Outstanding domestic composer Sergei Prokofiev is known worldwide for his innovative works. Without it, it is difficult to imagine music of the 20th century in which he left a significant mark: 11 symphonies, 7 operas, 7 ballets, many concerts and various instrumental works. But even if he wrote only the ballet Romeo and Juliet, he would have been inscribed forever in the history of world music.
The beginning of the way
The future composer was born on April 11, 1891. His mother was a pianist and from early childhood encouraged Sergei's natural inclination for music. Already at the age of 6, he began to compose entire cycles of piano plays, and his mother wrote down his compositions. By the age of nine, he already had a lot of small works and two whole operas: “The Giant” and “On the Deserted Islands”. From the age of five, his mother taught him to play the piano; from the age of 10, he regularly took private lessons from composer R. Glier.
Years of study
At the age of 13 he entered the conservatory, where he studied with prominent musicians of his time: N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. Lyadov, N. Cherepnin. There he developed friendly relations with N. Myaskovsky. In 1909, he graduated from the conservatory as a composer, then devoted another five years to the development of pianistic art. Then he studied organ playing for another 3 years. For special academic success, he was awarded a gold medal and a prize to them. A. Rubinstein. From the age of 18, he was already conducting an active concert activity, acting as a soloist and performer of his own compositions.
Early Prokofiev
Already the early works of Prokofiev caused a lot of controversy, they were either accepted with all my heart or criticized fiercely. From the first steps in music, he declared himself as an innovator. He was close to the theater atmosphere, the dramatization of music, and as a man, Prokofiev loved brightness very much, he loved to draw attention to himself. In the 1910s, he was even called a musical futurist for his love of shocking, for the desire to destroy the classical canons. Although the composer could not be called a destroyer. He organically absorbed classical traditions, but was constantly searching for new expressive forms. In his early works, another distinctive feature of his work was also outlined - this is lyricism. His music is also characterized by tremendous energy, optimism, especially in the early compositions, this endless joy of life, a riot of emotions is palpable. The combination of these specific features made Prokofiev’s music vivid and unusual. Each of his concerts turned into extravaganza. Of the early Prokofiev, the piano cycle Sarcasm, Toccata, Obsession, piano sonata No. 2, two concerts for piano and orchestra, symphony No. 1 deserve special attention. At the end of the 1920s, he met Diaghilev and began to write ballets for him, the first experience - “Ala and Lolli” was rejected by an impresario, he advised Prokofiev to “write in Russian,” and this advice was a major turning point in the composer's life.
Emigration
At the end of the conservatory, Sergei Prokofiev travels to Europe. Visits London, Rome, Naples. He feels that he is cramped in the old framework. The troubled revolutionary times, poverty and general preoccupation with everyday problems in Russia, the understanding that no one needs his music at home today, lead the composer to think about emigration. In 1918 he went to Tokyo, from there he moved to the United States. After living for three years in America, where he worked and toured a lot, he moved to Europe. Here he not only works a lot, he even comes on trips to the USSR three times, where he is not considered an emigrant, it was assumed that Prokofiev was on a long foreign business trip, but remained a Soviet citizen. He carries out several orders of the Soviet government: the suite “Lieutenant Kizhi”, “Egyptian Nights”. Abroad, he collaborates with Diaghilev, draws closer to Rachmaninoff, and communicates with Pablo Picasso. There he married Spaniard Lina Codina, with whom they gave birth to two sons. During this period, Prokofiev creates a lot of mature, original works, which made up his world fame. Such works include the ballets “Jester”, “The Prodigal Son” and “The Player”, 2,3 and 4 symphonies, two brightest piano concerts, the opera “Love for Three Oranges”. By this time, Prokofiev’s talent had matured and became a model of music of a new era: the sharp, intense, avant-garde composer's musical style made his compositions unforgettable.
Return
At the beginning of the 30s, Prokofiev’s work became more moderate, he experienced a strong nostalgia, and began to think about returning. In 1933, he and his family came to the USSR for permanent residence. Subsequently, he will only be able to visit abroad twice. But his creative life in this period is of the highest intensity. The works of Prokofiev, now a mature master, become distinctly Russian, more and more national motifs are heard in them. This gives his original music more depth and character.
At the end of the 1940s, criticism “for formalism” fell upon Prokofiev; his non-standard opera “The Tale of a Real Man” did not fit into the Soviet musical canons. The composer during this period is sick, but continues to work intensively, living almost constantly in the country. He eschews all official events and the music bureaucracy pays him oblivion, his existence is almost imperceptible in the Soviet culture of that time. At the same time, the composer continues to work hard, writes the opera The Tale of a Stone Flower, the oratorio Guard of the World, and piano compositions. In 1952, his 7th symphony was performed in the concert hall of Moscow, this was the last work that the author heard from the stage. In 1953, on the same day as Stalin, Prokofiev died. His death was almost unnoticed for the country, he was quietly buried in the Novodevichy cemetery.
