Book Review
Aug. 30th, 2010 09:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariSergey Prokofiev
by Daniel Jaffe
This is another of the straightforward biographies in the Phaidon series. I found it particularly useful, since there aren't a lot of good books on Prokofiev available in English. Prokofiev led a life that would make him an easy target for over-politicization: he emigrated to the West during Russia's revolutionary period, but then returned from his exile in the 1930s. After his return, his relationship to the USSR's leaders and political factions had many ups and downs. When he was in the government's good graces, Prokofiev was celebrated and his music was performed widely. However, when he was out of favor, he faced dangerous condemnation and was unable to get any of his work performed at all, no matter its quality. He did end up writing several propaganda works, but several of his pieces contain sly digs at Stalin and his regime, and even more of his music expresses his deep frustration and unhappiness with his plight. Given these vicissitudes, I very much appreciated Jaffe's even-handed and fair approach to his subject.
by Daniel Jaffe
This is another of the straightforward biographies in the Phaidon series. I found it particularly useful, since there aren't a lot of good books on Prokofiev available in English. Prokofiev led a life that would make him an easy target for over-politicization: he emigrated to the West during Russia's revolutionary period, but then returned from his exile in the 1930s. After his return, his relationship to the USSR's leaders and political factions had many ups and downs. When he was in the government's good graces, Prokofiev was celebrated and his music was performed widely. However, when he was out of favor, he faced dangerous condemnation and was unable to get any of his work performed at all, no matter its quality. He did end up writing several propaganda works, but several of his pieces contain sly digs at Stalin and his regime, and even more of his music expresses his deep frustration and unhappiness with his plight. Given these vicissitudes, I very much appreciated Jaffe's even-handed and fair approach to his subject.
