Actually, this wasn't performed in full until after Prokofiev's death, in 1955. It has the reputation of having one of the wildest plots out there, at least of regularly-performed operas. Well, I don't know how "regularly," but it was going to be done in a new production at the Met this season before "this season" ceased to mean anything. But not presented in HD. Probably because of the last scene, which could be done in a non-R-rated way but probably doesn't lend itself to that very well. And considering that the HD of Akhnaten censored even brief, non-sexual nudity...well, you can see why they'd be gun-shy. I suppose.
Right, so this is the sixteenth century in Germany. There's a knight, Ruprecht, recently returned from America (which detail doesn't ultimately mean much of anything, but it stuck out). He meets this woman at an inn, Renata. She tells him the story about this angel, Madiel, that allegedly first appeared to her when she was a child and stayed with her through her teenage years until she tried to get him to sleep with her (the libretto is very frank about this); he was offended and left, but then--she thought--manifested himself again in the form of a count named Heinrich, with whom she had an affair (although he denied being an angel). He eventually left her and she's trying to find him. Ruprecht tries to seduce her until he gets bored with her at which point he can ditch her, but she rejects him. He agrees to go along with her in search of this Heinrich--it's never really made clear, but he seems to fall in love with her for real. He fights a duel with this Heinrich and gets injured. While this is going on there are also odd meetings with a fortune teller, an alchemist, and our ol' friends Faust and Mephistopheles. Renata, sick of all this shit, joins a convent. But strange things have allegedly been happening since she's been there suggesting demonic possession. An inquisitor comes to investigate and there's a whole big orgy with nuns and demons. In the end, he accuses her of being possessed and condemns her to burn at the stake.
Well, there you go. The last scene does perhaps raise a few eyebrows, but it's really not that extreme. The whole thing is undeniably pretty weird, though. I liked it; I feel like it's my favorite Prokofiev so far, at least musically. Frenzied music to match the frenzied action. But it does have to be conceded that there's not much of an emotional core. Not that that's necessarily a problem; you could say the same for a lot of good operas--like, say, The Nose, which was written 'round about the exact same time as this. But there is a sense where you watch this and you think, yes, okay, and what? who? when? where? why? It feels a little disjointed in a way that may not be intentional but if it is doesn't one hundred percent work.
Then again, I don't know, the spectacle alone is probably worth it. This production from 1993 features hairless, near-naked demons capering about through much of the opera, performed by local dancers and/or acrobats. And hey, maybe the furious, demonic confusion is juuuuust perfect for our current political situation! More and more people are saying it!
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