A man-phenomenon, in bright yellow boots, checkered, with a red-orange tie, carrying a challenging force in itself - this is how Svetoslav Richter, the great Russian pianist , described Prokofiev. This description suits both the personality of the composer and his music. Prokofiev’s work is a treasury of our musical and national culture, but the composer's life is no less interesting. Having left for the West at the very beginning of the revolution and lived there for 15 years, the composer became one of the few "returnees", which turned into a deep personal tragedy for him.
It is impossible to summarize Sergey Prokofiev’s work: he wrote a huge amount of music, worked in completely different genres, from small piano pieces to music for movies. The indefatigable energy constantly pushed him to various experiments, and even the cantata, glorifying Stalin, amazes with its absolutely brilliant music. Except that a concert for bassoon with a folk orchestra was not written by Prokofiev. The biography and work of this great Russian composer will be considered in this article.
Childhood and the first steps in music
Sergei Prokofiev was born in 1891 in the village of Sontsovka, Yekaterinoslav province. From early childhood, two of its features were determined: an extremely independent character and an irresistible craving for music. At the age of five, he already begins to compose small pieces for piano, at 11 he writes the real children's opera The Giant, intended for staging at a home theater evening. Then, a young, at that time still unknown composer, Reinhold Glier, was discharged to Sontsovka to teach the boy the initial skills in composer technique and playing the piano. Glier turned out to be an excellent teacher, under his strict guidance Prokofiev filled several folders with his new compositions. In 1903, with all this wealth, he went to enter the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Rimsky-Korsakov was impressed by such zeal and immediately enrolled him in his class.
Years of study at the St. Petersburg Conservatory
At the conservatory, Prokofiev studied composition and harmony with Rimsky-Korsakov and Lyadov, and playing the piano with Esipova. Lively, inquisitive, sharp and even caustic in language, he acquires not only many friends, but also detractors. At this time, he begins to keep his famous diary, which he will finish only with moving to the USSR, recording in detail almost every day of his life. Prokofiev was interested in everything, but most of all he was occupied with chess. He could stand idle in tournaments for hours, watching the game of masters, and he himself achieved significant success in this area, which he was incredibly proud of.
Prokofiev’s piano work was supplemented at that time by the First and Second Sonatas and the First Concert for Piano and Orchestra. The composer's style was immediately determined - fresh, completely new, bold and daring. He seemed to have neither predecessors nor followers. In fact, this, of course, is not entirely true. The themes of Prokofiev’s work came out of the short but very fruitful development of Russian music, logically continuing the path begun by Mussorgsky, Dargomyzhsky and Borodin. But, having refracted in Sergey Sergeyevich’s energetic mind, they gave rise to a completely distinctive musical language.
Having absorbed the quintessence of the Russian, even Scythian spirit, Prokofiev’s work acted on the audience like a cold shower, causing either stormy delight or indignant rejection. He literally burst into the musical world - he graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory as a pianist and composer, having played his first piano concert at the final exam. The commission represented by Rimsky-Korsakov, Lyadov and others was horrified by defiant, dissonant chords and striking, energetic, even barbaric manner of playing. However, they could not help but realize that this is a powerful phenomenon in music. The high commission rating was five with three pluses.
First visit to Europe
As a reward for the successful completion of the conservatory, Sergey receives a trip to London from his father. Here he became closely acquainted with Diaghilev, who immediately considered a remarkable talent in the young composer. He helps Prokofiev arrange a tour in Rome and Naples and gives an order for a ballet. That is how “Ala and Lolli” appeared. The plot Diaghilev rejected because of the "banality" and gave advice next time to write something on a Russian theme. Prokofiev began to work on the ballet “The Tale of a Jester, Joking Seven Jesters” and at the same time began to try his hand at writing an opera. Canvas for the plot was chosen by Dostoevsky’s novel “The Player”, a favorite of the composer since childhood.
Prokofiev does not disregard his favorite instrument. In 1915, he begins to write a cycle of piano plays "Fleeting", revealing at the same time a lyrical gift that no one had previously suspected of a "football composer". The lyrics of Prokofiev are a special topic. Incredibly touching and tender, dressed in a transparent, finely tuned texture, it conquers, first of all, with its simplicity. Prokofiev’s work showed that he is a great melodist, and not just a destroyer of traditions.
Foreign period of the life of Sergei Prokofiev
In fact, Prokofiev was not an emigrant. In 1918, he turned to Lunacharsky, the then narcotics of education, with a request for permission to travel abroad. He was issued a foreign passport and accompanying documents without a validity period, in which the purpose of the trip was to establish cultural ties and improve health. The composer's mother remained in Russia for a long time, which caused Sergey Sergeyevich a lot of anxiety until he could call her to Europe.
