The Fiery Angel

The Fiery Angel (Op 37) is an opera in five acts by Sergei Prokofiev to a Russian libretto by the composer, based on the novel The Fiery Angel (1908) by Valery Bryusov.
Prokofiev encountered Bryusov's novel during his first visit to the United States, (which was around 1918) and he soon (1919) began sketches for an opera. In 1921, the work was well under way. In March 1922, Prokofiev moved to the town of Ettal in Bavaria, Germany, where he worked on the opera. A piano score was completed a couple of years later, but no orchestration had been worked on. In 1926 Bruno Walter accepted the work for the Städtische Oper. The opera was completed in August 1927, too late for the season. Walter cancelled the production. That year Sergei Koussevitzky conducted part of the second act, but the reception was poor.