The Cello Sonata in
C major
C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...
,
Op. 119, was composed by
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
in 1949. The year before, Prokofiev was accused of formalism by the
Zhdanov Decree
The Zhdanov Doctrine (also called Zhdanovism or Zhdanovshchina; russian: доктрина Жданова, ждановизм, ждановщина) was a Soviet cultural doctrine developed by Central Committee secretary Andrei Zhdanov in 1946. I ...
and much of his music was banned. However, he continued to compose music, though he was not sure if his new works would ever be performed in public.
In 1949, Prokofiev attended a concert in which
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...
performed
Nikolai Miaskovsky's Cello Sonata No. 2 in A minor, Op. 81.
Prokofiev was so impressed by Rostropovich's performance that he was determined to write a
cello sonata for him. At the same time, Prokofiev wrote the symphonic suite ''Winter Bonfire'', Op. 122, the ballet ''
The Tale of the Stone Flower'', Op. 118, and the ''
Pushkin Waltzes'', Op. 120. The Cello Sonata was published in Moscow in 1951.
Structure
The sonata is structured in three movements:
# ''Andante grave'' (C major)
# ''Moderato'' (
F major
F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor
F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...
)
# ''Allegro, ma non troppo'' (C major)
A typical performance lasts for about 25 minutes.
Performance
The work was premiered on 1 March 1950, in the Small Hall of the
Moscow Conservatory with Rostropovich and pianist
Sviatoslav Richter. In his memoirs Richter wrote:
We gave the first performance of Prokofiev's Cello Sonata. Before playing it in concert, we had to perform it at the Composer's Union, where these gentlemen decided the fate of all new works. During this period more than any other, they needed to work out whether Prokofiev had produced a new masterpiece or, conversely, a piece that was 'hostile to the spirit of the people.' Three months later, we had to play it again at a plenary session of all the composers who sat on the Radio Committee, and it wasn't until the following year that we were able to perform it in public, in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory on March 1, 1950.[PROGRAM NOTES Recital William De Rosa and Noreen Cassidy Polera]
, September 1, 2005
In his diary Miaskovsky hailed the occasion: "Yesterday Rostropovich and Richter openly played the Cello Sonata by Prokofiev in concert - a miraculous piece of music!"
Notes
External links
*
* Prokofiev: Cello Sonata in C major, Opus 119 (1949).
*
Video - Prokofiev Cello Sonata - mvt 1 (10:56).*
Video - Prokofiev Cello Sonata - mvt 2 (04:56).*
Video - Prokofiev Cello Sonata - mvt 3 (09:00).
{{Authority control
Chamber music by Sergei Prokofiev
Prokofiev
1949 compositions
Compositions in C major