| Betrothal in a Monastery | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Sergei Prokofiev | |
 The composer in 1918 | |
| Native title | Обручение в монастыре; Obrucheniye v monastïre) |
| Librettist |
|
| Language | Russian |
| Based on | Richard Brinsley Sheridan's ballad opera libretto |
| Premiere | 3 November 1946 Kirov Theatre, Saint Petersburg |
Betrothal in a Monastery (Russian title Обручение в монастыре) is an opera in nine scenes (four acts) by Sergei Prokofiev to a Russian libretto by the composer and Mira Mendelson after Sheridan's The Duenna.
Prokofiev began the work in 1940, and it was in rehearsal that year, but World War II halted production of the opera.[1] The composer revised the score in Almaty in 1943. The first performance did not occur until 3 November 1946[2] at the Kirov Theatre with Boris Khaikin conducting. The producer was I. Shlepianov.
Commentators have noted that, given the context of its creation in the 1940s in the Soviet Union, this opera lacks any particular political or social comment, except perhaps for a scene involving drunken monks.[3]
- ^ Slonimsky, Nicolas, "The Duenna. A Lyric-Comic Opera in Four Acts, Nine Scenes" (June 1955). Notes (2nd Ser.), 12 (3): 484-485.
- ^ Law, Joe K. (2000). "Betrothal in a Monastery. Sergei Prokofiev". Opera Quarterly. 16 (2): 319–322. doi:10.1093/oq/16.2.319.
- ^ Tom Service (2006-07-25). "Betrothal in a Monastery/Glyndebourne". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-08-12.