Clarification: when I mention Prokofiev being "overlooked" at the end, I mean primarily from the standpoint of both theoretical analysis. In terms of what Russian composers were household names around the time of his death, he ranked only behind Stravinsky and Shostakovich, who I mentioned.
Was Rachmaninoff generally unknown sir? I mention him as he is one of my favourite composers and I think I read somewhere that he and SP did not like each other very much. Blessings and peace
@@georgealderson4424 He was! My initial comment was just about composers who were also alive at Prokofiev's death, although upon re-reading it, I certainly did not make that clear.
@@ClassicalNerd Thank you sir. I am sorry and apologise if you felt I was being critical which was certainly not my intention as I am not worthy. I was really just curious to know about SVR's standing in the world at the time - talking of which it is 4am in UK and I ought to leave you in peace to make more excellent videos. Thank you. Blessings and peace as always.
I have more favourites by Prokofiev than any other composer: Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Lieutenant Kije, Alexander Nevsky, Peter and the Wolf, Ivan The Terrible, War And Peace, the Classical Symphony and the 5th symphony, the two violin concertos, the two violin sonatas, the piano concertos 1 to 3, the piano sonatas 6,7 & 8, the suite from The Love For Three Oranges and the October Cantata. An extraordinary body of work.
Enjoyable video CN. I love Prokofiev's 5th, 6th symphonies. His woodwind orchestration is to me exceptional. And he creates some atmospheres and moods hard to find anywhere else, IMO.
That is true. Have you listened to some of his other symphonies? Try the 3rd one, there are some absolutely marvelous passages in the 1st movement at the end as well as some extremely weird ones especially during the 3rd movement. The 2nd symphony is my favorite though, I had to listen to it many times before I actually understood then appreciate then fallen in love with :D
I have been listening a lot to Prokofiev's music the past couple of months. A fascinating and complex composer. I love the piano sonatas. I just listened to the second symphony which I'd say is just as revolutionary as Rite of Spring
I had just discovered Prokofiev this morning when his piece Cinderella's Waltz appeared in a recommended Spotify playlist. I loved it and have been listening to/ researching him all day. My initial thought of Cinderella's Waltz was that it resembled a heavily diluted take on Danse Macabre.
Came across my cd of Peter and the Wolf from my childhood. The only work I know of this composer. Thank you for this biography, this video should have way more views than it has.
Prokofiev is my favorite composer. I like his ballet score for "Romeo and Juliet" "Overture on Hebrew Themes" his film score for "Alexander Nevsky" and all his symphonies. His music is very accessible. And I would argue that his musical score for "Peter and the Wolf" is better known by the general public than anything by Stravinsky or Shostakovitch.
Sergei Prokofiev's mother went to a quite prestigious high school in St. Petersburg and her dad was an estate manager. So definitely, she was not from a poor family. Serf in Russian Empire did not mean necessary a poor person.
Some serfs were singled out for the arts. The serf orchestra and the serf theater troupe were just about the only live entertainment out there on the vast Ukraine steppes. SP's mother must have displayed some early musical abilities. And she passed them on to her only son. Like Franklin Roosevelt and Frank Lloyd Wright, SP had a mother who cherished grand ambitions for her son.
My favourite composer after Mussorgsky. Today I dreamed, that my brother played Prokofiev's Piano 3rd sight-reading it. My brother doesn't play piano, by the way:DDD
Prokofiev is one of my favorite composers. FYI, "Ukraine" does not have a "the" before it. Even though eastern Ukraine was part of Russia at the time of his birth, it is currently part of Ukraine's internationally recognized borders. His home village is near Donetsk, and currently right at the front lines of the war. In fact, the nearby Sergei Prokofiev International Airport (serving Donetsk city) was destroyed by Russia during their campaign to take over Donetsk Oblast, and many brutal battles have taken place there. The site that was the airport is very near the fight for Avdiivka, which is currently under Ukrainian control. I know this has little to do with Prokofiev, however, it is to me, an interesting bit of history in the making. Perhaps Russia can help end the war by just going home. One of the most exciting performances I have ever been to was the finals of the Cliburn Competition with Prokofiev 3. It was electric!!!! Almost as good as Olga Kern's Rach 3 in the finals. Sadly, I couldn't hear this year's winner play R3. The video had me cheering!
