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''Semyon Kotko'' (), Op. 81, is an
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
in five acts by
Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...
to a libretto by Sergei Prokofiev and Valentin Katayev based on Katayev's 1937 novel ''I, Son of Working People'' (). It was premiered on 23 June 1940 at the Stanislavsky Opera Theatre in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
.


Composition history

One of only two operas written by Prokofiev on a
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
subject (the other being ''
The Story of a Real Man ''The Story of a Real Man'' () is an opera in four acts by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, his opus 117. It was written from 1947 to 1948, and was his last opera. The libretto, by the composer and his wife Mira Mendelson, is based on t ...
''), ''Semyon Kotko'' was composed between the summers of 1938 and 1939. From the beginning, it was intended that the opera would be produced by the brilliant director and a great friend of Prokofiev,
Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (; born ; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor and theatrical producer. His provocative experiments dealing with physical being and symbolism in an unconventional theatre setting m ...
, who was at that time the director of the Stanislavsky Opera Theatre. Both Prokofiev and Meyerhold had tried to plan productions of several of Prokofiev's operas in the past, but all of them had failed. However, on 20 June 1939, just a week before Prokofiev completed the piano score of ''Semyon Kotko'', Meyerhold was arrested. Nothing would be heard about his fate from then on; many years later it was revealed that he had been shot in February 1940. The whole production fell into jeopardy. An actress, Serafima Birman, took Meyerhold's place, but the result was dissatisfying. The opera was further compromised by the Nazi-Soviet pact, which made it necessary to change the operatic enemies from Germans to ''haydamaks'' (Ukrainian nationalists).


Performance history

The reception of ''Semyon Kotko'' at its premiere was moderately enthusiastic, but at that time ideology took precedence over all other considerations, and discussions in the press focused exclusively around ''Semyon Kotkos importance as a "Soviet Opera". The inherent quality of the music was simply ignored. Yet the production made a deep impression on the pianist
Sviatoslav Richter Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet and Russian classical pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time,Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his interpreta ...
, who recalled: "The premiere of the opera was a momentous event in my life ..That evening, when I first heard ''Semyon Kotko'', I understood that Prokofiev was a great composer."Sviatoslav Richter "On Prokofiev", pp. 187–8: from ''Sergei Prokofiev: Materials, Articles, Interviews'' compiled by Vladimir Blok: Progress Publishers, 1978 The opera was dropped from the Soviet repertoire in 1941, and it was not staged again anywhere until 1958 at Brno in
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. It finally entered the repertory of the
Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈat(ə)r, t=Grand Theater) is a historic opera house in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. Before the October Revolutio ...
in Moscow in 1970, and it is now one of the main repertory staples of the Kirov Opera at the
Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre (, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic opera house in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces ...
,
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
, where it has been repeatedly conducted by Prokofiev interpreter
Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (, ; ; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conducting, conductor and opera company director. He is currently general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre and of the Bolshoi Theatre and artistic director o ...
. Prokofiev later extracted an orchestral suite (Op. 81a) from the opera.


Roles


Synopsis

:Place: Ukraine :Time: 1918. The newly established Bolshevik government has reached peace with the Germans, but some of their forces still occupy the territory. The advancing Red Army is hampered by Ukrainian nationalists and the remaining Germans. Semyon, a demobilized soldier and prominent young man in his village, is hoping to marry Sofya, daughter of the wealthy Tkachenko. The latter hopes to restore the old order and plots with loyalist elements and Germans to undermine the revolution and to thwart Semyon's marital intentions. In the end, Semyon, after Tkachenko's intrigues have cost the lives of two friends, is reunited with Sofya, and Tkachenko is arrested and executed leaving behind the merry chorus of the Red Army.


Recordings


Suite from ''Semyon Kotko''

The orchestral suite, Op. 81a, consists of 8 movements, lasting around 40 minutes. #''Introduction'' #''Semyon and His Mother'' #''The Betrothal'' #''The Southern Night'' #''Execution'' #''The Village is Burning'' #''Funeral'' #''Ours Have Come''


Recordings of the suite


References

{{Authority control Operas by Sergei Prokofiev Russian-language operas Operas 1939 operas 1940 operas Operas set in Ukraine Operas based on novels