Brussels Philharmonic - Vlaams Radio Orkest & Mariinski koor . Ernst Van Tiel

'Alexander Nevski' was the first film the famous Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein made with sound. Sergei Prokofiev composed the music in 1938. These two 'greats' got along extremely well. Prokofiev viewed every scene immediately after it was shot and edited, and would always deliver the score the following day. The success of both film and music was due to its intensely patriotic content. Grand Duke Alexander of Novgorod became famous as 'Nevski' after the victory over the Swedes on the banks of the River Neva in 1240. The film itself is set three years later. Naturally, Nevski's army's glorious victory over the German knights on the frozen Lake Peipus got an enthusiastic reception from the Russian audience. With the real threat of war facing them, the film put new heart into the Russians.