Prokofiev Sergey Sergeevich's works: operas, ballets, instrumental concerts

The outstanding domestic composer Sergei Prokofiev is known throughout the world for his innovative works. Without it, it's hard to imagine the music of the 20th century, in which he left a significant mark: 11 symphonies, 7 operas, 7 ballets, many concerts and various instrumental works. But even if he wrote only the ballet "Romeo and Juliet", he would have been inscribed forever in the history of world music.

The beginning of the way

The future composer was born on April 11, 1891. His mother was a pianist and from early childhood encouraged Sergey's natural inclination to music. At the age of 6 he began to write whole cycles of piano pieces, his mother wrote down his compositions. By the age of nine, he already had many small works and two operas: "The Giant" and "On the Desert Islands". His mother taught him to play the piano from the age of five, from 10 years he regularly took private lessons from the composer R. Gliere.

Years of study

At the age of 13 he entered the conservatory, where he studied with outstanding musicians of his time: N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. Liadov, N. Tcherepnin. There he formed friendly relations with N. Myaskovsky. In 1909 he graduated from the conservatory as a composer, then dedicated five more years to mastering pianistic art. Then 3 more years he learned to play the organ. For special achievements in studies he was awarded a gold medal and a prize to them. A. Rubinstein. From the age of 18, he already led an active concert activity, acting as a soloist and performer of his own compositions.

Early Prokofiev

Even the early works of Prokofiev caused a lot of controversy, they were either taken with all their heart or fiercely criticized. From the first steps in music he declared himself as an innovator. He was close to the theatrical atmosphere, the dramatization of music, and as a man Prokofiev loved brightness, adored attracting attention. In the 1910s, he was even called a musical futurist for his love of shock, for his desire to destroy the classical canons. Although the composer could not be called a destroyer. He organically absorbed classical traditions, but he was constantly looking for new expressive forms. In his early works, another distinguishing feature of his work was outlined: lyricism. Also, his music has a lot of energy, optimism, especially in the early compositions, this endless joy of life, the riot of emotions, is palpable. The combination of these specific features made Prokofiev's music vivid and unusual. Each of his concerts turned into an extravaganza. Of the early Prokofiev, the piano cycle "Sarcasm", "Toccata", "Delusion", piano sonata No. 2, two concerts for piano and orchestra, symphony No. 1 deserve special attention. In the late 1920s he met Diaghilev and began to write for him ballets, the first experience - "Ala and Lolli" was rejected by the impresario, he advised Prokofiev to "write in Russian" and this advice was the most important turning point in the life of the composer.

Emigration

After the end of the conservatory, Sergei Prokofiev travels to Europe. Visits London, Rome, Naples. He feels that he is cramped in the old framework. Troubled revolutionary times, poverty and general concern about everyday problems in Russia, the understanding that his music in the homeland is not needed by anyone today, lead the composer to the idea of emigration. In 1918, he went to Tokyo, from there he moved to the United States. After living three years in America, where he worked hard and toured, he moved to Europe. Here he not only works a lot, he even comes three times with tours in the USSR, where he is not considered an emigrant, it was assumed that Prokofiev is on a long foreign business trip, but remains a Soviet citizen. He performs several orders of the Soviet government: suites "Lieutenant Kizhi", "Egyptian Nights". Abroad, he cooperates with Diaghilev, approaches Rachmaninov, communicates with Pablo Picasso. There he married Spaniard Lin Codina, with whom they gave birth to two sons. During this period, Prokofiev creates a lot of mature, original works, which made up his world fame. Such works include: the ballets The Jester, The Prodigal Son and The Gambler, 2,3 and 4 symphonies, two brightest piano concertos, the opera Love of Three Oranges. By that time Prokofiev's talent had matured and became a model of the music of the new era: the sharp, tense, avant-garde composer's manner of music made his compositions unforgettable.

Return

In the early 30-ies, Prokofiev 's work becomes more moderate, he experiences strong nostalgia, begins to reflect on the return. In 1933, together with his family, he came to the USSR for permanent residence. Subsequently, he will only be able to travel abroad twice. But his creative life during this period is of the highest intensity. The works of Prokofiev, now a mature master, are becoming distinctly Russian, national motifs in them are heard more and more. This gives its original music a greater depth and character.

In the late 1940s, Prokofiev was criticized for his "formalism," his non-standard opera The Story of a Real Man did not fit into the Soviet musical canons. The composer is sick during this period, but continues to work intensively, almost permanently living in the country. He shuns all official events and the musical bureaucracy pays him oblivion, his existence is almost imperceptible in Soviet culture of that time. And while the composer continues to work a lot, writes the opera "The Tale of a Stone Flower", the oratorio "On Guard of Peace", piano compositions. In 1952, in the concert hall of Moscow, his 7th symphony was performed, it was the last work that the author heard from the stage. In 1953, on the same day as Stalin, Prokofiev passed away. His death passed almost unnoticed for the country, he was quietly buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Prokofiev's musical style

The composer tried himself in all musical genres, he sought to find new forms, experimenting a lot, especially in the early years. Opera Prokofiev was so innovative for his time that the audience massively left the hall during the prime minister's days. He for the first time allowed himself to abandon the poetic libretto and create musical creations for such works as "War and Peace", for example. Already his first work "Feast during the plague" was an example of bold treatment of traditional musical techniques and forms. He boldly combined the techniques of recitation with musical rhythms, creating a new operatic sound. His ballets were so original that the choreographers thought that it was impossible to dance to such music. But gradually they saw that the composer sought to convey the external character of the character with deep psychological truthfulness and began to put a lot of his ballets. An important feature of mature Prokofiev was the use of national musical traditions, which at one time proclaimed M. Glinka and M. Mussorgsky. A distinctive feature of his works was a huge energy and a new rhythm: sharp and expressive.

