April 23, 1891:
17:00 Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev is born in Sontsovka (Krasnoye Selo), Yekaterinoslav District, Ukraine, Russian Empire, the third and only surviving child of Sergey Alexeyevich Prokofiev, an agricultural engineer, and Maria Gregoryevna Zhitkov, from a family of former serfs.
September 22, 1904:
Sergey Prokofiev (13) undergoes the entrance examination to the St. Petersburg Conservatory. His examiners include Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (60) and Alyeksandr Glazunov (39). He is accepted.
January 25, 1905:
Three days after Bloody Sunday, Sergey Prokofiev (13) and his mother arrive in St. Petersburg after the winter holiday for the next term at the Conservatory.
April 11, 1905:
Sergey Prokofiev (13) writes to his father that he has signed a letter, along with other theory students at St. Petersburg Conservatory, asking dismissal from the school since Rimsky-Korsakov (61) and others no longer teach there.
December 31, 1908:
Sergey Prokofiev (17) performs for the first time in public, including seven of his own compositions: Fairy Tale, Snowflakes, Reminiscence, Elan, Prayer, Despair, and Diabolic Suggestions. The concert takes place in the Reform Church Hall, St. Petersburg, sponsored by the Society for Contemporary Music.
February 1, 1909:
Sergey Prokofiev (17) attends with his friend and fellow composer, 21-year-old Nikolay Myaskovsky, the Russian premiere of Alyeksandr Skryabin’s (37) Poem of Ecstasy in St. Petersburg. Both men are embarrassed to concede that they understand neither the music nor its meaning. See 10 December 1908.
February 23, 1909:
Sergey Prokofiev’s (17) “Second Symphony” is given its first performance, privately, in St. Petersburg. He will withdraw it.
September 14, 1909:
Sergey Prokofiev (18) graduates from St. Petersburg Conservatory with a diploma declaring him a “free artist.”
March 6, 1910:
Piano Sonata no.1 op.1 by Sergey Prokofiev (18) is performed for the first time, by the composer, in Moscow. Also premiered is Prokofiev’s Four Studies for piano op.2.
December 5, 1910:
The symphonic poem Dreams op.6, by Sergey Prokofiev (19), is performed for the first time, at a student concert in St. Petersburg Conservatory, conducted by the composer.
April 10, 1911:
Four Pieces for piano op.3 by Sergey Prokofiev (19) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. The music of Arnold Schoenberg (36) is heard in Russia for the first time, when Prokofiev (19) plays the Klavierstücke op.11 on the same program.
June 11, 1911:
In an attempt to get over the suicide of his friend, Sergey Prokofiev (22) and his mother depart St. Petersburg for a European tour. See 9 May 1913.
August 1, 1911:
Sergey Prokofiev’s (20) orchestral work Autumn is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
December 31, 1911:
Four Pieces op.4 for piano by Sergey Prokofiev (20) are performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
August 7, 1912:
The Piano Concerto no.1 op.10 by Sergey Prokofiev (21) is performed for the first time, in Sokolniki Park, Moscow, the composer at the keyboard.
May 9, 1913:
While working on his Piano Concerto no.2 in St. Petersburg, Sergey Prokofiev (22) receives a letter from his close friend Max Schmidthoff. “Dear Seryozha, I’m writing to tell you the latest news--I have shot myself. Don’t get too upset but take it with indifference, for in truth it doesn’t deserve anything more than that. Farewell. Max. The reasons are unimportant.” Prokofiev will dedicate four works to him, including the second piano concerto.
June 15, 1913:
Sergey Prokofiev (22) and his mother arrive in Paris on a journey to England, France, and Switzerland.
September 5, 1913:
The Second Piano Concerto op.16 of Sergey Prokofiev (22) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk, the composer at the piano. The audience is strongly divided.
February 5, 1914:
Piano Sonata no.2 op.14 by Sergey Prokofiev (22) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. Also premiered are Prokofiev’s Ballade for cello and piano op.15 and three of the Ten Piano Pieces op.14.
March 30, 1914:
Two Poems op.9 for voice and piano by Sergey Prokofiev (22) to words of Balmont and Apukhtin are performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
May 11, 1914:
Sergey Prokofiev (23) plays his Second Piano Concerto at his graduation exercises from St. Petersburg Conservatory. He is afforded this honor for winning the Rubenstein Prize in piano. See 5 September 1913.
June 22, 1914:
Sergey Prokofiev (23) arrives in London.
July 3, 1914:
In London, Walter Nuvel introduces Sergey Prokofiev (23) to Sergey Diaghilev.
July 14, 1914:
In London, Sergey Diaghilev introduces Sergey Prokofiev (23) to his main conductor, Pierre Monteux. Prokofiev plays his First Piano Concerto and some other works for them and is favorably received.
July 20, 1914:
Sergey Prokofiev (23) departs London for St. Petersburg with some vague commitments to perform his work from Sergey Diaghilev and Pierre Monteux.
July 24, 1914:
Sergey Prokofiev (23) arrives home in St. Petersburg having traveled from London through Berlin.
January 30, 1915:
The Ugly Duckling op.18 for solo voice and piano by Sergey Prokofiev (23) to words of Anderson, is performed for the first time, in Petrograd.
March 3, 1915:
Sergey Prokofiev (23) arrives in Rome for his first foreign performing engagement, expenses paid by Sergey Diaghilev.
March 7, 1915:
Sergey Prokofiev (23) performs abroad for the first time, his Second Piano Concerto, in Rome. Audience reaction is strongly divided.
March 8, 1915:
Sergey Diaghilev, Sergey Prokofiev (23), and Leonide Massine travel from Rome to Naples to talk to the Futurists about a ballet. Diaghilev is impressed with Prokofiev’s talent, but not the ballet he brought him, Ala i Lolli.
