Sergey Prokofiev diaries: 17 January - 25 February 1922

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

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text excerpt

However, in the event all was well. The recital programme* was not onerous and consisted of well-known works, and afterwards I followed Capablanca's advice and took a hot bath, drank some hot milk, and lay down for two hours. I then put on my tails and went to conduct the opera. There was no orchestral rehearsal in New York, but the orchestra was in such good form that there were no disasters from that quarter. The theatre was full, but I was told a lot of complimentary tickets had been issued: sales had been excellent for the 6th, but after Traviata was presented in place of Oranges ticket sales failed to pick up again. There was absolutely no advertising: either undue reliance had been placed on people already knowing about Three Oranges, or someone in the management was digging a hole for me. The performance was good, avoiding embarrassing moments, although of course the acting performance of the chorus left much to be desired. The audience reaction was similar to that at the Chicago premiere, that is to say a great success; I was presented with a wreath (from Liebman), and all that was missing was the sustained ovation I had been granted in Chicago at the beginning of Act Four.

excerpt from 'Sergey Prokofiev diaries: 17 January - 25 February 1922' pp. 666 (211 words)

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