Alexander Nevsky is the score for the 1938 Sergei Eisenstein film Alexander Nevsky, composed by Sergei Prokofiev. He later rearranged the music in the form of a cantata for mezzo-soprano, chorus, and orchestra. It has remained one of the most renowned cantatas of the 20th century.
The score was Prokofiev's third for a film, following Lieutenant Kijé (1934) and Pique Dame (1936). It was composed of 21 sections, and Prokofiev was heavily involved n...
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Alexander Nevsky is the score for the 1938 Sergei Eisenstein film Alexander Nevsky, composed by Sergei Prokofiev. He later rearranged the music in the form of a cantata for mezzo-soprano, chorus, and orchestra. It has remained one of the most renowned cantatas of the 20th century.
The score was Prokofiev's third for a film, following Lieutenant Kijé (1934) and Pique Dame (1936). It was composed of 21 sections, and Prokofiev was heavily involved not just with the composition, but with the recording as well. He experimented with different microphone distances in order to achieve the desired sound. Horns meant to represent the Teutonic Knights, for instance, were played close enough to the microphones to produce a crackling, distorted sound. The brass and choral groups were recorded in different studios and the separate pieces were later mixed.
Prokofiev employed different sections of the orchestra, as well as different compositional styles, to evoke the necessary imagery. For instance,...
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