We created Pandora to put the Music Genome Project directly in your hands
It’s a new kind of radio –
stations that play only music you like
Now Playing
Music Feed
My Profile
People who also like this
Sergey Prokofiev
April 23, 1891 - March 5, 1953
born in Russia, composed during the Modern period
born in Russia, composed during the Modern period
In breathing new life into the symphony, sonata, and concerto, Sergey Prokofiev emerged as one of the truly original musical voices of the twentieth century. Bridging the worlds of pre-revolutionary Russia and the Stalinist Soviet Union, Prokofiev enjoyed a successful worldwide career as composer and pianist. As in the case of most other Soviet-era composers, his creative life and his music came to suffer under the duress of official Party strictures. Still, despite the detrimental personal and professional effects of such outside influences, Prokofiev continued until the end of his career to produce music marked by a singular skill, inventiveness, and élan.
As an only child (his sisters had died in infancy), Prokofiev lived a comfortable, privileged life, which gave him a heightened sense of self-worth and an indifference to criticism, an attitude that would change as he matured. His mother taught him piano, and he began composing around the age of five. He eventually took piano, theory, and composition lessons from Reyngol'd Gliere, then enrolled at the St. Petersburg Conservatory when he was 13. He took theory with Lyadov, orchestration with Rimsky-Korsakov, and became lifelong friends with Nicolai Myaskovsky. After graduating, he began performing in St. Petersburg and in Moscow, then in Western Europe, all the while writing more and more music. Prokofiev's earliest renown, therefore, came as a result of both his formidable pianistic technique and the works he wrote to exploit it. He sprang onto the Russian musical scene with works like the Sarcasms, Op. 17 (1912-1914), and Visions fugitives, Op. 22 (1915-1917), and his first few piano sonatas. He also wrote orchestral works, concertos, and operas, and met with Diaghilev about producing ballets. The years immediately after the Revolution were spent in the U.S., where Prokofiev tried to follow Rachmaninov's lead and make his way as a pianist/composer. His commission for The Love for Three Oranges came from the Chicago Opera in 1919, but overall Prokofiev was disappointed by his American reception, and he returned to Europe in 1922. He married singer Lina Llubera in 1923, and the couple moved to Paris. He continued to compose on commission, meeting with mixed success from both critics and the public. He had maintained contact with the Soviet Union, even toured there in 1927. The Love for Three Oranges was part of the repertory there, and the government commissioned the music for the film Lieutenant Kijé and other pieces from him. In 1936, he decided to return to the Soviet Union with his wife and two sons. Most of his compositions from just after his return, including many for children, were written with the political atmosphere in mind. One work which wasn't, was the 1936 ballet Romeo and Juliet, which became an international success. He attempted another opera in 1939, Semyon Kotko, but was met with hostility from cultural ideologues. During World War II, Prokofiev and other artists were evacuated from Moscow. He spent the time in various places within the U.S.S.R. and produced propaganda music, but also violin sonatas, his "War Sonatas" for piano, the String Quartet No. 2, the opera War and Peace, and the ballet Cinderella. In 1948, with the resolution that criticized almost all Soviet composers, several of Prokofiev's works were banned from performance. His health declined and he became more insecure. The composer's last creative efforts were directed largely toward the production of "patriotic" and "national" works, typified by the cantata Flourish, Mighty Homeland (1947), and yet Prokofiev also continued to produce worthy if lesser-known works like the underrated ballet The Stone Flower (1943). In a rather bitter coincidence, Prokofiev died on March 5, 1953, the same day as Joseph Stalin. ~ All Music Guide, Rovi
