Prokofiev's Piano Sonatas: A Guide for the Listener and the Performer

This new book by Boris Berman is a magnificent read for those who care about the ingenious music of Prokofiev. Dedicated to his mother, Berman tackles the virtually limitless piano repertoire, the piano sonatas of Prokofiev which are considered a serious part of the repertoire by almost every accomplished concert pianist. He was the only 20th century composer to give such consistent attention to form. Prokofiev had a lifelong compassion of the sonata form and Berman begins the book with an outline of how sonata form evolved from Beethoven to Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms, continuing into the important composers of the 20th century. Berman provides an in depth chapter on Prokofiev's life and the evolution of his "musical language", which also includes reference and descriptive discussion on how all of his compositions came to fruition. The book then devotes considerable insight to "Prokofiev the pianist", which conveys how the piano played a central role in his oeuvre. Berman sites specific examples of movements, bars, types of piano textures of his early and late works as well as his articulations, active finger work and resulting sonorities. The incredible fascination of this book truly begins when Berman gives each of the piano sonatas an in depth discussion and overview. Berman then leads us to the next step called "Listening Closely". Each movement is analyzed in a well laid out format showing examples of thematic material, what is taking place in each hand, and even gives measure numbers and timing spots where the examples occur on the disc. It is most important that you write bar numbers in your scores, as Prokofiev never provided bar numbers. By doing this it makes for less searching when locating Berman's examples. Once this section is completed Berman presents us with his own "Master Class". Being the virtuoso Berman is, this master class is given from his own point of view and makes you feel like you are virtually participating. Having performed all nine sonatas, Berman gives us a chance to see how the main stylistic traits of Prokofiev's music plays out within the context of each sonata. In the fifth sonata for example, Berman "teaches" each movement. In the first movement he discusses how the opening theme should be played "with simplicity, but sensitive to every fresh, unexpected harmony." It is this kind of detailing that makes this book such a refreshing learning experience. In the conclusion, Berman talks about "To Be A Prokofiev Pianist". In the preceding chapters, he has examined each of the sonatas and discussed the challenges they present to their performers. Berman now summarizes the qualities and skills a pianist must possess in order to be a successful Prokofiev interpreter. He touches on the essentials that must be observed, indicating elements regarding tempo, dynamics, and articulation. "Prokofiev had a particular talent for creating a fully identifiable mood within the first notes of a piece, passag