The Genius of Prokofiev

Eric Pancer

Sergei Prokofiev’s rich creative life coincided with the artistic, cultural, and political tumult of the early decades of the Soviet Union; his complex yet appealing music reflects the contradictory influences of the time. Barbara Schubert and the DuPage Symphony Orchestra perform a program opening with excerpts from his 1940 ballet masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet . The Naperville Chorus and the North Central College Concert Choir – both under the direction of Jeordano Martinez – then join the DuPage Symphony for Prokofiev’s powerful Alexander Nevsky cantata, drawn from his score to Sergei Eisenstein’s 1938 film masterpiece: an epic drama depicting the 13th-century invasion of Novgorod by Teutonic Knights of the Holy Roman Empire and their defeat by the Russian people, led by Prince Alexander. This performance was given in Wentz Hall at North Central College in Naperville, IL. 13 February 2011.