List of books and articles about sergei prokofiev online. Rosalind elias, leonid kogan, chicago symphony orchestra, boston symphony orchestra, fritz reiner. Alexander nevsky 1938 prokofiev score newly recorded vhs. Nevsky was a historical personage, a prince of novgorod now regarded as a saint in the orthodox church. Fritz reiner conducts the chicago symphony orchestra for this performance of prokofiev s alexander nevsky. Click here for download instructions for your convenience all the files for a specific voice part have been zipped together in one file.
Today the film is renowned for its extraordinary battle on ice sequence, which has served as. Like prokofiev, eisenstein had previously lived in the west, working in hollywood during the early 1930s. Alexander nevsky, lieutenant kije, scythian suite dg the originals by prokofiev, sergey, abbado, claudio, london symphony chorus, london symphony orchestra, obraztsova, elena from amazons classical music store. Prokofiev alexander nevsky reiner chicago symphony. Alexander nevsky, cantata sergei prokofiev wise music classical. Reconstructing the alexander nevsky film score sergei prokofievs significant contribution to the history of film music is documented in his score for sergei eisensteins movie alexander nevsky soviet union, 1938. At the time the music was written, russia wondered if it might again fight the germans. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Sergei prokofievs alexander nevsky hardcover kevin. Sergei prokofiev alexander nevsky, cantata for mezzosoprano, chorus and orchestra, opus 78 1. Prokofiev soon adapted it into the fivemovement lieutenant kije suite, first performed in december 1934, and which quickly became a favorite in the international concert repertoire. Nov 09, 2015 prokofiev concludes in grandeur with a final proud reprise of song about alexander nevsky by full choir, which ends in a flourish. He was fortunate to work on equal terms with the legendary sergei eisenstein 18981948, a man who trusted him implicitly, often cutting his sequences to fit a prerecorded music track.
I would speculate that when prokofiev found himself required to write music in an archaic religious style for the teutonic knights in alexander nevsky he took the opportunity to have a little dig at his emigre compatriot perhaps in relation to the pseudobachism in general, perhaps referring more directly to the percussive wordsetting in. Prokofievs score and cantata for eisensteins alexander nevsky. Live recording of a concert featuring alexander nevsky by prokofiev. Sergei prokofievs alexander nevsky paperback kevin. All the participants acquit themselves brilliantly. R during this time his usually high quantity of published output declined somewhat though it did include romeo and juliet, peter and the wolf, lieutenant kije, and a second violin concerto. There has been a new movie made about alexander and the battle of the neva river but so far it has only been released in russian with no other languages or subtitles.
The soundtrack for the film was written by sergei prokofiev, who also reworked the score into a concert cantata. Prokofiev composed some of his most brilliant and dramatic music. Prokofiev s alexander nevsky cantata and lieutenant kije suite are arguably the most popular scores sourced in film music. Alexander nevsky 1938 gave sergei prokofiev 18911951 the opportunity to work with the visionary director sergei eisenstein 18981948 and to help create one of the most acclaimed movies ever produced in the soviet union.
If fact, it was part of a very important political tool in 1938. Alexander nevsky as depicted in sergei eisensteins 1938 film. Taken together, the composition is rightly seen as one of the last. Prokofiev s alexander nevsky a survey of the discography by ralph moore during his last trip abroad in 1938, prokofiev visited various hollywood film studios, even going to walt disneys cartoon laboratories and turning down a lucrative and very tempting offer to collaborate with. It has remained one of the most renowned cantatas of the 20th.
Live recording of a concert featuring alexander nevsky by prokofiev playlist. It depicts the attempted invasion of novgorod in the th century by the teutonic knights of the holy roman empire and their defeat by prince alexander, known popularly as alexander nevsky 12201263. Reiner recorded prokofiev s cantata based on the score for the 1938 film classic, alexander nevsky. The historical epic cast a thirteenthcentury russian victory over invading teutonic knights as an allegory of contemporary soviet strength in the face of nazi warmongering. His choir is arthur oldhams lso chorus and very good they are. In 1939 prokofiev reworked the music into a cantata for orchestra and chorus in seven movements. Previns alexander nevsky is also as good as any in the catalogue, despite being over 35 years old.
Thus, the oftdiscussed history of soviet censorship proved, in reality, as inconsistent as it was heavyhanded, owing as much to the perceptions and political incentives of key individuals. This monograph, with its accompanying web site, offers a rewarding perspective on prokofiev s score for the film alexander nevsky, the cantata the composer fashioned and to a degree recomposed from it, and its various subsequent reincarnations, culminating in latetwentiethcentury cinema showings accompanied by full orchestra. Prokofievs alexander nevsky a survey of the discography by ralph moore. Sergei prokovievs alexander nevsky by kevin bartig.
