is bright and witty, and the characters in the finale, led by the actor’s captivating Vyacheslav Voinarovsky (Don Hero), come out into the hall, rattling bells between the rows, a chaperone in furs (like your Venus) with her newly-made husband, the fool Mendoza (a critic’s favorite Dmitry Stepanovich, looking a little awkward, but cute in a comic role), suddenly waving their arms from the box - all delight the audience with their closeness and liveliness.

Kommersant, September 23, 2000

Elena Cheremnykh

Prokofiev is engaged

at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater

The capital's second opera stage opened the season with the premiere of Sergei Prokofiev's Duenna (Betrothal in a Monastery). Stage directors Alexander Titel and Lyudmila Naletova, artist Vladimir Arefiev and conductor Ara Karapetyan presented the status of the Soviet composer as a mischievous futurist, and his 1941 opera as a real musical comedy.

Having first discovered Sheridan's "Duena" in 1940, Sergei Prokofiev did not yet know that when he would write opera of the same name, the Nazis will attack us. Consequently, the pre-war social order “life has become better, life has become more fun” will change to “get up, the country is huge”; the Moscow Art Theater “School of Scandal”, which aroused Prokofiev’s interest in Sheridan, will leave the theater stage; and the despondent Prokofiev himself, having attended a couple of closed rehearsals of “The Duenna” in Stanislavsky and Nemirovich, will go to think about the opera “War and Peace”.

The historical situation buried "Duena" for a long time and unfairly. It seemed unnecessary to pull it out from under the pressure of musicological chronology, which routinely divided Prokofiev into “early” and “mature,” that is, emigrant and Soviet. Prokofiev’s specific humor clearly interfered with the perception of this composer by his contemporaries, which is understandable: the author of the revolutionary opera “Semyon Kotko” and the Shakespearean ballet “Romeo and Juliet” is not in the status of making jokes.

Having encroached on Prokofiev's "comedy qui pro quo", the Stanislavsky Theater acted in a completely revolutionary manner. The sociable studio note was well played out: students from Titel's Gitis class were added to the theater staff, a professional gymnast was put on the overture, and to all this - aerial turntables, a harlequin mimance and Zoshchenko-style caricatured extras.

In this carnival-festive setting, the sitcom looked equal to itself. The children of Don Jerome (Jerome) - Louise and Ferdinand with their lovers charmingly fool their dad. Performed by Vladimir Voinarovsky, the bald, pot-bellied parent was absolutely not scary. Here he is in a knitted robe, singing an operetta aria, here he is giving a household recipe to “smear your cheeks with turpentine,” and now he seems to be starting to get angry. The audience is laughing.

The production, deftly juggling the signs of the Italian carnival, postmodernist mixed them with Stalinist parades (choir girls in blue and white sailor suits) and with the types of cinema of the 60s. Louise (Khibla Gerzmava) sumptuously sang the rebellious daughter, using the antics of a “Caucasian captive,” and her friend Clara (Irina Gelakhova) suffered just like Jeanne Moreau in Antonioni’s “Night.” The appearances of the infernal fat duenna were completely awaited as a holiday: Elena Manistina embodied her caricatured heroine with the most outrageous gags - from aerobics (in black satin panties) to belly dancing.

The orchestra, which at first seemed somewhat subdued, gradually discovered the necessary Prokofiev intonation - at the same time lyrically flexible and futurist-sharp. Combined with the metaphorically conventional stage design and well-structured direction, Prokofiev's music sounded unexpectedly relevant. This is the first time Moscow has seen such a light, contact opera.

Izvestia, September 23, 2000

Petr Pospelov

Airplane over Seville

Premiere of Prokofiev's opera "Betrothal in a Monastery"

The season at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater opened with a premiere and was marked by triumphant success. There hasn't been such a good opera performance in Moscow for ages.

The most touching place is when the characters sing a lyrical duet behind the scenes, and at this time an airplane slowly flies across the entire stage in front of the amazed nuns. He diligently blinks the lights, and the strings drag him higher and higher until he climbs into a hollow somewhere at the very top.

When Alexander Titel staged La Bohème five years ago, he flew across the stage in the finale white dove- the departed soul of unfortunate Mimi, who was pitied to the point of tears. That performance was about lost youth and lost love, this one is about youth that passed in a happy, no longer existing country. By using an airplane instead of a dove, the authors of the play invited us into a lyrical fairy tale, where it is difficult for lovers to meet, but easy for theatrical motifs from different eras.

From the time of Sheridan (the comedy "Duenna" was written at the end of the 18th century) there are masks in rhombuses, harlequin columbines, boots, swords and cloaks. From the time of Prokofiev (the opera "Betrothal in a Monastery" was created in 1940) - athletes, polar explorers, divers, postmen, firefighters, etc. There are also fish and mermaids (one even sits, alive, in an aquarium with water), they commanded by fishmonger Mendoza dressed in yak skin (artistic Dmitry Stepanovich); there are cheerful monks in white robes, singing the choir “The bottle is the happiness of our life” and looking more like mummers of patricians; there is a majestic Duena strutting around in a sports outfit (this role revealed a comic side to the talent of the pompous Elena Manistina) - you can’t list everything. Soviet era in the play - nothing more than Marshako-Zakhoder's "doctors, professors, nurses." The color red is no more symbolic than blue, and the main color image is the white opera, determined to rival the white ballet in formal beauty. The conventional world of the stage was created by the artist Vladimir Arefiev: his lyrical heroes sit on a drainpipe descending from the sky, and numerous white propellers flutter their wings like chickens on a roost; Once you water them and cut them, they turn into flowers.

Alexander Titel and Lyudmila Naletova, the directors of the performance, did not give their artists any time: sing while lying on the floor, sing while doing gymnastics, sing while performing steps. The artists managed to do everything - and did an excellent job. The performance cannot be divided into staging and musical parts - one complemented the other, without knowing any gaps. Ara Karapetyan declared himself to be a good opera conductor: the orchestra, choir (with the participation of young people studying with Titel at GITIS) and the vocal troupe, which seemed to have no outstanding voices, performed Prokofiev’s music easily and even bravura. Father Don Kherom (experienced comedian Vyacheslav Voynarovsky) and young Louise (precise and charming Khibla Gerzmava) shone, and loving Antonio (Ahmed Aghadi) caressed with a pleasant timbre. The noble Don Carlos (Anatoly Loshak) was very humane, although he did not leave his rolling pedestal on wheels. The second lyrical pair was a little weaker: Ferdinand (Sergei Aksenov) should have added more brightness, and Clara (Irina Gelakhova) should have added more technicality. But Svetlana Sumacheva’s small role as the maid Laureatta blossomed with a whole bunch of funny colors.

