Prokofiev and the Russian Avant-Garde: Love and War

The nonprofit Guarneri Hall, a state-of-the-art, custom-built classical music venue in the heart of downtown Chicago at 11 E. Adams St., presents the complex world of Russian composer and pianist Sergei Prokofiev through the lens of his nine piano sonatas, the first time the complete cycle is performed in Chicago in a decade. From biting modernism to wartime introspection, this three-part series traces a musical and cultural evolution, exploring the rarely discussed Russian Avant-Garde of the early twentieth century. Each concert unfolds the complexity of the Russian Avant-Garde movement, exploring the poetry, theater, and visual art that inspired and influenced Prokofiev and his collaborators. Pianist Adam Neiman takes on all nine of Prokofiev’s piano sonatas, providing a comprehensive encounter with the works’ bold rhythms and lyrical intensity. Well-known to Guarneri Hall audiences, Neiman’s incredible artistry and his history with Guarneri Hall make him the perfect choice for this project: an almost unheard-of opportunity to hear all nine Prokofiev Sonatas in close proximity to one of the most illuminating pianists before the public today. Adding to the intimacy, each musical evening includes a post-concert reception where audience members and performers can interact over quality libations and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets can be purchased now at guarnerihall.org, with general admission priced at $50 and student discounts available. The three concerts, titled Love and War, Freedom and Irony, and Echo and Image, trace Prokofiev’s early infatuation with Russian traditions, the years surrounding the Russian Revolution, and his time touring internationally before returning to the Soviet Union. Wrestling with the demands of his time, Prokofiev crafted a repertoire that is at once fiercely individual and deeply marked by the socio-political currents that shaped his life. Host Tanya Landau, PhD candidate in the Department of Musicology at Northwestern University, will be joined by distinguished educators from Northwestern University for opening remarks that explore the Russian poetry, theater, and visual art that inspired and influenced Prokofiev and his collaborators. Love and War begins with Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 1, highlighting an early infatuation with Russian traditions influenced by his training at the St. Petersburg Conservatory under Nikolai Tcherepnin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Piano Sonata No. 2 was premiered in Moscow in 1914 with the composer at the piano. He dedicated the work to his friend and fellow student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Maximilian Schmidthof, who committed suicide in 1913. Piano Sonata No. 6, the first of Prokofiev’s “War Sonatas,” closes the evening. Written in 1939, three years after his return to the Soviet Union, Prokofiev’s No. 6 is driven by an undercurrent of unease that reflects on uncertainty and violence at the start of the Second World War. The event features opening remarks from Nina Gurianova, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Slavic Languages at Northwestern University, who will explore Russian futurist visual poetry that demonstrates a profound symbiosis between the literary and the visual.

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3799867-0

Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3799867-2

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