April 2, 1915:
Sergey Diaghilev, Sergey Prokofiev (23), and Leonide Massine arrive in Milan where they meet Igor Stravinsky (32). Prokofiev’s former negative opinion of Stravinsky’s music has changed over the last two years. The two get along and Stravinsky invites Prokofiev to Switzerland.
April 8, 1915:
Sergey Diaghilev commissions and new ballet to be called Chout from Sergey Prokofiev (23).
April 16, 1915:
Sergey Prokofiev (23) arrives home in St. Petersburg from Italy having traveled through Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania to Kiev.
November 6, 1915:
Sinfonietta op.5 for orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (24) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
December 1, 1915:
After a concert of Skryabin’s (†0) piano works by Sergey Rakhmaninov (42) (during which a disturbance by Skryabin partisans breaks out), Sergey Prokofiev (24) and Rakhmaninov have an icy exchange, thus ending whatever good relations they had.
January 29, 1916:
A suite from Sergey Prokofiev’s (24) unperformed ballet Ala i Lolli, called the Scythian Suite op.20, is performed for the first time, in Petrograd, the composer conducting. One audience member, Alyeksandr Glazunov (50), finds the music so distasteful that he storms out of the hall. The composer remarks, “The price of rotten eggs has gone up in St. Petersburg.”
September 15, 1916:
Humoresque Scherzo for bassoon quartet by Sergey Prokofiev (25) is performed for the first time, in Petrograd.
December 10, 1916:
Three works by Sergey Prokofiev (25) are performed for the first time, in Petrograd: Five Poems for voice and piano op.23 to words of Balmont, Sarcasms for piano op.17, and Toccata op.11 for piano.
February 18, 1917:
Five Poems for voice and piano op.27 by Sergey Prokofiev (25) to words of Akhmatova are performed for the first time, in Moscow.
March 16, 1918:
After five months at Kislovodsk in the Caucasus, Sergey Prokofiev (26) departs for Moscow with a safe conduct pass from the local soviet.
April 15, 1918:
Visions fugitives and the Piano Sonata no.3 by Sergey Prokofiev (26) are performed for the first time, by the composer, in Petrograd.
April 17, 1918:
Piano Sonata no.4 by Sergey Prokofiev (26) is performed for the first time, by the composer in Petrograd.
April 21, 1918:
Symphony no.1 “Classical” by Sergey Prokofiev (26) is performed for the first time, in Petrograd conducted by the composer. Commissar of Public Education Anatoly Lunacharsky is present and tells Prokofiev that if he wants to travel overseas, he will not stop him.
May 7, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) leaves Petrograd (for only a few months, he thinks) on the Trans-Siberian Railway, making for Vladivostok.
May 29, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) departs Russia from Vladivostok, making for Japan.
June 1, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) reaches Tokyo, just missing his boat for Rio de Janeiro. He will give concerts in Tokyo to small, polite audiences.
July 6, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) gives a recital in Tokyo, on his way from Russia to the United States.
August 2, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) departs Tokyo for Honolulu.
August 21, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) arrives in San Francisco from Japan by way of Hawaii. He is detained on Angel Island while US officials satisfy themselves that he is not carrying the Bolshevik contagion.
August 24, 1918:
After three days of detention and interrogation, Sergey Prokofiev (27) is allowed to enter the United States in San Francisco.
August 29, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) departs San Francisco by train making for New York.
September 6, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) arrives in New York from San Francisco.
October 19, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) is scheduled to perform at a Russian Liberty Loan concert in Carnegie Hall, New York. He is placed at the end of the program. When the concert runs long, Prokofiev is cut.
October 29, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) makes his first concert appearance in the United States, almost unnoticed, at the Brooklyn Museum.
November 20, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) makes his first well-publicized appearance in the United States, in Aeolian Hall, New York. It is generally successful with public and critics. Present is another recent arrival, Sergey Rakhmaninov (45).
December 6, 1918:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) performs in Chicago with the Chicago Symphony. He is the soloist in his own Piano Concerto no.1 and conducts his Scythian Suite.
December 9, 1918:
Carolina (Lina) Llubera Codina first sees Sergey Prokofiev (27) at a performance of his First Piano Concerto in Carnegie Hall, New York. After a subsequent performance, the two will meet backstage. They will marry in 1923.
January 7, 1919:
Old Grandmother’s Tales for piano op.31 by Sergey Prokofiev (27) is performed for the first time, in New York.
February 25, 1919:
Sergey Prokofiev (27) signs a contract with the Aeolian Company to produce five piano rolls per year.
March 30, 1919:
Four Pieces op.32 for piano by Sergey Prokofiev (27) is performed for the first time, in New York.
January 26, 1920:
Overture on Hebrew Themes op.34 for piano, clarinet, and string quartet by Sergey Prokofiev (28) is performed for the first time, in New York. See 30 November 1934.
April 27, 1920:
Sergey Prokofiev (29) sails from New York for France, his first time in western Europe since 1915.
May 2, 1920:
Sergey Prokofiev (29) arrives at the Hôtel Scribe in Paris where he is greeted by Sergey Diaghilev.
October 31, 1920:
Sergey Prokofiev (29) arrives in Chicago for the production of his opera The Love for Three Oranges only to find that it has been cancelled.
March 27, 1921:
Five Songs Without Words for voice and piano op.35 by Sergey Prokofiev (35) are performed for the first time, in New York.
May 17, 1921:
The Tale of the Buffoon (Chout) op.21, a ballet by Sergey Prokofiev (30) to his own scenario after Afanasyev, is performed for the first time, in the Gaité Lyrique, Paris conducted by the composer. It is a great success. See 15 January 1924.
December 16, 1921:
Piano Concerto no.3 op.26 by Sergey Prokofiev (30) is performed for the first time, in Chicago, the composer at the keyboard.
December 30, 1921:
The Love for Three Oranges op.33, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (30) to his own words after Gozzi, is performed for the first time, in the Chicago Auditorium, conducted by the composer. It is an unexpected success. See 29 November 1925.
February 25, 1922:
Sergey Prokofiev (30) arrives back in Europe from America, at Boulogne.
