Alexander Nevsky, Cantata for Mezzo-Soprano, Orchestra & Chorus, Op
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Alexander Nevsky, Cantata for Mezzo-Soprano, Orchestra & Chorus, Op. 78 Sergei Prokofiev Born 23 April 1891 in Sontzovka, Ukraine Died 5 March, 1953 in Moscow Prokofiev and Shostakovich are named in the same breath almost as frequently as Bruckner and Mahler – and with equal misconceptions as to their kinship. Of the two Russian composers, Prokofiev led by far the more cosmopolitan career. He enjoyed international renown as a pianist as well as a composer. He was Shostakovich's senior by 15 years, and that half-generation made a world of difference in the lives they led, because of political events that changed Russian history, and indeed world history. Prokofiev was the only child of affluent parents, born into luxury in Czarist Russia. He was educated at St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied with Liadov and Rimsky-Korsakov, and became friends with Miaskovsky and Asafiev. In the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution, Prokofiev left Russia in 1918 for the United States. He remained in this country for four years then, from 1922 to 1936, he lived in Paris. He toured the USSR in 1927, and returned there permanently in 1936. His decision to reëstablish residency in his homeland coincided with the Soviet crackdown on artists, which included prescriptions for government-approved social content in newly-composed musical works. Although he was one of the most urbane of international citizens, Prokofiev became the consummate Soviet artist. Of all his Soviet compositions, Alexander Nevsky is the one that holds broad appeal beyond its original political purpose. Movie music in the Soviet Union In 1938, the Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein asked Prokofiev to collaborate on a film based on the life of Alexander Nevsky. Prokofiev had Hollywood experience from his American years. Eisenstein had established his reputation with the silent films Strike (1924), The Battleship Potemkin (1925) and October (Ten Days that Shook the World) (1927). With the advent of talkies, he had access to ever broader dramatic potential. Eisenstein was an excellent musician, and agreed with Prokofiev that music must be a fundamental component of the film, not just an accompaniment to cinematic action. The two men struck a good rapport, founded on mutual respect and similar work habits. Eisenstein was impressed with Prokofiev's speed of production and reliability. He later wrote: I could not understand how, after looking at a sequence no more than two or three times, he managed to catch the emotional spirit, the rhythm and structure of the scene so as to be able to produce its exact musical equivalent the very next day. The film was complete by December 1938, several months ahead of schedule. Shortly after its release, Prokofiev extracted the six- movement cantata we hear at these performances from the 21 numbers in the film score. While re-orchestrating some parts and rewriting sections of the Battle and the Entrance into Pskov, he still preserved the basic narrative of the film. Historical mandate Eisenstein had instructions from the Soviet authorities about the tack he was to take in the film: prepare the Russian viewing audience for war, and give them a sense of optimism. As Israel Nestyev has written, "It was a clarion call to self-sacrificing defense of the homeland." The historical topic served this purpose well. Grand Duke Alexander of Novgorod (1220-1263) was called Nevsky because he defeated the invading Swedes on the banks of the River Neva in 1240. That same year, Kiev fell to invading Mongolian hordes. Prokofiev's first movement addresses the desolate aftermath of that defeat; his second movement is a victory anthem after Nevsky's defeat of the Swedes. The focal episode in the film deals with a later conflict: Nevsky's defeat of invading Teutonic Knights in 1242. The battle took place southwest of St. Petersburg, on the frozen shores of Lake Chud, near the present- day Estonian border. The Battle on the Ice, as it has come to be known in Russian history, constitutes the central dramatic event of Eisenstein's film. Prokofiev preserves that emphasis in his cantata, in which the battle movement, at about 12 minutes, is more than twice the length of any other movement. He follows it with a mezzo-soprano solo, in which a maiden seeks her betrothed on the carnage of the battlefield. Alexander's triumphal entry into Pskov after the battle provides a suitably patriotic conclusion to the cantata. Musical portrait artist Prokofiev's music draws vivid portraits of his principal characters. The protagonist is the Russian people, whose music is consonant, calm, and often quite beautiful. By contrast, the enemy Germans are given martial tones: brassy and heavy. The mezzo-soprano's lament focuses on the specific human aspect of war, providing respite from the epic strains of the larger tale. The major message here is the difference between the barbarism and inhumanity of the Teutonic knights, and the brave heroism of the Russian people. Patriotic battle cry Official reception to the film was very positive, earning Stalin's approbation for Prokofiev and Eisenstein. Alexander Nevsky was, briefly, a source of embarrassment to the Soviet dictator before his relations with Hitler deteriorated. After the Nazis invaded the USSR in June 1941, however, the film's message of patriotism, heroism, hope, and faith resonated strongly. The fourth movement anthem, "Arise, ye Russian People," became especially popular during the war. Prokofiev's inherent gift for the theatre served him well in Alexander Nevsky. His sense of practicality in reworking the film score into a cantata has given choral literature one of its enduring masterpieces. Prokofiev scored Alexander Nevsky for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, snare drum, tambourine, maracas, wood blocks, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, bells, xylophone, tam-tam, chimes, mezzo-soprano solo, mixed chorus, and strings. .