At first, Prokofiev went to America. Literally a few months later, another great Russian pianist and composer Sergey Rakhmaninov came to the same place. Rivalry with him was the main task of Prokofiev at first. Rachmaninoff immediately became very famous in America, and Prokofiev jealously noted his every success. His attitude to his senior colleague was very mixed. In the composer's diaries of this time, the name of Sergei Vasilievich is often found. Noting his incredible pianism and appreciating musical qualities, Prokofiev believed that Rachmaninov unnecessarily indulges the tastes of the public and writes little of his own music. Indeed, Sergey Vasilyevich has written very little over more than twenty years of life outside Russia. The first time after emigration, he was in a deep and protracted depression, suffering from acute nostalgia. The work of Sergei Prokofiev, it seemed, did not suffer at all from the lack of communication with his homeland. It remained just as brilliant.
The life and work of Prokofiev in America and Europe
On a trip to Europe, Prokofiev again meets with Diaghilev, who asks him to rework the music of The Jester. The staging of this ballet brought the composer the first sensational success abroad. It was followed by the famous opera Love for Three Oranges, the march from which became the same encore play as the sharp sharp minor Prelude of Rachmaninov. This time, America submitted to Prokofiev - the premiere of the opera Love for Three Oranges took place in Chicago. Both of these works have much in common. Humorous, sometimes even satirical - like, for example, in Love, where Prokofiev ironically exposed sighing romantics as weak and painful characters - they sprinkle with typically Prokofiev’s energy.
In 1923, the composer settled in Paris. Here he meets a charming young singer Lina Kodina (stage name Lina Lueber), who will subsequently become his wife. An educated, sophisticated, stunning Spanish beauty immediately attracted the attention of others. Her relationship with Sergey did not develop very smoothly. For a long time he did not want to legitimize their relationship, believing that the artist should be free from all obligations. They only got married when Lina became pregnant. It was an absolutely brilliant couple: Lina was in no way inferior to Prokofiev - neither in independence of character, nor in ambition. Quarrels broke out between them, followed by tender reconciliation. The loyalty and sincerity of Lina’s feelings is evidenced by the fact that she not only followed Sergei to a foreign country for her, but also drank the cup of the Soviet punitive system to the bottom, was faithful to the composer until the end of her days, remaining his wife and taking care of his legacy.
The work of Sergei Prokofiev at that time experienced a noticeable bias in the romantic direction. From his pen appeared the opera "The Fiery Angel" according to the novel by Bryusov. The gloomy medieval flavor is conveyed in music with the help of dark, Wagnerian harmonies. It was a new experience for the composer, and he enthusiastically worked on this work. As always, he succeeded perfectly. The thematic material of the opera was later used in the Third Symphony, one of the most openly romantic works, which not so much includes the work of composer Prokofiev.
Foreign land
There were several reasons for the composer's return to the USSR. The life and work of Sergei Prokofiev were rooted in Russia. After living abroad for about 10 years, he began to feel that the air of a foreign land negatively affects his condition. He constantly corresponded with his friend, composer N. Ya. Myaskovsky, who remained in Russia, finding out the situation in his homeland. Of course, the Soviet government did everything to get Prokofiev back. This was necessary to strengthen the prestige of the country. Cultural workers regularly sent letters to him, describing in paints what a bright future awaited him at home.
In 1927, Prokofiev made his first trip to the USSR. They took it with enthusiasm. In Europe, despite the success of his writings, he did not find the proper understanding and sympathy. The rivalry with Rachmaninov and Stravinsky was not always decided in favor of Prokofiev, which painfully pricked his pride. In Russia, he hoped to find what he lacked so much — a true understanding of his music. The warm welcome given to the composer on his trips in 1927 and 1929 made him seriously think about the final return. Moreover, friends from Russia in their letters excitedly told how wonderful it would be for him to live in a country of advice. The only one who was not afraid to warn Prokofiev from returning was Myaskovsky. The atmosphere of the 30s of the 20th century was already beginning to thicken overhead, and he perfectly understood that he could really expect the composer. However, in 1934, Prokofiev made the final decision to return to the Union.
Homecoming
Prokofiev completely sincerely accepted communist ideas, seeing in them, above all, the desire to build a new, free society. He was impressed by the spirit of equality and anti-bourgeoisness, which the state ideology diligently supported. In fairness, it is worth saying that so many Soviet people shared these ideas, too, completely sincerely. Although the fact that Prokofiev’s diary, which he punctually kept throughout all previous years, breaks off just when he arrived in Russia, makes me wonder if Prokofiev was already unaware of the competence of the security agencies of the USSR. Outwardly, he was open to the Soviet regime and loyal to it, although he understood everything perfectly.
Nevertheless, the native air had an extremely fruitful influence on the work of Prokofiev. According to the composer himself, he strove to get involved in work on Soviet subjects as soon as possible. Having met with the director Sergei Eisenstein, he enthusiastically takes up work on the music for the film “Alexander Nevsky”. The material turned out to be so self-sufficient that it is now performed at concerts in the form of a cantata. In this work full of patriotic enthusiasm, the composer expressed love and pride in relation to his people.
