Sergei Prokofiev. The Gambler
The Mariinsky Theatre presents Sergei Prokofiev's opera in four acts "The Gambler" based on the novel of the same name by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
The libretto of the opera was written by the composer. Initially, the opera was conceived as a three-act opera, but Prokofiev's friend, the writer Boris Demchinsky, advised dividing the final act into two acts, and also helped rework the roulette scene, for which the composer was very grateful.
Prokofiev completed the opera "The Gambler" in 1916, and already that year the Mariinsky Theatre management included the work in the repertoire of the 1916-1917 season. True, by that time the opera was only completed in the piano score, the composer finished the orchestration only in 1917.
However, obstacle after obstacle arose in the way of the production. First, Dostoevsky's widow claimed the copyright to the plot. The conflict with her was settled by Prokofiev himself, but after the February Revolution there were no more subsidies for the arts, which jeopardized many projects, including the production of "The Gambler". In 1918, Prokofiev left Russia. And the production of his opera in his homeland became even more difficult to implement. When the composer was in the USA, the conductor of the Chicago Opera C. Campanini expressed the intention to stage the opera "The Gambler", but this plan could not be realized, since the score remained in Russia. In 1927, a decade after the creation of the opera, Prokofiev decided to rework the work. According to him, this was a "complete re-composition" while preserving the plan and the main material. The libretto was translated into French by Paul Spaak. At this time, in the composer's homeland, Vsevolod Meyerhold made an attempt to stage this second version of "The Gambler" in Leningrad, but these plans were not destined to come true. The world premiere took place in Brussels, at the La Monnaie Theatre in April 1929 in French and was a great success.
In the resort town of Roulettenburg, famous for its gambling houses, fate brought together the retired General, Polina - his stepdaughter, Alexei Ivanovich - the teacher of his children, the Marquis, Mr. Astley and the lady of the demi-monde Mademoiselle Blanche.
The General lost his entire fortune at roulette and ended up in debt to the Marquis. In addition, the charms of Mademoiselle Blanche completely turned his head. The General and his friends place all their hopes on the fortune of a rich Moscow grandmother and eagerly await news of her death. But instead of a telegram, Granny herself appears and, having soberly assessed the situation, refuses the General his inheritance. Intrigued by the stories about roulette, she decides to see for herself what it is. Granny leaves the gambling house, having lost almost everything she had.
The General sees the only way out of his desperate situation in the marriage of his stepdaughter with the Marquis. But Polina, having experienced her infatuation with the Marquis, now understands the baseness of this man, and the fact that she owes him a large sum makes her dependence even more painful. Alexei Ivanovich promises Polina to get money. He is incredibly lucky in the gambling house: he breaks the bank - two hundred thousand francs. However, Polina, feeling that this money is not a gift from a man in love, but a gambler's victory, throws it in Alexei Ivanovich's face.
PERFORMERS:
Retired General, dressed in civilian clothes - Sergei Aleksashkin
Polina, General's stepdaughter - Tatyana Pavlovskaya
Alexei, tutor for the General's children - Vladimir Galuzin
Granny - Larisa Dyadkova
Marquis - Nikolai Gassiev
Mr. Astley, a rich Englishman - Alexander Gergalov
Mademoiselle Blanche, a lady of the demi-monde - Nadezhda Serdyuk
Prince Nilsky - Andrei Popov
Baron Wurmergelm - Oleg Sychev
Potapych - Andrei Spekhov
Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra
Artistic Director and Conductor - Valery Gergiev
Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, 2010