Prokofjev

Prokofjev, often transliterated Prokofiev, was a Russian composer and pianist who became one of the leading figures of 20th‑century classical music. Born in 1891 in Sontsivka, then part of the Russian Empire (now in Ukraine), he studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory and developed a distinctive voice that combined direct melodic writing with brisk, energetic rhythms.

His output spans symphonies, ballets, operas, and film music. Notable works include the Scythian Suite (1915) and the Classical Symphony, Op. 25 (No. 1, 1917); the ballets Romeo and Juliet (1935) and The Prodigal Son (1929); the opera The Love for Three Oranges (1919); the orchestral suite and score Lieutenant Kijé (1934); the film score Alexander Nevsky (1938); and the children’s piece Peter and the Wolf (1936). His Symphony No. 5, composed in the mid‑1940s, is among his best known orchestral works.

Prokofjev spent substantial periods abroad after leaving the Soviet Union in 1918, working in the United States and Western Europe before returning to the Soviet Union in 1936. In the late 1940s he faced official criticism regarding perceived modernist tendencies, but he continued to compose ambitiously, producing large‑scale works such as War and Peace (opera, premiered 1946) and further orchestral and choral music until his death in Moscow in 1953.

His music is celebrated for its rhythmic vitality, inventive orchestration, and ability to blend modernist elements with accessible, storytelling qualities. Prokofjev’s influence extends across cinema, ballet, and concert music, securing a lasting place in the standard repertoire.