Prokofiev did not assign specific programs to the piano sonatas he composed during the Second World War, but wartime themes are ever present. The Eighth Sonata opens lyrically, but its calm mood is disrupted by an agitated theme. The central movement, a set of variations on a slow minuet, is dotted with dissonant notes that also suggest war clouds, but the clouds are scattered in the finale, a showpiece that heralds imminent victory with rapid-fire passages suggesting pealing bells.
Proud Season Sponsor