Opera "War and Peace": content, video, interesting facts, history

S. Prokofiev opera "War and Peace"

At one time, the idea of ​​writing an opera based on the epic novel by Leo Tolstoy was a very audacious and bold idea. How can you make Natasha Rostov sing along with Andrei Bolkonsky ?! But Prokofiev I succeeded in masterfully embodying it by writing the legendary opera of the same name conditionally divided into two parts: war (7 paintings) and peace (6 paintings). The work was not immediately delivered and constantly undergone revisions, but in the end Sergey Sergeyevich managed to achieve his goal, creating a truly grandest performance. He was highly appreciated by his contemporaries and subsequent generations.

Summary of the Prokofiev Opera "War and Peace"and many interesting facts about this work read on our page.

Summary of "War and Peace"

In the estate of Otradnoe, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky met the young Natasha Rostova, who immediately charmed him. A little later, they meet again in St. Petersburg at a ball at the Catherine’s nobleman. Bolkonsky is so passionate about Natasha that she decides to make her a marriage proposal. However, several obstacles stand in the way of their happiness. Andrei's father is against marriage, showing it with all of his appearance, and even refusing to meet with future relatives. The old prince sends his son abroad for a year.

While the groom is far away, Natasha accidentally meets with Anatole, brother of Helen Bezukhova. She met Anatol Kuragin at the Ekaterina Ball. It turned out that the young man fell in love with her at first sight, losing his sanity. Rostova is very flattered by his words and she doesn’t even realize that her admirer is actually married. Anatole suggests that Rostova secretly get married and flee with him, to which Natasha gives her consent.

Relatives interfere in all this dubious story and forbid Natasha to run away, opening her eyes to his legal wife Kuragin. Natasha does not believe in this and asks Pierre Bezukhov to explain everything to her. The young man is forced to confirm the information and declares that he will tell Andrei Bolkonsky, his friend, about everything. However, quite unexpectedly, Natasha himself confesses his feelings. That's just Rostova did not hear his fervent speech, because she desperately took poison, trying to commit suicide.

Suddenly, the news of the attack of Napoleon and the beginning of hostilities in the country. In addition to Andrew, other men, including Pierre Bezukhov, are leaving for the war. Bolkonsky is seriously wounded during the battles and before his death he manages to see Natasha to confess her feelings once more. The girl sincerely asks him for forgiveness.

Captured Pierre Bezukhov can be saved thanks to a partisan detachment led by Vasily Denisov. Moscow is liberated, and hostilities end with the victory of the Russian army under the leadership of Field Marshal Kutuzov.

A photo:

Interesting Facts

• The composer composed the opera for twelve years. It was connected with an incredibly complex plan, which hardly fits into the framework of the opera genre.
• Prokofiev he was very picky about himself, which is why he continued to adjust the opera score until the last days of his life.
• The composer and librettist did not have the opportunity to fully reflect all the events of the epic, so they selected only part of the episodes and highlights.
• The performances of the play were interrupted for a long time due to the accusation of the composer of "anti-people formalism."
• There are suggestions that the idea of ​​creating an opera based on Tolstoy’s novel appeared back in 1935, when Sergei Prokofiev in Chelyabinsk took to read a book from the singer Vera Dukhovskaya. It was then that the composer admitted to her that he wanted to create an opera for this plot. Prokofiev’s second spouse reported that she read “War and Peace” to Sergey Sergeyevich and the composer declared that he sees the scene of the meeting of the wounded Bolkonsky and Rostov as an operatic one. Be that as it may, the first manuscripts appear only in 1941.

• Despite the tremendous work done, the composer could not see the final version of the performance.
• Drawing the characteristics of the characters, the composer did not show the past of Andrei Bolkonsky, who survived the loss of his wife and wound in the battle of Austerlitz.
• The idea to divide the opera into two parts, each performed on a separate evening, belongs to the conductor Samosudu.
• It is curious that Prokofiev, when creating the opera, used not only Tolstoy’s novel, but also Zhukovsky’s poem “Evening”, Batyushkov’s “Merry Hour”, Lomonosov ode, part from Denis Davydov’s diary.
• After staging the opera in 1946, B. Pokrovsky recalled his first meeting with Prokofiev. According to him, the composer performed the clavier of the play as a bad pianist and did it rather as a favor, playing the piano. After the first acquaintance, Pokrovsky did not even like the opera, because he was expecting to hear something different, closer to the figurative world. Tchaikovsky. In this regard, his main assistant Samosud had to re-build the drama, according to the laws. In addition, it was he who advised Prokofiev to add two pictures.
• The composer did not accept all the edits to the play, for example, for a long time he did not agree to finish the scene of the ball. In the end, this particular episode became central.
• The heroine of the novel, Natasha Rostova, considered any opera production to be nonsense.
• All actions in the play take place from 1809 to 1812.
• Like the play, which was not immediately performed in the full version, Tolstoy also first presented to readers the first part of the work in 1865, and then the subsequent fragments. Only in 1868, the epic novel was published entirely.
• In the novel “War and Peace” 559 characters, most of them related to real heroes, in the opera Prokofiev had to significantly reduce their number.
• One of the most outstanding recordings was made by Rostropovich; among the soloists were G. Vishnevskaya, Gedda and Guzelev.