As an only child (his sisters had died in infancy), Prokofiev lived a comfortable, privileged life, which gave him a heightened sense of self-worth and an indifference to criticism, an attitude that would change as he matured. His mother taught him piano, and he began composing around the age of five. He eventually took piano, theory, and composition lessons from Reyngol'd Gliere, then enrolled at the St. Petersburg Conservatory when he was 13. He took theory with Lyadov, orchestration with Rimsky-Korsakov, and became lifelong friends with Nicolai Myaskovsky. After graduating, he began performing in St. Petersburg and in Moscow, then in Western Europe, all the while writing more and more music. Prokofiev's earliest renown, therefore, came as a result of both his formidable pianistic technique and the works he wrote to exploit it. He sprang onto the Russian musical scene with works like the Sarcasms, Op. 17 (1912-1914), and Visions fugitives, Op. 22 (1915-1917), and his first few piano sonatas. He also wrote orchestral works, concertos, and operas, and met with Diaghilev about producing ballets. The years immediately after the Revolution were spent in the U.S., where Prokofiev tried to follow Rachmaninov's lead and make his way as a pianist/composer. His commission for The Love for Three Oranges came from the Chicago Opera in 1919, but overall Prokofiev was disappointed by his American reception, and he returned to Europe in 1922. He married singer Lina Llubera in 1923, and the couple moved to Paris. He continued to compose on commission, meeting with mixed success from both critics and the public. He had maintained contact with the Soviet Union, even toured there in 1927. The Love for Three Oranges was part of the repertory there, and the government commissioned the music for the film Lieutenant Kijé and other pieces from him. In 1936, he decided to return to the Soviet Union with his wife and two sons. Most of his compositions from just after his return, including many for children, were written with the political atmosphere in mind. One work which wasn't, was the 1936 ballet Romeo and Juliet, which became an international success. He attempted another opera in 1939, Semyon Kotko, but was met with hostility from cultural ideologues. During World War II, Prokofiev and other artists were evacuated from Moscow. He spent the time in various places within the U.S.S.R. and produced propaganda music, but also violin sonatas, his "War Sonatas" for piano, the String Quartet No. 2, the opera War and Peace, and the ballet Cinderella. In 1948, with the resolution that criticized almost all Soviet composers, several of Prokofiev's works were banned from performance. His health declined and he became more insecure. The composer's last creative efforts were directed largely toward the production of "patriotic" and "national" works, typified by the cantata Flourish, Mighty Homeland (1947), and yet Prokofiev also continued to produce worthy if lesser-known works like the underrated ballet The Stone Flower (1943). In a rather bitter coincidence, Prokofiev died on March 5, 1953, the same day as Joseph Stalin. ~ All Music Guide, Rovi
Selected Discography
x
Track List: Mikhail Pletnev - Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 - 7 - 8
Title: Piano Sonata No. 7 In B Flat Major ("War Sonata 2/stalingrad"), Op. 83
Title: Piano Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14
Title: Piano Sonata No. 8 In B Flat Major ("War Sonata 3"), Op. 84
x
Track List: Panorama: Sergey Prokofiev
Disc 1
Title: Symphony No. 1 In D Major ("Classical"), Op. 25
Title: Violin Concerto No. 1 In D Major, Op. 19
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Suite No. 1 For Orchestra, Op. 64 Bis
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Suite No. 2 For Orchestra, Op. 64 Ter
Disc 2
Title: Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Major, Op. 26
Title: Visions fugitives (20), for piano, Op. 22
Title: Symphony No. 5 In B Flat Major, Op. 100
x
Track List: Prokofiev Piano Sonatas Vol. 2, Nos. 1, 3 And 4
Title: Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 1
Title: Piano Sonata No. 3 In A Minor ("From Old Notebooks"), Op. 28
Title: Piano Sonata No. 4 In C Minor, Op. 29
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Pieces (10) For Piano, Op. 75
x
Track List: Prokofiev: 7 Symphonies; Lieutenant Kijé
Disc 1
Title: Symphony No. 1 In D Major ("Classical"), Op. 25
Title: Symphony No. 6 In E Flat Minor, Op. 111
Disc 2
Title: Symphony No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 40
Title: Symphony No. 7 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131
Disc 3
Title: Symphony No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 44
Title: Symphony No. 4 In C Major, Op. 112 (Second Version)
Disc 4
Title: Symphony No. 5 In B Flat Major, Op. 100
Title: Lieutenant Kijé, Film Score And Suite For Orchestra, Op. 60
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Chout
Title: Chout (The Tale Of The Buffoon), Ballet, Op. 21
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Cinderella Suites Nos. 1-3; Scythian Suite; On The Dnieper
Disc 1
Title: Cinderella, Suite No. 1 For Orchestra, Op. 107
Title: Cinderella, Suite No. 2 For Orchestra, Op. 108
Disc 2
Title: Cinderella, Suite No. 3 For Orchestra, Op. 109
Title: Scythian Suite, For Orchestra, Op. 20