You can safely go to the performance with your children - they will appreciate both the lyrics and the humor. Adults will pay tribute to the stylistic integrity of the performance, which distinguishes it favorably from, say, Prokofiev in Bolshoi Theater, where Peter Ustinov turned “The Love for Three Oranges” into a string of individual gags. At the end of the season, Prokofiev's "The Player" awaits us. It will be directed by Alexander Titel, and the main female part will be sung by the theater's prima Olga Guryakova - however, not on her stage, but at the Bolshoi Theater, under the command of Gennady Rozhdestvensky. At the Stanislavsky Theater they are offended by Titel, who has given the production into someone else's possession. However, “Betrothal in a Monastery” will remain as a consolation, for which the brilliant director can be forgiven for any betrayal.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta, September 26, 2000

Andrey Khripin

"You see fish, I see ducats"

The Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater opened the season with the premiere of the opera "Betrothal in a Monastery"

FORTY YEAR. Summer is coming. The work has not yet been completed at the K.S. Opera House. Stanislavsky on "Semyon Kotko" (began by Meyerhold, finished by Birman), and Prokofiev was already seriously absorbed in finding a plot for new opera. Perhaps Shakespeare? "King Lear", "The Merchant of Venice" or "Hamlet"? But no, after the ballet “Romeo and Juliet”, after the “Soviet tragedy” in red and white colors from the times of the Civil War, everything in the composer (with all his craving for Shakespeare) resists the “atmosphere of bad feelings” - I don’t want to deal with the new Tybalts and Iago. The subconscious desire for the bright and joyful also stops the composition of the ballet "Othello". Let’s not guess why Sergei Sergeevich did not turn to the comedic heritage of the man from Stratford, to “Twelfth Night,” for example, or “The Taming of the Shrew.” Let us rejoice that a volume of Sheridan's comedies was in his hands. But it was not the immortal “School of Scandal,” which the Moscow Art Theater was rehearsing at that time, that attracted Prokofiev’s attention, but “Duenna,” written by Sheridan in the old English genre of “ballad opera” (composer T. Linley). “Yes, this is champagne, this could lead to an opera in the style of Mozart, Rossini!” - he exclaimed.

The composer himself composed the libretto, and, it must be said, in terms of its expressiveness it is noticeably superior in comparison with the original source: Sheridan has a homely everyday intonation, not very funny humor and deliberate grounding, Prokofiev has a rapid tempo, light, airy phrases, sharp, graphic jokes , sparkling sarcasm, wordplay, improvisational tone. It was as if Prokofiev looked at Sheridan's farce through the eyes of Shakespeare - in every phrase, to use Heine's expression, the aroma of the "magic garden of Shakespearean comedies" is clearly felt. There is an opinion that Prokofiev’s “Betrothal” goes back to the tradition of lyrical interpretation of a cheerful comedy plot by Russian opera and in this sense continues Tchaikovsky’s “Cherevichki” or, say, “May Night” by Rimsky-Korsakov. On the other hand, researchers see much in common with the architectonics of Mozart’s comic operas (starting with the joyfully upbeat tone, the transparency of the overall color and ending with the fact that the main character is exactly Figaro, only in a skirt).

In the spring of 1941, rehearsals began at the Stanislavsky Opera House, and in May-June, according to eyewitnesses, even several closed rehearsals took place. But the war began. "The Duenna" was not lucky on the first attempt at the Bolshoi Theater either (both versions of the name immediately took root in opera usage - "Duenna" was placed in brackets by the author): in 1943 the opera was included in the repertoire plan, for which Prokofiev made a significant contribution reworked the music, changed a lot in the orchestration, but again it didn’t make it to the premiere. The score found stage life only in November 1946 at the Kirov Theater (conducted by Boris Khaikin), where its fate was extremely happy - now the third production is underway at the Mariinsky Theater. The Bolshoi's second attempt, when Boris Pokrovsky and Gennady Rozhdestvensky produced the play in 1982, was crowned with only a few performances; only seven years later, “Betrothal” was resumed by Alexander Lazarev and sank with him.

As for the Musical Theatre, in the Soviet era it was no less friendly than others with the Prokofiev repertoire (War and Peace, The Love for Three Oranges), and Betrothal in a Monastery, released in 1959, lasted on stage for as long as 22 seasons and ran for 183 performances. The opera was very successfully recorded on a record by an orchestra led by Kemal Abdullayev with an excellent performing cast (Tamara Yanko, Nina Isakova, Anatoly Mishchevsky, Nikolai Korshunov, etc.) - in addition to the obvious musical merits, this recording is filled with the heat of the theater.

Alexander Titel has already made “Betrothal” in Sverdlovsk, so the current version can be perceived as a kind of nostalgic dialogue. True, now it has come out much more “youthful” and “blueblouse” - perhaps the reason for this is the creative union of the main director with his student Lyudmila Naletova, which has strengthened since the days of “Elisir of Love.” The performance develops according to the laws of the theater of performance, in it echoes of the commedia dell'arte are clearly heard, although the relaxed playful element at times turns into straightforward variety. Which, however, only contributes to success with the public. Artist Vladimir Arefiev dressed the stage according to the principle of white, which has become commonplace in Europe cabinet, filling the empty space with a cascade of propellers descending on rods. The faceted diamonds of Prokofiev’s instrumentation in the hands of conductor Ara Karapetyan took the form of a shapeless gray mass. Despite all the tricks of the director, two young couples looked quite ordinary: Louise - Antonio (Khibla Gerzmava, Akhmed). Agadi) and Clara - Ferdinand (Irina Gelakhova, Sergei Aksenov). The noble art of Anatoly Loshak (Don Carlos) was perceived as a living embodiment of the “departing nature”; and almost the only one of the male staff demonstrates full-fledged vocals. In the tiny role of the abbot of the monastery, Father Augustine, the always colorful Vladimir Svistov was memorable. More was expected from Vyacheslav Voinarovsky (Don Hero) and especially from Dmitry Stepanovich (Mendoza). On the contrary, Elena Manistina (Dueña) exceeded all expectations, transforming from Montserrat Caballe into a ballerina at a Stakhanovian pace. The audience was captivated not only by the juicy mezzo, but also by the incredible plasticity (for example, the aerobics scene!). The acting debut of the silver laureate of the last Tchaikovsky Competition is one of the main events of the premiere.

The only wish for the performance, which, let us give it its due, is both spectacular and feast for the eyes, and managed to please many, is less fuss and more music. How does a theater called the Musical Theater lack a conductor for a long time? capital letters, so the new performance still lacks the real thing - the sharp, paradoxical, sparkling Prokofiev! However, there are other opinions. “You see fish, I see ducats,” the fishmonger Mendoza proudly counters the reproaches of his friend Carlos for the inelegance of such activities.

Vedomosti, September 26, 2000

Vadim Zhuravlev

Slaves of Osoaviakhim

Moscow Musical Theater named after. K. S. Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko opened the next season with the premiere of Sergei Prokofiev’s opera “Betrothal in a Monastery.” One of the composer's best operas, written on the plot of Sheridan's comedy "Duenna", was staged at the Bolshoi Theater 15 years ago without any success and quickly disappeared from the repertoire. But the current production at the Musical Theater is guaranteed success and longevity.

