Betrothal in a Monastery
| Betrothal in a Monastery | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Sergei Prokofiev | |
The composer in 1918
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| Native title | Обручение в монастыре; Obrucheniye v monastïre) |
| Librettist |
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| Language | Russian |
| Based on | Richard Brinsley Sheridan's ballad opera libretto |
| Premiere | 3 November 1946 Kirov Theatre, Saint Petersburg |
Betrothal in a Monastery (original Russian title Обручение в монастыре; Obrucheniye v monastïre), Op. 86 is an opera by Sergei Prokofiev, his sixth with an opus number. The libretto, in Russian, was by the composer and Mira Mendelson (his companion in later life), after Richard Brinsley Sheridan's ballad opera libretto for Thomas Linley the younger'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. The composer revised the score in Almaty in 1943. The first performance did not occur until 3 November 1946 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.
In recent years, the opera has been performed in 1989 at the Wexford Festival, in 2006 at the Glyndebourne Festival and at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Spain in 2008.
Don Jerome intends his daughter Louisa to marry the vain, wealthy and ugly fish merchant Mendoza. However, she loves instead Antonio, who is poor, though noble in spirit. Furthermore, Don Ferdinand, son of Don Jerome and prone to fits of jealousy, wants to marry Clara d'Almanza, who is a virtual prisoner of her stepmother.
Don Jerome locks up Louisa in her room to force her to marry Mendoza. Louisa's nurse (the Duenna) provokes the fury of Don Jerome by pretending to be a messenger between Antonio and Louisa. Jerome dismisses her - but the Duenna exchanges clothes with Louisa who makes her escape in this disguise.
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