Serge Prokofiev (1891-1953). Russian composer

Russian composer Serge Prokofiev was a child prodigy whose prolific works for ballet endure as some of the most distinctive in popular culture today. His music for ballet is characterised by a distinctly Soviet style, inspired both by folk song, Russian romance and nationalistic marches. The music is also coloured by drama and grandeur, drawn from Prokofiev’s experience of writing for opera. His ballets Chout, Pas d’Acier and The Prodigal Son were written for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes whilst Prokofiev was living in the West following the Russian revolution. Upon his return to Soviet Russia in the 1930s, Prokofiev composed three full-length ballets. Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella were performed at Leningrad’s Kirov Theatre and Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, respectively, and have gone on to inspire choreographers for generations since. The lesser-known The Stone Flower was first performed at the Bolshoi following Prokofiev’s death in 1953.