''The Story of a Real Man'' (russian: Повесть о настоящем человеке, translit=Povest' o nastoyashchem cheloveke, link=no) 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 four acts by the Russian composer

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, ...

, his

opus ''Opus'' (pl. ''opera'') is a Latin word meaning "work". Italian equivalents are ''opera'' (singular) and ''opere'' (pl.). Opus or OPUS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Opus number, (abbr. Op.) specifying order of (usually) publicatio ...

117. It was written from 1947 to 1948, and was his last opera. The libretto, by the composer and his wife

Mira Mendelson Mariya-Cecilia Abramovna Mendelson-Prokofieva ( rus, Мари́я-Цеци́лия Абра́мовна Мендельсо́н-Проко́фьева), typically referred to as Mira Mendelson ( rus, Ми́ра Алекса́ндровна Мен ...

, is based on the eponymous novel by

Boris Polevoy Boris Nikolaevich Polevoy (or Polevoi) (russian: Бори́с Никола́евич Полево́й; – 12 July 1981) was a Soviet writer. He is the author of the book '' Story of a Real Man'' about Soviet World War II fighter pilot Aleksey M ...

; this in turn was based on the story of pilot

Aleksey Maresyev Aleksey Petrovich Maresyev (russian: Алексей Петрович Маресьев; 5 May 1916 – 19 May 2001) was a Russian military pilot who became a Soviet fighter ace during World War II despite becoming a double amputee. Biog ...

. The opera received its premiere on 3 December 1948 at the Kirov Theatre,

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. The audience was made up of Soviet cultural officials who gave the work a poor reception. This was a great disappointment to the composer who had intended the opera to rehabilitate his reputation with the Communist authorities after he had been accused of "

formalism Formalism may refer to: * Form (disambiguation) * Formal (disambiguation) * Legal formalism, legal positivist view that the substantive justice of a law is a question for the legislature rather than the judiciary * Formalism (linguistics) * Scie ...

" earlier in the year. As a result, performances of ''The Story of a Real Man'' were forbidden to the general public until after Prokofiev's death. It received its public premiere on 7 October 1960 at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow.

Roles

Synopsis

The story is set during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Aleksey, a Soviet fighter pilot, is shot down in combat against the Germans and badly wounded. He is rescued and cared for by villagers from a collective farm before being transferred to a hospital, where both his legs are amputated. He is inspired by the thought of his girlfriend and the support of his fellow patients, one of whom tells him the story of a First World War ace who continued to fly after losing one of his legs. The opera ends with Aleksey taking to the air again in his new plane.

Recordings

Yevgeny Kibkalo Yevgeny Gavrilovich Kibkalo (russian: Евгений Гаврилович Кибкало; 12 February 1932, Kyiv – 12 February 2003, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian operatic baritone singer and pedagogue. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1970). ...

(as Aleksey),

Glafira Deomidova Glafira Vladimirovna Deomidova (russian: Глафира Владимировна Деомидова, b. 1929) is a Russian soprano who sang at the Bolshoi Theatre company from 1956 to 1977. Deomidova sang the role of Bianca in Zdeněk Chalabala' ...

(as Olga). Chorus and orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, dir.

Mark Ermler Mark Fridrikhovich Ermler (russian: Марк Фридрихович Эрмлер; 5 May 193214 April 2002) was a Russian conductor. Biography Mark Ermler was born in Leningrad in 1932. His parents were Vera Bakun, a film set designer, and Fridrik ...

. Studio recording, 1961, Moscow, based on 1960 Bolshoi Theatre production; CHANDOS CHAN 10002 (2CD, with libretto in Cyrillic, and translations). The recording contains some cuts.Se
Review by Rob Barnett
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Roles

Synopsis

Recordings

References

Further reading