Popular arias and numbers from the opera "War and Peace"

Kutuzov's aria "Majestic, in the sun, the mother of Russian cities" (listen)

Natasha's arioso "Or maybe he will come today" (listen)

Waltz (listen)

Mazurka (listen)

Final Choir (listen)

Music

Prokofiev conditionally divided the entire score into two parts: a peaceful life and pictures of war. At the heart of the first part is the lyrical-psychological drama of the main characters and their love. The composer tried to show all the wealth of the inner world of Tolstoy’s characters. The prince is outlined very accurately, with all his thoughts about life, as well as the renewal of the soul. But Natasha appeared in a more sophisticated image. Pierre Bezukhov plays a very important role, but the composer deliberately did not show the versatile image of a young man, as well as his complex flow of thoughts and feelings. Pictures of this part are mostly more chamber, great attention is paid to details.

The second part of the opera shows pictures of the hostilities of 1812, in which Prokofiev focused on the image of the people. The Russian camp is opposed to the French, led by Napoleon. This part is dominated by large-scale paintings: the Battle of Borodino, the fire in Moscow, the battle scenes, etc.

To show the characters, Prokofiev applies a developed system of leitmotifs. For example, the lyrical leitmotif of Natasha Rostova shows her subtle poetic image. The motive of war, which first appears in the 8th picture, sounds terrible. Incredibly strong and acutely presented leitmotif of national suffering. Prokofiev pays great attention to choral scenes to depict the image of the Russian people.

The history of the creation of "War and Peace"

In the spring of 1941 composer S. Prokofiev there was a plan to write the opera "War and Peace". He turned to MA for help. Mendelssohn-Prokofyeva (his wife), who developed the libretto. Already in the first month an impressive part of the performance was written. Later, the composer expanded it, added some episodes and edited it. The first version of the opera was completed in 1943, after many revisions and improvements.

On June 7, 1945, the public was able to see the first concert version of the play in the Great Hall of the Conservatory. In June 1946 in St. Petersburg, the premiere of the first part of the opera, which included only eight paintings, was successfully held. A second and tenth picture was specially written for this version. In addition, it was decided to make the performance two-night, dividing it into two parts. This prompted Prokofiev to somewhat expand the score. The second part at the premiere was not shown to the public, only its dress rehearsal took place.

After the Leningrad production, the opera won the Stalin Prize, but criticism was poured into its address, as well as against Prokofiev. The musical language of the play was called inaccessible. After the Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU (B.) Of February 10, 1948, further demonstrations were interrupted, but this did not stop the composer, and he continued to work hard on the opera. As a result, Sergey Sergeevich wrote a second edition, which was somewhat abbreviated and was called one evening. This version was performed after the death of Prokofiev in 1953 in Moscow, thanks to the work of the Ensemble of the Soviet WTO Opera.

In 1955, both parts of the performance were presented to the public in the MALEGOT Theater, under the direction of E. Grikurov. True, this time only 11 paintings were performed.

Productions

For the first time the opera was staged in full version in November 1957, the long-awaited premiere was successfully held at the theater of K. Stanislavsky and V. Nemirovich-Danchenko. The directors Baratov and Zlatogorov did a great job in order to realize their idea. All 13 paintings were executed with only some notes.

Another landmark production was carried out in 1959 at the Bolshoi Theater by director Pokrovsky. This time they presented an abbreviated one-night version of the performance, also consisting of 13 paintings. Among other performances, this is distinguished by the fact that for the first time the choral prologue was demonstrated to the public. The role of Natasha was performed by the legendary G. Vishnevskaya, Andrei Bolkonsky - Kibkalo. The premiere of the full version without any bills and modifications took place only in 1982 in Perm.

In addition to performances in the homeland, the performance was successfully shown on many world stages. So, in 1953, the opera was presented to the public in Italy, as part of the festival Florence Musical May. Then it was performed in Sofia (1957), Leipzig (1961), Prague (1970), London (1972), Boston (1974), Sydney (1973), Edinburgh (1989), Seattle (1990).

In 1991, a joint production of the Mariinsky Theater and Covent Garden under the direction of Gergiev took place. Another interesting work of the Russian and foreign theater was successfully staged in 2000 and 2002. This time the Mariinsky Theater troupe collaborated with the New York Metropolitan. Orchestra V. Gergiev. The audience warmly accepted such experiments and highly appreciated the production.

One of the most scandalous versions is considered the work of Graham Vick, who presented the play in 2014 at the Mariinsky Theater. His version of the opera is called unpleasant and boring. The director departs from the author's intention, paying attention to the entertainment of the public. Theatrical critics did not stint on words and smashed the production for such a free interpretation of the plot.

Opera epic S. Prokofiev - This is one of the grandest works of the Soviet Opera House. The composer’s long-term search resulted in a spectacularly gigantic performance, which absorbed Prokofiev’s achievements and discoveries in a variety of musical genres.