The Tale of the Stone Flower (Prokofiev)
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Sergei Prokofiev wrote his eighth and last ballet The Tale of the Stone Flower (Op. 118) during 1948-50. It is also the last of the trilogy of ballets Prokofiev wrote in the Russian ballet tradition.
Contents |
[edit] Numbers
- Prologue
- 1 The Mistress of the Copper Mountain
- 2 Danilo and his work
- Act I
- Scene 1
- 3 Danilo in search of the flower
- 4 Danilo meets his fellow villagers
- 5 Scene and Duet of Katerina and Danilo
- 6 Interlude
- Scene 2
- 7 Round Dance
- 8 Katerina bids farewell to her friends
- 9 The Girls' Dance
- 10 Danilo's Dance
- 11 The unmarried men's dance
- 12 Severyan's Dance
- 13 Altercation over the malachite vase
- 14 Scene of Katerina and Danilo
- 15 Danilo's Meditation
- Scene 3
- 16 Danilo enticed away by the Mistress of the Mountain
- Act II
- Scene 4
- 17 The Mistress shows Danilo the treasures of the earth
- 18 Duet of the Mistress and Danilo
- 19 Scene and Waltz of the Diamonds
- 20 Dance of the Russian precious stones
- 21 Waltz
- 22 Danilo's Monologue and the Mistress' Reply
- 23 The Mistress shows Danilo the stone flower
- 24 Severyan and the Workers; The Mistress' Warning
- Scene 5
- 25 Scene and Katerina's Dance
- 26 Severyan's Arrival
- 27 "Where are you, sweet Danilo?"
- 28 The Appearance of the Mistress; Katerina's Joy
- Scene 6
- 29 Ural Rhapsody
- 30 Interlude
- 31 Russian Dance
- Scene 7
- 32 Gypsy Dance
- 33 Severyan's Dance
- 34 Solo of the Gypsy Girl and Coda
- 35 Katerina's Appearance and Severyan's Rage
- 36 The Appearance of the Mistress and Scene of Severyan transfixed to the earth
- 37 Severyan follows the Mistress
- 38 Severyan dies
- Scene 8
- 39 Katerina sits by the fire and yearns for Danilo
- 40 Scene and Dance of Katerina and the skipping of the Fire Spirits
- 41 Katerina follows the Fire Spirits
- 42 Dialogue of Katerina and the Mistress
- 43 Danilo turned to stone
- 44 The Joy of the Meeting of Katerina and Danilo
- 45 The Mistress presents gifts to Katerina and Danilo
- 46 Epilogue
[edit] Analysis
[edit] Instrumentation
The work is scored for an orchestra consisting of 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doubling cor anglais), 2 clarinets (1st doubling E-flat clarinet, 2nd doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassoons (2nd doubling contrabassoon), 4 french horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (triangle, castanets, wood blocks, tambourine, snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, tubular bells, xylophone), harp, piano, and strings.
[edit] Premiere
12-Feb-1954, Bolshoi Theater, Moscow, conducted by Y. Fayer. Choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky.
[edit] Recordings
| Orchestra | Conductor | Record Company | Year of Recording | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radio Philharmonie Hannover des NDR | Michail Jurowski | CPO | 1995/7 | CD |
| BBC Philharmonic Orchestra | Gianandrea Noseda | Chandos Records | 2003 | CD |
| Bolshoi Theater Orchestra | Gennadi Rozhdestvensky | ? | 1968 | CD/LP |
[edit] Orchestral suites from The Tale of the Stone Flower
As usual, Prokofiev extracted music from the ballet for concert performance.
[edit] Wedding Suite, Op. 126 (1951)
Available recordings:
| Orchestra | Conductor | Record Company | Year of Recording | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Scottish National Orchestra | Neeme Järvi | Chandos Records | 1989 | CD |
| Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra | Arnold Katz | Russian Season | 1997 | CD |
| USSR Radio/TV Large Symphony Orchestra | Gennadi Rozhdestvensky | Melodiya | LP |
[edit] Gypsy Fantasy, Op. 127 (1951)
Available recordings:
| Orchestra | Conductor | Record Company | Year of Recording | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moscow Radio/TV Symphony Orchestra | Gennadi Rozhdestvensky | Melodiya | LP |
[edit] Urals Rhapsody, Op. 128 (1951)
There are no available recordings.
[edit] The Mistress of the Copper Mountain, Op. 129
Unrealized.
[edit] External links
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