Sergei Prokofiev was born today in the Ukraine in 1891. He gained a reputation as a young man of being a musical rebel. You can hear it in his music - beautiful melodies and interesting harmonies interrupted frequently by brutally dissonant, brash interludes. Some of his music is immediately recognizable and accessible to anyone. A lot of his music, though, takes some getting used to, but is still very rewarding after adjusting to the unusual sounds.
Here are clips of some of his best music:
Peter and the Wolf - probably the most beloved work by Prokofiev. It is a children's tale, involving an orchestra and narrator. Each instrument symbolizes a character in the tale - Strings (Peter), Flute (Bird), Oboe (Duck), Clarinet (Cat), and so forth. If you've never heard this before, you're missing out! A great story with terrific music! Here's a trailer for one particularly entertaining-looking production.
Symphony No. 1 "Classical" - one of his most accessible works. A delightful piece of music with very interesting harmonies/melodies, meant to emulate the music of Josef Haydn; it is one of the first "Neo-classical" works written by Prokofiev. Here are movements 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major - probably my favorite piece by this composer, and certainly his most popular concerto. The dialogue between piano and orchestra is vibrant, interesting, full of "witty dissonance" contrasting with beautiful melodies and harmonies. Here are movements 1, 2, and 3.
7th Piano Sonata - one of the composer's "War Sonatas" (including Nos. 6, 7, and 8). The third movement is very rhythmic, especially interesting, and technically extremely challenging (listen to the last 2 minutes - crazy!).
March from The Love for Three Oranges - this is a short transcription for piano played by the composer, taken from one of his operas. Short, joking, full of wit and sarcasm.
Sonata for Cello and Piano - one of my favorite cello sonatas. It is was one of Prokofiev's last compositions, but is much more mellow and lyrical than many of his earlier works, but still full of fun. The second movement sounds "Peter and Wolf"-ish to me and lots of fun. Here are movements 1, 2, and 3.
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4 comments:
I remember first hearing James Boyk play the Seventh Sonata at one of his informal "Alive with Music" sessions at Caltech. It was an electric moment for me, and I think it was a major catalyst for my enjoyment of dissonant 20th-century music. I absolutely love the Seventh Sonata (all three movements), and Prokofiev is one of my favorite composers overall.
I've been getting into to the 6th sonata recently, too - really interesting piece.
Your recent comment about Schumann's "monstrously difficult" Toccata made me think of a Prokofiev Toccata that also answers that description. Do you know this piece? I have a recording of Horowitz playing it, and have long liked it.
Just listened to the Toccata on youtube - I don't think I've ever heard it before (except for maybe a couple bars). Interesting and impressive piece - reminds me a little of his "Suggestion Diabolique", except less jazz and more dissonance. Thanks for the recommendation!
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