Hamlet, Op. 77 (1938)

Composed in 1938, Sergei Prokofiev's Hamlet, Op. 77, is a suite of incidental music written for a high-profile production of Shakespeare's tragedy at the Leningrad Radlov Theatre. This project followed shortly after the cancellation of his Eugene Onegin and Boris Godunov scores, making it one of the few theatrical commissions from this period that actually reached the stage during his lifetime. The production was directed by Sergei Radlov, a close collaborator who also worked with Prokofiev on the original concept for the Romeo and Juliet ballet.

The score consists of ten numbers designed to heighten the dramatic tension of the play. Unlike the lush, romantic sweep of his other Shakespearean setting, Romeo and Juliet, the music for Hamlet is notably more austere, dark, and biting. Prokofiev utilized a chamber-sized orchestra to create a sense of psychological claustrophobia and "northern" gloom. Key highlights include the Ghost of Hamlet's Father, which features eerie, low-register brass and shivering strings, and Ophelia’s Songs, which Prokofiev composed with a haunting, folk-like simplicity that captures the character’s descent into madness.

Despite the high quality of the music, the suite is rarely performed today compared to Prokofiev's other cinematic or theatrical scores. Much of the music possesses a satirical edge—particularly the fanfares and marches—which subtly critiques the pomp and corruption of the Danish court. The work remains a fascinating example of Prokofiev's ability to adapt his modernist language to the psychological demands of Elizabethan drama while working within the increasingly restrictive Soviet artistic environment of the late 1930s.

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1. The Ghost of Hamlet's Father (Andante lugubre)
2. Claudius' March (Moderato con brio)
3. Fanfares I and II 
4. Pantomime (Allegro moderato)
5. O phelia's First Song
6. O phelia's Second Song (Andante)
7. O phelia's Third Song (Andante)
8. O phelia's Fourth Song (Andante espressivo)
9. The Gravediggers’ Song (Sostenuto)
10. Fortinbras' Closing March (Andante maestoso – Meno mosso)