Which composer wrote the opera The Fiery Angel, premiered in 1955 after his death?
Answer
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev wrote the opera The Fiery Angel, which premiered in 1955 after his death.
Prokofiev composed the opera between 1919 and 1927, basing it on Valery Bryusov’s 1908 novel. The plot follows Renata, a woman convinced that a supernatural figure from her childhood has returned in human form. Its themes of obsession, possession, and religious persecution create a dark psychological drama.
The opera was not staged during Prokofiev’s lifetime. He later extracted orchestral music from it as his Symphony No. 3, completed in 1928. The complete opera finally received its staged premiere in Venice on 14 September 1955, conducted by Nello Santi.
The Fiery Angel is sometimes confused with Prokofiev’s better-known operas Love for Three Oranges and War and Peace. Its delayed premiere reflects both the work’s demanding subject matter and the practical difficulties surrounding Prokofiev’s operatic career.