After almost a hundred episodes, the docudrama ‘The wayward Prokofiev’, about the life and work of the Russian 20th century composer, will on Tuesday, December 17. Over a period of four years, Luc Nijs has devoted an hour every two weeks to the life and work of undoubtedly one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century.
In the last episode we look back and try to unravel what Sergei Prokofiev has meant for the history of music on the basis of four statements. Program maker Luc Nijs talks about the special journey he has made in the four years.
You call Sergei Prokofiev one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. What is his greatest quality fn your opinion and why?
His greatest quality was his artistic and characteristic self-will. The fact that he never gave in to what the public in Moscow, Chicago or Paris was looking for. This is in contrast to fellow composers such as Stravinsky. He composed the way he wanted and if someone liked it, that was simply a bonus.
You have made about a hundred programmes about Prokofiev’s life and work. What’s the most interesting thing you learned about him?
Two things come to mind. First of all, the fact that he had enormous problems of conscience about whether or not to return to the USSR in 1936. On the one hand, there was the homesickness and the attractive financial picture that the Russian government offered him, but on the other hand, the uncertainty of what that would mean for him as composer and for his much-valued artistic freedom. He had composed in the US and Western Europe and had been influenced by the musical developments there, and at the same the music world in the USSR had also changed. He was very aware of that. Secondly, the oppressive fact that he thought for a long time that Mira Mendelson (eventually his second wife) might have been working for the Russian secret service KGB in order to keep him under artistic control. Even to such an extent that before they got married he had her write lyrics and librettos to test whether she was really a student at the Maksim Gorky Institute of Letters.
You call this series a docudrama. Why did you choose this form?
I wanted to expand the series beyond a purely chronological biographical and musical history. A more specific exploration of Prokofiev’s character was made possible by introducing a social perspective and background into the series. I have placed his development against the background of the changes in society and the work of his fellow composers. For example, a number of episodes look at the life and work of his grandson Gabriel Prokofiev, who was also a composer. That is also part of Sergei’s extensive and impressive musical legacy.
What did you enjoy most while creating this series?
I have read a half, if not a whole library about him, his two wives and his life, including his extensive published diaries (he was as gifted as a writer as he was as a composer). Reading about someone’s life at such a level of detail is a special thing in itself. You experience how his character evolves, how events change him, how his personal choices influence his music. The role of both his wives, and especially how his life ended in poverty and illness, is something you would not have expected when you look at his career as a whole.
From January you will make weekly episodes of Noorderlicht, instead of every two weeks. Can you give us a hint about the content?
Noorderlicht will indeed become a weekly series. From January, the series will focus exclusively on contemporary works and CD releases from the Scandinavian and Baltic countries. The well-known classical repertoire of Grieg, Sibelius and Nielsen, for example, will fade into the background. We will also make room here and there for some jazz and world music from the region. Because the production and quality in those genres is just as high as it is in the classical domain.
Listen Tuesday 17 December 22.00 CET to the final episode of ‘The wayward Prokofiev’.
Do you want to know more about Sergei Prokofjev? Click here for all the episodes.