Two such famous drama theater directors as Boris Tseytlin and Pyotr Fomenko refused to stage “The Betrothal” in “Stanislavka”. The chief director of the Musical Theater, Alexander Titel, had to roll up his sleeves. He decided to share the glory with his assistant Lyudmila Naletova. The director's tandem, without changing the main method of the theater - to entertain the audience by any means, this time coped with the task successfully. Remembering that Prokofiev wrote his opera specifically for their theater (the premiere did not take place due to the outbreak of war), they moved the action of the sparkling English comedy to Moscow during the Stalinist regime. The entire stage is hung with paper pinwheels-propellers (artist - Vladimir Arefiev), which immediately create the atmosphere of the pre-war period, when the whole country was a collective member of Osoaviakhim. The directors mock the cheerful pathos of the Stalin era, so the choir and extras march across the stage with a silly look in diving and aviation helmets, soldiers' earflaps and chef's hats. But Titel and Naletova did not want to remain slaves to their own finds. Therefore, RATI students (Titelev class) scurry around the stage in costumes of harlequins and columbines, or even dressed up as fish and mermaids. It looks too much like a children's party, but this is Titel's eternal problem.

Wind blowers accelerate the turntables (which, however, often either collide or hit the artists on the heads). Two young couples of lovers wander around the stage, whom the composer has endowed with beautiful lyrical arias and duets. True, the vocal difficulties of Prokofiev’s music turned out to be an insurmountable obstacle for the theater’s young soloists. The two conductors who worked on the opera - Wolf Gorelik (director) and Ara Karapetyan (conducts the performances) - did little to help young people master Prokofiev's music, which is difficult for graduates of Russian conservatories. Therefore, as usually happens with Titel’s performances, the audience mainly follows the director’s comical discoveries.

The composer himself assured everyone that he wrote not a comic, but a lyrical opera. But the directors did not listen to this opinion. The main place in the performance was taken by mezzo-soprano Elena Manistina in the role of Duenna. When two years ago this great singer won second prize at the Competition. Tchaikovsky, it seemed that we had a new Irina Arkhipova. With such a smooth and beautiful voice and large size, the singer could compete for roles in which it is enough to just stand and sing. Manistina, who has lost weight, in the new performance, without any complexes, dresses up in sports shorts to teach her ward gymnastics. He pumps up his abs, plays football and does many other physical exercises with unprecedented grace and ease. Her singing was the most ideal, and her acting flair did not allow her to slip into vulgarity even once (although according to the mise-en-scène, she had enough chances for this). By the way, the constant participant in all kinds of television skits, Vyacheslav Voinarovsky, in the role of Don Hero, this time never changes his taste. True, his tenor is now only suitable for parodies of Pavarotti, but otherwise his success with the audience is well deserved. The third comical fat man, bass Dmitry Stepanovich, who in a couple of years became a real favorite of the public, did not give his all this time. But even half of his abilities are enough to successfully master the party of the greedy fishmonger Mendoza. These “three pillars” carry the entire performance on their shoulders, making the audience forget about the shortcomings of the director’s approaches and musical inaccuracies.

New news, September 27, 2000

Maria Babalova

Laugh for the sake of laughter

Premiere of Sergei Prokofiev's opera "Betrothal in a Monastery" at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater

New opera performances In this theater, births take a painfully long time and are rare, as a rule, no more than one per year. And last season there were no acquisitions in the repertoire at all. But the current one immediately began with the premiere, in which theatrical motifs from all eras cheerfully and harmoniously merged. Richard Sheridan's plot is absolutely characteristic of the gallant age. The grumpy father of the family strives to arrange the fate of his adult children according to calculation. They fool their good-natured father, and the matter ends with a happy ending. From Sheridan's era - masks, raincoats, harlequins and columbines, from the bravura pre-war times (the opera was written by the composer in 1937 - 1940) - athletes and firefighters, postmen and pilots. The frantic activity of the Soviet Union bursts into the pastoral atmosphere of 18th-century Seville.

The chief director of the theater, Alexander Titel, taking Lyudmila Naletova as his assistant, rejected the romantic pathos inherent in the opera by the composer, wisely neglected the calendar, and the artist Vladimir Arefiev - the certainty of the scene and the cumbersome “fundamental” scenery. In the “light” free space, devoid of any coordinates, the characters in the opera feel very comfortable and at ease. Almost all performers can boast of successful acting work. Even the tiny role of Svetlana Sumacheva’s maid Lauretta turned out to be rich in a lot of charming nuances. The subtle, charming, transparent-voiced Khibla Gerzmava in the role of Louise was very good both vocally and dramatically. The recognized theater comedian Vyacheslav Voinarovsky did not miss his acting success in the image of Don Jerome (in the program, probably to enhance the comic effect, he is called Don Jerome). The tenor was natural and resourceful in his role, although his voice sounded “erased”, and the singer kept breaking into conversation. Easily memorable characters were played by both Dmitry Stepanovich (Mendoza) and Anatoly Loshak (Don Carlos).

The highlight of the performance was the appearance of red-haired, Kustodiev-style Elena Manistina with a powerful and rich mezzo-soprano timbre in the role of Duenna, who stirred up this whole plot mess. The sparkling heroine, without any stage complexes, either doing aerobics or performing belly dancing, was so magnificent that she outshone all her partners. And the laughing audience waited for each singer’s appearance with undisguised impatience. So the theater on Bolshaya Dmitrovka found a new and very bright star.

The orchestra under Ara Karapetyan’s baton, which initially produced a sluggish, “muffled” impression, came to life by the end of the performance and assembled complex vocal ensembles and even unexpectedly outlined Prokofiev’s piercing intonation in an opera performance, where the music follows the theater. And everyone is having fun to the point of losing their minds.

Culture, September 28 - October 4, 2000

Larisa Dolgacheva

"Duenna", or interrupted flight

Prokofiev returns to Stanislavsky and Nemirovich

The simplest charades of this performance - why does the theater need it and what to call it? The first answer: God himself ordered Prokofiev’s creation to be here, since it was created for the Stanislavsky Opera House, which was one of the two “roots” of the current Musical Theatre. True, the public never enjoyed the first production due to the outbreak of war, but the next one lasted on the local stage for 22 years. The second question is resolved completely voluntaristically. I don’t like the gray – compared to the spicy music – name “Betrothal in a Monastery”, take another, legal one – “Duenna”. Although it is not without its flaws, since it refers to the literary source (Sheridan’s comedy of the same name), but in the opera it is no longer the duenna who spins the intrigue (in the Spanish ideal, a Cerberus in a skirt), but her ward, no matter how sweet, so cunning Louise.

The charade is more complicated: why is there a girl with a ribbon twirling around on stage during the entire overture? And if the overture is the key to the opera, then isn’t this gymnast the key to the performance? Then Prokofiev’s opus was read by the theater as a breathtaking somersault, as a triumph of a healthy nature that does not know reflection and spleen, and finally, as a work that encourages you to do “rhythmic gymnastics” yourself. In view of the epoch-making “Die Fledermaus”, with which the theater will either return to the positions it lost in the operetta (and it has always sounded here) or lose to the past, the sharp tempo of Prokofiev’s opera is an adaptation to the Straussian whirlwind, the musicalized Prokofiev’s word is the path to colloquial speech, vocals on push-ups and a “floating” drainpipe - the threshold of an operetta balance. In a word, everything in “Duena” is a benefit to the troupe, even if not everyone in the troupe came out of the demonstration performances as Olympians. The only unconditional ones are Khibla Gerzmava, who is slowly finding a suitable niche for her special (flight, innocence and slyness) voice, and Elena Manistina, who impressed with her size, the humility with which she allowed directors to manipulate her bodily wealth, and vocals in which there is the promise of a stellar career.

