Aril 18, 2016.Prokofiev.Sergei Prokofiev’s 125th anniversary is on April 23rd.One of the greatest composers of the first half of the 20th century, his life was as tempestuous as the century itself.He was born in what is now Ukraine, spent his youth in Moscow and St.Petersburg and by the age of 25 was famous as a composer and pianist.By that time he had already written a ballet for Sergei Diaghilev which made him a name in Paris.Following the First World War and the October Revolution, he left Russia for the United States but two years later moved to France.By then he was the composer of several operas, a symphony, two ballets, concertos for piano and the violin, and four piano sonatas.In the late 1920s he returned to Russia for a series of concerts and after that, while still living in France, became more involved with the Soviet musical establishment.Then, in 1936, he returned to the Soviet Union – permanently.He wrote Peter and the Wolf for Natalia Sats’s Children’s theater and collaborated with Sergei Eisenstein on the film Alexander Nevsky, but also was compelled to write “Soviet” music, like the infamous Zdravitsa, written for Stalin’s 60th birthday and Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution (even though written on texts by Marx and Lenin, it sounded too unconventional for the Soviet musical apparatchiks and wasn’t performed during Prokofiev lifetime).
He continued composing during the great Patriotic War, as WWII was called in the Soviet Union, part of which he spent in Almaty, Kazakhstan.Estranged from his first wife, Lina, since 1941, he married Mira Mendelssohn, 24 years his junior, after the Soviet government officially “annulled” his marriage to Lina.Lina in the meantime was arrested and sent to the Gulag.In 1948 Prokofiev himself almost ended up there: he was severely criticized for the 6th Symphony and the opera The Story of a Real Man, which was staged at the Kirov Theater but then immediately cancelled. Prokofiev’s health was failing and he moved to his dacha outside of Moscow.His doctors prohibited any exertion and allowed him to compose for just one hour a day.He died on March 5th of 1953, the same day as Stalin.The Soviet Union descended into an official, utterly hysterical mourning.Hundreds of people were trampled to death during Stalin’s funeral procession.Prokofiev’s death wasn’t reported for days, as all periodicals were filled with articles eulogizing Stalin.
We’ll hear his Piano sonata no. 6, op. 82.Prokofiev stated working on it in 1939 (that year he also started piano sonata nos. 7 and 8 – together they’re known, somewhat inappropriately, as “War Sonatas”). No. 6 was completed in 1940 and premiered by Prokofiev himself in April of that year Prokofiev met the pianist Sviatoslav Richter during that time and Richter became a great champion of this works.Richter and Emil Gilels, who premiered Sonata no. 8, created a number of classic recording of the “War Sonatas,” and to this day they count among the very best.Still, there are some very interesting performances made by younger musicians.Listen to this live recording made by Yuja Wang – the verve and the energy are quite extraordinary, as is the technique.The portrait of Prokofiev, above, was made by the Russian artist Pyotr Konchalovsky in 1934.
Prokofiev 125
Aril 18, 2016. Prokofiev. Sergei Prokofiev’s 125th anniversary is on April 23rd. One of the greatest composers of the first half of the 20th century, his life was as tempestuous as the century itself. He was born in what is now Ukraine, spent his youth in Moscow and St.Petersburg and by.jpg "Sergei Prokofiev (Konchalovsky)")
the age of 25 was famous as a composer and pianist. By that time he had already written a ballet for Sergei Diaghilev which made him a name in Paris. Following the First World War and the October Revolution, he left Russia for the United States but two years later moved to France. By then he was the composer of several operas, a symphony, two ballets, concertos for piano and the violin, and four piano sonatas. In the late 1920s he returned to Russia for a series of concerts and after that, while still living in France, became more involved with the Soviet musical establishment. Then, in 1936, he returned to the Soviet Union – permanently. He wrote Peter and the Wolf for Natalia Sats’s Children’s theater and collaborated with Sergei Eisenstein on the film Alexander Nevsky, but also was compelled to write “Soviet” music, like the infamous Zdravitsa, written for Stalin’s 60th birthday and Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution (even though written on texts by Marx and Lenin, it sounded too unconventional for the Soviet musical apparatchiks and wasn’t performed during Prokofiev lifetime).
He continued composing during the great Patriotic War, as WWII was called in the Soviet Union, part of which he spent in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Estranged from his first wife, Lina, since 1941, he married Mira Mendelssohn, 24 years his junior, after the Soviet government officially “annulled” his marriage to Lina. Lina in the meantime was arrested and sent to the Gulag. In 1948 Prokofiev himself almost ended up there: he was severely criticized for the 6th Symphony and the opera The Story of a Real Man, which was staged at the Kirov Theater but then immediately cancelled. Prokofiev’s health was failing and he moved to his dacha outside of Moscow. His doctors prohibited any exertion and allowed him to compose for just one hour a day. He died on March 5th of 1953, the same day as Stalin. The Soviet Union descended into an official, utterly hysterical mourning. Hundreds of people were trampled to death during Stalin’s funeral procession. Prokofiev’s death wasn’t reported for days, as all periodicals were filled with articles eulogizing Stalin.
We’ll hear his Piano sonata no. 6, op. 82. Prokofiev stated working on it in 1939 (that year he also started piano sonata nos. 7 and 8 – together they’re known, somewhat inappropriately, as “War Sonatas”). No. 6 was completed in 1940 and premiered by Prokofiev himself in April of that year Prokofiev met the pianist Sviatoslav Richter during that time and Richter became a great champion of this works. Richter and Emil Gilels, who premiered Sonata no. 8, created a number of classic recording of the “War Sonatas,” and to this day they count among the very best. Still, there are some very interesting performances made by younger musicians. Listen to this live recording made by Yuja Wang – the verve and the energy are quite extraordinary, as is the technique. The portrait of Prokofiev, above, was made by the Russian artist Pyotr Konchalovsky in 1934.