About the Foundations of Optimism in Sergei Prokofiev’s Music
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Abstract
Sergei Prokofiev’s world-perception presents an expression of the profound foundations of the composer’s inner
world, which was formed during his childhood under the influence of nature and the traditional forms of Russian
national culture. A special place in the composer’s worldview reflection is held by religious strivings. An analysis of
his personal notes and diaries reveals a closeness to the basic ideas of Russian philosophy: a priority of the spiritual,
the involvement of the material in the spiritual and the divine (according to Vladimir Solovyov), the human being as
a “flourishing revelation” in God (according to Nikolai Berdyayev), the human being as a bearer and an embodiment
of the Divine Spirit. The determined aspiration towards Light characteristic to Prokofiev’s music is inherent in the
directedness towards the absolute (Christian) values, asserted by the composer in his spoken utterances and written
notes. Prokofiev’s view of life became a steady platform for his personality, which guarded him against numerous inner
convulsions and doubts. The real basis for Prokofiev’s optimism is served by genuine spirituality, which stems from the
Russian cultural tradition with its faith in the interconnection of the human being with the absolute origin of existence.
Keywords: Sergei Prokofiev, foundations for Prokofiev’s optimism, the Russian cultural tradition, Russian religious
philosophy.
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