December 29, 1922:
At a luncheon to honor the visiting Vincent d’Indy (71) in Chicago, attended by Sergey Prokofiev (31) and John Alden Carpenter (46), the French Consul, Antonin Barthélemy, announces that Carpenter has been named a member of the Legion of Honor.
March 6, 1923:
Lina Llubera, the lover of Sergey Prokofiev (31), makes her professional debut in a performance of Rigoletto in Teatro Carcano, Milan.
May 18, 1923:
For the first time, Sergey Prokofiev (32) accompanies his lover Lina Llubera in a recital at Il Convegno, Milan. It is a success.
September 29, 1923:
Sergey Prokofiev (32) marries the Spanish singer Carolina (Lina) Llubera Codina in Ettal, Germany. The wedding takes place in Villa Christophorus, where he is staying, due to her condition. She is pregnant.
October 18, 1923:
Igor Stravinsky’s (41) Octet for Winds is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra, conducted by the composer. Also on the program is the premiere of the First Violin Concerto op.19 of Sergey Prokofiev (32). Present for the occasion, along with both composers, are Nadia Boulanger (36), members of Les Six, Karol Szymanowski (41), Aaron Copland (22), Pablo Picasso, Anna Pavlova, Arthur Rubinstein, and Josef Szigeti. Comparing it to Stravinsky’s earlier ballets, Copland calls this “a reverse shocker.”
January 15, 1924:
An orchestral suite from Sergey Prokofiev’s (32) ballet Tale of the Buffoon op.21b is performed for the first time, in Brussels. See 17 May 1921.
March 9, 1924:
Piano Sonata no.5 op.38 by Sergey Prokofiev (32) is performed for the first time, in Paris.
May 29, 1924:
Sergey Prokofiev’s (33) cantata They are Seven op.30 for tenor, chorus, and orchestra, to words of Balmont, is performed for the first time, in Paris.
June 6, 1925:
Symphony no.2 op.40 by Sergey Prokofiev (34) is performed for the first time, in Paris. The audience response is tepid. Among those confused by the music is Igor Stravinsky (42).
July 21, 1925:
In an attempt to establish ties with émigré artists, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union gives permission to Sergey Prokofiev (34), Igor Stravinsky (43), and Alyeksandr Borovsky to visit the USSR.
November 6, 1925:
Trapeze op.39, a ballet by Sergey Prokofiev (34) to a scenario by Romanov, is performed for the first time, in Gotha.
November 29, 1925:
A suite from the opera The Love for Three Oranges op.33a by Sergey Prokofiev (34) is performed for the first time, in Paris. See 30 December 1921.
December 23, 1925:
Sergey Prokofiev (34) departs France for a concert tour of the United States.
January 1, 1926:
Sergey Prokofiev (34) arrives in New York from Le Havre aboard the De Grasse for a series of performances in the United States.
January 18, 1927:
Sergey Prokofiev (35) returns to the USSR for a concert tour of three months. He and his wife cross the border from Latvia. It is his first return to his native country since 1918.
February 5, 1927:
Sergey Prokofiev (35) and his wife Lina are invited to dinner inside the Kremlin, arranged by Olga Kameneva, who directs VOKS, the cultural exchange organization.
February 7, 1927:
American Overture op.42 for chamber orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (35) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
February 19, 1927:
During intermission of a concert given by Sergey Prokofiev (35) in Leningrad where he plays his Piano Concerto no.2, the conductor, Nikolay Andreyevich Malko, introduces him to Dmitri Shostakovich (20). Shostakovich is not as impressed as he thought he would be.
February 20, 1927:
Sergey Prokofiev (35) meets a number of young Soviet composers at a gathering in his honor in Leningrad. Among the hopefuls who play their music for him is Dmitri Shostakovich (20). Prokofiev is not overwhelmed, but he is impressed enough to begin praising Shostakovich publicly.
March 6, 1927:
Quintet op.39 for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, and double bass by Sergey Prokofiev (35) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
April 7, 1927:
Sergey Prokofiev (35) and his wife Lina move into a new apartment at 5 avenue Frémiet in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.
May 29, 1927:
Igor Stravinsky’s (44) Oedipus Rex, accompanied by two pianos, is performed at a party given by the Princesse de Polignac in Paris. The piano parts are played by Sergey Prokofiev (36) and the composer. See 30 May 1927.
June 7, 1927:
The Steel Step (Le Pas d’acier) op.41, a ballet by Sergey Prokofiev (36) to a scenario by Yakulov and the composer, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt, Paris. The critics pan it as proletarian hogwash, but sectors of the public love it. See 27 May 1928.
May 27, 1928:
An orchestral suite from Sergey Prokofiev’s (37) ballet The Steel Step op.41a is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 7 June 1927.
May 30, 1928:
After hearing the Concerto in F last night, Sergey Prokofiev (37) invites George Gershwin (29) to his Paris apartment. They spend the afternoon together, Gershwin doing most of the playing. Prokofiev likes Gershwin and most of his music, but not the Concerto. The Russian predicts great things for the American.
June 14, 1928:
Act II of The Fiery Angel op.37, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (37) after Bryusov, is performed for the first time, in a concert setting, in Paris. See 25 November 1954.
December 1, 1928:
In his Paris apartment, Sergey Prokofiev (37) plays through his ballet The Prodigal Son for Sergey Diaghilev. Diaghilev is generally pleased, but the evening is not without its differences.
February 20, 1929:
Sergey Prokofiev (37) goes to the Soviet embassy in Paris to look at scores by Russian composers. While there, an embassy official asks him to play at a reception there on 5 March. Prokofiev is greatly conflicted. “It is necessary, apparently, to choose either Russia or emigration. It is clear, that of the two I choose Russia.” He will perform on 5 March.
April 29, 1929:
The Gambler op.24, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (38) to his own words after Dostoyevsky, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels. See 12 March 1932.
