Sergei Prokofiev

20th Century · 1891–1953

Sergei Prokofiev arrived at the St Petersburg Conservatory a teenage prodigy with a suitcase of his own compositions and a reputation for arrogance he did little to discourage. Born in 1891 in a village in eastern Ukraine, he made his early name as a pianist-composer with steel fingers and a taste for sarcasm, delighting in music that bit as often as it sang.

He left Russia after the 1917 revolution, spending years in America and Paris, then made the fateful choice to return to the Soviet Union in the 1930s. There he wrote some of his most loved music, including the ballet Romeo and Juliet and Peter and the Wolf, a children's tale in which each character is played by a different instrument. He died on March 5, 1953, the same day as Stalin.

Start with Peter and the Wolf, honestly, at any age. Then the Piano Concerto no. 3 for the full glitter and bite.

142 works in the catalog, across 5 genres. Log what you listen to with Opus, the classical music journal for iPhone.

Chamber

5 Melodies for Violin and Piano, op. 35bis
Adagio for Cello and Piano, op. 97bis
Ballade for Cello and Piano in C minor, op. 15
Cello Sonata in C major, op. 119
Eleonora, for harp
Flute Sonata in D major, op. 94
Overture on Hebrew Themes, for clarinet, string quartet and piano, op. 34
Quintet for Oboe, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, and Double Bass in G minor, op. 39
Serenade for Violin and Piano
Sonata for Solo Violin in D major, op. 115
Sonata in C for 2 Violins, op. 56
String Quartet no. 1 in B minor, op. 50
String Quartet no. 2 in F, op. 92, "Kabardinian"
Violin Sonata no. 1 in F minor, op. 80
Violin Sonata no. 2 in D major, op. 94bis

Keyboard

Piano Sonata no. 6 in A, op. 82
Piano Sonata no. 7 in B flat major, op. 83
Piano Sonata no. 8 in B flat major, op. 84
2 Sonatinas, op. 54
3 Pensées, op. 62
3 Pieces, op. 59
3 Pieces, op. 95
3 Pieces, op. 96
4 Etudes, op. 2
4 Pieces, op. 3
4 Pieces, op. 4
4 Pieces, op. 32
5 Sarcasms, op. 17
6 Pieces, op. 52
6 Pieces, op. 102
10 Pieces, op. 12
10 Pieces, op. 97
10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, op. 75
Juvenilia
Music for Children, op. 65
Piano Sonata no. 1 in F minor, op. 1
Piano Sonata no. 2 in D minor, op. 14
Piano Sonata no. 3 in A minor, op. 28, "From Old Notebooks"
Piano Sonata no. 4 in C minor, op. 29
Piano Sonata no. 9 in C major, op. 103
Prelude and Fugue in D minor
Tales of an Old Grandmother, op. 31
Things in Themselves, 2 pieces, op. 45
Toccata, op. 11
Visions fugitives, op. 22
Waltzes

Orchestral

Overture on Hebrew Themes, op. 34 bis
Peter and the Wolf, op. 67 Symphonic fairy tale
Piano Concerto no. 3 in C major, op. 26
Piano Concerto no. 5, op. 55
Romeo and Juliet Suite no. 1, op. 64bis
Romeo and Juliet Suite no. 2, op. 64ter
Scythian Suite, op. 20
Symphony no. 1 in D, op. 25, "Classical"
Symphony no. 5 in B flat major, op. 100
Violin Concerto no. 1 in D major, op. 19
Violin Concerto no. 2 in G minor, op. 63
2 Pushkin Waltzes, op. 120
4 Marches for Brass Band, op. 69
4 Portraits and Dénoument, op. 49
Anthem for Military Band, op. 98
Boris Godunov, incidental music, op. 70 bis
Cello Concerto in E minor, op. 58
Chout, suite from the ballet, op. 21b
Cinderella Suite no. 1, op. 107
Cinderella Suite no. 2, op. 108
Cinderella Suite no. 3, op. 109
Concertino for Cello and Orchestra in G minor, op. 132
Divertissement, op. 43
Dreams, op. 6 Symphonic poem
Egyptian Nights, op. 61
Hamlet, incidental music, op. 77
Le pas d'acier, op. 41 bis
March for Military Band in B flat major, op. 99
Ode to the End of the War, for winds, 8 harps, 4 pianos, brass, percussion and double basses, op. 105
Overture in B flat major, for 17 instruments, op. 42, "American"
Piano Concerto no. 1 in D flat major, op. 10
Piano Concerto no. 2 in G minor, op. 16
Piano Concerto no. 4 in B flat major, op. 53
Romeo and Juliet Suite no. 3, op. 101
Russian Overture, op. 72
Semyon Kotko Op.81 bis
Sinfonia Concertante in E minor, for cello and orchestra, op. 125
Sinfonietta in A major, op. 5
Sinfonietta in A major, op. 48
Summer Day, op. 65bis
Summer Night, op. 123
Symphonic Song, op. 57
Symphony no. 2 in D minor, op. 40
Symphony no. 3 in C minor, op. 44
Symphony no. 6 in E flat minor, op. 111
Symphony no. 7 in C sharp minor, op. 131
The Love for Three Oranges, op. 33 bis
The Year 1941, op. 90
Thirty Years, op. 113
Waltz Suite, op. 110
War and Peace

Stage

Lieutenant Kijé, op. 60 Film score
Alexander Nevsky Film score
Betrothal in a Monastery, op. 86 Opera
Boris Godunov, op. 70bis Incidental music
Chout, op. 21 Ballet
Cinderella, op. 87 Ballet
Egyptian Nights Incidental music
Eugene Onegin, op. 71 Incidental music
Hamlet, op. 77 Incidental music
Ivan the Terrible, op. 116
Maddalena, op. 13 Opera
On the Dnieper, op. 51 Ballet
Pique Dame, op. 70 Film score
Romeo and Juliet, op. 64 Ballet
Semyon Kotko, op. 81 Opera
The Fiery Angel, op. 37 Opera
The Gambler, op. 24 Opera
The Love for Three Oranges, op. 33 Opera
The Prodigal Son, op.46 Ballet
The Tale of the Stone Flower, op. 118 Ballet
War and Peace, op. 91 Opera

Vocal

2 Choruses, op. 66a
2 Duets, for tenor and baritone, op. 106
2 Poems, op. 9
3 Children's Song, op. 68
3 Romances, op. 73
4 Songs, for chorus and piano, op. 66b
5 Poems, op. 23
5 Poems, op. 27
5 Poems, op. 36
5 Songs without Words, op. 35
6 Songs, op. 66
7 Songs, op. 79
7 Songs, op. 89
12 Russian Folksongs, op. 104
Alexander Nevsky, op. 78 Cantata
Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution, for 2 choruses, accordions and orchestra, op. 74
Flourish, Mighty Homeland, op. 114 Cantata
Green Jar, folk song for voice and piano
Hail to Stalin, op. 85 Cantata
On Guard of Peace, for narrator, mezzo-soprano, chorus, boys' chorus and orchestra, op. 124 Oratorio
Soldiers' Marching Song, for chorus and piano, op. 121
Songs of Our Times, for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, op. 76
The Ugly Duckling, op. 18
To My Homeland

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