Search - Prokofiev, Maslennikov, Lazarev :: Betrothal in a Monastery

This is a strange piece. Written in 1940, the music shows that Prokofiev was under heavy political pressure to produce a popular, entertaining work. The libretto, though no doubt amusing in Russian, is extremely complicated for the uninitiated. Based on a Sheridan comedy of mistaken identities, mismatches, and misunderstandings, it seems colored by Prokofiev's own recent abandonment of his wife for a much younger woman, with whom he collaborated in adapting the text. This recording compounds the confusion by providing no libretto; the synopsis is detailed but hard to follow. However, much of the music is very beautiful, from lyrical, ecstatic arias and ensembles to truly comic, parodistic scenes, and it succeeds in creating real people, not caricatures. As always, the orchestration is masterful, the rhythm pungent and original. The singing is superb throughout, vocally ravishing, and full of variety, character, and expression; orchestra and chorus are first rate. --Edith Eisler