IDAGIO | Prokofiev, S.: Piano Music, Vol. 5 - Piano Sonata No. 9 / 4 Etudes / Sarcasms / Piano Sonatina No. 1 / 2 Pieces for Children 5709499395004

Featuring

Oleg Marshev
Sergei Prokofiev

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Composition History

The 'Sarcasms Op. 17' and 'Toccata Op. 11' confirmed Prokofiev's status as an 'angry young man' of Russian music, with their metallic sound world and outrageous dissonance.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Prokofiev achieved a musical idiom concordant with his principles early in his career, and much of his successive production was concerned less with the evolution of this idiom than with its exploitation to the full.

Composer Biography

Prokofiev's '2 Pieces for Children' are among his earliest works, written when he was about 14 years old, and were recently discovered in the Moscow Central State Archives of Literature and Art.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Prokofiev's piano music, from his 'War' sonatas to the 'Vision Fugitives', is characterized by his ability to create a well-defined mood at the start of a composition, establishing an instant rapport with the listener.

Historical Context

The 1930s were a difficult period for Prokofiev, as he faced increasing pressure to appease Soviet officialdom and witnessed the condemnation of composers like Shostakovich and Khatchaturian for alleged 'formalist' tendencies.

Composer Biography

Prokofiev's '4 Etudes Op. 2' were written during his student period at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire and demonstrate his brilliant keyboard technique and precocious musical mind.

Compositional Technique

Prokofiev's works often appear to develop less through standard tonal procedures and more through the psychological exploitation of 'abstract narrative', guiding the listener through a plot without characters or storyline.