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Product Description
Product Description
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953) composed some of this century's most widely loved music, be it the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" or his work for children, "Peter and the Wolf". Yet due to his itinerant lifestyle and the secrecy that cloaked his final years in the USSR, he remains one of the least written about or understood musicians of this century. At the St Petersburg Conservatory he soon gained notoriety as a gifted enfant terrible with his fiery piano-playing and 'modern' compositions. He became friends with many of Russia's leading cultural figures including Maxim Gorky; equally crucial were his relationships with the impresario Sergey Diaghilev and fellow composer Igor Stravinsky, who admired but were wary of Prokofiev's precocious talent.Prokofiev left Russia after the 1917 Revolution, and bedazzled western audiences with his hard-edged, virtuoso performances on the piano and exuberantly colourful scores such as the opera "The Love for Three Oranges" and his Third Piano Concerto. He then astonished the world by returning to the USSR in 1936 at the height of Stalin's notorious purges. Initially cosseted and feted by the Soviet state, Prokofiev was profoundly shaken by the arrest of several leading cultural figures as well as some of his friends. Against this terrible background Prokofiev composed some of his greatest scores, the First Violin Sonata and his Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6, before he himself was berated for writing anti-Soviet 'formalist' music in 1948. Demoralized, and suffering poor health, Prokofiev died five years later, ironically on the same evening as his chief persecutor, Joseph Stalin.This comprehensive biography, which contains several hitherto unpublished illustrations, combines an intimate portrait of Prokofiev and his circle with a lucid account of the political events that shaped his career.
About the Author
Daniel Jaffe is a freelance music journalist, specializing in 20th-century music, and is currently the Reviews Editor at Classic CD magazine
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am not an unbiased reader as I am very well acquainted with the writer of this book but I am surprised that more fuss has not been made about it. Oleg Prokoviev, younger son of the composer, thought it the best biography of his father published in English. It is beautifully written, lucid, colourful and approachable in style making it as good a read for the non-specialist as for those better acquainted with the musician and his work. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I quite agree with 'A Customer'. This is an excellent introduction to the life and work of Prokofiev. The life story is well told - and what an interesting and ultimately sad story it is, with the composer's return to Stalin's Russia and the difficulties and constraints that brought - and the book is particularly good on accessible and helpful analysis of the music. It is also authoritative. Prokofiev wrote a great deal of music which is hardly ever heard (and indeed in some cases hardly ever heard of here in the West). As a result of this book I have explored some of that music and have found this a fascinating and enriching experience. Jaffe is, in that respect, a very good guide. He fired up my enthusiasm, and I went on to read Simon Morrison's 'Prokofiev : The People's Artist', a stunning (and very readable) work of scholarship, but Jaffe's book is the one to start with, covering as it does the whole of the composer's life and career in what I found to be an engaging and enlightening way. Very warmly recommended.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
best single volume on Prokofiev
24 Oct 2002
Format:Paperback
This is another solid entry in Phaidon's 20th Century Composers series -- heavy-stock paper and great photos (including one of his first performance of "Peter and the Wolf" for a group of children) add to Jaffe's text. Jaffe offers the best answer I've found (searching through several books) to the question of why Prokofiev returned to Russia at the height of Stalin's terror. Apparently it was a combination of homesickness, vanity, political naivete, and aesthetic theory. The Soviet regime promised Prokofiev an exceptional privileged status, which appealed to his vanity -- he was overshadowed by Stravinsky in the West, where he never felt he was properly appreciated. And the turn to "social realism," forced on Soviet artists by Stalin, coincided with Prokofiev's voluntary turn away from modernism toward simplicity, melody, and populist narratives. I enjoy both the early and late Prokofiev, but I can see the point of those who claim that his later works are more accomplished. While his music is not on the cutting edge, and thus he was never a critics' darling, Prokofiev's music is marvelous.
This is the best single book available at the moment for anyone who wants to know more about one of the greatest early 20th century composers!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A Great Overview - Short but Sweet
2 Jan 2006
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I must admit that this is the first biography of Prokofiev that I have ever read. Jaffe must have been mindful of the book's length. I would guess that the good folks at Phaidon told him to 'keep it short.' As such, he moves rather quickly through the events of Prokofiev's life, with occassional commentary on important works and insight into Prokofievs' character and personality.
With that in mind I would say that it is a great first Prokofiev bio to read. Having read it I would now like to read more of the details and the personal accounts of what happened.
Jaffe writes with authority, I can tell he has really done his research!
With that in mind I would say that it is a great first Prokofiev bio to read. Having read it I would now like to read more of the details and the personal accounts of what happened.
Jaffe writes with authority, I can tell he has really done his research!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
an accurate and essential biography
8 Sep 2001
Format:Paperback
This is an accurate,clear and very well documented Biography
that is worth for everyone who is interested in the composer and accessible to the uninitiated.
The requirement for brevity compelled the author to
fly rather fast over Prokofiev childood. The best and most amazing source for this period is the composer own autobiography
Prokofiev by Prokofiev now unavailable. I suggest to read both if you can find Prokofiev own autobiography used or in a public library.
The early years are very essential and enlightening even if not from a strict musicologist point of view.
The photos in this book are very beautiful and well coupled with the text. In some cases they speak alone.For example the very expressing '46 photo with other soviet composers included Shostakovich is worth the price of the book for an almost fanatic Prokofiev(&Shostakovich) lover.
Personally I would have prefered a less fastened and concise
overlook. Such a life deserves a narration that leaves you breathless. This is not achieved by Jaffé biography.
He gives well structured information but he doesn't pretend to offer good literature . I would have both, but maybe I ask too
much and the alternatives aren't better written,for what I know(they 're only less concise and more aproximative). Probably only the massive Dorigné Biography (available only in french) can stand up.
So I strongly suggest this book.
that is worth for everyone who is interested in the composer and accessible to the uninitiated.
The requirement for brevity compelled the author to
fly rather fast over Prokofiev childood. The best and most amazing source for this period is the composer own autobiography
Prokofiev by Prokofiev now unavailable. I suggest to read both if you can find Prokofiev own autobiography used or in a public library.
The early years are very essential and enlightening even if not from a strict musicologist point of view.
The photos in this book are very beautiful and well coupled with the text. In some cases they speak alone.For example the very expressing '46 photo with other soviet composers included Shostakovich is worth the price of the book for an almost fanatic Prokofiev(&Shostakovich) lover.
Personally I would have prefered a less fastened and concise
overlook. Such a life deserves a narration that leaves you breathless. This is not achieved by Jaffé biography.
He gives well structured information but he doesn't pretend to offer good literature . I would have both, but maybe I ask too
much and the alternatives aren't better written,for what I know(they 're only less concise and more aproximative). Probably only the massive Dorigné Biography (available only in french) can stand up.
So I strongly suggest this book.
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