Sergei Prokofiev, despite the fact that many yearslived abroad, was truly a Russian composer. He considered the decisive merit of his work to be a desire for originality, he hated bruising and imitation.
Biography of Prokofiev SS: childhood
The future composer was born in a remote villageSontsovka, located in the Ekaterinoslav province. Already from an early age he not only played, like all children, but also did a lot. During this period, and showed his exceptional musical gift. In five and a half years, Sergei composed the first small play. And since then he has not parted with music. Four years later, the boy easily played Mozart's plays and simple sonatas by Beethoven. At the age of 12 Sergei already wrote two operas, many songs. In the same year in his life appears a teacher, who in a short time managed to instill in him the skills of the composer. It was Rheingold Glier, then a young man.
Biography Prokofiev SS: studying at the Conservatory
At age 13, Sergei went to Petersburg.There he appeared before the Admissions Committee of the Conservatory with two folders of his own works. The examiner, Rimsky-Korsakov, immediately liked this. Of course, Prokofiev passed the test brilliantly and became a student at the Conservatory. His teachers were Lyadov and Rimsky-Korsakov. In parallel, he took piano lessons with Esipova. During this period new operas, sonatas, plays, symphonies, songs and romances appear. But really mature things Sergei composed before the end of the conservatory.
After completing his studies, the young composer immediatelyhe won an honorable place in the music circles of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Not only passionate admirers of the composer's creativity, but also opponents were not indifferent to his concerts. For the successful completion of the conservatory, his mother gave him a trip to London. There it was just the season of Russian opera and ballet under Diaghilev's direction. Creative contact between them did not start right away. Maitre considered Sergei's first ballet banal. But Prokofiev advice Diaghilev "write in Russian" took note. Since then, every work of his felt the national basis. In addition, the acquaintance with Diaghilev helped the composer to get to many music stores. From London Prokofiev goes to Rome and Naples and gives there the first concerts.
Biography of Prokofiev SS: foreign tours
To the music of a young composer with great sympathywas Lunacharsky. After two concerts given in 1918 in Soviet Russia, Prokofiev through Benoit and Gorky decided to appeal to the People's Commissar for permission to travel abroad. Soon he received both a passport and an accompanying document. From this moment Prokofiev's prolonged overseas period begins.
Sergey Prokofiev. Biography: return to the country of the Soviets
In 1927, and then in 1929, Prokofievmakes short trips to Russia. In 1934 he finally decides to stay in the Soviet Union. The head of the Central Children's Theater named after Sats N. suggested the composer to compose a musical work for the children. Prokofiev agreed and wrote a fairy tale "Petya and the Wolf," popular until now. True, the way of his ballets to the stage was long, since in Russia they were not used to such music. But gradually the contact got better.
During the Great Patriotic War, Prokofiev was in evacuation andcontinued to compose. He was sent then to Tbilisi, then to Alma-Ata. The creative life of the composer was also happy in this difficult period. But in the post-war years he did not manage to avoid criticism. In 1948 the composer was declared a formalist. An unfavorable evaluation was given to his opera The Story of a Real Man. Overcome the despair Prokofiev helped realize the new idea - the ballet "The Stone Flower". Gradually his health deteriorated, but he could not write. The composer's swan song was the Seventh Symphony, in which children's impressions were intertwined with thoughts of the past and a glance into the future. Sergei Prokofiev died in 1953, on the same day as Stalin.
