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Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953) Background Sergei Prokofiev was born in 1891 in Sontsovka, a small village in the Ukraine. His mother, a pianist, greatly encouraged Prokofiev in the musical field and guided his early career, both as a composer and a pianist. It was with his mother that Prokofiev first began studying music. He began composing at age five, before he could even write properly, and at age nine wrote his first opera. Entitled The Giant, it was written for performance by his family. After studying with his mother, Prokofiev took private lessons from Reinhold Gliere, and later entered the St Petersburg Conservatory, studying under Lyadov. Prokofiev was only 13 at this time, yet he had already composed four operas, one symphony, two sonatas, and a variety of piano pieces. His other teachers included Rimsky-Korsakov and Tcherepnin. Unfortunately, despite his tag as a child prodigy with undeniable talent, he was also seen as stubborn, ill tempered and unfriendly. This attitude, however, did not deter him, and his early career was highly successful. Important works composed while at the Conservatory include the Suggestion diabolique (1909) and the Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat (1911). In 1914, after he'd completed his studies at the Conservatory, Prokofiev won the Rubinstein Prize with his performance of the D flat piano concerto. |
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Touring aboad The year 1917 marked the start of the Russian Revolution, and to escape the insecurity and violence within his homeland, Prokofiev undertook a world tour. During this year, some of his most creative works were composed, such as the D major Violin Concerto, Visions fugitives for solo piano, and the Classical Symphony. The latter was the first work he composed away from the piano, and is an interesting work in that it amalgamates modern rhythm and texture with an 18th century format. Upon leaving the Ukraine, Prokofiev toured England as a concert pianist, and lived in London for a while. From there, he moved on to Japan and the United States. The American tour was disappointing, as the public were not used to Prokofiev's neo-classical style and percussive manner of playing. To them, his music made no sense, and as a result Prokofiev developed a harsh attitude towards the Americans. The Lives of the Great Composers Volume Two quotes Prokofiev as saying: 'I thought with fury of the wonderful American orchestras that cared nothing for my music; of the critics who repeated for the hundredth time, 'Beethoven is a great composer,' while balking violently at new works; of the managers who arranged long tours for artists playing the same hackneyed programs fifty times over.' To make matters worse, the premiere of his opera The Love for Three Oranges (1919) in Chicago was a complete failure, and Prokofiev then based himself in Paris. During his stay in Paris, Prokofiev's popularity grew, despite his tag as a 'mechanical' composer. It was during this time that great works emerged such the opera The Flaming Angel, his Third Piano Concerto, and two ballets, Le Pas d'acier (1925) and L'Enfant prodigue (1929). Criticism back at home Prokofiev settled in Moscow in 1934, and though his music by this time had considerably mellowed, he was still censured by the authorities for excessive 'formalism', dissonant harmonies and general independent manner of composing. Prokofiev aimed to include more lyricism and less cacophonous harmony in his next work, the opera The Tale of a Real Man (1948), but the piece was still regarded as unpleasantly modern and anti-melodic. The same year, his Symphony No. 6 was denounced due to formalism. Prokofiev, along with Shostakovich, was one of the many victims of oppression by the Russian authorities. Prokofiev, however, later won the Stalin Prize for his Symphony No. 7 (1952) and died the next year on March 5, three hours before Stalin himself died. Prokofiev has produced some of the most influential works of the 20th century. His most important works include seven symphonies, the Classical (No. 1) and 5th symphony the most prominent, five piano concertos, nine piano sonatas, Sarcasms (short piano pieces), songs, two violin concertos, a cello concerto, and many ballets and operas, including Cinderella (1920), Romeo and Juliet (1935), War and Peace (1942) and the ever popular Peter and the Wolf (1936). He also composed a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek. Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution. In Prokofiev's music, we see a man of intense bitterness and anger, but also a composer of sharp wit and considerable melodic genius. He was one of the first composers to return to the forms and structures of the Classical era, combining them with a modern sense of harmony and texture. He was a master melodist - an ability most evident in his later ballet scores - and had a wonderful gift for sparkling orchestral textures, no doubt passed on from his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov. His music is celebrated for its robust sense of confidence and enormous vigor - traits that mirror his personality. Back to top of page |
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