May 17, 1929:
Symphony no.3 op.44 by Sergey Prokofiev (38) is performed for the first time, in the Salle Pleyel, Paris.
May 21, 1929:
Sergey Prokofiev’s (38) ballet The Prodigal Son op.46, to a scenario by Kochno, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt, Paris the composer conducting. Press and public are very positive. See 7 March 1931.
October 30, 1929:
Sergey Prokofiev (38) arrives in the Soviet Union for his second visit since the revolution. He will stay three weeks but will do no performing.
December 22, 1929:
Divertissement for orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (38) is performed for the first time, in Paris under the baton of the composer.
January 6, 1930:
Things in Themselves for piano op.45 by Sergey Prokofiev (38) is performed for the first time, in New York.
January 14, 1930:
The second version of Strike Up the Band, an operetta with a book by Ryskind, after Kaufman, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin (31), opens in New York, in the Times Square Theatre. It will see 191 performances. At a reception afterward, Gershwin meets Sergey Prokofiev (38) for a second time. See 5 September 1927 and 25 December 1929.
February 20, 1930:
Sergey Prokofiev (38) accepts a fee of $1,000 to compose a string quartet for Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge and the Library of Congress.
March 6, 1930:
For the first time, "talkies" are publicly shown in the USSR. The films with soundtrack are shown in the Sovkino Theatre in Moscow. Several short films are shown, ending with films of live concerts, including the famous march from Sergey Prokofiev's (38) opera The Love for Three Oranges.
November 14, 1930:
Symphony no.4 op.47 by Sergey Prokofiev (39), composed for the fiftieth anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is performed for the first time, in Boston.
March 7, 1931:
An orchestral suite from Sergey Prokofiev’s (39) ballet The Prodigal Son op.46a is performed for the first time, in Paris. See 21 May 1929.
April 25, 1931:
String Quartet no.1 op.50 by Sergey Prokofiev (39) is performed for the first time, in Washington.
March 12, 1932:
Four Portraits op.49, a symphonic suite from Sergey Prokofiev’s (40) opera The Gambler, is performed for the first time, in Paris. See 29 April 1929.
April 17, 1932:
Two Sonatinas op.54 for piano by Sergey Prokofiev (40) is performed for the first time, in London.
June 26, 1932:
Sergey Prokofiev (41) travels to London. Over the next two days he will make his first sound recordings, his third piano concerto, at the Abbey Road studios of His Master’s Voice.
October 31, 1932:
Piano Concerto no.5 op.55 by Sergey Prokofiev (41) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, the composer at the keyboard.
November 27, 1932:
Sonata for two violins op.56 by Sergey Prokofiev (41) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
December 16, 1932:
On the Dnieper op.51, a ballet by Sergey Prokofiev (41) to a scenario by Lifar and the composer, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra. It is panned by the critics.
December 16, 1932:
Sonatine for violin and cello by Arthur Honegger (40) is performed for the first time, at the inaugural performance of Triton, a society dedicated to modern chamber music, in Paris. It was formed by Honegger, Darius Milhaud (40), Francis Poulenc (33), and Sergey Prokofiev (41).
December 17, 1932:
Sergey Prokofiev (41) sails from France for New York and several concerts in the United States.
May 27, 1933:
Sergey Prokofiev (42) accepts a position as “consultant professor” at Moscow Conservatory. He will hold it for almost four years.
July 13, 1933:
In Paris, Sergey Prokofiev (42) sends the first group of pieces for the film Lieutenant Kijé to Leningrad.
March 7, 1934:
Lieutenant Kijé, a film with music by Sergey Prokofiev (42), opens at six theatres in Moscow.
April 14, 1934:
Symphonic Song op.57 by Sergey Prokofiev (42) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. It is a disaster. According to Nikolay Myaskovsky “There were literally three claps in the hall.”
November 30, 1934:
Overture on Hebrew Themes op.34b arranged for orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (43) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 26 January 1920.
December 31, 1934:
A suite from Sergey Prokofiev’s (43) score to the film Lieutenant Kijé op.60 is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Moscow Radio.
October 4, 1935:
Sergey Prokofiev (44) plays through a piano score of his ballet Romeo and Juliet at the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow. It is not well received, and many leave before he is done.
December 1, 1935:
Violin Concerto no.2 op.63 by Sergey Prokofiev (44) is performed for the first time, in Madrid.
April 11, 1936:
Music for Children op.65 for piano by Sergey Prokofiev (44) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
May 2, 1936:
Peter and the Wolf op.67 for speaker and orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (45) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
May 5, 1936:
Chatterbox, the first of the Three Children’s Songs op.68 for voice and piano by Sergey Prokofiev (45), is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
May 15, 1936:
The wife and children of Sergey Prokofiev (45) arrive in Moscow, thus completing his transition back to his homeland.
July 1, 1936:
Sergey Prokofiev (45) and his family begin moving into Apartment 14 at 14/16 Zemlyanoy val (Chkalov Street) in Moscow.
October 26, 1936:
Sergey Prokofiev’s (45) Russian Overture op.72 is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
November 13, 1936:
Reflections for piano op.62 by Sergey Prokofiev (45) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
November 24, 1936:
The First Suite op.64a from Sergey Prokofiev’s (45) unperformed ballet Romeo and Juliet is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 30 December 1938.
December 3, 1936:
While in Brussels, Sergey Prokofiev (45) receives correspondence from the All-Union Committee on Arts Affairs in Moscow that the production of Yevgeny Onegin on which he has been working for the State Moscow Chamber Theatre, has been cancelled. He is instructed to refrain from working on the music.
January 6, 1937:
Sergey Prokofiev (45) and his wife depart France for a concert tour of the United States.
April 15, 1937:
The Second Suite op.64b from Sergey Prokofiev’s (45) unperformed ballet Romeo and Juliet is performed for the first time, in Leningrad. See 30 December 1938.
April 20, 1937:
Three Romances op.73 for voice and piano by Sergey Prokofiev (45) to words of Pushkin are performed for the first time, in a radio broadcast from Moscow.
