Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky Cantata

Just days before the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, Nazi Germany and the USSR signed a non-aggression pact that declared the two nations would take no military action against each other for 10 years. The date was August 23rd, Germany invaded Poland September 1st, thus starting World War Two.

The agreement was on shaky ground from the beginning. Germany wanted to try and keep Russia out of the war, and due to the Great Purge that began in 1934 (where over one million Russian leaders, citizens and military personnel were executed) Russia was weak militarily, so Stalin signed the pact to try and gain time to rearm. Anyone that didn't have their head in the sand knew that Germany would invade Russia, sooner or later.

In 1938 while both nations postured and blustered, the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev joined filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein in the making of the film Alexander Nevsky. Nevsky was an actual 13th century Prince of Novgorod who led an army that defeated the invading Teutonic (German) Knights in the Battle of Lake Peipus in 1242.  The movie was more than a historic epic. It became a patriotic propaganda tool after the Soviet big-wigs saw the finished product. The authorities were thrilled with the movie and the fact that it was brought in five months ahead of schedule.

The filmmaker and composer worked together very well .  Both fed off each other ideas and the movie became more than a Soviet propaganda film. After the war the film became a classic.  To allow the music to be heard other than in a movie house, Prokofiev arranged much of the music into a a cantata a few months after the premiere of the film for mixed chorus, mezzo-soprano soloist and orchestra.  The cantata is in seven movements, original text is in Russian except for the third movement which is in Latin:

Statue of Alexander Nevsky in St. Petersburg

I.  Russia under the Mongolian Yoke - A brief and bleak introduction refers to the time in the 13th century when parts of Russia were under the domination of the Mongolian Tartars who ruled over the Russians and forced them to pay tribute.  Alexander Nevsky had been given to the Mongol rulers as a hostage. He grew up among their leaders and understood the workings of their culture. He wed the Mongol leader's daughter and was named leader of the Vladimir principality.

II.  Song about Alexander Nevsky - Nevsky was summoned by the people of Novgorod to become Prince after Swedish invaders had landed on the outskirts of the area. Nevsky commanded a small army that surprised the Swedish invaders and prevented and all-out invasion.  Nevsky gained in power and political influence and coupled with his association with the Mongol invaders, conflict with the Boyars of the area caused him to be forced to leave Novgorod. In this song the chorus sings the praises of Nevsky and urges him to return and defeat the Teutonic invaders:

It happened by the river Neva,by the great waters .
There we cut down the enemy warriors of the Swedish army .
Oh, how we fought, how we cut  them down !
How we cut  their ships to pieces !
We swung an axe and a street appeared ,we thrust our spears and a lane opened up .
We cut  down the Swedish invaders like grass on parched soil.
We shall never yield our Russian land . Those who attack Russia will meet their death .
Arise , Russia, against the enemy, 
arise to arms, glorious Novgorod ! 

III. The Crusaders in Pskov -  The Crusades by Christians against Islam to regain the Holy Land in the Middle East is well known, but what many don't realize is there was also Christian Crusades held in Eastern Europe against pagans. These Crusades were similar to the ones to regain the Holy Land in that not all the actions taken by the Crusaders were for purely religious reasons. Political gain, personal gain and seizing land played a large part. The Teutonic Knights were formed in the 12th century to aid Christians fighting in the Middle East and to establish hospitals. After Christians were defeated in the Holy Land, the order moved to Eastern Europe to help defend Catholic countries and convert pagan ones. The German Crusaders are depicted in slow, plodding, heavy music punctuated by percussive dissonance. The words sung are Latin, but when translated don't make any sense: As a foreigner, I expect my feet to be shod in cymbals.
Perhaps Prokofiev chose the words (that were taken from the Latin Vulgate Bible) at random, or for their foreign sound:

Peregrinus expectavi, pedes meos in cymbalis

IV. Arise, Ye Russian People - A call to arms against the invaders sung by the choir:

Arise to arms, ye Russian people,
in battle just, the fight to death; 
arise ye, people free and brave
defend our fair native land!
To living warriors high esteem,
immortal fame to warriors slain!
For native home, for Russian Soil,
arise ye people, Russian folk!
In our great Russia, in our native
Russia no foe shall live: Rise to arms,
arise, native mother Russia!
No foe shall march across Russian land,
no foreign troops shall raid Russia;
unseen are the ways to Russia,
no foe will ravage Russian fields.

