Biography
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953), born in Sontsivka in Ukraine, was among the most distinctive voices of twentieth-century music and one of the few composers to move fluidly between Russia, Western Europe, and America across tumultuous political periods. Prokofiev achieved early fame with the First Piano Concerto and the sarcastic-brilliant early piano works; his Classical Symphony (1917) foreshadowed the neoclassical movement. After the Russian Revolution he lived in the West for nearly two decades before returning permanently to the Soviet Union in 1936—a decision that would constrain and damage his later career. His major works include the ballets Romeo and Juliet (1938) and Cinderella (1945), the film scores for Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible, Peter and the Wolf, and his Fifth Symphony. Prokofiev died in Moscow on 5 March 1953—the same day as Stalin. His death was almost unnoticed in the upheaval.
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