For my next book I have returned to a book I lost in the bowels of the RCM halfway through reading it - Prokofiev's Diaries (1907-1914) translated by Anthony Phillips. I am always hooked by (good!) books about composers. Some suggestions:
Prokofiev Diaries - translated by Anthony Philips:
http://bit.ly/domZXp
Messiaen - Hill and Simeone
http://bit.ly/9JIvNF
Stravinsky - Walsh
http://bit.ly/cfNcpL
The diaries of Prokofiev have changed how I think about his music. I have to admit I have always sat on the Shostakovich side of the fence when it comes to 'Soviet' music. However, young Sergey is so witty, shallow, needy and outrageously flirtatious that I think I am now seeing a different side to his early compositions (especially his first two piano concerti). I think two things have really shone out in the first book, so far: His absolute need for a very close male companion (a complete display of platonic love) and also his infatuation at winding up the female race!
It's not just his character that is displayed but also the life of the conservatoire and more interestingly the internal wrangling of society and the musical world in Russia.
He has given me a great idea for a programme - directly lifted from one he went to in February 1913: Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead and Second Piano Concerto, followed by Scriabin's Extase. Scriabin's Poem of Exstasy was played tonnes in St Petersburg!!
On hearing Stravinsky's Infernal Dance from the Firebird he remarks: 'simply excellent' and hearing Petroushka in Paris : the staging sent him into 'ecstasies as did the orchestration and the wit constantly displayed...so engaging it was...the music...there is certainy something not real about it'. Its interesting to think that the Ballet Russe put on Petroushka followed by Daphnis - again I think a really exciting programme highlighting the amazing colour in Stravinsky's work, although I think I would put the works the other way around.
One of my favourite stories he recounts is a message he sent to a girl, Ariadna, after hearing she didn't play particularly well in an exam, as she was 'suffering from anaemia (?!)' :
'But I was then struck but a brilliant notion, which we spent the rest of the day executing.
From the photograph of our group we cut out Radochka's impassioned physigonomy and stuck
it onto the body of another, fatter girl, then attached the whole thing to a silhouette of a grand
piano I cut out of cardboard. It worked splendidly, and resulted in a well-upholstered Radochka
sitting convincingly at a piano. Lavrov we cut out complete from the same group photo, and
Nikolayev (who had been Niolskaya's examiner) from another group we acquired Kaspari
especially for the purpose. The whole ensemble was then pasted on to dark green card, above
this was written: 'Professor (to examiner) - Oh, my dear colleague, please do have pity, give
her a 5! After all, she suffers from anaemia...See how thin she is...(whispering in his ear) and how
pretty! (Aloud) When her health permits she must walk along Morskaya and enjoy herself in all kinds
of distractions and tire herself out at the piano, the cause of her disgraceful performance!'
Below, written in Max's hand: 'But the incorruptible Examiner disdains to succumb either to these
honeyed words or to the feminine wiles, and with iron justice awards a mark not quite equivalent
to 5+'
I suggest you read it - WARNING - it makes you think Prokofiev is a precocious little **** ...
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