Scene from the film Alexander Nevsky

V. The Battle on the Ice - The two armies meet on the ice of the frozen River Neva. This battle is also referred in history as The Battle On The Ice.  Prokofiev creates tension and builds drama with the orchestra that slowly builds in tempo and speed. As the armies clash the Teutonic Knights repeat their hymn with added words:

A foreigner, I expect my feet to be shod in cymbals. 
May the arms of the cross-bearers conquer! Let the enemy perish!

After much creative orchestration and development of themes, the hymn of the Crusaders is finally overtaken by themes that praise Nevsky. Traditional history of the battle relates that the weight of the Teutonic Knight's horses and armor broke the ice and many Crusaders drown in the frigid water while the ones that didn't fall through the ice were slain by Nevsky and his army.

VI. The Field of the Dead -  The aftermath of the battle has the mezzo-soprano voice of a woman walking among the dead:

I will go across the snow-clad field,
I will fly above the field of death.
I will search for valiant warriors,
my betrothed, my stalwart youths,
Here lies one felled by a wild saber;
there lies one impaled by an arrow. 
From their wounds blood fell like
rain on our native soil, on Russian fields. 
He who fell for Russia in noble death shall
be blessed by my kiss on his eyes and to
brave lad who remained alive,
I will be a true wife and loving friend.
I’ll not be wed to a handsome man;
earthly charm and beauty fade fast and die.
I’ll be wed to the man who’s brave.
Give heed to this, brave warriors!

VII. Alexander’s Entry Into Pskov - The hero Nevsky is welcomed with a procession by the jubilant people:

In a great campaign Russia went to war.
Russia put down the hostile troops.
In our native land no foe shall live.
Foes who come shall be put to death!
Celebrate and sing, native Mother Russia.
In our native land foes shall never live,
Foes shall never see Russian towns and fields.
They who march on Russia shall be put to death.
Foes shall never see Russian towns and fields.
In our Russia great, in our native Russia no foe shall live.
Celebrate and sing, native Mother Russia.
To a fete in triumph all of Russian came.
Celebrate, rejoice, celebrate and sing, our Motherland!

Of course the non-aggression pact between the two totalitarian dictators ended up being not worth the paper it was written on as Nazi Germany launched the largest invasion force in history against Russia on June 22, 1941. Russia's participation in the war resulted in between 20 and 40 million Russian deaths from all causes, and Germany suffered the same fate of other forces in history that tried to invade the country; collapse under the sheer size of Russia, its rugged weather and huge population, not to mention the ruthlessness of their leader Stalin.

Prokofiev had returned to the USSR after living abroad from 1918 to 1936, and his Alexander Nevsky film music and cantata brought him into good graces with Stalin until 1948 when Prokofiev, along with composers Shostakovich, Myaskovsky, and Khachaturian were denounced for formalism, a crime that was described as renunciation of the basic principles of classical music [in favour of] muddled, nerve-racking [sounds that turned] music into cacophony. 

Prokofiev suffered from extreme hypertension and as a result had a fall from which he never really recovered. In poor health and deeply in debt because his works had been banned, he desperately tried to get back into good graces with the authorities, but he remained in official artistic limbo the rest of his life. After Stalin's death on March 5, 1953 things began to change in the USSR and composers were slowly 'rehabilitated' and bans on their music began to be lifted. Ironically, Prokofiev didn't benefit from Stalin's death as he died the same day.

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 3

 Prokofiev wrote a set of variations for piano in 1913, and over the years continued to expand on it until it took form as his 3^rd piano concerto in 1921. The work is now one of Prokofiev’s most popular, but that wasn’t the case after its premiere. It took a few years for the concerto to develop in popularity until it became one of the mainstays of piano concerto literature in general, and one of the best concertos of the 20^th century.

I. Andante - Allegro - The work begins with a soft rendition of a theme, first by a solo clarinet that is joined by another. The orchestra takes up the theme, but briskly whisks it away as it builds in speed and volume. The soloist enters with a different theme, and this builds to a climax, after which the soloist plays a short cadenza that fades away as another theme is played by the winds accompanied by the strings and the clicking of castanets.