The only person breathing down their neck was Dmitry Stepanovich - Mendoza, who had finally acquired the precious quality of coexistence in the ensemble and yet remained equal to himself - not Prokofiev. But the limited number of “Olympians” did not affect the game. It was done before intermission (the first two acts) and not done after it (the last two).

This is where the charade of charades is - why everything that touches in lately Alexander Titel, does not have a solid appearance? Spin (together with second director Lyudmila Naletova) a brilliant carnival of masks commedia

dell'arte, masks Soviet era period of constructivism, launch into it mermaids from the dreams and dreams of the hero, send it to Mozart’s Commander, turning the poor hidalgo Don Carlos into a living monument on wheels (high-quality work by Anatoly Loshak), send it even further - to the classical opera buffa, parodying the heroines of the opera seria (such is Irina Gelakhova’s Clara, who sculpted the image “excellently”, but trampled the flying style of “Duenna” with her heavy vocal tread), finally, let the oriental dope into the buffoonish “love” scene of Mendoza and Duenna and make it a piercing love scene without quotes. A field of which is not to mechanically collect, but to solder, rethinking, samples of someone’s finds into a production that is already rich in original ideas. And - to put a point beyond which there is falsehood, a caricature, a collapsed ending.

The latter suffered musically - “thanks” to the director’s idea of letting vocalists into the hall. The climactic betrothal scene in the monastery became a caricature because that is how the brethren were presented. It was out of tune where the faceless nuns began to build cardboard snares around Clara, who was rushing into the world. But the poor thing did not run here to become a novice, but to hide from the jealous Ferdinand. For a day, a week, a month. So the net is not an image for her.

Vladimir Arefiev saved the performance. Working more and more interestingly (the latest successes include the local “Carmen” and “Maritza” in Operetta), in “Duenna” the artist became more imaginative than ever and went on a rampage in terms of color, which often happens to him. But with all this, I did not forget about the strong conceptual framework that became the rows of giant paper pinwheels. They smell of childhood and pranks, they are almost a perpetual motion machine, which smacks of slight madness - like, in fact, the whole performance. They are mobile, like the very fabric of the opera, and, once in motion, they are capable of bewitching, like Prokofiev’s harmonies. Those that come from the pen of the Mariinsky or Fedoseevites.

The local orchestra only dreams of such quality. But when he dreams, he does (in this case, under the leadership of Wolf Gorelick, who acted as the musical director of the production, and Ara Karapetyan, who took over the board as the stage conductor). And we can already hear that today a good presentation of the urtext, tomorrow can turn into childhood, perpetual motion machine and mild madness.

Evening Moscow, September 27, 2000

Natalia Kolesova

And greetings to you from above!

The season opened with the premiere of Prokofiev's festive and witty opera Betrothal in a Monastery Musical theater Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. All directors who turn to “Duenna” (“betrothal in a monastery”) are drawn in and captivated by the elements of the carnival. The Mariinsky Theater with Valery Gergiev and Alla Kozhenkova could not resist. Muscovites Titel and Arefiev (production designer) see the Seville carnival in a paradoxical way: playful harlequins, columbines and white dominoes are generously diluted with hilarious idiots from the recent Soviet era - firefighters, sailors, athletes, letter-carrying shooters (hello to Lyubov Orlova and Volga- Volga"), inhabitants of the seabed (fish and jellyfish) and cheerful Aleuts, briskly trading on Seville imports.

In Prokofiev's comic opera, as expected, storylines are famously intertwined: girls in love run away from home, deceptions, love twists and turns, ending with a secret triple wedding in a monastery filled with drunken monks. The duped merchant Mendoza (Dmitry Stepanovich) wooes the daughter of the intriguer Jerome (Vyacheslav Voinarovsky). Palash is good at playing with “tasty” details, with the exception of the savory slaps on the maid’s bottom, but the vocals lag behind: the artist quickly runs out of steam and no longer takes the lead with sound, but with stage movement. The final anthem accompanied by the clink of glasses and Jerome's fearless entrance into the hall are perceived by the audience with well-deserved enthusiasm.

The palm of honor should be given to the performer of the role of Duenna, Elena Manistina, who lost weight for the premiere. Her slimness allows her to do aerobics with her capricious pupil (Louise - Khibla Gerzmava), play football, seduce someone else's fiancé with the most erotic dance of the seven veils on the opera stage (we, however, are not at Salome, but we also understand what's what ). Manistina is charming and natural, and vocal difficulties seem trivial to her. You can understand Mendoza, who lost his head and changed his black llama coat for a white one for the sake of it.

When it comes to costumes, the imagination of artist Vladimir Arefiev is in full swing. How do you like Louise in a parachutist jumpsuit, Clara (Irina Gelakhova), exchanging her monastic robe for a scarlet ball gown with a “new look” silhouette?

In general, if you accept the directors' rules of the game, you will enjoy elegant music and funny characters. If you are a rare guest in opera house, you are not given to understand why Antonio (Ahmed Aghadi) sings his tender serenade, sitting on a drainpipe, and the adamant Clara first puts up a stone wall, like the heroine of “Heights”, and then (having destroyed it) runs after her beloved Ferdinand (Sergei Aksenov) . And why does the noble Don Carlos (Anatoly Loshak) sing the most beautiful arias in the entire “Duenna”, chained in plaster, like an old soldier who does not know the words of love. This is how Alexander Titel and Lyudmila Naletova felt the element of opera. And Ara Karapetyan conducted easily. If anyone doesn’t want to listen to frolicking young soloists, let them turn on their favorite “Valenki” performed by Lidia Ruslanova.

"VEK" No. 41, 13-20 October, 2000, page No. 11

Natalya Lagina

Propellers of love

The “betrothal in the monastery” took place. The carnival continues

I’ll say right away: the new premiere of Sergei Prokofiev’s lyric-comic opera “Betrothal in a Monastery” (“Duenna”) at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater is an extraordinary phenomenon. Staged a play chief director Theater A. Titel in collaboration with L. Naletova. The orchestra is conducted by Ara Karapetyan.

Prokofiev wrote his opera in 1940 and admitted that he had to choose one of two paths when embodying R. Sheridan’s plot: “emphasize the comic side of the work in the music; the second is to emphasize lyricism.” The second one was chosen. At the same time, the comedic colors remained; without them, the lyrical basis would have lost a lot. So, on stage there are two romantic couples in love and another one - a grotesque one, in fact, leading the plot: an ugly, but smart and in her own way charming duen and a rich, cunning, but also naive merchant Mendoza. The directors emphasized the special festivity of Seville, where the action takes place, creating a spectacle in the colors and costumes of the carnival. White light propellers hovering above the stage (set design by V. Arefyeva) actively participate in the action, sometimes spinning merrily, creating a fresh breeze, sometimes they turn out to be clouds, a garden, flowers... So much is invented here within the action itself that sometimes you are amazed! There are also sports exercises , organically included, say, in the big scene of the duenna and Clara. And exercises with a ribbon, which the master of sports Anna Konchakovskaya demonstrates in the overture. And the mermaid in the aquarium, and the “steel” warrior Don Carlos, who became a monument on wheels, and much more. .