Suggestion: Could you do a video on Natalya Sats? Here is an album for your enjoyment:th-cam.com/video/USlrE6MfA-M/w-d-xo.html: Thank You for all your videos
I'm not sure that was quite the point of comparison; Stravinsky was trying to say that Prokofiev was an idiot when it came to any subject other than music.
Classical Nerd i assume in that case he meant generally speaking. Whenever anyone calls someone else an idiot they never mean in every single field. I don't know how good at academia Prokofiev was, nor even how good at chess he was, so i'm not saying you're wrong or Stravinsky's wrong. I just mean i imagine Stravonsky meant in the broadest sense that Prokofiev had little academic faculties or knowledge of other art forms. If i said to my friend 'you're an idiot, except for in mathematics' and he responded 'no, i can also cook' i think it's more him missing the point. Again, not contesting either of you, just saying the fact that Prokofiev may be good at chess doesn't exactly refute Stravinsky's claim. It only refutes it on a very basic, pedantic, level
Perhaps part of the issue is that I wanted to include the fact that Prokofiev was great at chess in a way that naturally flowed with the script and wasn't just shoehorned in somewhere else. Prokofiev was always a very good student at the Conservatory, but that program was-of course-hyper-focused on music. Stravinsky's criticism was inherently unfair because a lack of knowledge or training in a given area is not equivalent to incompetence in said area. So Stravinsky may have been referring to the fact that Prokofiev wasn't especially well-rounded in his higher education ... but then again, neither was Stravinsky. There's also the argument to be made that Stravinsky was referring to Prokofiev's decision to move back to the Soviet Union as an example of idiocy, even though that was a multifaceted decision that concerned money and his family, not just pure homesickness. While that-especially with the benefit of hindsight-was not the smartest decision to make, none of us can be in Prokofiev's shoes.
It really is a shame that Prokofiev didn't live beyond Stalin's reign of terror. Imagine the kind of music he would have written if he weren't living under Stalinist rule!
Clarification: when I mention Prokofiev being "overlooked" at the end, I mean primarily from the standpoint of both theoretical analysis. In terms of what Russian composers were household names around the time of his death, he ranked only behind Stravinsky and Shostakovich, who I mentioned.
Was Rachmaninoff generally unknown sir? I mention him as he is one of my favourite composers and I think I read somewhere that he and SP did not like each other very much. Blessings and peace
@@georgealderson4424 He was! My initial comment was just about composers who were also alive at Prokofiev's death, although upon re-reading it, I certainly did not make that clear.
@@ClassicalNerd Thank you sir. I am sorry and apologise if you felt I was being critical which was certainly not my intention as I am not worthy. I was really just curious to know about SVR's standing in the world at the time - talking of which it is 4am in UK and I ought to leave you in peace to make more excellent videos. Thank you.
Blessings and peace as always.
I have more favourites by Prokofiev than any other composer: Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Lieutenant Kije, Alexander Nevsky, Peter and the Wolf, Ivan The Terrible, War And Peace, the Classical Symphony and the 5th symphony, the two violin concertos, the two violin sonatas, the piano concertos 1 to 3, the piano sonatas 6,7 & 8, the suite from The Love For Three Oranges and the October Cantata. An extraordinary body of work.
ty for the list
Enjoyable video CN. I love Prokofiev's 5th, 6th symphonies. His woodwind orchestration is to me exceptional.
And he creates some atmospheres and moods hard to find anywhere else, IMO.