Opera heritage

Already from an early age, Sergei Prokofiev turns to such a complex musical form as opera. As a young man, he began work on classical operatic subjects: "Ondine" (1905), "Feast during the Plague" (1908), "Maddalena" (1911). In them, the composer boldly experiments using the possibilities of the human voice. In the late 30-ies the genre of the opera is experiencing an acute crisis. Large artists no longer work in this genre, not seeing in it expressive possibilities that would allow expressing new modernist ideas. Opera Prokofiev became a bold challenge to the classics. His most famous works: "Gambler", "Love for Three Oranges", "Fiery Angel", "War and Peace", today are the most valuable legacy of 20th century music. Modern listeners and critics understand the value of these works, feel their deep melodiousness, rhythm, a special approach to creating characters.

Ballet Prokofiev

The craving for the theater was inherent in the composer since childhood, he introduced elements of dramaturgy into many of his works, so the appeal to the form of ballet was quite logical. Acquaintance with Sergei Diaghilev pushed the musician to take up the writing of the ballet "The Tale of the Fool, the Seven Fools Joking" (1921). The work was staged at Diaghilev's entreprise, as well as the following works: "Steel Skok" (1927) and "Prodigal Son" (1929). So in the world there is a new outstanding ballet composer - Prokofiev. The ballet "Romeo and Juliet" (1938) became the pinnacle of his work. Today this work is staged in all the best theaters in the world. Later he creates another masterpiece - the ballet "Cinderella". Prokofiev was able to realize his hidden lyricism and melodiousness in his best works.

"Romeo and Juliet"

In 1935, the composer turned to the classical plot of Shakespeare. For two years he has been writing a new type of work, so even in such material the innovator Prokofiev is manifested. The ballet "Romeo and Juliet" is a choreographic drama in which the composer recedes from the established canons. First, he decided that the end of history would be happy, which was not consistent with the literary source. Secondly, he decided to focus not on the dance beginning, but on the psychology of the development of images. This approach was very unusual for choreographers and performers, so the way the ballet took the stage took a long five years.

"Cinderella"

The ballet "Cinderella" Prokofiev wrote for 5 years - the most lyrical of his work. In 1944 the composition was completed and a year later it was staged at the Bolshoi Theater. This product is distinguished by the subtle psychological character of images, music is characterized by sincerity and complex multidimensionality. The image of the heroine is revealed through deep feelings and complex feelings. In the creation of the images of the courtiers, stepmother and her daughters, the sarcasm of the composer was manifested. Neoclassical stylization of negative characters has become an additional expressive feature of the work.

Symphonies

In total, the composer wrote seven symphonies for his life. In his work, Sergei Prokofiev himself identified four main lines. The first is classical, which is connected with the comprehension of the traditional principles of musical thinking. This line is represented by the symphony No. 1 in D major, which the author himself called "classical". The second line is innovative, connected with the composer's experiments. It includes symphony No. 2 in D minor. 3 and 4 symphonies are closely connected with theatrical creativity. 5 and 6 appeared as a result of the military experiences of the composer. The seventh symphony began with reflections on life, the desire for simplicity.

Instrumental music

The composer's legacy includes more than 10 instrumental concerts, about 10 sonatas, many plays, opuses, etudes. The third line of creativity Prokofiev - lyrical, is represented mainly by instrumental works. These include the first violin concerto, plays "Dreams", "Legends", "Grandma's Tales". In his creative baggage there is an innovative sonata for violin solo in D major, which was written in 1947. Works of different periods reflect the evolution of the author's creative method: from sharp innovation to lyricism and simplicity. His sonata for flute number 2 is now a classic work for many performers. It is distinguished by melodic harmony, spirituality and soft wind rhythm.

Prokofiev's works for piano were a huge part of his heritage, their original style made the works extremely popular among pianists around the world.

Other works

The composer in his work turned to the largest musical forms: cantatas and oratorios. The first cantata "Seven of them" was written by him in 1917 on the verses of K. Balmont and became a vivid experiment. Later he wrote eight more major works, among which the cantata "Songs of Our Days", the oratorio "The Guardian of Peace." Prokofiev's works for children constitute a special chapter in his work. In 1935 Natalia Sats asked him to write something for her theater. Prokofiev with interest responds to this idea and creates the famous symphonic fairy tale "Petya and the Wolf", which became an unusual experiment of the author. Another page of the biography of the composer is Prokofiev's music for the cinema. His filmography is 8 paintings, each of which became a serious symphonic work.

After 1948, the composer is in a creative crisis, the works of this period are not very successful, with the exception of some. Creativity composer today is recognized as classical, it is studied and performed a lot.