WINTER CONCERT PROGRAM NOTES: SERGEI PROKOFIEV: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1

Posted on March 5, 2022

SERGEI PROKOFIEV: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (1891-1953) was born in Sontsovka, Ukraine. Born to an agricultural family in a small village, Prokofiev was exposed to local folk tunes and peasant songs from a young age which often infiltrated his musical works later on in life. His mother, a pianist, saw potential in the young boy and regularly sent him to Moscow for mentoring and opera viewing. In 1904, he was accepted into the St. Petersburg Conservatory where he was considered by many to be one of the most creative composers of his time. Upon graduation from the conservatory, he was granted the Anton Rubenstein award for his performance of the Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat Major.

Finished when Prokofiev was only 20, this piano concerto was the epitome of unorthodox yet powerful composition. His militaristic treatment of rhythm and use of bizarre harmonic patterns created a musical work that broke the traditional standards of score writing. With only one movement divided into three major sections, the only semblance of a traditional classical concerto was the sonata-like structure with a quick opening and ending alongside a more pensive middle movement. The piano writing in this piece was treated more as a percussive instrument rather than the conventional, flowing music writing that composers of his time often created.

During his final year at St. Petersburg, he performed this concerto for the conservatory’s competition, which came under much controversy as every other musician performed a famous work such as those by Beethoven or Rachmaninoff. Nonetheless, his composition won him first place which jumpstarted his career as both a pianist and a composer. Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto   No. 1 in D-flat Major set the precedent for his future works as a progressive and innovative writer. Even after his death in 1953, the popularity of his works only grew, leaving a lasting mark on Russian composition to this day.
Michael Gu, 2022