June 19, 1937:
A run-through of the vocal and piano score to Sergey Prokofiev’s (46) Cantata for the Twentieth Anniversary of October before the Committee on Arts Affairs in Moscow is a disaster. The work is roundly criticized and will not be performed. See 5 April 1966.
January 5, 1938:
Songs of Our Day op.76, nine works for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (46), is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
March 10, 1938:
Sergey Prokofiev (46) attends the awards dinner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles. Here he meets Mary Pickford, Marlene Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Arnold Schoenberg (63)
April 16, 1938:
After three months in North America, Sergey Prokofiev (46) returns to the USSR. He will not leave the country again.
May 15, 1938:
Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play Hamlet op.77 by Sergey Prokofiev (48) is performed for the first time, in Leningrad.
August 26, 1938:
This is possibly the date of the first conversation between Sergey Prokofiev (47) and the poet Mariya (Mira) Abramovna Mendelson, in Kislovodsk. In 1941, Prokofiev will leave his wife and children to live with Mira.
September 26, 1938:
Sergey Prokofiev (47) begins making daily visits to the Mosfilm studios in Moscow where Alexander Nevsky is being filmed. He views the rushes each day, then goes home to compose music for them. Director Sergey Eisenstein says Prokofiev “works like a clock” that “strikes the very heart of punctuality.” (Bartig, 70)
November 6, 1938:
Alexander Nevsky, a film by Sergey Eisenstein with music by Sergey Prokofiev (47), is shown for the first time, in an official screening at Mosfilm. See 17 May 1939.
November 26, 1938:
Cello Concerto op.58 by Sergey Prokofiev (47) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
December 1, 1938:
Alexander Nevsky, a film by Sergey Eisenstein with music by Sergey Prokofiev (47) is shown for the first time in general release. See 17 May 1939.
December 22, 1938:
An orchestral suite from the incidental music to Egyptian Nights op.61 by Sergey Prokofiev (47) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
December 30, 1938:
Romeo and Juliet op.64, a ballet by Sergey Prokofiev (47) to a scenario by several artists (including the composer) after Shakespeare, is performed for the first time, in Brno. See 24 November 1936, 15 April 1937, and 8 March 1946.
May 17, 1939:
Alexander Nevsky op.78, a cantata for mezzo-soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (48) to words of Lugorsky and the composer, with music from his film score of the same name, is performed for the first time, in Moscow the composer conducting. See 1 December 1938.
December 21, 1939:
Hail to Stalin op.85, for chorus and orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (48), is performed for the first time, in Moscow. The work was composed in honor of Stalin’s 60th birthday.
January 11, 1940:
Sergey Prokofiev’s (48) ballet Romeo and Juliet is performed in the Soviet Union for the first time, in the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad. Due to the war with Finland, the city is in blackout.
April 8, 1940:
Piano Sonata no.6 op.82 by Sergey Prokofiev (48) is performed for the first time, by the composer over the airwaves of Radio Moscow. See 26 November 1940.
June 1, 1940:
In an effort to forestall an indefinite postponement of his opera Semyon Kotko, Sergey Prokofiev (49) writes to Minister of Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov. It has already been pushed back two months because of objections to German characters shown in an unfavorable light. He asks Molotov to view the opera himself. The composer and the government will come to a compromise. See 23 June 1940.
June 23, 1940:
Semyon Kotko op.81, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (49) to words of Katayev and the composer, is performed for the first time, in the Stanislavsky Theatre, Moscow. See 27 December 1943.
November 16, 1940:
Violin Concerto by Aram Khachaturian (37) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. Sergey Prokofiev (49) and Dmitri Shostakovich (34) attend along with a host of Soviet musical luminaries. It is a tremendous success.
November 26, 1940:
Piano Sonata no.6 op.82 by Sergey Prokofiev (49) is performed for the first time in a concert setting, at Moscow Conservatory. See 8 April 1940.
March 15, 1941:
Sergey Prokofiev (49) leaves his wife and children to live with his mistress Mariya (Mira) Abramovna Mendelson, first in Leningrad, then in Moscow.
June 7, 1941:
Selections from Sergey Prokofiev’s (50) unperformed opera Betrothal in a Monastery are performed for the first time, in a radio broadcast from Moscow.
June 22, 1941:
Within hours of the German invasion, Sergey Eisenstein's film Alexander Nevsky is rereleased in the Soviet Union. The film, with music by Sergey Prokofiev (50), was withdrawn from circulation following the Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939 because of its anti-German sentiment.
August 8, 1941:
Sergey Prokofiev (50) and his mistress Mira Mendelson board a special train along with other “artistic laborers” to be evacuated from Moscow to Nalchik in the Caucasus. They will remain there for three months.
November 24, 1941:
Sergey Prokofiev (50) and his mistress Mira Mendelson arrive in Tbilisi, having been evacuated further from the German lines.
June 15, 1942:
After a journey of more than two weeks from Tbilisi, Sergey Prokofiev (51) and his mistress Mira Mendelson arrive in Alma-Ata (Almaty, Kazakhstan). He has traveled there at the invitation of Sergey Eisenstein to work on a new film about Ivan the Terrible.
August 20, 1942:
In Alma-Ata (Almaty, Kazakhstan), Sergey Prokofiev (51) signs a contract to provide music for the soundtrack of the film Kotovsky. He will complete the work in two weeks.
September 5, 1942:
String Quartet no.2 by Sergey Prokofiev (51) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
November 27, 1942:
Sergey Prokofiev (51) and his mistress depart Alma-Ata (Almaty, Kazakhstan) to return to Moscow. His route takes him through Semipalatinsk where he will create music for the film Partisans in the Ukrainian Steppe.
January 6, 1943:
Kotovsky, a film with music by Sergey Prokofiev (51), is released in the USSR.