Musical style of Prokofiev
The composer tried himself in all musical genres, he sought to find new forms, experimenting a lot, especially in the early years. Prokofiev’s operas were so innovative for their time that the audience massively left the hall during the premiere days. For the first time, he allowed himself to abandon the poetic libretto and create musical creations from works such as War and Peace, for example. His very first composition, Feast During the Plague, was an example of bold handling of traditional musical techniques and forms. He boldly combined recitation techniques with musical rhythms, creating a new opera sound. His ballets were so original that the choreographers thought it was impossible to dance to such music. But gradually they saw that the composer sought to convey the character's external character with deep psychological veracity and began to stage his ballets a lot. An important feature of mature Prokofiev was the use of national musical traditions, which at one time was proclaimed by M. Glinka and M. Mussorgsky. A distinctive feature of his compositions was enormous energy and a new rhythm: sharp and expressive.
Opera heritage
From an early age, Sergei Prokofiev turned to such a complex musical form as opera. As a young man, he begins work on classic opera plots: Ondine (1905), Feast During the Plague (1908), Maddalena (1911). In them, the composer boldly experiments using the capabilities of the human voice. At the end of the 1930s, the opera genre was undergoing an acute crisis. Large artists no longer work in this genre, not seeing in it expressive opportunities that would allow them to express new modernist ideas. Prokofiev's operas became a bold challenge to the classics. His most famous works: “The Player”, “Love for Three Oranges”, “Fiery Angel”, “War and Peace”, today are the most valuable heritage of 20th century music. Modern listeners and critics understand the value of these works, feel their deep melody, rhythm, a special approach to creating characters.
Ballets of Prokofiev
The craving for the theater was inherent in the composer since childhood, he introduced elements of drama in many of his works, so the appeal to the form of the ballet was quite logical. Acquaintance with Sergei Diaghilev prompted the musician to start writing the ballet "The Tale of a Jester, Joking of the Seven Jesters" (1921). The work was staged in Diaghilev’s entreprise, as were the following works: Steel Skok (1927) and The Prodigal Son (1929). So in the world there is a new outstanding ballet composer - Prokofiev. The ballet Romeo and Juliet (1938) became the pinnacle of his work. Today this composition is staged in all the best theaters in the world. Later he creates another masterpiece - the ballet Cinderella. Prokofiev was able to realize his hidden lyricism and melody in these of his best works.
"Romeo and Juliet"
In 1935, the composer turns to the classic plot of Shakespeare. For two years he writes an essay of a new type, so even the innovator Prokofiev appears in such material. The ballet Romeo and Juliet is a choreographic drama in which the composer departs from the established canons. Firstly, he decided that the end of the story would be happy, which was in no way consistent with the literary source. Secondly, he decided not to focus on the dance principle, but on the psychology of the development of images. This approach was very unusual for choreographers and performers, so the way of ballet to the stage took a long five years.
"Cinderella"
The ballet "Cinderella" Prokofiev wrote for 5 years - his most lyrical work. In 1944, the composition was completed and a year later staged at the Bolshoi Theater. This work is distinguished by its subtle psychological nature of images; music is characterized by intimacy and complex versatility. The image of the heroine is revealed through deep feelings and complex feelings. The sarcasm of the composer was manifested in the creation of images of the courtiers, stepmother and her daughters. The neoclassical stylization of negative characters has become an additional expressive feature of the composition.
Symphonies
In total, the composer has written seven symphonies in his life. In his work, Sergei Prokofiev himself identified four main lines. The first is classical, which is associated with the comprehension of the traditional principles of musical thinking. This line is represented by symphony No. 1 in D major, which the author himself called “classical”. The second line is innovative, associated with the experiments of the composer. Symphony No. 2 in D minor belongs to it . 3 and 4 symphonies are closely connected with theatrical creativity. 5 and 6 appeared as a result of the composer's military experiences. The Seventh Symphony became with reflections on life, the desire for simplicity.
Instrumental music
The composer's legacy is more than 10 instrumental concerts, about 10 sonatas, many plays, opuses, etudes. The third line of Prokofiev’s work is lyrical, represented mainly by instrumental works. These include the first violin concerto, the plays Dreams, Legends, and Grandmother's Tales. In his creative luggage there is an innovative sonata for violin solo in D major, which was written in 1947. Compositions of different periods reflect the evolution of the author’s creative method: from sharp innovation to lyricism and simplicity. His sonata for flute number 2 is today a classic for many performers. It is distinguished by melodic harmony, spirituality and a soft wind rhythm.
Prokofiev’s works for piano made up a huge part of his heritage, their original style made the compositions extremely popular among pianists all over the world.
Other works
In his work, the composer also turned to the largest musical forms: cantatas and oratorios. The first cantata "Their Seven" was written by him in 1917 to the poems of K. Balmont and became a vivid experiment. Later, he writes 8 more major works, including the cantata "Songs of our days", the oratorio "Guard the world." Prokofiev's works for children constitute a special chapter in his work. In 1935, Natalia Sats invited him to write something for her theater. Prokofiev responds with interest to this idea and creates the famous symphonic tale "Peter and the Wolf", which became an unusual experiment of the author. Another page of the composer's biography is Prokofiev’s music for the cinema. His filmography consists of 8 paintings, each of which has become a serious symphonic work.
After 1948, the composer was in a creative crisis, the works of this period were unsuccessful, with the exception of a few. The composer's work is recognized as classic today, it is studied and performed a lot.