Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev is considered one of the greatest composers of the 20th century; responsible for masterpieces in several genres of classical music composition: ballets, operas, concertos and symphonies. Prokofiev, who was from the Russian Empire (now Ukraine), was a supporter of the Bolshevik party, but left the Soviet Union in hopes of fulfilling his ambitious music, considered “revolutionary” for the time period. While his health began to decline and his opinions of music were changing, the Soviets were tightening their authority over domestic arts. On March 5, 1953, Sergei Prokofiev died at the age of 61, coincidentally the same day as Stalin. The masses of people that gathered to mourn over Stalin’s death made it impossible for Prokofiev’s body to be carried out for burial until 3 days later.