January 18, 1943:
Piano Sonata no.7 op.83 by Sergey Prokofiev (51) is performed for the first time, in the Hall of the Home of Unions, Moscow. It is one of his greatest successes.
January 21, 1943:
1941 op.90 for orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (51) is performed for the first time, in Sverdlovsk.
March 2, 1943:
Igor Savchenko's film Partisans in the Ukrainian Steppe, with music by Sergey Prokofiev (51), is released in the USSR.
July 6, 1943:
Lermontov, a film by Albert Gendelstein with music by Sergey Prokofiev (52), is released in the USSR.
July 27, 1943:
Sergey Prokofiev (52) is awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
December 7, 1943:
A Flute Sonata op.94 by Sergey Prokofiev (52) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
December 27, 1943:
An orchestral suite from the music to Sergey Prokofiev’s (52) opera Semyon Kotko op.81a is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 23 June 1940.
February 21, 1944:
Ballad of a Boy Who Remained Unknown op.93 for soprano, tenor, chorus, and orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (52) to words of Antokolsky, is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
April 30, 1944:
March op.99 for winds by Sergey Prokofiev (53) is performed for the first time, in a radio broadcast from Moscow.
October 16, 1944:
Scenes from War and Peace, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (53) to his own words after Tolstoy are performed for the first time, in a concert setting in Moscow. See 12 June 1946 and 8 November 1957.
December 30, 1944:
Sergey Prokofiev’s (53) Piano Sonata no.8 op.84 is performed for the first time, at Moscow Conservatory.
January 13, 1945:
Symphony no.5 op.100 by Sergey Prokofiev (53) is performed for the first time, in Moscow, under the baton of the composer. This is Prokofiev’s last performing appearance. The performance is delayed when large guns are fired in tribute to the Red Army offensive in Poland.
January 16, 1945:
Ivan the Terrible, a film with music by Sergey Prokofiev (53), is shown for the first time.
January 20, 1945:
About this day, Sergey Prokofiev (53) blacks out and falls in his Moscow apartment. The black out is due to untreated high blood pressure. He injures his back and head and is confined to bed by doctors.
March 7, 1945:
Six weeks after a bad fall, and deteriorating health, doctors order Sergey Prokofiev (53) to be hospitalized.
March 25, 1945:
Twelve Russian Folk Songs op.104 for voice and piano by Sergey Prokofiev (53) are performed for the first time, in Moscow.
May 28, 1945:
Sergey Prokofiev (54) is released from Podlipki sanatorium in Barvikha after a three-month convalescence.
November 12, 1945:
Ode to the End of the War op.105 for winds, eight harps, four pianos, percussion, and double basses by Sergey Prokofiev (54) is performed for the first time, in Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow.
November 21, 1945:
Cinderella op.87, a ballet by Sergey Prokofiev (54) to a scenario by Volkov, is performed for the first time, in the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow. See 12 November 1946 and 3 September 1947.
March 5, 1946:
The second part of Ivan the Terrible, a film by Sergey Eisenstein with music by Sergey Prokofiev (54) is banned by the Central Committee of the CPSU because of its “anti-historical and anti-artistic qualities.” (Morrison 2009, 245)
March 8, 1946:
The Third Suite from Sergey Prokofiev’s (54) ballet Romeo and Juliet op.101 is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 30 December 1938.
June 12, 1946:
Eight scenes from Sergey Prokofiev’s (55) opera War and Peace to his own words after Tolstoy are staged for the first time, in Malyi Theatre, Leningrad. It is a smashing success. See 16 October 1944 and 8 November 1957.
June 27, 1946:
Sergey Prokofiev (55) is informed that he has won a Stalin Prize, first class for Cinderella.
September 4, 1946:
Soviet newspapers and magazines publish a Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, On the film “The Great Life.” The greatest directors and films of Soviet cinema are chastised and some are banned. Singled out is Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible with music by Sergey Prokofiev (55).
October 23, 1946:
Violin Sonata no.1 op.80 by Sergey Prokofiev (55) is performed for the first time, at Moscow Conservatory.
November 3, 1946:
Betrothal in a Monastery op.86, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (55) to words of Mira Mendelson (the composer’s mistress) and the composer after Sheridan, is performed for the first time, in the Kirov Theatre, Leningrad.
November 12, 1946:
The First Suite op.107 from Sergey Prokofiev’s (55) ballet Cinderella is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 21 November 1945.
May 13, 1947:
Waltz Suite op.110 for orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (56) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
June 7, 1947:
Sergey Prokofiev (56) is informed that he has won another Stalin Prize, first class for his Violin Sonata no.1.
September 3, 1947:
The Third Suite op.109 from Sergey Prokofiev’s (56) ballet Cinderella is performed for the first time, in a broadcast from Moscow. See 21 November 1945.
October 3, 1947:
Thirty Years for orchestra op.113 by Sergey Prokofiev (56) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. The work was composed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the October Revolution.
October 11, 1947:
Symphony no.6 op.111 by Sergey Prokofiev (56) is performed for the first time, in the Great Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic. The audience is ecstatic.
November 5, 1947:
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR raises Sergey Prokofiev (56) from Merited Activist of the Arts of the RSFSR to the level of People’s Artist of the RSFSR.
November 12, 1947:
Flourish, Mighty Homeland op.114, a cantata for the 30th anniversary of the October Revolution by Sergey Prokofiev (56) to words of Dolmatovsky, is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
November 22, 1947:
Sergey Prokofiev (56) files for divorce from his wife Lina in a Moscow court. He has been living with his mistress, Mira Mendelson, since 1941.
November 27, 1947:
A Moscow court denies the petition of Sergey Prokofiev (56) for divorce. The ruling asserts that since the marriage took place in Germany, and was not registered with a diplomatic representative of the USSR, it never officially took place. Therefore, they never were married in the eyes of the Soviet Union.