Title: On The Dnieper (Sur Le Borysthène), Ballet, Op. 51
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Complete Works for Cello and Piano
Title: Sonata For Cello & Piano In C Major, Op. 119
Title: Ballade For Cello & Piano In C Minor, Op. 15
Title: Adagio For Cello & Piano (arr. From Cinderella, Op. 87), Op. 97bis
Title: Concertino For Cello & Orchestra In G Minor, Op. 132
Title: Chout (The Tale Of The Buffoon), Ballet, Op. 21
Title: Sonata For Cello Solo In C Sharp Minor, Op. 134 (completed By Vladimir Blok)
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Instrumental & Chamber Music
Title: Sonata For Violin & Piano No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 80
Title: Sonata For Flute (Or Violin) & Piano In D Major, Op. 94
Title: Melodies (5) For Violin & Piano, Op. 35 Bis
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Ivan The Terrible
Title: Ivan The Terrible, Film Score, Op. 116
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Orchestral Suites
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Suite No. 2 For Orchestra, Op. 64 Ter
Title: Lieutenant Kijé, Film Score And Suite For Orchestra, Op. 60
Title: Cinderella, Suite No. 1 For Orchestra, Op. 107
Title: The Love For Three Oranges, Suite For Orchestra, Op. 33 Bis
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Peter And the Wolf/March In B Flat Major/Overture On Hebrew Themes/Classical Symphony
Title: March for military band in B flat major, Op. 99
Title: Peter And The Wolf, Children's Tale For Narrator & Orchestra, Op. 67
Title: Overture on Hebrew Themes, for orchestra, Op. 34 bis
Title: Symphony No. 1 In D Major ("Classical"), Op. 25
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3
Title: Piano Concerto No. 1 In D Flat Major, Op. 10
Title: Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Major, Op. 26
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3
Title: Piano Concerto No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 16
Title: Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Major, Op. 26
Title: Data Track
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Piano Music
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Pieces (10) For Piano, Op. 75
Title: Pieces (3) For Piano (from The Ballet Cinderella), Op. 95
Title: Pieces (10) For Piano (from The Ballet Cinderella), Op. 97
Title: Pieces (3) For Piano (from The Opera War & Peace), Op. 96
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Piano Music Vol.1
Title: Toccata For Piano In D Minor, Op. 11
Title: Pieces (10) For Piano, Op. 12
Title: Sarcasms (5), For Piano, Op. 17
Title: Visions fugitives (20), for piano, Op. 22
Title: Pieces (4) For Piano, Op. 4
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2, 7 & 8
Title: Piano Sonata No. 7 In B Flat Major ("War Sonata 2/stalingrad"), Op. 83
Title: Piano Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14
Title: Piano Sonata No. 8 In B Flat Major ("War Sonata 3"), Op. 84
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 5, 6 & 9
Title: Piano Sonata No. 5 In C Major (Version 1), Op. 38
Title: Piano Sonata No. 9 In C Major, Op. 103
Title: Piano Sonata No. 6 In A Major ("War Sonata 1"), Op. 82
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Romeo And Juliet Suites 1 & 2
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Suite No. 1 For Orchestra, Op. 64 Bis
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Suite No. 2 For Orchestra, Op. 64 Ter
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
Disc 1
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Ballet In 4 Acts, Op. 64
Disc 2
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Stage Works & Film Scores
Disc 1
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Suite No. 2 For Orchestra, Op. 64 Ter
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Suite No. 1 For Orchestra, Op. 64 Bis
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Suite No. 3 For Orchestra, Op. 101
Disc 2
Title: Peter And The Wolf, Children's Tale For Narrator & Orchestra, Op. 67
Disc 3
Disc 4
Title: Alexander Nevsky, Cantata For Mezzo-soprano, Chorus & Orchestra, Op. 78
Title: Scythian Suite, For Orchestra, Op. 20
Disc 5
Title: The Prodigal Son, Suite For Orchestra, Op. 46 Bis
Title: Cinderella, Suite No. 2 For Orchestra, Op. 108
Title: Cinderella, Suite No. 3 For Orchestra, Op. 109
Title: Cinderella, Suite No. 2 For Orchestra, Op. 108
Title: Cinderella, Suite No. 3 For Orchestra, Op. 109
Title: Cinderella, Suite No. 1 For Orchestra, Op. 107
Title: Le Pas D'acier (The Steel Step), Suite For Orchestra, Op. 41 Bis
Disc 6
Title: The Love For Three Oranges, Suite For Orchestra, Op. 33 Bis
Title: Lieutenant Kijé, Film Score And Suite For Orchestra, Op. 60
x