The theater, directed by A. Titel, has long been famous for its “singing actor”. In this case, his dignity was clearly demonstrated. V. Voinarovsky confidently leads his role as Don Jeroma, his young understudy V. Mikitsky is active, witty, and charming. It is difficult to give preference to one of the performers of the duenna part, but we will still say that if the talented E. Manistova, who is just starting her creative path, is “looking” for his heroine, then the image created by the experienced and dazzlingly daring N. Olenina-Gorelik completely convinces that her duenna can stir up this whole plot fuss, as a result of which the deceived father is satisfied, and all three stage characters are happy couples. In general, one cannot help but admit that the acting ensemble is still only on the verge of fully expressing the director’s intentions. And one more, perhaps subjective consideration: the so-called second composition turned out to be generally more interesting and organic than the first. Yes, there will be debate about the performance, but, we repeat, it will be established, strengthened, and gain strength, there is no doubt about that. It seems that the author of the music would have accepted this carnival of love if he could have seen it...

We can find all sorts of stories in operatic works! The gloomy Middle Ages - and modernity, an unfading literary classic - and a little-known contemporary writer, a fairy tale - and reality, dramatic - and comedy... The element of the comic was embodied not only in the grotesque fairy tale "", but also in the genre of lyric-comic opera.

The literary basis for such a work was the work of R.B. Sheridan. This English playwright, who was called the “English Beaumarchais,” lived at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries and worked in the genre of “cheerful comedy” (as opposed to “sentimental” comedy), designed to “entertain and instruct.” In 1775 it was created comic opera T. Linley “Duena” to the libretto by R.B. Sheridan - this work is addressed. Initially, he intended to title the future opera “Mendoza”, but later gave it a different name - “Betrothal in a Monastery”.

He created the libretto for the opera himself, acting simultaneously as a translator with English language. The poetic fragments (with the exception of the songs of monks and duennas) were written by the composer’s wife M. Mendelssohn-Prokofieva. The composer took work on the text very seriously - judging by the notes in the manuscript, he continued to improve the literary text while working on the music. According to his memoirs, he was faced with a choice whether to emphasize the lyrical or comedic beginning in the work. But the result is an opera that organically combines both principles - while the comic side is not exaggerated, not sharpened to the point of grotesque and caricature, remaining within the limits of gentle humor and a good-natured grin.

The plot of “Betrothal in a Monastery” is typical for the era of R.B. Sheridan: the Spanish nobleman Don Jerome intends to profitably marry his daughter Louise to the rich but old merchant Mendoza, the girl dreams of happiness with the poor but young Antonio, and the duenna helps her escape from an unloved groom and strictly father. At the same time, another love story is playing out - between Louise's brother Ferdinand and the wayward Clara. Thanks to the duenna's cunning, the lovers manage, even with their father's blessing, to get married in a monastery. In this “holy place”, inhabited by eternally drunk monks, not two, but three couples happily unite: old Mendoza also finds himself a bride - in the person of a duenna. Don Jerome does not particularly regret what happened: his son’s chosen one turns out to be one of the richest brides in Seville.

“Betrothal in a Monastery” is one of the most cheerful creations. The orchestral introduction introduces the atmosphere of sparkling fun.

The comedy element in the opera is embodied in numerous witty finds. For example, in the first picture, the accompaniment of a perky song about fish, sung by Don Jerome and Mendoza, depicts the splashing of water. The arioso of the fishmonger Mendoza, praising his fish, and the arioso of Don Jerome, describing the virtues of Louise, are based on the same musical material. However, Don Jerome is not that “family tyrant” who can evoke nothing but disgust and hatred - this character is depicted by the composer with the same sympathy as the others characters. He is not even a stranger to the love of art - in the sixth scene he is so carried away by playing a minuet, funny in its exaggerated decorum and gallantry, that he does not think much about giving his consent to his daughter’s marriage. An additional comedic touch to this scene is the “cast of performers” of the minuet: Don Jerome himself plays the clarinet, his friend plays the cornet-a-piston, and the servant plays the bass drum. In the finale, the father of the family, who has forgiven his children everything, sings a cheerful song, playing along with himself on crystal glasses.

The lyrical beginning in the opera is associated with two couples in love. Characterizing them musical material- sometimes poetic and bright, sometimes pathetic - diverse in its genre basis: Antonio’s serenade, Carlos’s romance in the spirit of a madrigal “There is no greater happiness”, Clara’s arietta in the rhythm of a slow waltz...

Spanish flavor also takes place in the opera “Betrothal in a Monastery” (after all, its action takes place in Seville) - such is the Duenna’s song “When around the green girl...” A colorful background for the action is also created by the carnival scene, where dances rapidly replace each other - bolero, oriental, paspier - and three cellists playing backstage represent the street musicians.

He completed the opera Betrothal in a Monastery at the end of 1940. It was assumed that the premiere would take place next year at the Theater. K.S. Stanislavsky - perhaps this would have happened if the war had not started... The premiere of the work took place after the victory - in 1946, in Leningrad, at the Theater. S. Kirov.

Musical Seasons

Duenna with Louise (contralto)

Antonio (tenor)

Clara, friend of Louise (mezzo-soprano),

Mendoza, rich fishmonger (bass),

Don Carlos, impoverished nobleman,

Mendoza's friend (baritone),

Father Augustine, abbot of the monastery (baritone);

monks: Father Elustaf (tenor), Father Chartreuse (baritone), Father Benedictine (bass); 1st novice (tenor), 2nd novice (tenor),

Lauretta, Louise's maid (soprano)

Rosina, Clara's maid (contralto or mezzo-soprano),

Lopez, servant of Ferdinand (tenor),

Friend Don Jerome (without words, playing cornet-a-piston),

Samo, Don Jerome's servant (without words, plays the big drum).

Servants, maids, monks, nuns, guests, masks, traders.

The action takes place in Seville in the 18th century.

The square in front of Don Jerome's house. The clever fish trader Mendoza promises the respectable nobleman huge profits in joint trade. The deal will be sealed by the hand of Jerome's daughter, Louise, who will become Mendoza's wife. Jerome enthusiastically describes his daughter's beauty. But Mendoza speaks no less eloquently about the merits of the various fish demonstrated by his servants. Old people are being replaced by young people. Jerome's son, the ardent Ferdinand, dreams of the beautiful and wayward Clara d'Almanza. Twilight brought Antonio under the window of his beloved Louise. The lovers' meeting is interrupted by the voice of an angry Jerome. It seems to the worried Jerome that there is no worse misfortune than the guardianship of an adult daughter. He decides to immediately marry Louise to Mendoza. The lights are going out on the streets. Seville falls asleep.

Louise dreams of happiness with Antonio. The groom chosen by her father inspires her with a feeling of disgust. But the stubborn old man vowed not to let his daughter leave the house until she fulfilled his will. Ferdinand tries in vain to protect his sister, Jerome is difficult to convince. Duena comes to the rescue. Having agreed with the pupil, she plays out the secret delivery of a love message from Antonio. Jerome intercepts the letter and, in an angry vehemence, orders the nanny to leave the house. The women's plan was based on this: Louise eludes her father in Duenna's dress.

