[log in to unmask] writes:

>Question: Was Prokofiev considered a Soviet composer? What I mean by
>"Soviet composer" is someone who composed music that was acceptable to the
>leadership.  I vaguely recall that he was, but I'm not sure.  It doesn't
>really matter to me if he was or wasn't.  I like the music.  I'm just
>curious.

Well, yes...and no.  He initially left the Soviet during the turbulent
revolutionary years, then returned when it was apparent he would be feted
far more at home than abroad.  What he didn't count upon was that Soviet
praise, awards, money, etc, were tied to tacking his musical ship to the
political climate.

So Prokofiev basked in Soviet approval for a while, then made a few
missteps, and felt the sharp edge of Soviet disapproval.  (He was one
of the small core of elite composers singled out in the late 40's and
early 50's for attacks in public and at Committee meetings by the party
aparachiks as "formalistic.") But being a rather sarcastic and unpleasant
sort of person in realife, he had little in the way of a personal safety
net made up of friends and colleagues who would stick by him when the going
got rough.

I've heard it said that Prokofiev was floored by the harsh establishment
criticism he received, and never fully recovered.  Certainly his last
big works were more tentative, and supposedly he was asking the opinions
of others before allowing performances; and several works went through
elaborate revisions that nothing concluded-- something new for Prokofiev.

Balance for balance:  Prokofiev never would have received the financial and
ego support he needed to write in the style he did, when he did, anywhere
outside of the Soviet.  And he never would have received the censurement
and attempts at social control he did, anywhere outside of the Soviet.

Barry Brenesal