Background
PROKOF’YEV, Sergey was born on April 11, 1891 in village Sontsovka, Yekaterinoslav Province.
composer pianist and conductor
PROKOF’YEV, Sergey was born on April 11, 1891 in village Sontsovka, Yekaterinoslav Province.
1909 graduate Composition Class, Saint St. Petersburg Conservatory. 1914 graduate piano and conducting classes, Saint St. Petersburg Conservatory.
In his early youth displayed outstanding musical talent. From age five studied piano under his mother. 1902-1903 took composition lessons from Gliere.
1904-1914 pupil of Lyadov, Rimsky-Korsakov and Cherepnin. From 1908 performed as pianist in Saint St. Petersburg, Moscow and later abroad. 1918 for a short while worked with Chaliapine at the Tragedy Theater, Petrograd.
1918-1921 lived in United States of America. 1921-1932 lived in France. Performed as pianist and conductor in many countries of the world.
Late 1932 returned to Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics. Frequently in trouble with Party critics, but thanks to his outstanding talent he retained his place in the front rank of Soviet musicians. Composed over 130 major works, including.
8 operas; 7 symphonies. 7 ballets; 7 cantatas. 14 sonatas; 8 concertos.
Piano pieces; romances. Songs; choral works; music for plays and films, et cetera Lieutenant'orfcs: “Scythian Suite” (1915).
Opera Igrok (The Gambler), after Dostoyevsky, (1916). Fairy-tale opera after K. Gozzi Lyubov' h tryom apel'sinam (Love of Three Oranges) (1921). Opera Ognennyy angel (The Fiery Angel), after V. Ya.
Bryusov’s novel of the same name (1927). Ballets: Stal’noy skok (The Steel Leap) (1927). Bludnyy syn (The Prodigal Son) (1929).
Na Dnepre (On the Dnieper) (1932). “Romeo and Juliet" (1933). Cantata “Aleksandr Nevskiy” (1938).
Opera “Semyon Katko”, after Katayev’s novelette (1940). Opera Voyna i mir (War and Peace) (1944). Ballet Zolushka (Cinderella) (1945).
Opera Povest' o nastoyashchem cheloveke (Tale of a Real Manitoba), after Boris Polevoy’s work (1948). Ballet Skazka o kamennom tsvetke (The Tale of the Stone Flower) (1954), et cetera