Сергей Сергеевич Прокофьев
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10
Awards
Sergei Prokofiev composed Peter and the Wolf in 1936 and the Classical Symphony in 1917. His works span ballets, film scores, and concertos. Born in Sontsivka in 1891, he died on March 5, 1953, the same day as Stalin.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Sergei Prokofiev — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Sergei Prokofiev by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Sergei Prokofiev — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
By age 13, Sergei Prokofiev had moved to Saint Petersburg to study at the Conservatory, where he later graduated with highest marks in 1914, winning a grand piano as a prize. He learned piano from his mother and chess from his father, and by 1916 his Scythian Suite caused a riot at its premiere. His early music showed the percussive, ironic style that marked his career.
Prokofiev’s breakout came with the Classical Symphony 1917 and the opera Love for Three Oranges, first performed in Chicago in 1921. He emigrated after the Russian Revolution, touring Europe and the US, and returned to the Soviet Union in 1936. There he composed Peter and the Wolf 1936 and film scores for Sergei Eisenstein’s Alexander Nevsky 1938 and Ivan the Terrible 1944. His works sometimes faced criticism as cosmopolitan, but he won multiple Stalin Prizes.
In 1918 in New York, Prokofiev met Spanish singer Carolina Codina, marrying her in Paris in 1923; they had two sons, including Oleg. The couple separated in 1941, and Prokofiev began a relationship with poet Mira Mendelson, whom he married in 1948 after a controversial divorce. His first wife Lina was arrested and sent to a Siberian gulag in 1948, where she spent eight years. He lived with Mira until his death.
Peter and the Wolf became a classic for children. His Lieutenant Kije Suite influenced Greg Lake’s 1975 song I Believe in Father Christmas and Sting’s 1985 hit Russians. In 2016, conductor Valery Gergiev rescued his abandoned dacha from demolition. The Donetsk Sergei Prokofiev International Airport was named after him until it was destroyed in 2014. His piano sonatas and concertos remain in the standard repertoire.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Sergei Prokofiev — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Sergei Prokofiev's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from Sergei Prokofiev — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Care Nothing for Politics – I’m a Composer First and Last. Any Government That Lets Me Write My Music in Peace, Publishes Everything I Compose Before the Ink Is Dry, and Performs Every Note That Comes from My Pen Is All Right with Me.
Little-known facts about Sergei Prokofiev — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Died on the same day as Joseph Stalin.
One of the leading composers of the twentieth century.
His most performed works include his Symphony No. 1 the Classical, the Lt. Kije music, and the children’s story Peter and the Wolf.
Lieutenant Kije Suite was sampled by Greg Lake on the song I Believe in Father Christmas, released in 1975, and by Sting on his 1985 hit Russians.
Besides his native Russian, Prokofiev spoke fluent French, good English, some German, and a little Spanish from his first wife.
Visited Hollywood in 1938, met Walt Disney, and was offered a contract by Paramount for $2,000 a week but returned to the Soviet Union.
Friendly rival Igor Stravinsky called Prokofiev the greatest Russian composer of the 20th century after me.
The Donetsk Sergei Prokofiev International Airport in Ukraine was named for him, destroyed in 2014.
Regarded as a major keyboard virtuoso of his time, with fingers of steel.
Prokofiev loved to dance but was bad at it; at the Romeo and Juliet cast party, ballerinas avoided dancing with him twice.
Was a Chess Master: defeated José Raúl Capablanca in 1914.
Debate exists whether he was Russian or Ukrainian; he identified as Russian.
In 1932, recorded his Third Piano Concerto at Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Lived in New York City 1918-1920, met his first wife; found more success in Chicago, where Love for Three Oranges premiered in 1921.
Seldom wrote dark music; his favorite key was C Major.
Stickler for punctuality; would tell latecomers their exact delay in minutes and seconds.
Settled in USSR in 1936; even Peter and the Wolf was affected by ideology — Peter was a Pioneer.
Called a musical bad boy; Scythian Suite caused a riot in 1916; one critic said if this is music, I prefer agriculture.
In 1939 began a relationship with Mira Mendelson, 24 years his junior; they co-wrote librettos for several works.
Divorced Lina in 1947 under Soviet law that voided their German marriage; he married Mira in 1948, leaving Lina vulnerable to arrest.
In 1946 purchased a dacha in Nikolina Gora; rescued from demolition in 2016.
Piano sonatas span from 1909 to 1951; left a 10th unfinished.
Severely concussed in 1945, leading to hypertension, strokes, and a fatal cerebral hemorrhage in 1953.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Sergei Prokofiev.
Celebrities similar to Sergei Prokofiev — same craft, ranked by reach.
🇦🇹 Austria
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🇷🇺 Russia
🇪🇸 Spain
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🇺🇸 United States
🇮🇹 Italy
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🇯🇵 Japan
🇷🇺 Russia
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