Exhibition "Sergei Prokofiev – a Composer Ahead of His Time"

About exhibition

Prokofiev's persona is multifaceted: composer, performer, man of letters, teacher, chess player, and simply a man who loved biting jokes and creature comforts. He preferred new things to old ones, and new friends to old. Like any great artist, Prokofiev is a mystery that is unlikely to be fully solved. The main mottos of his work, biography, and behavior are "always to surprise" and "never to repeat oneself." The exhibition is not limited by time or place. It creates an open space for the emergence of unconventional, unique images and situations. The mobility of the exhibition, which allows interchange of individual exhibits and even whole thematic series, is its fundamental difference from traditional, static museum collections. Interaction with Prokofiev grows out of the atmosphere and dissolves within it. A visitor to this unusual exhibition can move through times and periods both chronologically and thematically. At the center of the exhibition is a multimedia calendar based on the dates and facts of Prokofiev's biography. The exhibition comprises five sections: "Prokofiev the Pianist," "Prokofiev the Symphonist," "Prokofiev the Conductor," "Prokofiev — Creator of Music for Theater and Film," and "Prokofiev — Creator of Cantata-Oratorio and Chamber Works." Each section is presented with authentic exhibits that belonged to the subject; however, the significance of the exhibition is also revealed through other materials — sound and moving-image materials.