There is a brisk fish trade on the Seville waterfront. Mendoza is happy - things are going great. Carlos does not share his friend's enthusiasm. He dreams of objects worthy of a knight: precious stones, weapons, gold.

Charming fugitives, Louise and Clara d'Almanza, who also left her home, but from her evil stepmother, are developing a plan for further action. Clara is angry with Ferdinand and expects to find shelter in the monastery of St. Catherine. And Luisa, introducing herself by her friend’s name, asks Mendoza, who has approached, to find Antonio. The request of a pretty girl is to Mendoza's liking: he believes that this way he will be able to divert attention young man from the daughter of Don Jerome.

Mendoza awaits his meeting with his bride with trepidation. Jerome's story about his daughter's beauty increases the fishmonger's impatience. But for some reason Louise is capricious and does not want to meet the groom in the presence of her father, Jerome is forced to leave. The Duenna enters, disguised as Louise. Mendoza, stuttering with excitement, asks the beauty to throw back the veil and... is speechless: the bride is too scary and old! Immediately the clever Duena goes on the offensive: she admires Mendoza’s beard and his courageous appearance. The flattery fascinates the groom, he is ready to ask for Jerome's blessing. But Duena further weaves his cunning intrigues: Mendoza must steal her from her parents’ house. He agrees to everything. Indulging in romantic dreams, he does not even notice the return of Jerome, congratulating him on his victory.

The hours pass slowly for Luisa as she waits for Antonio. But then Mendoza introduces her lover. The joy of young people is limitless. The deceived Mendoza is also pleased, thinking that he has gotten rid of his rival. He enthusiastically tells his new friends about his fiancee and her upcoming kidnapping. Luisa and Antonio slyly agree with him. Their hearts are full of love, they are happy that they found each other.

Don Jerome plays music with ecstasy, playing a love minuet with his friends. But the game is not going well. Jerome cannot understand why his daughter secretly ran away with the man destined to be her husband. Carlos brings a letter from Mendoza asking him to forgive and bless him. A grimy boy brings a message with a similar request from Louise. Jerome is surprised by his daughter’s eccentricity - why not write to them together? - and blesses both, ordering a gala dinner in honor of the newlyweds.

Clara wanders alone in the old abandoned garden of the convent: is she really destined to remain among the nuns forever? Ferdinand runs in with his sword drawn. Mendoza told him about his lover's betrayal, and he decided to take revenge on Antonio. Blinded by jealousy, Ferdinand does not recognize Clara, who appears before him in monastic garb. And Clara finally believed in the sincerity of Ferdinand’s feelings and, following him, leaves the humble monastery, wanting to unite her fate with her beloved.

Life in a monastery passes in drunken revelry. The sudden appearance of clients forces the monks to turn to the singing of pious psalms: it is Antonio and Mendoza who have come with a request to marry them to their beloved. The ringing of coins from the purse dropped by the petitioners had a magical effect: the abbot agreed to perform the wedding ceremony.

Guests arrive at Jerome's festively lit house. But the owner has no time for them: there are still no young people, and Ferdinand has disappeared somewhere. But then a happy Mendoza appears. His wife enthusiastically throws herself on “daddy’s” neck - and Jerome is horrified to recognize her as a Duenna. Luisa and Antonio did not hesitate to appear, instead of explaining, handing over their father’s letter agreeing to the marriage. Before Jerome had time to recover from amazement, Ferdinand and the nun fell to their knees in front of him. The father was completely confused, but suddenly he recognized Clara d’Almanza, one of the richest girls in Seville, in his son’s friend. Having suffered a loss on his daughter's marriage, he compensates for it with the marriage of his son. And let the fooled Mendoza get away with the nanny. WITH light hearted the cheerful host opens the wedding feast.

Works of Sergei Prokofiev
Concerts
Symphonies	Symphony No. 1 “Classical” D-Dur Symphony No. 2 D-Moll Symphony No. 3 C-Moll Symphony No. 4 C-Dur Symphony No. 5 B-Dur Symphony No. 6 es-Moll Symphony No. 7 cis-Moll Peter and the Wolf
Operas	War and Peace The Love of Three Oranges Fiery Angel
Ballets	Cinderella Romeo and Juliet The Tale of the Stone Flower Ivan the Terrible
Music for films	Ivan the Terrible Lieutenant Kizhe Alexander Nevsky Lermontov Kotovsky
for piano	Fleetingness Sonata No. 2 (D Minor) Sonata No. 7 (B flat major) Sonata No. 8 (B flat major) Sonata No. 9 (C major)
cantata	Zdravitsa

Categories:

Works of Sergei Prokofiev
Operas by Sergei Prokofiev
Operas in alphabetical order
Operas in Russian
Operas based on literary works
Operas from 1940

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Sergey Sergeevich (11(23)IV 1891, the village of Sontsovka, now the village of Krasnoye, Donetsk region. 5 III 1953, Moscow) sov. composer, pianist, conductor. Nar. art. RSFSR (1947). Genus. in the family of an agronomist who manages the estate. The family managed to provide the gifted... Music Encyclopedia

April 13 at the Berlin Staatsoper as part of Easter festival The premiere of Sergei Prokofiev’s opera “Betrothal in a Monastery” took place Dmitry Chernyakov. Written in 1940 and first presented after the war in 1946 at the Kirov Theater, it never received such fame and success as its similar genre, “The Love for Three Oranges.” During its first production, the opera was performed only 12 times - extremely few for a repertory theater.

The most famous artistic incarnations of this work remain the works of V. Pazi at the Mariinsky Theater (he also staged for San Francisco) and A. Titel for the MAMT. K.S. Stanislavsky and V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko. Outside Russia, the opera was performed, for example, at the Glyndebourne festival and at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia. The current premiere on one of the most important stages in Germany is another milestone in the history of Prokofiev's opera.

The plot of The Betrothal is based on a libretto by R. Sheridan, who, in turn, created it for the ballad opera The Duenna by Thomas Linley Sr. and Thomas Linley Jr. The premiere of the first “Duenna” took place in Covent Garden in 1775. The story is based on real events from the life of Sheridan himself, who fled with Elizabeth Linley due to his parents’ ban on marriage. In the end, after the wedding, the parents relented, and Sheridan decided to take advantage of the situation and wrote an opera. He did not bother to tell his father-in-law about the plot of the work. Having added Italian and Scottish melodies to the opera, the final layout was completed by Linley Jr., who died very early, but gained fame as the English Mozart. “Duenna” was a tremendous success (75 performances in the first season alone!), and even in the 20th century there were attempts to return it to the permanent repertoire.

Turning to a time-tested plot, Prokofiev rewrote the libretto in collaboration with his wife Mira Mendelson-Prokofieva, although the “degree” of this co-authorship is debatable.

The plot is based on Spanish dramas about honor and traditional “comedies of errors”, when someone disguises himself as someone else and no one understands anything. In the center is the story of the relationship between the young and beautiful Doña Luisa and the poor but noble Don Antonio, as well as her friend the pious Doña Clara with Luisa’s brother Don Ferdinand, famous for his ardor and haste. Louise and Ferdinand's father, Don Jerome, is negotiating with the fishmonger Mendoza, and as a guarantee of their cooperation, he is ready to agree to the marriage of his daughter and partner. Here, by the way, is the main difference between Prokofiev’s libretto and Sheridan’s. The last one main drawback Isaac Mendoza in his origins, and in key points Don Jerome calls him a vile Israeli, and during reconciliation “little Solomon.”

