Prokofiev--A Biography: From Russia to the West, 1891-1935
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- Synopsis
- Since 1991--the year that marked both the fall of the Soviet Union and the centenary of Sergey Prokofiev's birth--a new assessment of the life and work of this remarkable and often elusive composer has become both possible and necessary. For this definitive study David Nice has drawn on an unprecedented range of new archival material, manuscripts of works previously unexamined and interviews. This book follows Prokofiev's personal and musical journey from his childhood on a Ukrainian country estate to the years he spent travelling in America and Europe as an acclaimed interpreter of his own works. Nice sheds new light on the striking compositions of Prokofiev's early years, his training at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and the circumstances of his departure from Russia in 1918 for what the composer thought would be a short tour of America. Through letters and documents, a thorough picture is also presented of his marriage and family relationships. Nice re-evaluates the music of Prokofiev's years in the west and traces his unique approach to new melodic thinking from the early works through the more complicated music of the early 1930s and on to the fresh simplicity of his early Soviet scores. He also examines the complex reasons that led Prokofiev to move his family to the Soviet Union in 1936. For coverage of the Soviet years until his death in 1953, see the book "The People's Artist" by Simon Morrison. David Nice is a writer, broadcaster and lecturer on music. He has taught at Goldsmiths College and lectures at Birkbeck College, the University of London, at Morley College and the City Literary Institute. A regular contributor to BBC Radio 3, he produces his own opera channel for Music Choice Europe. He writes for the Guardian and other British newspapers, and reviews on a monthly basis for the BBC Music Magazine. His previous books include short studies of Elgar, Richard Strauss, Tchaikovsky and the history of opera, and he contributed the chapter on Russian conductors for The Cambridge Companion to Conducting.
- Copyright:
- 2003
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Excellent
- Book Size:
- 398 Pages
- ISBN-13:
- 9780300099140
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- Date of Addition:
- 02/01/21
- Copyrighted By:
- David Nice
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Music
- Submitted By:
- Terry Gorman
- Proofread By:
- Terry Gorman
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.