Prokofiev-Gala:
two anniversaries on the stage of the Natalia Sats Theater

MOSCOW. The concert of Prokofiev-Gala dedicated to the composer’s anniversary was held at the Natalia Sats Theater.

On the Bolshoi stage of the legendary children’s theater on March 10, two anniversaries were celebrated at once: the 125th anniversary of Sergei Prokofiev and the 80th anniversary of his symphonic joke “Peter and the Wolf”. The initiator of its creation was Natalia Ilyinichna Sats. She dreamed that the theater she founded would not only enjoy the wonderful music, but also learn to understand it, and would be able to learn more about the instruments and their functions in the orchestra. In 1936, Prokofiev returned to the Soviet Union after a long emigration. The idea of Sats seemed very interesting to him, inspiring the creation of both music and the libretto.

Since then, for thousands of children, the sounds of horns have been associated with the treacherous wolf, the grouchy grandfather with the bassoon, the cat hunting for birds with the clarinet, and the fearless pioneer Petya with the peppy trio of viola, cello and violin. And the storyteller, in the role of Natalya Ilinichna herself, helped to follow all the ups and downs of an uncomplicated plot: the failed meal of a sly cat, the preventive grumbling of a caring grandfather, the triumphal capture of a wacky wolf. Acquaintance with the classics turns into an exciting game that develops into a need. The need to listen to good music, to understand it, to develop. After a significant break, the symphonic joke returned to its repertoire. The function of a good storyteller and guide to the world of classical music was performed by the daughter of Natalia Sats - Roxanne. Overwhelmed by the theater and a member of its art college, writer, teacher.

In the second part of the concert, the monumental cantata “Alexander Nevsky” of seven parts was performed by the orchestra conducted by Alevtina Ioffe, the choir and the soloists of the opera. The work was created on the basis of musical material from the Eisenstein film of the same name, released in 1938. The mutual understanding of the director and composer was absolute, contrary to the prevailing opinion about the complex nature of Prokofiev. The result was music in which the theme of a premonition of an imminent war, sorrow, courage and greatness of the soul was sounded powerfully and emotionally.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru