Search - Prokofiev, Kibkalo, Deomidova :: Story of a Real Man

Story of a Real Man was based on the heroic tale of a Soviet airman who overcame the amputation of his feet to fly again and become a war hero by shooting down seven German planes in 1943. Prokofiev wrote the opera in 1948 with two aims in mind. He wanted to create a politically correct stage work that would protect him as Stalin launched a new purge of the arts. And he wanted to write an artistically sound Soviet opera. His first aim was imperiled by the opera's poor reception, leaving him suspect as a modernist. The second aim is still in doubt despite this idiomatic performance recorded after a 1960 Bolshoi revival that, significant cuts notwithstanding, makes a case for the neglected work. While the text suffers from politically inspired naïve optimism, there's plenty of fine music. Instrumentally, it's reminiscent of the composer's Semyon Kotko, another neglected patriotic war epic with worthy music. The opening and closing choruses, several of the pilot's monologues and scenes, the love duet, dance music, and Act II's closing tableau are all outstanding. This Bolshoi production makes a strong case for the opera. Ermler's idiomatic conducting is never sentimentalized and always fluid. The singing is excellent, with baritone Yevgeny Kibkalo a convincing hero, and the supporting cast boasts numerous fine voices and deft characterizations. The 1961 Soviet sound is clear and vital in Chandos's remastering. --Dan Davis