Zdravitsa (Prokofiev)
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Zdravitsa (literally A Toast!), Op. 85, is a cantata written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1939.
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[edit] Background
Ever since Prokofiev returned to the Soviet, he might have been viewed as a suspect in the eyes of the Stalinist regime. Indeed, numerous Soviet artists have already been arrested or even shot for creating art that was deemed too 'formalistic' by Soviet officials. Prokofiev certainly had to write something to secure his survival, and came up Zdravitsa to celebrate Stalin's 60th birthday.
Zdravitsa, in Prokofiev's broad, lyrical vein, contains music that would certainly have fit into his ballet Romeo and Juliet. However, the work has been deliberately and unjustly neglected for its pro-Stalinist sentiments. The quirky harmonies and rhythms in the quicker parts of the cantata makes one wonder about Prokofiev's sincerity in praising the Communist leader. Regardless of Prokofiev's true political feelings, this cantata, along with many other neglected political works (e.g. Flourish, Mighty Land and The Meeting of the Volga and the Don), contains much first-rate Prokofiev which deserves to played more often.
Lasting around 12 minutes, the cantata is in one continuous movement. The lyrics are collected from folk-political songs.
[edit] Analysis
The cantata opens with a sighing motif on trumpets, after which the strings play an expansive, flowing melody in C major. The choir suddenly intrudes (singing loudly There never was such joy - the entire village is full of it), and the music picks up speed. The choir slips cheekily into distant keys now and then. Faster staccato sections continue to alternate with slower flowing sections.
Of special interest is the last section, where the choir races up and down a C major scale (spanning more than two octaves), rather like a child practicing piano scales. The orchestra provides alternating G and A-flat pedal notes. The cantata ends in a blazing C major, a favourite key of Prokofiev (cf. Piano Concerto No. 3, Russian Overture, and Symphony No. 4 (revised version)).
[edit] Orchestration
- Piccolo
- 2 Flutes
- 2 Oboes
- English Horn
- 2 Clarinets
- Bass Clarinet
- 2 Bassoons
- Contrabassoon
- 4 Horns
- 3 Trumpets
- 3 Trombones
- Tuba
- Timpani
- Percussion (Woodblocks, Snare Drum, Tambourine, Triangle, Cymbals, Bass Drum, Tam-tam, Xylophone, Tubular Bells)
- Harp
- Piano
- Strings
- Chorus
[edit] Premiere
21/12/1939, Moscow, conducted by Nikolai Golovanov.
[edit] Recordings
| Orchestra | Choir | Conductor | Record Company | Year of Recording | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russian State Symphony Orchestra | Russian State Symphony Cappella | Valeri Polyansky | Chandos Records | 2003 | CD |
| London Philharmonic Orchestra | Geoffrey Mitchell Choir / London Philharmonic Choir | [Derek Gleeson]www.derekgleeson.com | IMP Masters | 2000 | CD |
| New Philharmonic Orchestra | St Petersburg Philharmonic Choir | Alexander Titov | Beaux | 1998 | CD |
| USSR Radio/TV Large Symphony Orchestra | Moscow Radio Chorus | Yevgeny Svetlanov | Le Chant Du Monde | 1962 | CD |
[edit] External links
1962 recording of "Zdravitsa", Yevgeny Svetlanov (conductor) and the USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
