Is there a “story about a real man” in the opera the word “let's cut off the Meresiev’s legs”?

Around the content of the opera of Sergei Prokofiev about the pilot Alexei Meresiev, there were many myths. We checked whether they are true.

The stories about the Soviet opera in which the choir sings: “Gangren, gangrene, will cut off his legs” or “Let's cut off the Meresiev’s legs”, and in the aria of the protagonist there is lines “I crawl, crawl, crawl, crawl, crawl, crawl, crawling, crawling”, have been known in orally since the beginning of the 1990s. With the spread of the Internet they moved there: they can be found in Blogs, social networks, on entertainment And reference sites.

“The Tale of a Real Man” is the name of the book of the Soviet writer Boris Polevoi. In 1943, Field, at that time, the military correspondent of the newspaper Pravda, met with Alexei Maresyev, a pilot who was able to return for the helm of the plane after the amputation of both legs. After the war, Poleva returned to the old notes and wrote about the feat of Maresyev The story (In the book, the name of the hero sounds like Meresiev), which brought him all -Union glory and Stalin Prize.

In 1947, composer Sergei Prokofiev finished work on the opera “War and Peace” and at the same time looked for a topic for a new opera. On September 29, 1947, his wife Mendelssohn recorded in diary: “Gayamov (Alexander Gayamov, a musical critic and a librettist. - Approx. Ed.) Tried to convince me that Seryozha should write the opera for the plot of“ Peter the Great ”by Alexei Tolstoy. But Seryozha seeks to find a modern plot. <...> Seryozha does not miss a single new book of our writers. He shared his thoughts with the Kukharsky (musical critic Vasily Kukharsky, at that time the deputy chief of the Main Directorate of theaters of the All -Union Committee on Arts of the Council of Arts of the USSR. - Approx. Ed.), Helping assistance in search, while he was warmly recommended by the Tale of a real man. This was the only work that we did not have to get in the library. Kukharsky was so amiable that he soon sent us the story that I read to Seryozha aloud. Optimism, the vivid characteristics of the characters, patriotism, humanity, courage and poetry of the narrative were carried away by Seryozha, and despite a number of difficulties, he decided to write an opera. ”

In December, Mendelsson noted in her diary that the artistic director of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater became interested in the idea. S. M. Kirov (now the Mariinsky Theater) Boris Khaikin and eventually signed an agreement with the composer to create a score. The libretto was supposed to write Mendelsson herself in collaboration with her husband.

A year later, December 3, 1948, in the Kirov Theater took place Closed viewing "for familiarization of the musical community and the theater team with the opera proposed to the production." However, earlier, in February of the same year, the Decree of the Central Committee of the All -Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was issuedAbout the opera "Great Friendship" by V. Muradeli", In which a number of Soviet composers were sharply criticized for formalism. Among them was Prokofiev. It is not surprising that the first after the study of the composer's large work was defeated. In his memoirs of the world, Mendelsson quotes the reviews that sounded during the discussion after watching: “Today, our music needs to be made condolences in connection with the just heard”, “There is nothing Russian in the opera, there are no feelings”, “Self -confidence, an arrogance embodied in sound”. One of the present stated at all: "There is no more Prokofiev, Prokofiev ended!" Negative reviews hit even V pressAlthough the audience at that time did not hear and could not hear: the theater canceled the planned production.

The premiere took place only after many years, after the death of Prokofiev, in 1960 in Bolshoi Theater V Moscow. In 1961, the performance was recorded in the studio. This entry was published on CD in Russia And for lineand also available Online. Thanks to this, you can make sure that there are no popular quotes on the Internet in its libretto. So, in fact, instead of “let's cut off the Meresiev’s legs” or “gangren, gangrene, his legs will cut off” in the scene of “nonsense Alexei” it says: “cut, cut, and no conversations, do you hear? Otherwise, you will die! " This is almost a literal reproduction of quotes from the book: “At the round, Vasily Vasilievich felt blackened for a long time, no longer feeling the touch of the foot, then sharply straightened and said, looking directly into the eyes of Meresiev:“ Cut! ” The pale pilot did not manage to answer anything, as the professor smelly added: "Cutting - and no conversation, hear? Otherwise you will die!" Understand? "

The earliest mention on the Internet of comic quotes about the opera “Tale of a real man”, which managed to find “verified”, dates from April 25, 1998. On this day, on the site "Jupesses from Russia" appeared Record:

"Rock-Opera" Tale of a real man. " 

Maresyev: 

- I'm crawling, crawling, crawling ... 

Choir (optimistic): 

“Gangren, Gangren, his legs will be cut off !!!”

In this publication there is an important detail that distinguishes it from others-the word “rock opera” (and not just “opera”). Anthropologist Daria Radchenko found outthat in the 1970s, after the recordings of the rock opertures of Andrew Lloyd Webber “Jesus Christ-the Superstar” began to spread in the USSR, many parodies appeared on it with a variety of plots, including the feat of Maresyv. “For several years, the texts of the Rock Opera" Meresiev "constantly appeared in the scenarios of student cabbage and evenings by the KSP,” writes Radchenko. -In parallel, the oral transmission of the rock opera was also broadcast using Magnitizdat (an illegal system of copying and distribution of audio recordings similar to the samizdat for books.-Approx. Ed.). Thanks to Magnetizdat, "Meresiev" quickly spreads, enters oral communication and, as a result, acquires the actual folklore status. Already devoid of visual support, in the process of transmission, it also loses the musical component. At this stage of development, it is transformed into a bike about the Soviet opera. The nucleus of the bike is a fragment of the text of the rock opera, performed by recitative, "conditionally opera" chant or simply read. "

A satirist played a noticeable role in the spread of the bike about the Soviet opera about the Soviet opera about Maresyev Mikhail Zadornov. In his repertoire was the popular miniature “in the opera”, which was repeatedly broadcast on television. Zadornov performed this miniature with some variations. So, in one version, a fragment dedicated to the "Tale of a real person", It began According to: “But I really liked one opera in Soviet times. I watched her seven times and all friends and friends who came to Moscow, took it to this opera. This opera "Tale of a real man" was called. <...> This is an opera of the brilliant composer Prokofiev. Prokofiev, they say, was just pinning, because it was just necessary to write. ” IN another version Miniatures Zadornov said: "I saw the opera" Tale of a real man. " They say that Meresyev also saw. He left after her, said: "It was easier to crawl." Well, what can I tell you, I took friends to this opera, I learned it by heart. ” Further, the comedian reproduced well-known quotes from a parody rock opera: “Oh! SHISHECH! I will take a bump ”,“ we will cut, cut off the Merezyev legs ”, etc.

Thus, the quotes attributed to the opera “The Tale of a Real Man” date to the parody work popular in the youth environment in the youth environment in the 1970-1980s, which was performed to music from the Rock Opera “Jesus Christ-Superstar”. They have nothing to do with the actually existing opera of Sergei Prokofiev.

Photo on the cover: Scene from the modern setting of the opera "The Tale of a Real Man". Source: website Mariinsky Theater

Incorrect attribution of quote

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Is this a truthful image of the Sydney Opera Theater?
2. Is it true that Mozart wrote a melody of the song “Sleep, my joy, fall asleep”?
3. Is it true that the song “The Holy War” was originally dedicated to the First World War?