In 1935, Prokofiev completed one of his best works - the ballet Romeo and Juliet. However, the audience did not see him soon. Censorship rejected the ballet because of a happy ending that did not match the Shakespearean original, and dancers and choreographers complained that the music was unsuitable for dance. New plastic, the psychologization of the movements required by the musical language of this ballet, were not immediately understood. The first performance took place in Czechoslovakia in 1938, in the USSR, viewers saw it in 1940, when the main roles were played by Galina Ulanova and Konstantin Sergeyev. It was they who managed to find the key to understanding the stage language of movements to the music of Prokofiev and glorify this ballet. Ulanova is still considered the best performer of the role of Juliet.
"Children's" work of Prokofiev
In 1935, Sergey Sergeevich and his family first visited the children's musical theater under the direction of N. Sats. Prokofiev was captured by the action on the stage no less than his sons. He was so inspired by the idea of ​​working in a similar genre that in a short time he wrote the musical fairy tale “Peter and the Wolf”. In the course of this performance, the guys have the opportunity to get acquainted with the sound of various musical instruments. Prokofiev’s work for children also includes the “Chatterbox” romance to the verses of Agnia Barto and the Winter Bonfire Suite. The composer loved children very much and was happy to write music for this audience.
The end of the 1930s: a tragic theme in the work of the composer
At the end of the 30s of the 20th century, Prokofiev's musical work was permeated with alarming intonations. Such is his triad of piano sonatas, called "military" - Sixth, Seventh and Eighth. They were completed at different times: the Sixth Sonata - in 1940, the Seventh - in 1942, the Eighth - in 1944. But the composer began working on all these works at about the same time - in 1938. It is not known what is more in these sonatas - 1941 or 1937. Sharp rhythms, dissonant harmonies, funeral bell ringing literally overwhelm these compositions. But at the same time, typical Prokofiev’s lyrics most clearly appeared in them: the second parts of the sonatas are tenderness, intertwined with strength and wisdom. The premiere of the Seventh Sonata, for which Prokofiev received the Stalin Prize, was held in 1942 by Svyatoslav Richter.
Kazus Prokofiev: second marriage
In the composer's personal life, drama also occurred at this time. Relations with Ptashka - as Prokofiev called his wife - burst at all seams. An independent and sociable woman, accustomed to secular communication and experiencing an acute shortage of it in the Union, Lina constantly visited foreign embassies, which attracted the close attention of the state security department. The fact that it is worth limiting such reprehensible communication, especially during an unstable international situation, Prokofiev has repeatedly told his wife. The biography and work of the composer suffered greatly from this behavior of Lina. However, she did not pay any attention to the warnings. Quarrels broke out between spouses, relations, already stormy, became even more tense. While relaxing in a sanatorium where Prokofiev was alone, he met a young woman, Mira Mendelssohn. Researchers are still arguing whether she was specially sent to the composer in order to protect him from the wayward wife. Mira was the daughter of an employee of the State Planning Commission, so this version does not seem very unlikely.
She was not distinguished by either special beauty or any creative abilities, she wrote very mediocre verses, not embarrassed to quote them in her letters to the composer. Its main advantages were the adoration of Prokofiev and complete submission. Soon, the composer decided to ask Lina for a divorce, which she refused to give him. Lina understood that while she remains Prokofiev’s wife, she has at least some chance to survive in this country hostile to her. This was followed by a completely amazing situation, which in legal practice even got its name - “Prokofiev’s case”. The authorities of the Soviet Union explained to the composer that since his marriage with Lina Kodina was registered in Europe, from the point of view of the laws of the USSR, it is invalid. As a result, Prokofiev married Mir without divorcing Lina. Exactly a month later, Lina was arrested and sent to the camp.
Prokofiev Sergey Sergeevich: creativity in the post-war years
What Prokofiev subconsciously feared happened in 1948, when a notorious government decree came out. Published in the newspaper Pravda, it condemned the path that some composers took as false and alien to the Soviet attitude. Among these "lost" was Prokofiev. The characterization of the composer's work was as follows: anti-people and formalistic. It was a terrible blow. For many years he doomed to “silence” A. Akhmatova, pushed D. Shostakovich and many other artists into the shadow.
But Sergey Sergeevich did not give up, continuing to create in his own style until the end of his days. The symphonic work of Prokofiev in recent years was the result of his entire compositional path. The seventh symphony, written a year before his death, is the triumph of wise and pure simplicity, the light to which he went for many years. Prokofiev died on March 5, 1953 , on the same day as Stalin. His departure remained almost unnoticed due to the popular grief over the death of the beloved leader of the peoples.
The life and work of Prokofiev can be briefly described as a constant desire for light. Incredibly life-affirming, it brings us closer to the idea embodied by the great German composer Beethoven in his swan song, the Ninth Symphony, where the ode “For Joy” sounds in the finale: “Hug millions, merge in joy alone”. The life and work of Prokofiev is the path of a great artist, who devoted his whole life to serving the Music and its great Secret.