Their duet about the virtues of a fish and a daughter is one of the most memorable in the opera. Next we see how Louise and her Duenna conspire to arrange the girl’s escape under the guise of a Duenna. At the same time, Fernando is trying to woo Clara, who is protected by her evil stepmother, and drive away Antonio as a possible rival. While Fernando persuades his father to accept Antonio's advances, Luisa and Duena carry out their plan. To do this, they deceive the unlucky father and force him to expel the nanny for indulging his unprofitable suitor Antonio.

Louise puts on Duenna's shawl and runs away. Now she is free and tries to let Antonio know where she is. At the same time, Clara runs away from her stepmother and they accidentally meet in the square. Clara is offended by Fernando for trying to sneak into her at night, but at the same time hints to Luisa on how to find the monastery where she will hide. Louise decides to pretend to be Clara and ask Mendoza, who has never seen her before, for help. The merchant thinks that this is a good opportunity to get rid of his rival in the person of Antonio and agrees to arrange a meeting. The funniest scene of the opera is Mendoza's arrival at Jerome's house to meet "Louise". Before that, the loving father described the charms of his daughter, her dimple on her cheek, her eyes and, most importantly, what the groom appreciated was that she was a “cheat.” The duena, who is going to get a rich fishmonger as her husband, refuses to appear before her “father”, and only when left alone with Mendoza does she take off her veil. The groom is horrified: the bride is old and ugly. But Duena's sweet speeches, praising his beauty and courage, and most importantly his beard, convince Mendoza that marriage makes sense. And here is the last part of the plan, the imaginary Louise convinces the groom that she will not just get married, but needs to be kidnapped, to which the deceived Mendoza reluctantly agrees and puts it into practice. So everyone runs. The surprised Don Jerome receives two letters from Mendoza and Louise, and, believing that they fled together, agrees to the marriage of both. After some confusion between Antonio and Fernando, everyone gets married to everyone's satisfaction. To do this, Mendoza and Antonio go to a friary (a wonderful scene of drinking among the monks, who are all waiting for the next donations so they can buy more wine). And only when he comes to the banquet with Jerome, Mendoza finds out that he married the wrong woman and becomes the subject of ridicule, and the father of the fugitives resigns himself, because his son married a rich bride.

This typical 18th-century plot is combined with Prokofiev’s bright music, built on different rhythms, with emphasized comic and lyrical (for example, Antonio’s serenade) parts. One of the most famous and scandalous directors of our time, Dmitry Chernyakov, uses a scheme that has already been proven for himself. He makes his characters actors (or patients) who act out "Teaching" as a method of treatment. This was, for example, “Carmen” in Aix-en-Provence, where the characters are in a psychiatric sanatorium and only Michaela bursts in from outside world. In the Berlin performance, opera addicts are looking for ways to freedom. Chernyakov gives very vivid characteristics: Louise is in love with Kaufman, but he did not reciprocate, Duena is a sixty-year-old prima donna who cannot part with the stage, Antonio is her annoying admirer. In the play there is a failed critic, there is a mad connoisseur, wandering around the world for theatrical impressions - a familiar picture, isn’t it? It is very funny to see how the singers train their breathing and run for it. As an incentive to cure, “patients” are shown those who have recovered and gained freedom. Soon our heroes will be able to travel to Australia, look after young girls and not worry about the upcoming theater season.

All the action takes place in one box-room, filled with rows of chairs, similar to chairs from the Berlin Staatsoper, and all passing characters are replaced by a psychoanalyst moderator ( Maxim Pasteur). Gradually, everything descends into chaos, and in the scene of a marriage in a monastery, the moderator is tied up, his eyes are covered with headphones, and instead of the monks, everyone sings male characters and Duenna. In the alternative ending, in which the feast scene was turned, we are presented with the dreams of Don Jerome, in which all the most famous opera characters come to him, for example, Callas in the costume of Tosca, Caballe in the image of Norma, Chaliapin - Boris Godunov and Lohengrin with a duck under his arm. The hall immediately perked up, guessing who was meant. In general, there were funny moments, but for those who are not very familiar with opera, the action remained incomprehensible. Before the last scene, when the curtain fell, the audience began to applaud and some began to leave, clearly not realizing that it was not the end yet. But before that, everyone sat motionless. The hall was predominantly Russian-speaking and very pretentious, as befits a premiere. And my very elegant neighbor explained to her friend that “Prokofiev is very difficult, you need to think about every note.”

The musical component turned out to be controversial. Most of the singers were pleased. The complex Ferdinand, constantly pulling his pants up to his ears, was played by a luxurious, soft-toned baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky. Anna Goryacheva in the role of Clara - a real powerful mezzo - in places she shifted the main emphasis romantic story on yourself. Her frantic scream in the confrontation with Fernando he made me shudder, but was remembered by everyone. Duenna reigned on the stage and led it - Violetta Urmana, a true master of singing and playing. Not a single extra movement, everything works for the image. I was pleasantly surprised by someone I didn’t know before Bogdan Volkov- a soulful lyric tenor, so suitable for the role of Antonio. With such a voice and appearance, you can only sing serenades, change ladies like gloves, and also run after a prima donna.

Aida Garifullina(Louise), started a little tough, but showed all the possibilities of a typical soubrette role. So it’s in vain that some people complain that it was her photo that the theater placed on the poster. In the end, it was this role that became one of the first significant ones for the current most famous soprano Anna Netrebko. Goran Juric seemed both vocally and stage-wise somewhat lackluster for Mendoza, and Stefan Rügamer at beautiful voice and a good game, the Russian was completely unintelligible.

Unfortunately, the conductor did not support the singers. Daniel Barenboim, for all his merits, could not cope with Prokofiev. The main thing he did was not drown out the performers. Moreover, in places the orchestra practically melted away. The conflict between the lyrical and comic principles was lost, as was all the colorfulness and carnivalesque. It was difficult to appreciate the importance of the orchestra for this opera, its decisive role in setting the rhythm of the action. Alas, it was just boring. And in this regard, it is a pity that this particular musical interpretation will be the first video of “Betrothal in a Monastery” recorded abroad.

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Lyric-comic opera in four acts (nine scenes); libretto by the composer after R. Sheridan, poems by M. Mendelssohn-Prokofieva.
First production: Leningrad, Theater named after. Kirov, November 3, 1946, under the direction of B. Khaikin.

Characters:

Don Jerome, Seville nobleman (tenor), Ferdinand and Luisa, his children (baritone and soprano), Luisa's duenna (contralto), Antonio (tenor), Clara, Luisa's friend (mezzo-soprano), Mendoza, a wealthy fishmonger (bass) , Don Carlos, impoverished nobleman, friend of Mendoza (baritone), Father Augustine, abbot of the monastery (baritone); monks: Father Elustaf (tenor), Father Chartreuse (baritone), Father Benedictine (bass); 1st novice (tenor), 2nd novice (tenor), Lauretta, Louise's maid (soprano), Rosina, Clara's maid (contralto or mezzo-soprano), Lopez, Ferdinand's servant (tenor), Don Jerome's friend (no words , plays the cornet-a-piston), Samo, Don Jerome's servant (without words, plays the big drum).
Servants, maids, monks, nuns, guests, masks, traders.

