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 ...

's Piano Sonata No. 8 in B major, Op. 84 is a

sonata Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cant ...

for solo piano, the third and longest of the three "war sonatas", with performances typically lasting around 30 minutes. He completed it in 1944 and dedicated it to his partner

Mira Mendelson Mariya-Cecilia Abramovna Mendelson-Prokofieva ( rus, Мари́я-Цеци́лия Абра́мовна Мендельсо́н-Проко́фьева), typically referred to as Mira Mendelson ( rus, Ми́ра Алекса́ндровна Мен ...

, who later became his second wife. The sonata was first performed on 30 December 1944, in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, by

Emil Gilels Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (Russian: Эми́ль Григо́рьевич Ги́лельс; 19 October 1916 – 14 October 1985) was a Russian pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time. Early life and educatio ...

Movements

The sonata has three movements.

I. Andante dolce — Allegro moderato

The movement begins with a lyrical theme. The key is B major, but the sense of tonality is weak due to Prokofiev's frequent modulations to remote keys. Next is a theme in G minor that goes through a series of modulations which prepares the development section. The development section is tonally unstable and propelled by motoric rhythms. Another theme emerges, leading into a reprise of the first theme, followed by a truncated reprise of the development section, this time in

B-flat minor B-flat minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has five flats. Its relative major is D-flat major and its parallel major is B-flat major. Its enharmonic equivalent, A-sharp m ...

. The movement ends in B major.

II. Andante sognando

In this brief movement, Prokofiev uses a theme from his then unperformed

melodramatic A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

adaptation of ''Eugene Onegin''.

III. Vivace

The movement begins with a driving theme in several arpeggios, introducing one of the main themes, in B major. Tonality is weak, as the very next theme is in A minor. After a brief return to B major, it then introduces another theme in the key of B major. Then another theme enters, this one in C major. After the initial section, the piece enters into a waltz-like portion that is in D major. The movement segues into a much quieter section, alternating in D major and C-sharp minor. Throughout this section, the left hand includes references to the waltz-like section. Then after this section, the A minor theme returns, building into the return of the opening theme. The final section combines nearly all of the elements that have come before. Tonality is still weak. The C major theme enters, transposed to B major. Then the A minor theme returns, also transposed to B major. There is a new theme, building up to a

coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

in B major.

References

External links

Prokofiev's Sonata No. 8 on Classical Connect.
*
Video - Prokofiev Piano Sonata No 8 - Complete (28:19)
*

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 ...

Piano Sonata No 8 in B major, Opus 84 (1944).
Video - Prokofiev Piano Sonata No 8 mvt 1/score (06:28).

Video - Prokofiev Piano Sonata No 8 mvt 2/score (03:51).

Video - Prokofiev Piano Sonata No 8 mvt 3/score (09:56)(8:58)(10:35).
{{Authority control Compositions by Sergei Prokofiev Piano sonatas by Sergei Prokofiev 20th-century classical music 1944 compositions Compositions in B-flat major Piano compositions in the 20th century