Prokofiev in peace and (cold) war

Synopsis

For fans of old-time radio shows, a certain piece of music will always be known as the theme for “The FBI in Peace and War.” But among classical music buffs the more common title is the “March” from Prokofiev’s opera “The Love of Three Oranges.”

This satirical, fairy-tale opera had its premiere performance in Chicago on today’s date in 1921, and Prokofiev himself was on hand to supervise the rehearsals. His opera received a lavish production which cost Chicago $250,000—a staggering amount back in 1921. The premiere was a modest success, even though the Chicago Tribune pronounced Prokofiev’s music (quote) “too much for this generation.” The production then traveled to New York for one performance, and there it was savaged by the press as “Russian jazz with Bolshevist flourishes.” “There are a few, but only a few, passages that bear recognizable kinship with what has hitherto been recognized as music,” was the ultimate verdict of the New York Times.

Summing up his American experience, Prokofiev himself wrote: “In my pocket was a thousand dollars; in my head, noise from all the running around and a desire to go away somewhere quiet to work.”

In the 1930s, Prokofiev returned to the Soviet Union, where his music had to toe the Stalinist Party Line. It’s one of life’s little ironies that a theme by a Soviet composer would be chosen for a radio show about the FBI that aired during the height of America’s post-War “Red Scare.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) March, fr The Love of Three Oranges Montreal Symphony; Charles Dutoit, cond. London 440 331

On This Day

Births

• 1853 - French composer André Messager, in Montlucon;

• 1859 - Czech composer Joseph Bohuslav Foerster, in Prague;

• 1874 - Russian composer Reinhold Glière (Gregorian date: Jan. 11, 1875);

• 1904 - Soviet composer Dimtri Kabalevsky, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Dec. 17);

• 1910 - American composer and writer Paul Bowles, in Jamaica, N.Y.;

Deaths

• 1946 - American composer Charles Wakefield Cadman, age 65, in Los Angeles;

• 1979 - American composer Richard Rodgers, age 77, in New York City;

Premieres

• 1725 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 28 ("Gottlob, nun geht das Jahr zu Ende") performed on the Sunday after Christmas as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27);

• 1877 - Brahms: Symphony No. 2, with Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Hans Richter;

• 1879 - Gilbert & Sullivan: operetta "The Pirates of Penzance," in Paignton at the Royal Bijou (partial preview to insure British copyright); The first full performance of the new work occurred at the Fifth Avenue Theater in New York City the following day, with Sullivan conducting and Gilbert in attendance; The New York premiere was arranged to register American copyright of the new work and pre-empt unauthorized "pirate" productions in the U.S.;

• 1884 - Bruckner: Symphony No. 7, with Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Arthur Nikisch;

• 1905 - Lehar: operetta "The Merry Widow," at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna;

• 1921 - Prokofiev: opera "The Love for Three Oranges," in Chicago, with composer conducting;

• 1943 - Khachaturian: Symphony No. 2 in Moscow;

• 1961 - Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4, by Moscow Philharmonic, Kiril Kondrashin conducting; This symphony was scheduled to be premiered in 1936, but the composer withdrew the score after performances of his opera "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" had cancelled after being was severely criticized in the official press;

• 1977 - Daniel Pinkham: "The Miracle at Cana" at King's Chapel in Boston, performed by flutist Liselyn Adams and organist Barry Turley at their own wedding; This music was later incorporated into a larger "Miracles" suite for flute and organ;

• 1992 - Christopher Rouse: Trombone Concerto, by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Slatkin, with soloist Joseph Alessi; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1993.