Prokofiev

16 Posts
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Some Russian Jewels
An Interview with Nikita Lukinov
Pianist Nikita Lukinov’s new recording, Kaleidoscope, gives us a very definite view of Russian pianism at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th. He chose piano miniatures by 3 pianists who are each separated by 40 years
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On This Day
5 March: Sergei Prokofiev Died
Sergei Prokofiev’s death on 5 March 1953, only about one hour before the passing of Joseph Stalin, went almost unnoticed in the press. In fact, his death went unreported for some days. Sovetskaya Muzyka finally carried his obituary in the
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Optimism Within Contradictions: Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5
Having recently given a performance of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, I was reminded how lyrical, intense, and downright wonderful this piece is. With that said, Prokofiev’s music can take some getting used to. I speak from personal experience: it took
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On This Day
23 April: Sergei Prokofiev Was Born
Sergei Prokofiev was born on 23 April 1891 in Sontsovka, now located in Ukraine but then a remote rural estate of the Yekaterinoslav Governorate of the Russian Empire. His father Sergey Alekseyevich Prokofiev was an agronomist and managed the estate
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Prokofiev: Old Grandmother’s Tales
In 1914, Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatoire, having entered there ten years earlier at age 14 as the youngest-ever student to enter the Conservatoire. His teachers were the finest in Russia: Glazunov, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Lyadov. He
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10 Things You May Not Know About Sergei Prokofiev
You know that Prokofiev wrote some of the greatest music ever. You know that his ballet scores have become some of the most performed dance music ever; on and off stage. You know that he was a child prodigy. You
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Prokofiev’s Visions Fugitives: Little Impressionist Worlds
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) started experimenting with a number of short piano works in 1915, completed them in 1917, and gave them their first public performance on 15 April 1918 in Petrograd/St. Petersburg. At a private performance some months before, the
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Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7
Premiered Today in 1952
In 1952, one year before his death, Sergei Prokofiev was financially broke. The Soviet government had condemned his Symphony No. 6 a couple of years earlier, and the composer was stripped of his reputation and of his state pension. Trying
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