Russian composer, pianist and conductor.

Born on 23 April 1891 in Sontsovka (Ukraine, Russian Empire), and passed away on 5 March 1953 in Moscow (Russia). Son of Sergei Alexeyevich Prokofiev, agronomist and landowner, and Maria Grigorievna Zhitkova, pianist and teacher.

His mother taught him to play the piano, and he composed his first pieces between 1896 and 1901. In 1899 he travelled to Moscow, where he got to know the opera, genre he found inspiring; he composed in 1900 "Velikan", camera opera based in children's stories. In 1902 he received his first lessons in composition, piano and theory from Reinhold Glière. In 1904, he entered the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied harmony and counterpoint with Anatoli Liádov, orchestration with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and music theory with Jāzeps Vītols. He made his debut in 1908 as a composer at the Noches de Música Contemporánea, and completed his composition studies in 1909. He continued to perfect his piano technique with Alexander Winkler and Anna Esipova, and studied conducting with Nikolai Tcherepnin. In 1911, he composed the "Concierto nº1" for piano and orchestra, premiering in 1912 in Moscow; during 1913 he composed the second concerts for this same instrument and orchestra. In 1914, he won the Prix Rubinstein.

Prokofiev made his first trips to Europe in 1913-1914; he visited Paris and London, where he met Serge Diaghilev, leader of the Ballets Russes. In 1916-1917 he composed his "Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 19", which premiered in 1923, and "Sinfonía No. 1", also know as the "Clásica".

After a failed project, that Prokofiev transformed into the symphonic suite "Skifskaya syuita", Diaghilev proposed him in Rome to write a sheet music for a new ballet, based on the popular Russian story "Lyubov'k tryom apel'sinam" ("L'amour des trois oranges"), premiered in Chicago in 1921. Admirer of Manuel de Falla's works, he asked the composer in 1920 for some sheet music, so that they could be available for youth in the library of the Unión de Compositores de Moscú. He returned to Europe in 1922. The following year he married Carolina Codina, a singer born in Madrid, whose stage name was Lina Llubera. Shortly afterwards the couple moved to Paris, where Prokofiev composed his "Sinfonía nº 2".

From 1925 he did tours around Europe, United States and Russia; that same year he began writing the ballet "Le pas d'acier", premiering in 1927 with Massine's choreography. The opera "Ognennïy angel" (1919-1927) would not premiere until 1954, in Paris. In 1928, also by commission of Diaghilev, he composed "L'enfant prodigue", whose choreography was in char by George Balanchine. He expanded his touring activity to Cuba and Canada in 1930. After 1932 he visited Moscow several times, and four years later he moved back to the Soviet Union. Between 1936 and 1939 he wrote music for children, such as "Peter and the Wolf" (1936), much beloved in Soviet society, and the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" (1936), which premiered in 1938. He worked with Sergei Eisenstein on the films "Alexander Nevsky" (1938-1939) and "Ivan the Terrible" (1942-45). During World War II he received the honorary title of People's Artist of the RSFSR, and composed several symphonic and chamber pieces, the opera "Voyna i mir" (1944) based on Leon Tolstoy's famous novel, and the ballet "Zolushka" (1940-1944). His musical activity was limited after 1948, due to a shift in Soviet cultural policy. Works from his final years include "Povest'o nastoyashchem cheloveke" (1947-48), his last opera; "Cello Sonata" (1949), premiered by cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and pianist Sviatoslav Richter; the oratorio "Na strazhe mira" (1950) for mezzo-soprano, narrator, choir and orchestra; the festive symphonic poem "Vstrecha Volgi's Donom" (1951); and his last ballet, "Skaz o kammenom tsvetke" (1948-1953).

Una parte de su legado se conserva en el Serge Prokofiev Archive de la Columbia University (EEUU). Contiene 58 manuscritos musicales originales y más de 10 000 cartas y documentos, principalmente de 1918 a 1936, años en los que Prokofiev vivió en Europa y EEUU. También incluye una amplia colección de copias de manuscritos musicales, ediciones musicales, programas de mano de conciertos, libros, artículos académicos, fotografías y material de audio y video, entre otros documentos.