''The Giant'' (russian: Великан, ''Velikan'') is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

in three acts by

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

. The 12 page work was written for performance by the nine-year-old composer's family.

Composition history

In 1899, at the age of eight, Prokofiev, who had already evinced remarkable musical abilities and had composed some piano pieces, was taken by his parents to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, where he heard opera for the first time, (including Alexander Borodin's ''

Prince Igor ''Prince Igor'' ( rus, Князь Игорь, Knyáz Ígor ) is an opera in four acts with a prologue, written and composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the Ancient Russian epic '' The Lay of Igor's Host'', which re ...

'' and

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

's ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

).'' Keen to write an opera of his own, he wrote out a libretto in three acts and six scenes. With the help of his mother, the music he devised for this was transcribed. The plot was elaborated from the children's games he played with his friends Egorka and Stenya, whose names are preserved in those of the characters. In the following year, the first act of the opera was given a premiere by the family at the estate of one of Prokofiev's uncles near Kaluga, with his aunt Tatiyana taking the title part, and the composer and his cousins taking the other leading roles. There is no record of further performances.

Roles

Synopsis

The opera is apparently nearly entirely lost, although Nestyev quotes some musical extracts. A terrible Giant tries to kidnap the little girl Ustinya, who is rescued by her friends Sergeyev and Yegorov with the assistance of a good King. However, according to Prokofiev's mother, the opera ended with the defeat of the King by the Giant. She wrote, "Now at the time of extremely strict monarchy, this idea was not approved of by the paternal authority, and the young composer, very much put out by this censorship, would not consent to write an ending involving a reconciliation.". Perhaps this refers to an earlier version, but scholarship has not advanced on this tricky point.

Reception

The composer recalled that 'although I had directed the rehearsal ..I was so nervous that when I came out on stage I began to sing the wrong part'. Nevertheless, the audience of six applauded and the composer's uncle said 'When your operas are performed on the Imperial stage, remember that your first opera was staged in my house'. A TV documentary film about Prokofiev by Andrey Nekrasov ''The Prodigal Son'' (1991) contains a 'recreation' of the premiere of ''The Giant'',Serge Prokofiev Foundation website
/ref> but this is inaccurate since it shows Prokofiev at the piano, whereas it was his cousin Andrei who accompanied.

References

;Notes ;Sources *Nestyev, Israel V. ''Prokofiev'', (Trans. Florence Jonas). Stanford University Press, 1961 *Prokofiev,Sergei. ''Autobiography, Articles, Reminiscences'', Honolulu, 2000 *Samuel, Claude. ''Prokofiev'', New York: Penguin, 1971 {{DEFAULTSORT:Giant, The Operas by Sergei Prokofiev Russian-language operas Operas 1900 operas Lost operas Fiction about giants