Betrothal in a Monastery (The Duenna), Op. 86 (1941)

Betrothal in a Monastery (Russian title Обручение в монастыре) is an opera in nine scenes (four acts) by Sergei Prokofiev, composed to a Russian libretto by the composer and Mira Mendelson after Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play The Duenna. Prokofiev began the work in 1940, and it was already in rehearsal the same year, but the outbreak of World War II halted its production. The composer later revised the score in Almaty in 1943. The first performance eventually took place on 3 November 1946 at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad, conducted by Boris Khaikin.

Prokofiev and Mendelson adapted Sheridan’s comedy into a light, fast-moving opera built around misunderstandings, disguises, and mistaken identities. The story follows Louisa, who is in love with Antonio but is intended by her father Don Jerome to marry the wealthy fish merchant Mendoza. Through a series of disguises and exchanged identities involving Louisa, her duenna, and her friend Clara, the characters become entangled in multiple parallel love plots. After a chain of confusions involving elopements, monastery encounters, drunken monks, and misread letters, the misunderstandings are resolved and the couples are correctly reunited.

The opera is notable in Prokofiev’s output as a lyrical and comic work, often described by the composer as inspired by Sheridan’s text, which he called “champagne,” imagining an opera “à la Mozart or Rossini.” Composed rapidly during the summer and early autumn of 1940, it reflects a lighter theatrical spirit compared to many of his contemporaneous works. Its musical language favors clarity, lyricism, and theatrical immediacy rather than ideological or political commentary, though some commentators note isolated satirical elements such as the scene involving drunken monks.

The work’s performance history was significantly affected by the war and political circumstances. Although prepared for staging at the Stanislavsky Musical Theatre in 1941, its premiere was delayed until 1946. It was later performed internationally and gradually recognized as an important contribution to Russian Soviet musical theatre, particularly for its blend of comic opera tradition and Prokofiev’s distinctive melodic and orchestral style.