Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin

A legendary talking film. And legendary film music, which will be performed live with the original film for the first time at the 2016 Musikfest Berlin to mark the occasion of the 125th birthday of Sergei Prokofiev. “Ivan the Terrible”, the historical epic film, was written by Sergei Eisenstein in the middle of the Second World War. The first part, which tells the story of the rise of the first Russian Czar, won many prizes. The second part, which shows the dark side and the atrocities of power, was immediately banned by Stalin. At the Musikfest Berlin, both film parts will be accompanied by Sergei Prokofiev’s music, with has been newly reconstructed based on original sources. The atmospheric, monumental composition by Sergei Prokofiev with its musical characterizations, its couleur historique and its sound codes possesses the suggestive power of an opera. In his collaboration with Prokofiev, Eisenstein, who had staged Wagner’s “Valkyrie” shortly beforehand in Moscow, further fine-tuned his ideas of interlacing image and sound. Frank Strobel conducts the production with the skill of a recognized expert. He is not only internationally sought after as a film music conductor, he has also collaborated in countless film music excavations, among them “Metropolis”, “Die Nibelungen” and “Der Rosenkavalier”. The Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin are his well-versed partners.

Sergei Eisenstein [1898-1948]
Sergei Prokofiev [1891-1953]
Ivan Grosny / Ivan the Terrible [1942-1945]

Film epos by Sergei Eisenstein,
Music by Sergei Prokofjev
for solos, choir and orchestra op. 116

Premiere of the reconstructed version of both parts with the original music

Part 1: ca. 95 minutes
Part 2: ca. 80 minutes

Marina Prudenskaya alto
Alexander Vinogradov bass

Soloists of the Rundfunkchor Berlin:
Anne Bretschneider soprano
Judith Simonis alto
Roksolana Chraniuk alto

Rundfunkchor Berlin
Rustam Samedov choir master
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Frank Strobel conductor