The Fiery Angel (Prokofiev)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Fiery Angel (Russian: Огненный ангел — Ognenny angel in transliteration) is an opera in five acts by Sergei Prokofiev to a Russian libretto by the composer, based on the novel by Valery Bryusov.

1 Background
2 Synopsis
3 Analysis
4 Premiere
5 Recordings
6 External links

[edit] Background

Prokofiev had great trouble staging this Opera. Numerous attempts at it, failed because he failed to meet deadlines, or because the work's peculiar nature estranged people, who declined to give it a chance. For these reasons, the opera never premiered during the artist's lifetime, but only a few years after his death. Since then it has had better luck, but is still not widely performed.

Seeing that the opera didn't have many chances of being performed, Prokofiev used music from it as the basis of his Symphony No. 3.

[edit] Synopsis

The full title of Bryusov's novel gives a good idea of the substance of the opera:

The Fiery Angel; or, a True Story in which is related of the Devil, not once but often appearing in the Image of a Spirit of Light to a Maiden and seducing her to Various and Many Sinful Deeds, of Ungodly Practices of Magic, Alchymy, Astrology, the Cabalistical Sciences and Necromancy, of the Trial of the Said Maiden under the Presidency of His Eminence the Archbishop of Trier, as well as of Encounters and Discourses with the Knight and thrice Doctor Agrippa of Nettesheim, and with Doctor Faustus, composed by an Eyewitness.

Renata is the maiden in question. She has fallen in love with the Fiery Angel, whom she later identified with Count Heinrich. She has enlisted Ruprecht in her efforts to come in contact with her "Angel". Aggripa von Nettesheim has offered to help them, but the presence of Faust and Mephistopheles in the opera speaks volumes.

[edit] Analysis

The opera has a largely sarcastic and humorous nature in its treatment of the dark arts. The music is dark and imposing, and the singing, especially that of Renata is chillingly histrionic.

[edit] Premiere

1955, Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

[edit] Recordings

There are only three recordings of the Fiery Angel in existence. The most recent two are conducted by Prokofiev specialist Neeme Järvi with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Valery Gergiev, who has recorded a wide array of russian operas with the Kirov Opera.