Zdravitsa (Prokofiev)

Zdravitsa (literally A Toast!), Op. 85, is a cantata written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1939.

Background

Ever since Prokofiev returned to the Soviet Union, he was viewed as a suspect in the eyes of the Stalinist regime and was under scrutiny. Numerous Soviet artists had already been arrested or even executed for creating art that was deemed too 'formalistic' by Soviet officials. Indeed, when Prokofiev collaborated with theatre director Vsevolod Meyerhold for his opera Semyon Kotko, the opera's premiere was postponed due to Meyerhold being arrested on 20 June 1939. Meyerhold was executed on 2 February 1940.^[1] A few months after Meyerhold's arrest, Prokofiev was invited to write Zdravitsa to celebrate Joseph Stalin's 60th birthday.^[2]

Zdravitsa, in Prokofiev's broad, lyrical vein, contains music that would certainly have fitted into his ballet Romeo and Juliet. However, the work is not as frequently played due to its pro-Stalinist sentiments. Regardless, this cantata, along with many other neglected political works (e.g. Flourish, Mighty Land and The Meeting of the Volga and the Don), contains much first-rate Prokofiev which deserves to be played more often.

Lasting around 15 minutes, the cantata is in one continuous movement. The lyrics are collected from folk-political songs.

Analysis

The cantata opens with a sighing motif on trumpets, after which the strings play an expansive, flowing melody in C major. The choir suddenly intrudes (singing loudly There never was such joy - the entire village is full of it), and the music picks up speed. The choir slips cheekily into distant keys now and then. Faster staccato sections continue to alternate with slower flowing sections.

Of special interest is the last section, where the choir races up and down a C major scale (spanning more than two octaves), rather like a child practising piano scales: the British journalist, Alexander Werth (author of Musical Uproar in Moscow), "wondered whether [Prokofiev] hadn't just the tip of his tongue in his cheek as he made the good simple kolhozniks sing a plain C-major scale, up and down, up and down, and up and down again...".^[3] The orchestra provides alternating G and A-flat pedal notes. The cantata ends in a blazing C major, a favourite key of Prokofiev (cf. Piano Concerto No. 3, Russian Overture, and Symphony No. 4 (revised version)).

Orchestration

Piccolo

2 Flutes

2 Oboes

English Horn

2 Clarinets

Bass Clarinet

2 Bassoons

Contrabassoon

4 Horns

3 Trumpets

3 Trombones

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion (Woodblocks, Snare Drum, Tambourine, Triangle, Cymbals, Bass Drum, Tam-tam, Xylophone, Tubular Bells)

Harp

Piano

Strings

Chorus

Premiere

The cantata premiered on 21 December 1939 in Moscow, conducted by Nikolai Golovanov.

Recordings

Notes

References

• Jaffé, Daniel Sergey Prokofiev (London: Phaidon, 1998; rev. 2008)
• Werth, Alexander The Year of Stalingrad (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1946)

External links

• recording of Zdravitsa, Valeri Polyanski (conductor) and the Russian State Symphonic Orchestra, Russian State Symphonic Capella.

Sergei Prokofiev Operas The Giant Maddalena The Gambler The Love for Three Oranges The Fiery Angel Semyon Kotko Betrothal in a Monastery War and Peace The Story of a Real Man Ballets Ala i Lolli Chout Trapeze Le pas d'acier The Prodigal Son On the Dnieper Romeo and Juliet Cinderella The Tale of the Stone Flower Symphonies Symphony No. 1 in D major ("Classical") Symphony No. 2 in D minor (orig & rev) Symphony No. 3 in C minor Symphony No. 4 in C major (orig & rev) Symphony No. 5 in B♭ major Symphony No. 6 in E♭ minor Symphony No. 7 in C♯ minor Concertos Piano Piano Concerto No. 1 in D♭ major Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major Piano Concerto No. 4 in B♭ major Piano Concerto No. 5 in G major Piano Concerto No. 6 (unfinished) Other Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor Cello Concerto in E minor Symphony-Concerto for Cello in E minor Cello Concertino in G minor (unfinished) Orchestra works Suites (3) from Romeo and Juliet Suites (3) from Cinderella Suites (4) from The Tale of the Stone Flower Scythian Suite from Ala i Loll Suite from Chout Suite from The Love for Three Oranges Suite from The Fiery Angel Suite from Le pas d'acier Suite from The Prodigal Son Suite from The Gambler Suite from On the Dnieper Suite from Lieutenant Kijé Suite from Semyon Kotko Sinfonietta in A major (orig & rev) Summer Night Symphonic Song The Year 1941 Pushkin Waltzes Waltz Suite Film music Alexander Nevsky Ivan the Terrible Lieutenant Kijé Vocal music Peter and the Wolf Alexander Nevsky Cantata for 20th Anniv of October Revolution Flourish, Mighty Land Seven, They Are Seven Songs of Our Days Zdravitsa Chamber music Overture on Hebrew Themes Quintet in G minor String Quartet No. 1 String Quartet No. 2 Violin Sonata No. 1 Violin Sonata No. 2 Flute Sonata in D major Cello Sonata in C major Sonata for Two Violins in C major Sonata for Solo Violin Piano music Sonatas Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor Piano Sonata No. 2 in D minor Piano Sonata No. 3 in A minor Piano Sonata No. 4 in C minor Piano Sonata No. 5 in C major (orig & rev) Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major Piano Sonata No. 7 in B♭ major ("Stalingrad") Piano Sonata No. 8 in B♭ major Piano Sonata No. 9 in C major Piano Sonata No. 10 (unfinished) Piano Sonata No. 11 (unrealized) Other Toccata in D minor Visions fugitives March and Scherzo from The Love for Three Oranges Three Pieces from War and Peace Ten Pieces from Romeo and Juliet Three Pieces & Six Pieces & Ten Pieces from Cinderella Related articles List of compositions by Sergei Prokofiev Ballets Russes Sergei Diaghilev George Balanchine Sviatoslav Richter Mstislav Rostropovich Nikolai Myaskovsky Neoclassicism Portal:Classical music