By contrastin examining eisenstein, prokofiev, and the inception of alexander nevsky bartig complicates these categories with the realities of soviet life. Alexander nevsky friday, april 29, 2011 8 pm saturday, april 30, 2011 8 pm sunday, may 1, 2011 2. Never before and seldom after has there been a movie with this unique and perfect marriage of visual and aural elements. However, it is in the public domain in canada where imslp is hosted and other countries where the term is lifeplus50 years such as china, japan, korea and many others. Prokofiev prided himself on his professionalism and his adaptability, traits that made him ideally suited to film work. Both works began life as film scores but were condensed by prokofiev. Serge prokofiev alexander nevsky leonard slatkin conducts. Alexander nevsky, cantata for mezzosoprano, orchestra. In 1938, sergei eisenstein made one of his most acclaimed films, alexander nevsky, on alexander s victory over the teutonic knights. The original film, directed by sergei eisenstein, deals with a twelfth century conflict between the russians and the germans. Piano, vocal sheet music book by sergei prokofiev 18911953. There are cavalcades of mallet percussion, powerful crashes from cymbals, bells, and tamtam, growling brass, throbbing rhythms, and acres of wonderfully dark, russian sonorities. Fr735 prokofiev alexander nevsky lieutenant kije suite.
The subject of the film is the th century incursion of the knights of the livonian order into the territory of the novgorod republic, their capture of the city of pskov, the summoning of prince alexander nevsky to the defense of rus, and. Reiner chicago symphony orchestraprokofiev alexander. Prokofiev the cleveland orchestra, riccardo chailly, the cleveland orchestra chorus, robert page, irina arkhipova alexander nevsky, op. This is one of only two orchestrachoral recordings made with reiner and the cso during the living stereo era, the other was beethovens 9th and each one featured the newly formed chicago symphony chorus. G schirmer inc usa, canada and mexico only le chant du monde france, belgium, luxemburg, andorra, french. Join a community of music enthusiasts with a passion for music education. He later rearranged the music in the form of a cantata for mezzosoprano, chorus, and orchestra, with text by the poet vladimir lugovskoy and prokofiev himself. He later adapted much of his score into a largescale cantata for mezzosoprano, orchestra and chorus, which was extensively performed and recorded. Serge prokofieff alexander nevsky rockford symphony. Prokofiev achieved wide popularity with his lively music, in which he achieved a pungent mixture of modern and traditional elements.
Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Project muse sergei prokofievs alexander nevsky by. Alexander nevsky, film score by sergey prokofiev for a patriotic epic of the same name directed by sergey eisenstein. Alexander nevsky in 1938, and ivan the terrible, parts 1 and 2 no. Based on his score for eisensteins 1938 epic film of the same name, prokofiev conducted the cantatas first performance in moscow in may 1939. Together, they made two historically significant films. He defended russia and its church, defeating invading swedes and two years later the teutonic knights. Prokofieff reiner chicago symphony alexander nevsky. Indeed, typical film scores tend to be lengthy stretches of vapid functional mood music without lasting value or, more recently, random assortments of existing pop records. Alexander nevsky film score by prokofiev britannica. Its full of brilliant scoring, as befits music for eisensteins cinematic epic.
Id have to say that the usual stumbling blocks have been sidestepped. Listen free to sergei prokofiev alexander nevsky prelude, the th century and more. During his last trip abroad in 1938, prokofiev visited various hollywood film studios. Song about alexander nevsky the crusaders in pskov arise, ye russian people the battle on the ice the field of the dead alexander in pskov. Today, prokofiev s cantata alexander nevsky is listened to as a largescale concert work for orchestra and chorus, based on historical events, no doubt, but of no relation to the modern world. Audiences have long enjoyed sergei prokofiev s musical score for sergei eisensteins 1938 film alexander nevsky. Alexander yaroslavich nick name alexander nevsky is a genuine saint canonized by the russian orthodox church in 1547. Prokofievs alexander nevsky a survey of the discography. In 1938, prokofiev collaborated with film director eisenstein on alexander nevsky.
Prokofiev wrote another work for film, ivan the terrible, which in various guises has also become quite popular. Alexander nevsky cantata choralvocal parts musica russica. Then, in 1938, prokofiev collaborated with film director eisenstein to create the score for the film alexander nevsky. Sergei prokofiev, ricardo muti, andre previn, philharmonia orchestra, london symphony orchestra prokofiev ivan the terrible alexander nevsky. Prokofievs alexander nevsky musicweb international. The bach choir presents their first ever performance of sergei prokofiev s cantata alexander nevsky, brought to life with worldrenowned actor david bamber as prokofiev. Prokofievs score and cantata for eisensteins alexander nevsky this was a few years after the composers muchdocumented return to the u. First, the sound is unbelievably clear and vivid and immediate. Of the rare exceptions, sergei prokofiev s 1938 score to alexander nevsky often is hailed as the foremost example of a movie score of indisputable distinction. Alexander s son daniel was the first prince of moscow. A preorder is an item that has not yet been released. Prokofiev the cleveland orchestra, riccardo chailly.
Although there are superb recordings of prokofiev s alexander nevsky cantata out in the world, none of them can beat this 1993 recording by yuri temirkanov and the st. One of the summits of prokofievs art was the production of his ballet romeo and juliet in leningrad. Prokofiev s famous cantata alexander nevsky was made from portions of this film score. The cantata alexander nevsky was based on the music of the film. Prokofiev and the celebrated film director, sergei eisenstein 18981948, managed to survive the purges that decimated russian intellectual life under stalin. Alexander nevsky was composed by sergei prokofiev as a film score for the 1938 sergei eisenstein film alexander nevsky.
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