Prokofiev: Bethrothal In A Monastery

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Prokofiev's setting of Sheridan's convoluted comic play The Duenna takes a host of familiar characters and situations--young lovers attempting to circumvent a disapproving parent, an older woman who wants to wed, requited and unrequited affection, requited and unrequited greed, mistaken identities--and tosses them together with a poke at the Church, a huge cast (23 named characters), and some of Prokofiev's coolest theater music. It's fun, if overlong. Few of the roles call for more than character singing, and most of the cast obliges with just that. The Kirov Orchestra shines, while conductor Valery Gergiev maintains a firm hand over the proceedings. The libretto, curiously, is rendered in the original Cyrillic and English; a phonetic version of the Russian would have been much more helpful for the majority of Western opera lovers, who are less than fluent in Cyrillic. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Prokofiev: Bethrothal In A Monastery, Music, Sergey Prokofiev, Valery Gergiev, Alexandr Gergalov, Anna Netrebko, Evgeny Akimov, Larissa Daidkova, Larissa Diadkova, Miranna Tarassova, Nikolai Gassiev, Sergey Aleksashkin, Classical, Classical Music, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta, Russian 20th/21st Century Opera

Prokofiev: Bethrothal In A Monastery
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Mellow? Prokofiev

Prokofiev: Bethrothal In A Monastery

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Prokofiev | Prokofiev, Sergei | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000069CR
Release Date: 1998-04-14

Tracks:

Betrothal In A Monastery: Prelude
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 1 - Scene 1 (Don Jerome) (Mendoza)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 1 - Scene 2 (Don Jerome) (Mendoza)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 1 - Scene 3 (Mendoza) (Don Jerome)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 1 - Scene 4
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 1 - Scene 5 (Don Jerome)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 1 - Scene 6
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 1 - Scene 7 (Don Jerome)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 1 - Scene 8
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Two - Tableau 2 - Scene 1 (Duenna)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Two - Tableau 2 - Scene 2 (Don Jerome)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Two - Tableau 2 - Scene 3 (Don Jerome)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Two - Tableau 2 - Scene 4 (Don Jerome) (Duenna)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Two - Tableau 2 - Scene 5 (Don Jerome)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Two - Tableau 2 - Scene 6 (Duenna)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 3 - Scene 1 (Mendoza)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 3 - Scene 2
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 3 - Scene 3
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 3 - Scene 4
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 3 - Scene 5 (Mendoza) (Don Carlos)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act One - Tableau 3 - Scene 6 (Don Carlos)

Tracks:

Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Two - Tableau 4 - Scene 1 (Don Jerome) (Mendoza)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Two - Tableau 4 - Scene 2 (Mendoza) (Duenna)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Two - Tableau 4 - Scene 3 (Duenna) (Mendoza)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Two - Tableau 4 - Scene 4 (Don Jerome) (Mendoza)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 5 - Scene 1
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 5 - Scene 2 (Mendoza)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 5 - Scene 3 (Mendoza)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 5 - Scene 4 (Mendoza)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 5 - Scene 5 (Mendoza)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 6 - Scene 1 (Don Jerome)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 6 - Scene 2 (Don Jerome)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 6 - Scene 3 (Don Jerome)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 6 - Scene 4 (Don Jerome)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 7 - Scene 1
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 7 - Scene 2
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Three - Tableau 7 - Scene 3

Tracks:

Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Four - Tableau 8 - Scene 1 (Chartreuse, Benedictine, Monks, Elustaf)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Four - Tableau 8 - Scene 2 (Elsustaf, Benedictine, Chartreuse, Augustin)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Four - Tableau 8 - Scene 3 (Elustaf, 2 Lay-Brothers, Augustin, Chartreuse, Benedictine, Monks, Clara)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Four - Tableau 8 - Scene 4 (Louisa, Ferdinand, Mendoza, Antonio, Augustin, Benedict, Monks, Clara)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Four - Tableau 8 - Scene 5 (Antonio, Clara, Ferdinand, Elustaf, Benedictine, Augustin, Chartreuse, Monks)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Four - Tableau 9 - Tableau 9 - Scene 1 (Don Jerome, Lopez)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Four - Tableau 9 - Scene 2 (Don Jerome, Mendoza, Lopez)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Four - Tableau 9 - Scene 3 Don Jerome, Antonio, Mendoza, Lopez, Louisa, Duenna)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Four - Tableau 9 - Scene 4 (Don Jerome, Ferdinand, Mendoza, Duenna, Louisa, Clara, Antonio, Ferdinand)
Betrothal In A Monastery: Act Four - Tableau 9 - Scene 5 Don Jerome, Louisa, Antonio, Ferdinand, Clara, Chorus)

Amazon.com essential recording

Prokofiev's setting of Sheridan's convoluted comic play The Duenna takes a host of familiar characters and situations--young lovers attempting to circumvent a disapproving parent, an older woman who wants to wed, requited and unrequited affection, requited and unrequited greed, mistaken identities--and tosses them together with a poke at the Church, a huge cast (23 named characters), and some of Prokofiev's coolest theater music. It's fun, if overlong. Few of the roles call for more than character singing, and most of the cast obliges with just that. The Kirov Orchestra shines, while conductor Valery Gergiev maintains a firm hand over the proceedings. The libretto, curiously, is rendered in the original Cyrillic and English; a phonetic version of the Russian would have been much more helpful for the majority of Western opera lovers, who are less than fluent in Cyrillic. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

Get the DVD.......2005-10-29

This is a 5 star opera and performance, but the DVD is $20 cheaper and much better. The sets and costumes are gorgeous; no skimpy, kooky mod-squad quirks. The music has much more lovely melody than we sometimes get from the earlier Prokofiev. The comic plot from Sheridan is complex, but more lucid and logical than is sometimes the case in this genre. The multiple deceptions which lead to the comic conclusion unfold with delicious irony. This is a rare gem of an opera; a comedy which bears comparison with Mozart's MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, Berlioz' BEATRICE AND BENEDICT, and Verdi's FALSTAFF.

Mellow? Prokofiev.......2002-02-17

In my opinion this is a "strange" opera (strange comparing to other Prokofiev operas). It has elements of ROSSINI, a little Verdi, a little of Puccini, Strauss AND, of course a lot of Prokofiev in it. It IS modern in style but has its roots in the Italian bel canto/buffa 1800 (Rossini)tradtion.

I dont know if I dear to reccomend this to opera-newcombers, looking for some ROMANTIC period russian opera music/singing (Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninovs "The Bells", Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky etc) BUT if you are looking for VERY good music, singing, and GREAT conducting... and SOMETIMES a more "mellow" Prokofiev... this set is for you.

This has not the schezoid music you could find in, as an example, "The Fiery Angel" or some theme moments you find in "Love for three oranges" (well it has some themes but not that famous as in "the oranges") but it has a lot of good music, singing and those discs has a nice sound and that should be enough for music lovers in general (Prokofiev lovers should def. NOT be out of of this masterpiece but dont expect anything spectacular... more than straight, forward moving good music, conducting and singing, specially good Prokofiev-style music at the first disc).

For Philips.. I should advice you do a libretto in western style written russian, so you could follow this in english, german, french and so on. I understand if you like russians to enjoy and follow this libretto too, but I think TWO versions of this libretto would be in order. Othervise this libretto is filled with information in english, french, german, so dont worry about that (songtexta/libretto too comes but its probably hard to follow for must of us even if english is our language because of russian kryllic version choosed by Philips).

To rate this disc and not give it five star would be, in my opinion, nearly insane but as I wrote before... dont expect any "Tosca" arias or typical good Prokofiev ballet music in this... or russian romantic... or not completly modern style either. Its a mixed bag having its roots in Italian buffa/bel canto AND some modernism parts in music and is by that very special, fun, intresting... true art from one of the greatest composers ever.

This is a good, quite FUN solid opera with fantastic singing, music and conducting and if that is what you want, this set is highly recommended.

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