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Blackly Satirical
Prokofiev's 'The Gambler'
impresses ROBERT HUGILL
Prokofiev's The Gambler has had something of a chequered performance history. The planned first performance in Russia in 1917 did not take place, partly because of the difficulty of the work and partly because of the political situations. On Prokofiev's return to Russia after the Revolution, repeated attempts to have it performed failed and it was premièred, in French, in Brussels in 1929, in a version which Prokofiev had heavily revised. It did not reach Russia until 1974, when Galina Vishnevskaya played Paulina. For a relatively little known work, it has had a bit of history in the UK, as English National Opera has performed it twice and Grange Park Opera gave it in 2007...
Copyright © 22 February 2010
Robert Hugill,
London UK
There are two further performances of Prokofiev's The Gambler at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, UK: 25 February 2010 at 7.30pm and 27 February 2010 at 7pm. Further information from roh.org.uk or +44 (0)20 7304 4000. |
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