Prokofiev 1st sonata

[franz_]

Somebody who played Prokofiev's first sonata?
After My currently program I'm planning to play this.

[xavierm]

Somebody who played Prokofiev's first sonata?
After My currently program I'm planning to play this.

I did. I played it last year for a master class with Chu-Fang Huang, who got sixth place in the 2005 Van Cliburn. What do you want to know about it?
Technically speaking it's a lot more difficult than it sounds, especially the middle section when played up to tempo... there's a lot going on. Being Prokofiev's Op. 1, it's a very scattered piece, but with some really beautiful moments. Just remember to take advantage of the p's and pp's as they are needed for contrast with all the f's. It's also a very difficult piece to memorize because there aren't too many patterns or repetitious lines, even with the recapitulation. It's short... which is good, but within that short time span you will do a lot of work. Good luck.

[franz_]

I did. I played it last year for a master class with Chu-Fang Huang, who got sixth place in the 2005 Van Cliburn. What do you want to know about it?
Technically speaking it's a lot more difficult than it sounds, especially the middle section when played up to tempo... there's a lot going on. Being Prokofiev's Op. 1, it's a very scattered piece, but with some really beautiful moments. Just remember to take advantage of the p's and pp's as they are needed for contrast with all the f's. It's also a very difficult piece to memorize because there aren't too many patterns or repetitious lines, even with the recapitulation. It's short... which is good, but within that short time span you will do a lot of work. Good luck.

Thank you very much for your comment. I'm planning to learn that sonata. To what you can compare it in difficulty?

[zingarese]

Ooo that's a really good piece, one of my favorites (though I guess I say that about quite a lot of pieces). I played it last year... it's really difficult, but once you learn the notes it's not as difficult to play.. but so much crazy interpretation is definitely necessary, as always. It's a really interesting piece because Prokofiev wrote it when he was 16, so it's not really "full Prokofiev" yet and it's a lot more melodious than his other works, with more pedaling and not as dry (at least that's my interpretation..I think the melody really requires a lot of flow that makes more pedaling necessary, as opposed to other Prokofiev). Difficulty-wise, in comparison with other works, I would say that it's definitely... well.. difficult. But compared to, say, his 3rd sonata, which I'm working on right now, I don't think it's near as hard, in part because of the strong melody and it's counterpoint accompaniment.

Good luck with it. It's a brilliant piece. Prokofiev never wastes a note.

[xavierm]

Thank you very much for your comment. I'm planning to learn that sonata. To what you can compare it in difficulty?

Hmmm... difficulty-wise, technically speaking of course, it's hard to say. I don't know what to compare it with musically, but on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the hardest, it's probably a 7.7.

[steveie986]

I really don't like the piece very much. It's not Prokofievan at all and sounds nothing like the later sonatas. Isn't it just a piece of neo-romantic speck in the midst of an otherwise brilliantly modern oeuvre?

[nakedape]

i've never heard this piece.   
could someone hook me up with a recording or at least recommend me one? thanks mucho.

[xavierm]

I really don't like the piece very much. It's not Prokofievan at all and sounds nothing like the later sonatas. Isn't it just a piece of neo-romantic speck in the midst of an otherwise brilliantly modern oeuvre?

No.

If you try really hard you could make the case that it's a quasi-student piece, but if you look closely enough there are many hints of the Prokofiev to come. Not to mention it's beautiful, tightly structured, and a great recital piece. It's worth learning and listening to for multiple reasons. No one is saying it's a Chopin Ballade No. 4 or something of the like... it's not fair to compare composers like that. It's a great piece bordering on genius, pure and simple. (which is in contrast to all his later pieces which surpass genius)

[steveie986]

No.

If you try really hard you could make the case that it's a quasi-student piece, but if you look closely enough there are many hints of the Prokofiev to come. Not to mention it's beautiful, tightly structured, and a great recital piece. It's worth learning and listening to for multiple reasons. No one is saying it's a Chopin Ballade No. 4 or something of the like... it's not fair to compare composers like that. It's a great piece bordering on genius, pure and simple. (which is in contrast to all his later pieces which surpass genius)

Sure, it's a great piece of music. Everything about it is very nice and well-written. But I find some of his juvenalia more interesting than the no. 1. It sounds nice, unintrusive, but it's nothing like the bombastic, caustic sarcasm of the young Prokofiev out to shock the traditionalist St. Petersburg conservatory with his first piano concerto. I suspect he was possibly pressured by his dour traditionalist professor to make his op. 1 a neo-Romantic student piece.

At any rate, I think the difference between 1 and 6, 7, & 8 is like the difference between Beethoven's 1 and 32.

And thank God it's not like the Ballade no. 4.