Prokofiev - Maddalena Op.13 (Opera in One Act)

Sergei Prokofiev

Maddalena Op.13

Opera in One Act for

Four Soloists, Male Choir and Orchestra

Plot and Libretto: M.Liven

Dedicated to N.Y.Myaskovsky

Orchestation Scenes 2, 3 & 4 Edward Downes

Maddalena E.Ivanova (Soprano)

Genaro A Martynov (Tenor)

Stenio S.Yakovenko (Baritone)

Gemma N.Koptanova (Soprano)

Romeo V.Rumyantsev (tenor)

Male Group of State Chamber Choir and USSR Ministry of Culture S.O.

Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (Conductor)

Prokofiev's Adolescent Opera

Although Prokofiev had already written four operas (the earliest being The Giant which he composed at the age of eight and was written down by the composer's mother), Maddalena is the first of his works in this genre to which he gave an opus number (op. 13). The opera was written in the summer of 1911 while Prokofiev was still a student at Saint Petersburg Conservatory and abandoned with only one of its four scenes orchestrated. The plot, which centres on a torrid love triangle in Venice in the fifteenth century. Prokofiev wrote in his autobiography that the 'the action abounded in conflicts, love, treachery and murder' but added that 'Baron Lieven' was 'more charming in appearance than talented in dramaturgy'].It was to wait 70 years for its premiere.

Prokofiev began to orchestrate the opera in 1912, hoping to arrange a performance at the Conservatory. He had shown the piano score to Miaskovsky who commented '[the music] is at times startling in in its sombre power, the volcanic quality of [Prokofiev's] temperament is astonishing'.. The Conservatory turned down the opera, according to the composer because the libretto had too many overtones of the symbolist poet Konstantin Balmont rather than because of any musical difficulties.

With the prospect of a theatre production in 1913, Prokofiev revised the music and dedicated the second version to Miaskovsky. However this production fell through, as did a further potential Moscow production in 1916. When Prokofiev left Russia in 1918 he left the manuscript in the care of his Moscow publishing house, and thereafter it was put to theback of his mind, although Miaskovsky wrote to him in Paris in 1924 to ask about it. Possibly this motivated him to collect the score when he visited Russia in 1927 to hear the Moscow production of his Love for Three Oranges. When Prokofiev finally returned to Russia permanently in 1936, the score was left behind in Paris It finally found its way to the publishers Boosey and Hawkes in London in 1960. The composer's widow, Lina Prokofiev, who was established as being the rightful owner of the manuscript, asked the English musician Edward Downest creare a performing version. Originally this was to havebeen premiered by the Open Theatre of St. Louis in 1980. But because of contractual problems, following Maddalena's premiere in a studio recording broadcast by BBC Radio 3 on 25 March, 1979, its first staging was at the Opernhaus, Graz, Austria on 28 November, 1981, conducted by Downes. The American premiere, using a re-scored verson by Downes, was given by the St. Louis company on 9 June 1982, conducted by Bruce Ferden