Prokofiev was known for not being wasteful with his musical materials, often incorporating themes or ideas from other synchronous works like Romeo and Juliet or War and Peace into his sonatas.
Composer Biography
Prokofiev, a prominent pianist, initially learned piano from his mother and later studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, winning the Rubinstein prize in 1914.
Composition History
Prokofiev worked on the sixth, seventh, and eighth sonatas simultaneously, only later separating them for individual development.
Performer Biography
Steven Osborne, the pianist on this recording, is a highly acclaimed British musician who has received numerous awards, including the Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist of the Year in 2013 and two Gramophone Awards.
Notable Performances
Prokofiev premiered his Sixth Sonata in Moscow in April 1940, while the Seventh and Eighth Sonatas were premiered by renowned pianists Sviatoslav Richter (1943) and Emil Gilels (1944) respectively.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The term 'War Sonatas' was not given by Prokofiev himself, though he had been contemplating the theme of war since 1935, when he considered adapting Tolstoy's War and Peace into an opera.
Composition History
Prokofiev's piano sonatas Opp. 82, 83, and 84, known as the 'War Sonatas', were composed between 1939 and 1944, during World War II and the aftermath of Stalin's purges in the Soviet Union.
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