That is true. Have you listened to some of his other symphonies? Try the 3rd one, there are some absolutely marvelous passages in the 1st movement at the end as well as some extremely weird ones especially during the 3rd movement. The 2nd symphony is my favorite though, I had to listen to it many times before I actually understood then appreciate then fallen in love with :D
I adore his piano concertos! Thank you for this video!
I have been listening a lot to Prokofiev's music the past couple of months. A fascinating and complex composer. I love the piano sonatas. I just listened to the second symphony which I'd say is just as revolutionary as Rite of Spring
I had just discovered Prokofiev this morning when his piece Cinderella's Waltz appeared in a recommended Spotify playlist. I loved it and have been listening to/ researching him all day. My initial thought of Cinderella's Waltz was that it resembled a heavily diluted take on Danse Macabre.
Came across my cd of Peter and the Wolf from my childhood. The only work I know of this composer. Thank you for this biography, this video should have way more views than it has.
Prokofiev is my favorite composer. I like his ballet score for "Romeo and Juliet" "Overture on Hebrew Themes" his film score for "Alexander Nevsky" and all his symphonies. His music is very accessible. And I would argue that his musical score for "Peter and the Wolf" is better known by the general public than anything by Stravinsky or Shostakovitch.
Fantastic video. Thank you
Sergei Prokofiev's mother went to a quite prestigious high school in St. Petersburg and her dad was an estate manager. So definitely, she was not from a poor family. Serf in Russian Empire did not mean necessary a poor person.
Some serfs were singled out for the arts. The serf orchestra and the serf theater troupe were just about the only live entertainment out there on the vast Ukraine steppes. SP's mother must have displayed some early musical abilities. And she passed them on to her only son. Like Franklin Roosevelt and Frank Lloyd Wright, SP had a mother who cherished grand ambitions for her son.
You need to add Ottorino Respighi to this great playlist! Great Videos!
You're the fourth to request Respighi: lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html
Thumbs up, though. Keep these biographies coming!
Thanx, Maestro 🌹🌹🌹
I just saw War & Peace at the opera : just marvelous !
France and Russia's "Continent spanning bromance"
Subscribed.
This was fantastic help for my research project. Thank you so much.
Great video, I found all the informations I needed just here
More requests: Great Pieces-Enigma Variations & Pictures at the Exhibition; Vieuxtemps, Nancarrow, Elmer Bernstein, Lalo and D'Indy
Updated.
Really nice video!
Have you already done something about Ligeti? (Or about me)
Ligeti has been done already and i already Let Thomas put you into the request pool 😊
Ligeti can be found at watch?v=IQfcE4SQ8jI, and Mereaux has been bumped up in the request pool.
My favourite composer after Mussorgsky. Today I dreamed, that my brother played Prokofiev's Piano 3rd sight-reading it. My brother doesn't play piano, by the way:DDD
GREAT VIDEO !!
could you do a video on carl tausig? i know he was mainly a pianist, but he did compose some!
Duly noted: lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html
I have recently heard of a composer named "Roger Sessions," and I think it would be interesting to see a video about him if you can, please.
You're the second to request Sessions, and he's moved up in the pool. (My orchestration professor studied with him, so I've heard plenty of stories!)
Lat's not forget his perennial (popularized by Greg Lake) Christmas theme...
Yes! finally
Your videos are absolutely fantastic! Could you pls do one about Wilhelm Berger (1861-1911) ?
I think he was a genius.....
Berger has been added to the request pool: lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html
This history misses an important topic: Prokofiev’s Hollywood, film scores.
One more original request: Pablo Casals
Casals has been added.
nice
Pleeez do Rued Langgaard!
Already duly noted.
you should do Mozart!
Mozart has been bumped up in the request pool!
Which version of Peter and the Wolf do you prefer: 1946 Disney version, 2006 Oscar winner or other?
I've never come across a "definitive" Peter and the Wolf; I really find something enjoyable in every production I've seen!
Do you have an Instagram for the channel?
I have a personal Instagram, but not one for the channel. What might I put there? Episode clips?
