Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Prokofiev - Suggestion Diabolique

I understand, I like atmospehere of Prokofievs music, it's so devilish, dark... I love this piece, but don't get some of his music too.

For whatever it's worth: I also don't like this piece, but I love Prokofiev!

Try the first movement of the 8th sonata. If you don't like that, conclude you're not much for Mr. Prok.

-J

Funny you should mention that. I hate that too.

Actually.....I've only heard it 'live' once (and never much listened to it besides that one time), and I sort of liked the sonata -- except that 1st mvt, which seemed to me like a nothing bore.

My god, it's so not nothing. But it might be like Scriabin 9 in its accessibility barrier.

I don't know if you trust me enough to just grab a score and listen to that movement three times this week. But it could be eye-opening. Like the Scriabin, it's a work of astonishing depth, mystery and occasional terror.

-J

I might consider the Scriabin, since you've mentioned it. But I prefer my music to have more melody than terror.

It's worth remembering that Prokofiev was a very young composer when he wrote it - the first version was written when he was only seventeen and the revised version we know was made sometime between then and when he was twenty-one. He was reveling in being the aggressive musical rebel who scandalized the old guard at that point. It was also a time in which the whole "machine age" idea was big, and I think you can hear it in the music. The Toccata that followed soon after is also very much into that hard-edged and motoric pounding vibe.

I still like it for its energy and drive and bite, but not as much as when I was seventeen.

Good points, and I keep them in mind when I consider both the Suggestion and the Toccata, neither of which I love.

On the other hand, the first piano concerto, written around the same time, is dear to me.


-J

Gilels playing Prok 8, live, is the best. Richter sounds like a bore in comparison.

Ah, yes, the first concerto is wonderful. It certainly has a much more sunny outlook and generally "positive" feeling than either Suggestion and the Toccata.

BTW, I'm not trying to suggest that you or anyone should like those solo pieces. I just wanted to say that, at least for me, keeping a certain kind of perspective on them can make them more interesting than they might be otherwise.

Well I wouldn't go so far to say 'a bore', but Giles does seem to bring something extra that Richter seems to have missed- though I would hardly want to argue the point with Richter!

Apropos the 'Suggestion Diabolique', I confess to amazement at some of the negative responses here. Of course it is an early work, and deliciously 'over-the-top', but what outrageous fun. Chill out, guys.

I'm surprised by negative responses, too... It's a ton of fun, who cares if it isn't "deep?" It's humorous.