MUSIC OF NOTE ♫
ELIZABETH HANDLEY’S
HISTORY AND APPRECIATION OF MUSIC LECTURES, COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
C. BALLET LECTURES
- PROKOFIEV’S Cinderella
(Musical illustrations only)
This is a “ballet appreciation” lecture, compiled and presented, along with several dancers, to the audience at the Johannesburg Theatre in preparation for the performances of one of Prokofiev’s most popular ballets.
While most theatre-goers are familiar with Prokofiev’s musical story Peter and the Wolf and his ballet Romeo & Juliet, few are familiar with the circumstances under which he was working during the Soviet regime. We examine these circumstances, which developed in the wake of the 1917 Russian Revolution under the iron hand of Stalin, as well as Maxim Gorky’s philosophy of “socialist realism”.
The ballet is placed into the context of Prokofiev’s life, and the background to the ballet is explored. We focus on the five principal elements of his style, and the musical themes representing each of the main characters.
We conclude with a summing up of Prokofiev’s significance as a 20th century composer, and the subsequent influence he exerted on succeeding generations of composers both in Russia and abroad.