Track List: Prokofiev: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2; Cello Sonata
Title: String Quartet No. 1 In B Minor, Op. 50
Title: String Quartet No. 2 In F Major ("Kabardinian"), Op. 92
Title: Sonata For Cello & Piano In C Major, Op. 119
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Symphonies No. 1 "Classical" & No. 5
Title: Symphony No. 1 In D Major ("Classical"), Op. 25
Title: Symphony No. 5 In B Flat Major, Op. 100
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Symphonies No. 1 "Classical" and No. 2; Dreams, Op. 6; Autumnal
Title: Dreams, Symphonic Poem, Op. 6
Title: Autumnal Sketch, For Orchestra, Op. 8
Title: Symphony No. 1 In D Major ("Classical"), Op. 25
Title: Symphony No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 40
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1, 5, 6 & 7
Disc 1
Title: Symphony No. 1 In D Major ("Classical"), Op. 25
Title: Autumnal Sketch, For Orchestra, Op. 8
Title: Overture On Hebrew Themes, For Clarinet, String Quartet & Piano, Op. 34
Title: Symphony No. 5 In B Flat Major, Op. 100
Disc 2
Title: Symphony No. 6 In E Flat Minor, Op. 111
Title: Symphony No. 7 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Symphony-Concerto for Cello and Orchestra; Concertino; Two Waltzes
Title: Sinfonia Concertante For Cello & Orchestra In E Minor, Op. 125
Title: Concertino For Cello & Orchestra In G Minor, Op. 132
Title: Pushkin Waltzes (2), For Orchestra, Op. 120
x
Track List: Prokofiev: The Sonatas for Piano
Disc 1
Title: Sarcasms (5), For Piano, Op. 17
Title: Piano Sonata No. 5 In C Major (Version 2), Op. 135
Title: Piano Sonata No. 6 In A Major ("War Sonata 1"), Op. 82
Disc 2
Title: Piano Sonata No. 8 In B Flat Major ("War Sonata 3"), Op. 84
Title: Piano Sonata No. 3 In A Minor ("From Old Notebooks"), Op. 28
Title: Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 1
Title: Piano Sonata No. 9 In C Major, Op. 103
Disc 3
Title: Piano Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14
Title: Piano Sonata No. 7 In B Flat Major ("War Sonata 2/stalingrad"), Op. 83
Title: Piano Sonata No. 4 In C Minor, Op. 29
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Violin Concertos 1 & 2; Sonata for Solo Violin
Title: Violin Concerto No. 1 In D Major, Op. 19
Title: Violin Concerto No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 63
Title: Sonata For Violin Solo In D Major, Op. 115
x
Track List: Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives; Two Sonatinas
Title: Visions fugitives (20), for piano, Op. 22
Title: Sonatina For Piano No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 54/1
Title: Sonatina For Piano No. 2 In G Major, Op. 54/2
x
Track List: Sergey Prokofiev: A Portrait
Disc 1
Title: Dreams, Symphonic Poem, Op. 6
Title: Piano Concerto No. 1 In D Flat Major, Op. 10
Title: Scythian Suite, For Orchestra, Op. 20
Title: Symphony No. 1 In D Major ("Classical"), Op. 25
Title: The Love For Three Oranges, Suite For Orchestra, Op. 33 Bis
Title: Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Major, Op. 26
Title: Violin Concerto No. 1 In D Major, Op. 19
Title: Symphony No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 44
Title: Symphony No. 4 In C Major, Op. 112 (Second Version)
Title: String Quartet No. 1 In B Minor, Op. 50
Title: Violin Concerto No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 63
Disc 2
Title: Lieutenant Kijé, Film Score And Suite For Orchestra, Op. 60
Title: Romeo And Juliet, Ballet In 4 Acts, Op. 64
Title: Peter And The Wolf, Children's Tale For Narrator & Orchestra, Op. 67
Title: Alexander Nevsky, Cantata For Mezzo-soprano, Chorus & Orchestra, Op. 78
Title: Piano Sonata No. 7 In B Flat Major ("War Sonata 2/stalingrad"), Op. 83
Title: Symphony No. 5 In B Flat Major, Op. 100
Title: Cinderella, Suite No. 2 For Orchestra, Op. 108
Title: Pushkin Waltzes (2), For Orchestra, Op. 120
Title: Symphony No. 7 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131
Title: Sinfonia Concertante For Cello & Orchestra In E Minor, Op. 125
x
Track List: Sergey Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé, Symphonic Suite Op. 60 / Andante Op. 50 bis (Transcription for String Orchestra from String Quartet No. 1, Op. 50) / Autumn, Symphonic Sketch Op. 8 / Suite from "The Stone Flower", Op. 118 - Neeme Järvi
Title: Lieutenant Kijé, Film Score And Suite For Orchestra, Op. 60
Title: Andante For Orchestra, Op. 50 Bis (arr. From String Quartet No. 1, Op. 50)
Title: Autumnal Sketch, For Orchestra, Op. 8
Title: The Tale Of The Stone Flower, Ballet, Op. 118
Comments
contemporari e s . Philip Glass is also of the species and greatly inspired
by them especially when I am painting or drawing. James,
the cantata Lieutenant Kije... not the other way around.
klosnj11 Great that you like him.
What is your favorite piece?
robert