Overview

"This is one title in a series of short, illustrated biographies. They tell the stories of those who have shaped our present and our past, from Beethoven to Dietrich, from Einstein to Churchill and are suitable for students and the general reader. Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) lived a life caught between East and West, old and new. He was born in Russia, but left for America after the 1917 Revolution. He returned a decade later as a musical celebrity, but his relationship with the Soviet authorities deteriorated into condemnation and censorship. Some critics have branded his music Socialist Realism and he received praise from the Soviets for his collaborations with the film-maker Sergei Eisenstein. His admirers celebrate his wit and charm and the unique blend of the traditional and the modern in his many piano works, his opera ""The Love for Three Oranges"", his ballet music for ""Romeo and Juliet"" and the musical fairy tale ""Peter and the Wolf"". Prokofiev died a few hours before his nemesis Stalin, on 5 March 1953."

Full Product Details

9781904341321

Table of Contents

Reviews

'... A clear and well-researched timeline of Prokofiev's development as a composer and his increasingly tortuous relationship with the Soviet authorities. There is also much fascinating material on his work in film, especially the collaborations with Eisenstein. The book is beautifully made, with well-reproduced photographs, and the text is strewn with useful historical nuggets on such subjects as futurism, the Russian Civil War and synaesthesia, and brief biographies of important contemporaries.' -- Steven Poole The Guardian 'This book inspires admiring reflection' Neue Zurcher Zeitung

'... A clear and well-researched timeline of Prokofiev's development as a composer and his increasingly tortuous relationship with the Soviet authorities. There is also much fascinating material on his work in film, especially the collaborations with Eisenstein. The book is beautifully made, with well-reproduced photographs, and the text is strewn with useful historical nuggets on such subjects as futurism, the Russian Civil War and synaesthesia, and brief biographies of important contemporaries.' -- Steven Poole The Guardian 'This book inspires admiring reflection' Neue Zurcher Zeitung

Author Information

Thomas Schipperges is a Lecturer in Musicology at the University of Heidelberg. He specialises in music and politics of the Soviet Union and has published numerous articles on Prokofiev. His other works include The Serenades: From Beethoven to Reger.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available