The piano and orchestra comment on some of the material heard until the orchestra takes up the opening clarinet theme. The soloist plays an expansive variant of the theme. After tremolo strings softly play in accompaniment to the piano, the piano descends in a delicate figure that ends with the orchestra beginning to chug out the opening of the fat-paced material heard in the beginning, and orchestra and soloist rapidly bring the themes back from the exposition.  The whirlwind of piano and orchestra returns one more time and brings the movement to a close with a bang.

II.  Tema con variazioni -  The theme is played by flute and clarinet, and is followed by 5 variations:

1.      The piano broadens the theme and is joined by the orchestra that repeats the theme, as the soloist plays high in the treble.

2.      A trumpet plays the theme as soloist and orchestra play a rapid accompaniment.

3.      The theme is barely recognizable as it is torn asunder by the soloist as the orchestra tried to get things back on track, but not for long.

4.      The theme has transformed to an ethereal dream as the orchestra and soloist slowly unwind the mystery.

5.   The music quickens as orchestra and soloist pound out parts of the theme, as it builds to a climax that quickly dissolves into a more recognizable appearance of the theme. A coda helps the music wind down further, until a low E minor chord ends the movement.

III.  Allegro ma non troppo - Bassoons and pizzicato strings play the A minor first theme while the soloist interrupts periodically with a theme of its own. These two themes are developed until the tempo and dynamics slacken with the second theme in C-sharp minor. The piano interrupts this theme as well with another of its own before the C-sharp minor theme returns with the mood taking a late Romantic turn as it is developed. Shifting harmonies change the theme as the soloist plays rippling scales. A climax is reached, and the quiet return of the first theme begins.

The soloist’s part becomes a virtuosic tour deforce as the pace is quicked, along with very difficult maneuvers such as double-note glissandos for each hand. Prokofiev’s piano technique must have beene impressive, for he premiered the work in Chicago in 1921 as soloist.  The piano and orchestra continue to battle each other until the final C major chord. 

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 1 In D-flat Major

Sergei Prokofiev was one of the original Russian 'bad boys' of music.  His early compositions were fraught with dissonance and did not sit well with the musical establishment. But there was something more to his music than just noise and cacophony. He used dissonance as a great chef uses seasonings. He could be bold and innovative, and he could also be very subtle and subdued. He had a great gift of melody, and was highly imaginative.

He was born in 1892 and heard his mother play the works of Beethoven and Chopin in his early childhood. After studying privately with Reinhold Gliere, he was introduced to Alexander Glazunov who was so impressed by some of Prokofiev's compositions that he persuaded his mother to enroll him at the St. Petersburg Conservatory at the age of 12.

He wrote in most genres of music; opera, symphony, ballet, but he is most well -known for his compositions for piano. He was a virtuoso pianist himself and debuted his first 3 piano concertos as soloist with orchestra.  The 1^st piano concerto was written in 1911-1912, and was received almost unanimous negativity.  It is in one movement, but has three distinct sections as a conventional concerto. But Prokofiev suggested that it could be looked at as written in a one-movement sonata form:

I. Allegro brioso - The first section is similar to the exposition section of a sonata movement. Strings and brass by way of introduction herald the beginning of the movement with three chords of D-flat major. The soloist appears and the broad main theme is played with full orchestra. The orchestra then plays the theme without the soloist. The key signature changes and the soloist alone for a time in music that is typical of his style that was already formed at 19 years old. Driving rhythm, large leaps up the and down the keyboard and a tendency to treat the piano as a percussive instrument. This leads to another spiky theme for the piano with accompaniment. The theme continues as the key changes back to D-flat major, and switches back and forth in key until the music slows and the key changes to E minor.  

To the melancholy theme played in the orchestra, the piano adds a more subdued accompaniment in single notes for both hands that range from high to low on the keyboard, to the melancholy theme played in the orchestra. Piano glissandos that are usually used for more dramatic effect by composers appear in the background. The piano then plays a solo section that leads to the tempo being gradually increased as instruments make an entrance along the way to increase the tension and drive, until the opening broad theme reappears in the orchestra. After a climax is reached, the music slowly winds down and ends with lone notes by the cellos. After a very brief pause, the next section begins.