You should do George Enescu
You're the second to request Enescu and he's been bumped up: www.lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html
Prokofiev is one of my favorite composers. FYI, "Ukraine" does not have a "the" before it. Even though eastern Ukraine was part of Russia at the time of his birth, it is currently part of Ukraine's internationally recognized borders. His home village is near Donetsk, and currently right at the front lines of the war. In fact, the nearby Sergei Prokofiev International Airport (serving Donetsk city) was destroyed by Russia during their campaign to take over Donetsk Oblast, and many brutal battles have taken place there. The site that was the airport is very near the fight for Avdiivka, which is currently under Ukrainian control. I know this has little to do with Prokofiev, however, it is to me, an interesting bit of history in the making. Perhaps Russia can help end the war by just going home.
One of the most exciting performances I have ever been to was the finals of the Cliburn Competition with Prokofiev 3. It was electric!!!! Almost as good as Olga Kern's Rach 3 in the finals. Sadly, I couldn't hear this year's winner play R3. The video had me cheering!
Art Tatum would be great too, as already mentioned ;)
Tatum has moved up in the request pool!
Suggestion: Could you do a video on Natalya Sats? Here is an album for your enjoyment:th-cam.com/video/USlrE6MfA-M/w-d-xo.html: Thank You for all your videos
Duly noted: lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html
Can you add Art Tatum to your pool
Tatum has been added.
I think you should mention 5th Symphony and Romeo and Juliet. At least.
I don't know if being a decent chess player substitutes for an academic education
I'm not sure that was quite the point of comparison; Stravinsky was trying to say that Prokofiev was an idiot when it came to any subject other than music.
Classical Nerd i assume in that case he meant generally speaking. Whenever anyone calls someone else an idiot they never mean in every single field. I don't know how good at academia Prokofiev was, nor even how good at chess he was, so i'm not saying you're wrong or Stravinsky's wrong. I just mean i imagine Stravonsky meant in the broadest sense that Prokofiev had little academic faculties or knowledge of other art forms.
If i said to my friend 'you're an idiot, except for in mathematics' and he responded 'no, i can also cook' i think it's more him missing the point.
Again, not contesting either of you, just saying the fact that Prokofiev may be good at chess doesn't exactly refute Stravinsky's claim. It only refutes it on a very basic, pedantic, level
Perhaps part of the issue is that I wanted to include the fact that Prokofiev was great at chess in a way that naturally flowed with the script and wasn't just shoehorned in somewhere else.
Prokofiev was always a very good student at the Conservatory, but that program was-of course-hyper-focused on music. Stravinsky's criticism was inherently unfair because a lack of knowledge or training in a given area is not equivalent to incompetence in said area. So Stravinsky may have been referring to the fact that Prokofiev wasn't especially well-rounded in his higher education ... but then again, neither was Stravinsky.
There's also the argument to be made that Stravinsky was referring to Prokofiev's decision to move back to the Soviet Union as an example of idiocy, even though that was a multifaceted decision that concerned money and his family, not just pure homesickness. While that-especially with the benefit of hindsight-was not the smartest decision to make, none of us can be in Prokofiev's shoes.
@@jimmyalderson1639 Hello "namesake!" Are you from Northern England?
Good lecture, but more graphics should have been used. Watching a lecturer make gestures, doesn't do it. We're not stuck in a classroom here.
This video is two years old. Production quality has improved since then.
How do you read books without images? :DD
cudgel
It's a great word.
What a coincidence that Prokofiev and Stalin died on the same day 👀 I smell some foul play here lmao (jk)
It really is a shame that Prokofiev didn't live beyond Stalin's reign of terror. Imagine the kind of music he would have written if he weren't living under Stalinist rule!
@@ClassicalNerdand then shoshtokovich choose to go at Prokofiev's funeral.
I wish to see a programme on prokofiev , not the presenter!!
If you'd like, you can always listen to the video while scrolling through the Google Images results for "Sergei Prokofiev."