PROKOFIEV:    IVAN THE TERRIBLE

(taken from the score written for Sergei Eisenstein’s film Ivan the Terrible)

No. 1  Overture and Chorus

The black cloud rises, The dawn washes itself in blood;

This is the boyars’ evil treason, Going to battle with the imperial powerl

The black cloud rises, etc

No. 2  March of Young Ivan (orchestra)

No. 3  Ocean – Sea  (contralto solo, chorus and orchestra)

Ocean – sea, Blue sea, Blue sea, glorious sea, You are reaching to the very sky, to the high sun

Your waves are breaking.    Upon your shores cities rest, our ancient cities rest, enslaved by the evil enemy.       Ocean – sea, Blue sea, Blue sea, Russian sea!

No. 4   I Will Be Tsar! (orchestra)

The Cathedral of the Assumption, Coronation of Ivan

No. 5   God Is Wondrous! (chorus)

God is wondrous In His saints, The God of Israel, God of Israel, God is wondrous in His saints, The God of Israel, God of Israel. God is wondrous in His saints, The God of Israel. God is wondrous !

No. 6  Long Life! (chorus)

Long life, long Iife, Long, long, long life! Long life, long life! Long life !

No. 7  The Simpleton (orchestra)

No. 8  The Swan (chorus)

Open the gates, Open the gates, Open the wide ones!

The white swan is gliding, The white swan, the beloved one, The white swan is gliding, The white swan with a radiant crown.

The Tsar is searching all around, searching for a bride, looking into every house for his white swan.

Open the gates, Open the gates, Open the wide ones!

No. 8a  Celebration Song (chorus)

Oh! Oh!

There on a hill stand young oak trees with young pigeons perching on their branches,

Lu-li, lu-li, my lu-li! Lu-li, lu-li, lu-li, my lu-li!

These pigeons Are singing praises To a fine Young lad,

Luli, lu-li, my lu-li! Luli, luli, lu-li my Iu-li!

By his first name he is known as Ivan – Tsar,

By his father’s name – Vasilievich, By his first name he is known as Ivan – Tsar,

By his father’s name – Vasilievich.

Lu-li, lu-li, my lu-li!  etc

Oh! oh! 

No. 9  On the Bones of the Enemy (chorus)

At the scene of the great fire, on charred ruins, Russia is being united.   

No. 10  The Tartars (orchestra)

No. 11  The Gunners (chorus)

Hammer the copper cannons, ye gunners, and the faithful culverins, ye gunners.   Spears and sharp sabres will be sisters to the cannons, ye gunners.

Aim the Tsar’s cannons, ye gunners, Move the turrets up on the walls, ye gunners! Up on the Kazan walls, ye gunners, Ye brave Moscow lads, gunners!

Aim the Tsar’s cannons, etc 

Trodden road, Tartar steppe, Trodden road, Tartar steppe.  It’s a feat, the Tsar’s feat. Trodden road, Tartar steppe.

Aim the Tsar’s cannons, etc

No. 12  The Storming of Kazan (with chorus)

Oh thou, fate, bitter fate, Tartar steppe, burdensome task, Tsar’s feat. Oh thou, fate, bitter fate, Tartar steppe, burdensome task, Tsar’s feat.

No. 12a  At the Polish Court (orchestra)

No. 13   Ivan entreats the Boyars (orchestra)

No. 13a  The Tartar Steppes (wordless chorus)

No. 14  Yefrosinia and Anastasia (orchestra)

Yefrosinia Staritski poisons Tsaritsa Anastasia

No. 15  Song About the Beaver (contralto)

In the river, the cold river, in the Moscow river bathed a beaver, a black beaver.  Instead oi getting washed, he got dirty.   He then climbed up the hill, the highest hill. He dried himself, shook himself, looked around and about.

Is there anybody coming, is there anybody searching? The hunters whistle after the black beaver.  They want to kill him, they want to skin him, they want to make a fox coat, trim it with the beaver  And bedeck Tsar Volodimir.

No. 16   Ivan at the grave of Anastasia (chorus)

We boyars have all been betrayed and are now in the hands of lawless rulers.  Hateful apostates, the unrighteous Tsar, the most evil one in the whole world.

No. 17   Chorus of the Oprichniki (wordless)

No. 17a The Oprichniki Oath of Loyalty (chorus)

I vow before God, I take this solemn and terrible oath to serve the Russian Tsar like a faithful dog.

To sweep the cities and suburbs like a broom and to tear with my own teeth any evil-doer.  I vow to give my life at the Tsar’s command for the great Russian empire! I take this solemn oath to obey the Tsar, to destroy Russia’s evil enemies, to shed the blood of the guilty, to burn mutiny with fire, to hack treason with the sword, without pity for myself or others, only for the sake of the Russian Empire.

Save, O Lord, Thy people!  

If I ever break this faithful oath, let my brother Oprichniki pierce me through with knives and daggers.  Let me be chastised and cursed, let ignominy and the torments of hell be my lot. And let Mother Earth herself repulse me! Save, O Lord, Thy people!

I vow before God, And my oath is everlasting on earth as it is in heaven, For the sake of the Russian Empire. May this Empire stand for ever and ever. Amen!

Grant victory, O Lord, to our devout Tsar Ivan Vasilievich over the enemy. Grant victory, O Lord, to our devout Tsar Ivan Vasilievich over the enemy. And preserve Thy community by Thy Cross. Save, O Lord, Thy people!    

Grant victory to our devout Tsar Ivan Vasilievich.

No. 18  Feodor Basmanov’s Song (Feodor and the Oprichniki)

Guests drove into the Boyars’ courtyards and let the axes fall upon the boyars.

Refrain: Ho! Hol Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Let those axes chop them sharply. Heyl Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn! Burnl Burn! Burnl Burn! Burn ! Burn ! Burn ! Burn !

The gates split in two ! Yes, in two ! The golden goblets are passed from hand to hand.

Refrain: Ho! Ho! Chop! Chop! etc

As the drunken guests were leaving for home, yes, for home, they burned the boyars’ houses behind them. Yes, they burned them.

Refrain: Ho! Ho! Chop! Chop! etc

No. 19  The Dance of the Oprichniki (orchestra)

No. 20  Finale (chorus)

Come back! Come back! Beloved father, Come back! Come back! Beloved father!

At the scene of the great fire, on the bones of our enemies Russia is being united!

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