Cinderella Désir Gala Performance Harbinger Le Passage Enchante Peter and the Wolf (Bolm) Peter and the Wolf (Smuin) Prodigal Son Romeo and Juliet Russian Soldier Summer Day Triad |
Sergei Prokofiev was born
in Sontsovka,
Ekaterinslav, in 1891,
and died in Moscow in
1953. He was a pupil of
Liadov, Rimsky-Korsakov
and others at the St.
Petersburg Conservatory.
He became widely known as
a brilliant pianist and
applied his knowledge of
the piano in his
compositions, winning the
Rubinstein prize with his
first piano concerto at
age 23. His appearances
were usually as the
interpreter of his own
compositions. For some
years, he lived in exile,
traveling on a League of
Nations passport. He
visited Russia in 1927,
1929, and again in 1932.
He finally settled in
Moscow with his family in
1934. His
style may be described as
the antithesis of that of
Scriabin. He aimed at the
realization of primitive emotions,
and playfulness and satire
are also characteristics.
His sympathies and taste inclined
toward the classical, but
his manner was independent.
Among his works are the
Scythian Suite for
orchestra; the ballets,
Chout (or The
Buffoon), The Prodigal
Son, Romeo and Juliet
and Cinderella;
eleven operas, including
The Love for Three
Oranges (libretto
after Gozzi), War and
Peace, and The
Flaming Angel; a
fairy tale for children,
Peter and the Wolf
(a monologue with spoken
voice with orchestral
accompaniment); five
piano concertos; violin
concertos; symphonies;
the brief piano pieces
Sarcasms; nine
piano sonatas and
songs.
In 1948, Prokofiev, along
with other leading
musicians, came under
censure by the Soviet
authorities for the
alleged "formalistic
distortions and
anti-democratic
tendencies of his music"
and he promised to begin
"a search for a clearer
and more meaningful
language."
He died on the same day
as Joseph Stalin, and in
1957, his Seventh
Symphony was posthumously
awarded a Lenin
Prize.
Source: |
Copyright 2009 Ballet Theatre Foundation, Inc.
All rights reserved.