Prokofiev's Battlefield Oratorios and Counterparts

In 1938, Sergei Prokofiev composed the film score to Sergei Eisenstein's iconic Alexander Nevsky. In this pioneering collaboration, the musical composition often preceded that of the images, and the editing was often based on the pacing and rhythm of Prokofiev's score. The result, as Eisenstein writes, is an "audiovisual work", which narrates the victory of the Russians over the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Lake Peipus (1242).

Fewer than six months after the premiere of the film, Prokofiev conducted the world premiere of his Alexander Nevsky cantata, Op. 78, which pieces together cues from the film into a standalone piece of concert music. As 2019 gets underway, we honor the 80th anniversary of this premiere with the following selections from Prokofiev's stunning catalog of works for chorus and orchestra, along with a few works by living composers that likewise depict heroism on the battlefields of history.

Sergei Prokofiev

Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78
Listen: Spotify

Ballad of an Unknown Boy, Op. 93
Listen: YouTube

Ivan the Terrible, Op. 116A
Listen: Spotify

On Guard for Peace, Op. 124
Listen: Spotify