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Overview

Synopsis

Since her childhood, Renata has been in love with an angel called Madiel, who burned like a bright gold flame before her. She called him her ‘fiery angel’ and he showed her wonderful visions. As she grew older, he told her that she would become a saint, but first she must suffer cruel torments so harsh that eventually her spirit broke. At that point she was capable of healing the deaf and the blind and people came to her for god’s healing.

But when she came of age, she begged the angel to show her love and become one with her in a physical relationship. Madiel burned with fire in his anger, and left her. From that moment, Renata has been searching for Madiel. She thought that she had found him in Count Heinrich, and she immediately submitted to his will, only to be left alone when he had finished with her.

A chance meeting one night in an inn with a knight called Ruprecht starts Renata on a journey to find Count Heinrich. Ruprect falls in love with Renata and will do anything for her. They seek out magicians, philosophers, and scientists, while continually evading the Inquisition, and try to summon the Count to them, but nothing works. Finally, Renata finds him, but he is no more than a man, and was never Renata’s angel.

Renata has been almost driven into madness by her search, and decides to take up holy orders to try to find salvation. Whilst she is in the convent, some of the young nuns are driven mad and believed to be possessed by demons. The Inquisitor is called to perform an exorcism, but the demonic power takes hold of Renata and the nuns and they attack the Inquisitor. Renata is sentenced to be burned at the stake.

Whether Prokofiev’s The Fiery Angel (Ognennyi angel) is interpreted as simply a story of demonic possession, an exploration of female sexuality, a story of childhood abuse and trauma, or a portrayal of mental illness in the context of 16th century religious beliefs, it has been popular with audiences since its first performance. The original Russian has now been translated into four different performing versions; English, French, German, and Italian.

Show Information

Based on the Play/Book/Film
Огненный ангел (The Fiery Angel) by Valery Bryusov
Category
Opera
Age Guidance
Mature Audiences (M)
Number of Acts
5
First Produced
1954
Genres
Horror, Fairy Tale/Fantasy
Settings
Period, Multiple Settings
Time & Place
Germany, 16th Century, 1500s, Cologne
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
Large
Dancing
None
Licensor
Boosey & Hawkes
Ideal For
Mature Audiences, Professional Opera, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly, Late Teen Characters, Large Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Renata

Lead

Female

Soprano

Ruprecht

Lead

Male

Baritone

Agrippa von Nettesheim

Supporting

Male

Tenor

Hostess

Supporting

Female

Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto

Mephistopheles

Supporting

Male

Tenor

Jakob Glock

Supporting

Male

Tenor

Abbess

Supporting

Female

Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto

Inquisitor

Supporting

Male

Bass

Johann Faust

Supporting

Male

Bass

Count Heinrich von Ottersheim

Featured

Male

Silent

Worker

Featured

Male

Baritone

Fortune Teller

Featured

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Mathais Vissman

Featured

Male

Baritone

Innkeeper

Featured

Male

Baritone

Doctor

Featured

Male

Tenor

Two young nuns

Featured

Female

Soprano

Tiny Boy

Featured

Male

Silent

Three Skeletons

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Tenor, Bass

Three Neighbors

Ensemble

Male

Baritone, Bass

Chorus

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Contralto, Bass-Baritone

Songs

Act 1

  • Zdes', gospodin rycar' - Landlady, Ruprecht
  • Da, on rassejalsja - Renata, Ruprecht
  • U vas vse vremja sum kakoj-to - Renata, Ruprecht
  • Mne bylo vosem' let - Renata
  • Ne dovol'no l' - Landlady, Ruprecht, Renata
  • Chto za beda - Ruprecht
  • Sista . . . sista . . . sista . . . - Ruprecht, Renata, Fortune-teller, Landlady, Servant

Act 2

Scene 1

  • . . . iz trech magiceskich krugov - Renata
  • A, Jakov Glok - Ruprecht, Renata, Glock
  • Slysis' li ty stuk? - Renata, Ruprecht
  • Zaklinaju tebja - Ruprecht, Renata
  • Tam net nikogo - Ruprecht, Renata
  • Entr'acte

Scene 2

  • Magister doctissime - Ruprecht, Agrippa, Three Skeletons

Act 3

Scene 1

  • Genrich, vernis', vernis', vernis'! - Renata
  • Ubej ego, Ruprecht! - Ruprecht, Renata
  • Renata, perestan' ze plakat' - Ruprecht, Renata
  • Entr'acte

Scene 2

  • Milostivaja dama, on opasno ranen - Matthias, Renata, Ruprecht, Offstage Chorus

Act 4

  • Renata, molju tebja . . . - Ruprecht, Renata
  • Baraniny! Vina i baraniny! - Renata, Mephistopheles
  • Ach, negodjaj! - Faust, Mephistopheles, Tiny Boy, Ruprecht, Innkeeper, Three Neighbors

Act 5

  • Sestra Renata - Mother Superior, Renata, Chorus of Nuns
  • Vozljublennye brat'ja i sestry - Inquisitor
  • A . . .! - First young nun, Inquisitor, Renata
  • Duch lukavyi - Inquisitor, First and Second Young nuns, Chorus of Nuns
  • Sestry! Sestry! Sestry! A! - Young Nuns, Inquisitor, Renata, Chorus of Nuns, Men’s Offstage Chorus, Inquisitor’s Retinue, Mephistopheles, Ruprecht

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

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Guide Written By:

Wendy Silvester

Wendy Silvester

Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.