Flourish, Mighty Land, Op. 114, (variably called Flourish, Mighty Homeland or Prosper, Mighty Country) is a cantata

Cantata

A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....

 written by Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...

 in 1947, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the October Revolution

October Revolution

The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...

, along with his Thirty Years.

Background

In contrast to the monumental Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution

Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution (Prokofiev)

The Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution is a cantata by Sergei Prokofiev.-Introduction:Obscure as this cantata may be, it should never be dismissed as insignificant. Disturbing, it certainly is: its text alone, drawn from the writings of Marx, Lenin and Stalin, is, to say the...

, this cantata, in one movement, lasts for a mere 8 minutes. The short duration was obviously a disappointment for the Soviet authority, which had expected something in a grandiose manner (cf. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9

Symphony No. 9 (Shostakovich)

Symphony No. 9 in E flat major, Op. 70 was composed by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1945. It was premiered on 3 November 1945 in Leningrad by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under Evgeny Mravinsky.-Composition:...

). It is scored for chorus and orchestra.

The cantata, with much first-rate music (as with his other political works), has been unjustly neglected purely for its pro-Communistic lyrics. Whether Prokofiev truly agrees with the lyrics is something we can never be sure about. However, Prokofiev was not in a position to turn down such a commission from the Stalinist regime. It could have meant death for Prokofiev.

The chorus parts, expressive and melodic, are typical of Prokofiev's warmer style. However, the comical sections does bring up the question of whether Prokofiev was sincere in his praising of the October Revolution and the Stalinist regime in the lyrics.

Analysis

The cantata opens with a jaunty trumpet theme in D-flat major, spiced with the typical Prokofievian note-slips. After a repeat of the theme by muted trumpet and piccolo, strings and woodwinds continue to develop the theme.

The chorus then introduce a glowing theme a cappella

A cappella

A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...

, which alternates with pure orchestral sections. The climax is reached half-way, when the chorus and the orchestra perform together. Prokofiev's mastery in choral writing is demonstrated here when the female voices repeat the word 'Glory' with male voices singing the melody below.

The chorus repeats the a cappella sections again, this time interrupted by marching orchestral chords (reminiscent of the comical chords of the drunk monks in Prokofiev's opera Betrothal in a Monastery

Betrothal in a Monastery (Prokofiev)

Betrothal in a Monastery is an opera by Sergei Prokofiev, his sixth with an opus number. The libretto, in Russian, was by the composer and Mira Mendelson , after Richard Brinsley Sheridan's ballad opera libretto for Thomas Linley the younger's The Duenna.Prokofiev began the work in 1940, and it was...

). The chorus then dies out, and the opening trumpet theme returns. The cantata ends comically with three pompous notes in descending tritones (high D-flat, G, low D-flat).

Instrumentation

Piccolo

2 Flutes

2 Oboes

English Horn

2 Clarinets

Bass Clarinet

2 Bassoons

Contrabassoon

4 Horns

3 Trumpets

3 Trombones

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion (Triangle, Tambourine, Castanets, Snare Drum, Cymbals, Bass Drum)

Harp

Piano

Strings (1st and 2nd Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses)

Chorus

Premiere

12 November 1947, Moscow: Nikolai Anosov (conductor), USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Russian Federal SSR Choir.

Recordings

Orchestra	Choir	Conductor	Record Company	Year of Recording	Format
Russian State Symphony Orchestra Russian State Symphony Orchestra Russian State Symphony Orchestra is a name confusingly used by two distinct ensembles:* The State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation, which was formerly the USSR State Symphony Orchestra...	Russian State Symphony Cappella	Valeri Polyansky	Chandos Records Chandos Records Chandos Records is an independent classical music recording company based in Colchester, Essex, in the United Kingdom, founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.- Background :...	2003	CD
New Philharmonic Orchestra	St Petersburg Philharmonic Choir	Alexander Titov	Beaux	1998	CD
USSR Ministry of Culture State Symphony Orchestra	USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir	Gennadi Rozhdestvensky	Melodiya	?	LP