Prokofiev: Betrothal in a Monastery, Op. 86

The opera Betrothal in a Monastery (The Duenna) takes a special place not only in Prokofiev's career, but also in the history of Russian Soviet music theatre. It is the first lyrical and comic opera. Richard Brinsley Sheridan's comedy fascinated Prokofiev at once. Having read the play, Prokofiev exclaimed, "This is champagne! It can make an opera à la Mozart or Rossini." The composer immediately started writing the libretto using the English original and translating it into Russian. Prokofiev's wife Mira Mendelson was an author of the rhymed verse. Prokofiev composed the music within a shortest period of time – during the summer and early autumn of 1940. The premiere of the opera was expected at the Stanislavsky Musical Theatre in summer of 1941, but World War II did not let it happen. The first performance took place as late as in November of 1946, at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad and received acclaim of critics and audience alike. The opera performed by the soloists, choir and orchestra of the State Musical Theatre of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko conducted by Kamil Abdullayev was recorded by Firma Melodiya in 1963 and awarded an André Messager prize of Academy of Lyric Recordings of France in 1967.