January 10, 1948:
Andrey Zhdanov, First Secretary of the Leningrad Communist Party, convenes a meeting of musicians at the Party Central Committee in Moscow. He launches an all-out assault on “formalists”, Sergey Prokofiev (56), Aram Khachaturian (44), Dmitri Shostakovich (41) (all three of whom are present) and others. Their music is likened to a dentist’s drill. They are accused of elitism, and of abandoning “true” Soviet forms.
January 13, 1948:
Two courts having ruled that his marriage to Lina Llubera had no legal standing in the USSR, Sergey Prokofiev (56) marries Mariya (Mira) Cecilya Abramovna Mendelson, daughter of an economist and statistician, in the marriage bureau, Sverdlovsk District, Moscow. She has been Prokofiev's companion since 1941.
February 10, 1948:
At a ceremony in the Kremlin, Sergey Prokofiev (56) is raised to the status of People’s Artist of the USSR. At the same time, the Central Committee of the CPSU is voting a resolution attacking Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich (41), Aram Khachaturian (44), and other leading composers of the USSR. See 5 November 1947 and 11 February 1948.
February 11, 1948:
An article appears in the Communist Party daily Pravda entitled “On the opera The Great Friendship by Muradeli.” It attacks Sergey Prokofiev (56), Dmitri Shostakovich (41), and others who “persistently adhere to formalist perversion and many undemocratic tendencies. These include atonalism, dissonance, contempt for melody, and the use of chaotic and neuropathic dischords--all of which are alien to the artistic tastes of the Soviet peoples.”
February 14, 1948:
Order no.17 of the Chief Direction in Control of Representations and Repertoire of the Commission in Charge of the Arts under the Auspices of the Council of Ministers of the USSR is issued. It bans a long list of music by Sergey Prokofiev (56), Dmitri Shostakovich (41), and many other prominent Soviet composers. See 16 March 1949.
February 17, 1948:
At a meeting of the All-Moscow Composers' Union, held to discuss the resolution of 10 February, Sergey Prokofiev's (56) Sixth Symphony, Ode on the End of the War and Festive Poem are branded as worthless and evil.
February 20, 1948:
Lina (Llubera) Prokofieva, first wife of Sergey Prokofiev (56) is arrested off a Moscow street, charged with attempting to defect, stealing a secret document, and ties to a foreign embassy. She will not return to Moscow for eight years and will never see Prokofiev again. This evening, MGB agents search her apartment in the presence of her two sons, Svyatoslav and Oleg. Everything of value is looted, including the piano and a record collection which includes rare original recordings of Prokofiev's piano music.
April 19, 1948:
The first All-Union congress of Soviet Composers meets in Moscow. They condemn Benjamin Britten (34), Gian-Carlo Menotti (36), and Olivier Messiaen (39) as being “impregnated with extreme subjectivism, mysticism, and disgusting facetiousness.” Of those condemned on 10 February, only Dmitry Shostakovich (41) and Vano Muradeli attend the entire congress. Sergey Prokofiev (56) and Aram Khachaturian (44) are there for the first day only.
August 2, 1948:
The Soviet Ministry of Finance issues a resolution on Muzfond in the name of Comrade Stalin. Several audits have discovered widespread abuses in the composers’ funding organization, involving some of the most important composers including Sergey Prokofiev (57), Dmitri Shostakovich (41), and Aram Khachaturian (45). Muzfond will be reorganized and closely monitored. Henceforth, all loans or allowances will be approved by the Council of Ministers.
December 3, 1948:
Sergey Prokofiev's (57) opera The Story of a Real Man to words of Mendelson and the composer after Polevoy, is performed for the first time, in a private concert setting for the Communist Party and Union of Composers officials at the Kirov Theatre, Leningrad. The composer's doctors allow him to attend the performance but not the discussion following. The work is condemned by the officials present. The opera is accused of being ideologically unsound and based on formalism.
December 21, 1948:
The Propaganda Section of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union denounces Sergey Prokofiev’s (57) opera The Story of a Real Man.
January 13, 1949:
Vasily Kukharsky, writing in Izvestia, comments on Sergey Prokofiev’s (57) opera The Story of a Real Man : “a striking example of this detachment of the artist from real life, composing his work in the shelter of his ivory tower.”
July 7, 1949:
Sergey Prokofiev (58) suffers a stroke in Moscow. Although he will recover, it is part of a downward trend in his health that has been going on over the last ten years.
November 10, 1949:
Incidental music to Mikhalkov’s play Iliya Golovin by Aram Khachaturian (46) is performed for the first time, in Gorky Art Theatre, Moscow. It is a satire of “formalist” composers. The main character is a caricature of both Sergey Prokofiev (58) and Dmitri Shostakovich (43).
March 1, 1950:
Sonata for cello and piano op.119 by Sergey Prokofiev (58) is performed for the first time, at Moscow Conservatory. The soloist is Mstislav Rostropovich. It has been played three times already, privately for various committees of the artistic establishment.
December 19, 1950:
Two large choral works by Sergey Prokofiev (59) to words of Marshak are performed for the first time, in the Home of the Unions, Moscow: On Guard for Peace op.124, an oratorio for mezzo-soprano, speakers, boys’ chorus, chorus, and orchestra, and Winter Bonfire op.122, a suite for boys’ chorus and orchestra.
March 16, 1951:
Sergey Prokofiev (59) wins a Stalin Prize for his suite Winter Bonfire and the oratorio On Guard for Peace.
April 21, 1951:
Piano Sonata no.9 op.103 by Sergey Prokofiev (59) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
November 18, 1951:
Gypsy Fantasy op.127 for orchestra from Sergey Prokofiev’s unperformed ballet The Tale of the Stone Flower is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 12 February 1954.
December 12, 1951:
Wedding Suite op.126 for orchestra from Sergey Prokofiev’s unperformed ballet The Tale of the Stone Flower is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 12 February 1954.
February 18, 1952:
The Symphony-Concerto op.125 for cello and orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (60) is performed for the first time, at Moscow Conservatory. The concert is attended by the ailing composer but he is too ill to go to the stage to receive applause. Also in the audience is Alfred Schnittke (17).