The action takes place in Seville in the 18th century.

Luisa dreams of happiness with Antonio. The groom chosen by her father inspires her with a feeling of disgust. But the stubborn old man vowed not to let his daughter leave the house until she fulfilled his will. Ferdinand tries in vain to protect his sister, Jerome is difficult to convince. Duena comes to the rescue. Having agreed with the pupil, she plays out the secret delivery of a love message from Antonio. Jerome intercepts the letter and, in an angry vehemence, orders the nanny to leave the house. The women's plan was based on this: Louise eludes her father in Duenna's dress.

Charming fugitives, Louise and Clara d'Almanza, who also left her home, but from her evil stepmother, are developing a plan for further action. Clara is angry with Ferdinand and expects to find shelter in the monastery of St. Catherine. And Luisa, introducing herself by her friend’s name, asks Mendoza, who has come up, to find Antonio. Mendoza likes the pretty girl’s request: he believes that this way he will be able to divert the young man’s attention from Don Jerome’s daughter.

Guests arrive at Jerome's festively lit house. But the owner has no time for them: there are still no young people, and Ferdinand has disappeared somewhere. But then a happy Mendoza appears. His wife enthusiastically throws herself on “daddy’s” neck - and Jerome is horrified to recognize her as a Duenna. Luisa and Antonio did not hesitate to appear, instead of explaining, handing over their father’s letter agreeing to the marriage. Before Jerome had time to recover from amazement, Ferdinand and the nun fell to their knees in front of him. The father was completely confused, but suddenly he recognized Clara d’Almanza, one of the richest girls in Seville, in his son’s friend. Having suffered a loss on his daughter's marriage, he compensates for it with the marriage of his son. And let the fooled Mendoza get away with the nanny. With a light heart, the cheerful host opens the wedding feast.

History of creation

Prokofiev’s opera was based on the play “Duenna” by R.B. Sheridan (1751-1816). In it, along with the accuracy of witty comedic sketches, a large place is occupied by the affirmation of the bright feelings of young lovers.

The composer significantly enhanced the lyrical content of the play. The composer's imagination completed the poetic background for the development of the love affair: a night carnival, the embankment of Seville, an abandoned convent.

This expanded the expressive possibilities of comedy and gave it fullness of life.

Prokofiev created a libretto based on the English original, simultaneously performing the role of a translator; poetic texts were written by M. Mendelssohn. In December 1940, the opera was completed. In the spring of next year, the Theater named after. K. S. Stanislavsky in Moscow intended to stage it. The terrible events of the Great Patriotic War prevented this. Other themes, other images excited the Soviet people, and Prokofiev himself switched to creating the heroic-patriotic opera “War and Peace.” Only on November 3, 1946, “Duena” was staged on the stage of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. S. M. Kirov.

Music

In "Duena" the comic and lyrical principles coexist on equal terms. The opera's music sparkles with humor and captivates with its melodic beauty. With inexhaustible imagination, easily and naturally, the composer follows the lively development of the intrigue, full of funny surprises, outlining the lyrical characters with sincere sympathy.

The orchestral introduction captivates with cheerful fun.

Lively music accompanies Jerome's entrance. Mendoza quickly reveals his plans to him. Then they sing together a playful song about fish, accompanied by the sound of the splashing of water. In the arioso “Oh, how you look,” Jerome describes the beauty of his daughter; the same music sounds in the arioso of Mendoza, praising his product. Ferdinand’s confession “Oh, Clara, dear Clara” is imbued with pathos; Antonio’s serenade, performed to the accompaniment of a guitar, is bright and poetic. Jerome's aria "If You Have a Daughter" comically parodies the old man's complaints about his troubled life. There are a variety of mask dances: a light, moving passier, a passionate oriental dance, a delightful bolero. The theme that accompanies the thinning groups of carnival participants is bizarre and changeable. Three cellos behind the scenes imitate the playing of an ensemble of traveling musicians; They are answered by violins repeating the cheerful and perky chorus of a song about fish. Gradually the music fades away, and the last sounds slowly fade away in the enchanted silence of the night.

The graceful whimsical melody of the flute accompanies Louise's cheerful antics at the beginning of the second scene (second act). The dialogue duet scene “Of course, of course, Antonio is not Croesus” is based on the contrast between Louise’s inspired dreams and the calculating intentions of Duenna. The episodes of Jerome's squabbles with the children and his quarrel with the Duenna are full of comedy.

The third scene opens with a discordant chorus of fishmongers. Louise and Clara's confusion and confusion are conveyed in the brief duet "You Ran." A poetic arietta in the rhythm of a slow waltz reveals Clara's feelings for Ferdinand. The girls’ dialogue “If only I knew” gives a spontaneity a touch of cheerful mischief. The fishmonger's boastful self-satisfaction is vividly captured in his chant, "Mendoza is a cunning boy." The chivalrous spirit of Carlos is conveyed in the romance “No Greater Happiness,” in the spirit of an ancient madrigal.

In the fourth scene, Jerome's arioso about the delights of his daughter precedes the scene of the meeting of Mendoza and Duenna. The flattering insinuation of the imaginary Louise’s speech is enshrined in her arioso “Sir, what a surprise.” The song “When there is a green girl around” has a sultry Spanish-gypsy flavor. The duet “Tonight” captivates at a rapid pace.

The poetic music of the introduction to the fifth scene (third act) depicts a quiet evening. A thoughtful and tender arioso of Louise, whose thoughts are turned to Antonio. The central episode is formed by the scene of their meeting: the inspired theme of Antonio's serenade (from the first act) sounds in the orchestra. The quartet “How Light Is in the Soul” (Mendoza and Carlos join the lovers) is a perfect example of Prokofiev’s lyrical ensemble.

The scene of playing music at Jerome's house in the sixth scene is depicted with incomparable humor.

In the seventh scene, a captivating serenade (the duet of Louise and Antonio) is replaced by a heartfelt scene of Clara’s dreams.

The eighth scene (fourth act) contains biting satire exposing the sanctimonious hypocrisy of the monks. The drinking choral song “The Bottle is the Sun of Our Life” vividly depicts the tipsy servants of the monastery and their idle pastime; Particularly impressive is the defiantly daring chorus “I believe the world is a cheerful one!”

In the introduction to the ninth scene, the theme of Jerome’s aria “If you have a daughter” runs through the orchestra in confusion and confusion. The appearance of the happy newlywed couples is accompanied by music borrowed from previous acts. The welcoming chorus of guests sounds cheerful and joyful. At the end, an amused Jerome sings the verses of “I understand the young,” accompanying himself on ringing glasses that sound like crystal bells.

M. Druskin

Discography: Gramophone record "Melody". Dir. Abdullaev. Don Jerome (Korshunov), Louise (Kaevchenko), Ferdinand (Kratov), Duena (Yanko), Antonio (Mishchevsky), Clara (Isakova).