II. Andante assai - This part is considered an insertion or episode between exposition and development. The key changes to G-sharp minor as muted and divided strings softly begin the section. Short motifs are played by the clarinet and horn until the soloist enters. The piano is much more subdued as Prokofiev gives the instruction of dolcissimo, but it isn’t quite tamed completely. Large spread chords punctuate the delicate 16^th note accompaniment in a piano solo.  The music grows more impassioned and gets louder as the piano large chords against the strings. Slowly orchestra and piano grow quiet until the flutes, clarinets, horns and strings fade out to leave only the piano to end the section.

III. Allegro scherzando - This section comprises the development and recapitulation of a sonata form movement.  The key changes, perhaps to C major at least by having no sharps or flats in the signature, but pizzicato strings, horns and tubas play a strange chord that consists of A-flat in the bass, G-flat - C - E - G natural. The piano trips upward in a chromatic scale with added grace notes, as the music becomes hard driving again.  A secondary theme from the first section appears in the trumpets and horns. The piano then takes this theme and develops it solo. The melancholy theme from the first section then returns briefly. The music grows in texture and volume until the main theme from the first section enters and serves the function of a recapitulation. The music ends as it began, with a chord of D-flat major.

Prokofiev - Overture On Hebrew Themes

Sergei Prokofiev was 25 yeas old when the February Revolution of 1917 occurred in Russia. He was already an accomplished concert pianist and composer, and wrote about those times:

The February Revolution found me in Petrograd. I and those I associated with welcomed it with open arms. I was in the streets of Petrograd while the fighting was going on, hiding behind house corners when the shooting came too close.

Despite his enthusiasm for the revolution, Prokofiev felt that there was little need for his music in Russia at this time so he made arrangements in 1918 with the People's Commissar For Education of the new government for a travel visa to the United States. He arrived in San Francisco in August of 1918 and was soon on his way to New York where he had his debut solo concert in September of 1918. But Prokofiev's stay in the United States turned out to not be a successful artistic or financial time. He stayed until 1920, when he left for France.

While he was still in New york in 1919 he was approached by a Russian musical group, the Zimbro Ensemble, with a commission to write a composition for their combination of clarinet, string quartet and piano. The group had just arrived in the United States on a world tour that had been sponsored by a Russian Zionist organization to try and raise money for a conservatory in Jerusalem.  The leader of the group, the clarinetist  Simeon Bellison, requested that the work have a Jewish style to it, so he gave Prokofiev a notebook that had Jewish folk songs in it for possible inclusion in the work.

Simeon Bellison

Initially, Prokofiev showed little interest in the project, but he played through the Jewish folksong notebook one day at the piano and his interest increased. He finished the work and was the pianist at the premiere in 1920.

The overture is in one continuous movement and Prokofiev used two melodies from the notebook given to him, although neither melody has been identified as being authentic Jewish folksong. The clarinet plays the first theme in a style of Jewish Klezmer Music of Eastern Europe.  The second theme is more lyrical and has the quality of melancholy about it as well.  All through the development section a feeling of improvisation is kept as the themes wend their way in and out amid other material. The themes return in what amounts to a recapitulation, after which the first theme returns in a short coda that builds in speed and volume until the piece ends.

Prokofiev didn't think too highly of his composition, perhaps because he had vowed earlier in his career to use only original themes in his work and he may have written this work mainly for money. Despite the composer's own opinion, the piece has remained popular and is one of the few instances where a non-Jewish musician captured the spirit and sound of Jewish music.

Prokofiev - Tocatta For Piano

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was a Russian composer and a major composer of the 20th century.  Fearing there was  no place for his experimental music in his homeland, he left Russia in 1918 during the Revolution and lived various places abroad. After missing his homeland for so many years he returned to Russia in 1935 and spent the rest of his life there.

The fate of Prokofiev and his music vacillated with the Communist Party leaders from acceptance and recognition to condemnation. During the Second World War official restrictions on the type of music allowed by the government were lifted, only to see them reinstated after the war.

He wrote for orchestra and chamber ensembles, and he was also a virtuoso pianist as well as a composer, writing many pieces for the piano. The Tocatta Opus 11, was written in Russia in 1912 and premiered by the composer in 1916. The tocatta is an old form of music originating in the Renaissance in Italy.  The word is taken from the Italian word for 'touch'. It is usually written for a keyboard or other solo instrument and it emphasizes fast, nimble finger work.  Prokofiev casts his Tocatta in a modern virtuosic idiom and it is a challenge for any pianist to play.