February 22, 1952:
Sergey Prokofiev’s (60) festive poem The Meeting of the Volga with the Don River op.130, composed to celebrate the completion of the Volga-Don Canal, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Moscow.
April 22, 1952:
Due to his worsening medical condition, Sergey Prokofiev (60) is granted a pension of 2,000 rubles a month. The decree is signed by Stalin.
August 20, 1952:
The piano score to Sergey Prokofiev’s (61) Symphony no.7 is played before the Union of Soviet Composers in Moscow. The composer, unable to attend due to illness, receives unstinting praise, an indication of his restoration to favor.
October 11, 1952:
Symphony no.7 op.131 by Sergey Prokofiev (61) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. It is his last public appearance.
March 5, 1953:
21:00 Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev dies of a brain hemorrhage, in his apartment at Kamergersky Lane 6, Moscow, USSR aged 61 years, ten months, and ten days. His mortal remains will be laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow. The composer dies only a few hours before the country's leader, and his nemesis for the last twenty years, Joseph Stalin. Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov takes over as General Secretary of the Communist Party.
March 7, 1953:
A memorial service for Sergey Prokofiev is held in Moscow at the Central Composers’ Home, attended by Dmitri Shostakovich (46), Aram Khachaturian (49), and other prominent Soviet composers and musicians.
February 12, 1954:
The Tale of the Stone Flower, a ballet by Sergey Prokofiev (†0) to a scenario by Lavrovsky and Mendelson after Bazhov, is performed for the first time, in the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.
November 25, 1954:
The Fiery Angel op.37, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (†1) after Bryusov, is performed completely for the first time, in a concert setting at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris. See 14 June 1928.
June 13, 1956:
Lina Llubera, first wife of Sergey Prokofiev (†3), is granted release from prison by order of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Soviet.
June 29, 1956:
Lina Llubera, first wife of Sergey Prokofiev (64), is released after eight years in Soviet labor camps, mostly in eastern Russia.
September 5, 1956:
Piano Concerto no.4 op.53 for piano left hand by Sergey Prokofiev (†3) is performed for the first time, in West Berlin, 25 years after it was composed. The work was commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein but rejected and never performed by him.
December 29, 1956:
Concertino for cello and orchestra op.132 by Sergey Prokofiev (†3), completed by Mstislav Rostropovich and Dmitri Kabalevsky, is performed for the first time, accompanied by piano, in Moscow. See 18 March 1960.
April 22, 1957:
Sergey Prokofiev (†4) is awarded the Lenin Prize.
November 8, 1957:
Sergey Prokofiev’s (†4) opera War and Peace, to his own words after Tolstoy, is performed completely (with cuts) for the first time, in Stanislavsky Theatre, Moscow. See 16 October 1944 and 12 June 1946.
February 11, 1958:
Memorial plaques are ceremonially unveiled on two of the addresses inhabited by Sergey Prokofiev (†4) in Moscow. One is at 14/16 Chkalov St. and this other at Building No.6 Arts Theatre Passage.
May 28, 1958:
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union amends its declaration of 10 February 1948 with a decree entitled “On the Correction of Errors in the Evaluation of The Great Friendship, Bogdan Khmelnitsky and From All My Heart ”. It lifts criticism of Sergey Prokofiev (†5), Aram Khatchaturian (54), Dmitri Shostakovich (51), and others.
September 1, 1958:
Ivan the Terrible (Part 2), a film by Sergey Eisenstein with music by Sergey Prokofiev (†5), is released in the USSR. See 5 March 1946.
April 16, 1959:
At the opening of their eight-week American tour, the Bolshoy Ballet thrills the audience with Sergey Prokofiev’s (†6) Romeo and Juliet. Some who could not obtain tickets waited 39 hours in the rain to buy standing room tickets at the box office.
March 10, 1960:
Sonata for solo violin op.115 by Sergey Prokofiev (†7) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
March 18, 1960:
Concertino for cello and orchestra op.132 by Sergey Prokofiev (†7), completed by Mstislav Rostropovich and Dmitri Kabalevsky, is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 29 December 1956.
April 10, 1960:
Aaron Copland (59) and Lukas Foss (37) give the final performance of their tour of the Soviet Union. The Violin Sonata of Copland and the String Quartet no.1 of Foss are on the program. Copland is the pianist for his Piano Quartet. Finally, Sviatoslav Richter plays the Piano Sonata no.6 of Sergey Prokofiev (†7).
October 8, 1960:
The Story of a Real Man, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (†7) to words of Mendelson and the composer after Polevoy, is staged for the first time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow. See 3 December 1948.
April 5, 1966:
The Cantata for the Twentieth Anniversary of October op.74 for two choruses, band, accordions, and percussion by Sergey Prokofiev (†13) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. This work was composed in 1937 but was withheld for ideological reasons. For this performance, the texts by Stalin have been removed. See 19 June 1937.
March 5, 1978:
A meeting takes place in the Composers’ Club, Moscow, to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Sergey Prokofiev. It is the last public appearance of Aram Khachaturian (74).
March 25, 1979:
Maddalena, an incomplete opera by Sergey Prokofiev (†26) after Lieven, orchestrated by Downes, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in London 68 years after it was composed.
December 28, 1979:
Dedication to Igor Stravinsky (†8), Sergey Prokofiev (†26) and Dmitri Shostakovich (†4) for piano six-hands by Alfred Schnittke (45) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
April 1, 1980:
Incidental music to Pushkin’s play Yevgeny Onegin op.71 by Sergey Prokofiev (†27) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in London.
November 28, 1981:
Maddalena, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (†28) to words of Lieven and the composer after Lieven, orchestrated by E. Downs, is staged for the first time, in Graz approximately 68 years after it was composed. See 25 March 1979.
December 1, 1991:
The fugue from the unfinished Sonata for cello op.134 by Sergey Prokofiev (†38) is performed for the first time, in London.