Prokofiev, Sergei Sergeyevich, 1891-1953, Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Prokofiev achieved wide popularity with his lively music, in which he achieved a pungent mixture of modern and traditional elements. He was a pupil of Reinhold Glière and of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1918 he toured through Siberia and Japan to the United States, where he settled for a short time. He lived in Paris from 1922 to 1933, when he returned permanently to the USSR, although he visited Europe and the United States several times until 1938. Among his important works are seven symphonies, especially the First, the Classical Symphony (1916-17), and the Fifth (1944); two violin concertos; five piano concertos; nine sonatas and other piano music; and chamber music. His operas include The Gambler (1915-16; rev. 1927; Brussels, 1929), after Feodor Dostoyevsky; The Love for Three Oranges (1921), after Carlo Gozzi; Betrothal in a Convent (1940; 1946), based on Richard Sheridan's Duenna; and War and Peace (1943; rev. version, 1952), after Leo Tolstoy. Other works are the ballets Chout (The Buffoon, 1921), Le Pas d'acier (1927), and Romeo and Juliet (1935-36; 1940); the symphonic fairy tale Peter and the Wolf (1936); and suites from the scores for the films Lieutenant Kije (1933) and Alexander Nevsky (1938). Prokofiev's early works are often harsh and strident, deliberately avoiding emotionalism. Later he wrote in a more simplified, popular style, although he never lost his individuality. He used sharp and vigorous rhythms, and he was a master of orchestration. His own virtuosity at the piano is reflected in the brilliance of his piano music.

Cinderella (Op. 87) is a ballet composed by Sergei Prokofiev. The piece was composed between 1940 and 1944. Part way through writing it he broke off to write his opera War and Peace. The premiere of Cinderella was on November 21, 1945 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Galina Ulanova danced the title role.

Cinderella (or Cendrillon) is notable for its jubilant music, lush scenery, and for the hilarious double-roles of the stepsisters, more mad than bad in this treatment.

Cinderella (ballet)

Act I :

No 1 Introduction

No 2 Shawl Dance

No 3 Cinderella

No 4 The Father

No 5 The Fairy Godmother

No 6 The Sisters' New Clothes

No 7 The Dancing Lesson

No 8 Departure of the Stepmother and the Sisters for the Ball

No 9 Cinderella Dreams of the Ball

No 10 Gavotte

No 11 Second Appearance of the Fairy Godmother

No 12 Spring Fairy

No 13 Summer Fairy

No 14 Grasshoppers and Dragonflies

No 15 Autumn Fairy

No 16 Winter Fairy

No 17 The Interrupted Departure

No 18 The Clock

No 19 Cinderella's Departure for the Ball Act II

No 20 Dance of the Courtiers

No 21 Passepied

No 22 Bourree

No 23 Skinny's Variation

No 24 Dumpy's Variation

No 25 Dance of the Courtiers (Reprise)

No 26 Mazurka and Entrance of the Prince

No 27 Dance of the Prince's Four Companions

No 28 Mazurka

No 29 Cinderella's Arrival at the Ball

No 30 Grand Waltz

No 31 Promenade

No 32 Cinderella's Dance

No 33 Dance of the Prince

No 34 Refreshments for the Guests

No 35 Duet of the Sisters with the Oranges

No 36 Duet of the Prince and Cinderella

No 37 Waltz-Coda

No 38 Midnight Act III

No 39 The Prince and the Cobblers

No 40 First Galop of the Prince

No 41 Temptation

No 42 Second Galop of the Prince

No 43 Orientalia

No 44 Third Galop of the Prince

No 45 Cinderella's Awakening

No 46 The Morning After the Ball

No 47 The Prince's Visit

No 48 The Prince Recognizes Cinderella

No 49 Waltz

No 50 Amoroso

Plot
Cinderella lives with her wicked stepsisters, until a beggar (who reveals herself to be a fairy) comes, and rewards Cinderella by giving her a coach and a new look. At the ball, Cinderella falls in love with the prince, until midnight, when the spell wears off. But, she leaves her slipper behind, wihich the prince uses to find her again. The ballet is based on perrault's ''Cenderillon.

Ballet Fun Facts

• Cinderella's stepsisters are sometimes played by men
• In the story Cinderella there is no beggar, or seasonal fairies
• The glass slipper is played by a regular ballet slipper

Orchestral suites extracted from Cinderella

• Suite No. 1 from Cinderella, Op. 107
• Suite No. 2 from Cinderella, Op. 108
• Suite No. 3 from Cinderella, Op. 109

Pieces from Cinderella arranged for piano

• Three Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 95
• Ten Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 97
• Six Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 102