In 1936, after nearly 20 years in the West, Prokofiev returned to his native Russia,

transformed into the Soviet Union, where he found it more difficult than he had thought

to write music to please the Communist authorities. But when war came in 1941, the

atmosphere changed. The regime needed artists to inspire and lead. Prokofiev played his

part, and, as the tide of war turned in 1944, he created one of his most paradoxical yet

melodious masterpieces.

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