Great Players of the Past: Sergei Prokofiev, with GM Ben Finegold
Ойындар
Sergei Prokofiev (April 27, 1891 - March 5, 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous music genres, he is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century. By seven, he had also learned to play chess!
This lecture was recorded on Wednesday April 17, 2024. Thank you to Nathan Black for sponsoring this lecture. “I’d like to dedicate the lecture to musicians who love chess!”
08:15 Alexander Alekhine vs Sergei Prokofiev, Blindfold Simul 1914
12:12 José Raúl Capablanca vs Sergei Prokofiev, Simul 1914
21:26 Emanuel Lasker vs Sergei Prokofiev, Simul 1933
29:19 Sergei Prokofiev vs Maurice Ravel, Mont La Joli 1924
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Пікірлер: 91
Props to the sponsor, great idea for a lecture😅! I'm a classical music fan and did not know this about Prokofiev. Very fun intersection of interests. Go Sergei! But stay there.
@hygujiuy
3 ай бұрын
I like his sense of humor that helps keep chess fun for me
In 1922 Prokofiev beat Botvinik in a blindfold composing competition, spotting him an oboe.
I was a classical musician for almost 20 years and played chess seriously for over 7 years, but I had no idea Prokofiev was such a Chad in chess! I was thrilled to watch this lecture ! Thank you VERY MUCH, Nathan and Ben! 🤗🤗
Another fan of classical music and chess here. I had no clue Prokofiev was so strong. Fascinating!
don't spot a knight to the Dance of the Knights guy
For those who have never heard Prokofiev's music, I'd strongly recommend the following: Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 "Classical" Prokofiev Violin Sonata No. 2 I'm sure others will also suggest good pieces too!
@immanuellitzroth1905
3 ай бұрын
Piano Sonata 6,7 and 8...
@fawful303
3 ай бұрын
Lieutenant Kije, scythian suite, romeo and Juliette are wonderful as well. I've had the pleasure of playing some of his music as a trombonist in youth orchestras when I was younger. He wrote some fun stuff for us low brass
@subspace7290
3 ай бұрын
and! the last 30 seconds of "only ash remains" by necrophagist 🤔🤔🤔😎
@thenoblegnuwildebeest3625
3 ай бұрын
Would add the second piano concerto as well
@michakowalski4578
3 ай бұрын
If I'd create a list of composers Prokofiev for sure would be in top 4.
I will always treasure when I played his Piano Concerto no. 3 with my professor (two pianos) on my academy graduation concert. I felt very excited when I learned he also played chess. It's amazing one can be such of a beast of a musician and still play chess on a master level. I'm not even close to be this good in both fields.
"Chess is one of the only art in which composition and performance occur simultaneously" - Garry Kasparov Prokofiev in the background: "Someday that will be a Finegold lecture"
@Freakinawesome333
3 ай бұрын
I used to like that quote until I remembered how common improvisation is in performing arts (music, comedy, dance, etc.). It's not a rare thing at all lol
@raskalnekov
3 ай бұрын
@@Freakinawesome333 Today I learned that Garry Kasparov is an expert on both History and Art
@UncleDansVintageVinyl
3 ай бұрын
@@Freakinawesome333 I mean . . . jazz?
@f.d.3289
3 ай бұрын
Kasparov obviously doesn't know much about jazz and other improvisational music genres. Also many painters don't compose their images but just improvise spontaneously. But as always, Kasparov sounds (self-)important.
@PlguDctR-yb7mi
3 ай бұрын
@@f.d.3289 Indeed, a lot of music and other arts are improvised. Even a lot of classical music was improvised back in the day. Mozart concertos are almost all written with cadenzas and caprices intended to be improvised; only recently have non-improvised versions of piano concertos become the norm.
Prokofiev was a great composer, and now a great decomposer.
When you're a master of the openings *and* the overtures! Impressive performance.
Lasker died in 1941.... Does Grand Master finegold know anything???? Oh that's what he guessed...... Fries
I did a double take and thought, " no way thats the same person as one of my favorite composers."
@ThunderChickenBucket
3 ай бұрын
I can speak to his composing, Prokofiev is very influential in orchestrating and film scoring, Lieutenant Kije Suite is worth a listen.
@pcrich7062
3 ай бұрын
I always thought it was two different Prokofievs!
Prokofiev is a fantastic composer - most people are probably unknowingly familiar with several of his works (Peter and the Wolf, Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet, etc). His compositions can be cerebral, complex and chess like in their structure, but at his core Prokofiev is a complete genius melodist, rivaling Tchaikovsky. I played in a performance of his 6th symphony several years back that I still think about to this day, that piece is so emotionally open and the melodies are just divine.
It's so weird hearing Ben say Prokofiev when talking about chess to me , great idea for a lecture, ty ty.
What an amazing idea from the sponsor!
I see Ben Finegold, I click
Go musicians who love chess
@joaquinpiriz7301
3 ай бұрын
But stay there
Big boy Ben been watching Simpsons, Seinfeld -- Ben watching Seinfeld, Simpsons. Every now and then, he plays chess as a hobby. He was watching TV, watching movies, and listening to music his whole life -- he also took some good naps -- and did chess as a side hustle much like Prokofiev primarily wrote music but sometimes played chess.
The early works of Prokofiev are some of my favorite, he had a really advanced music head. Awesome he played chess also.
Been waiting on this one! I love love love the crossover!
OK, Ben. You have already convinced me. I plan to listen to "The Dance of the Knights" on loop during my next lichess bullet tournament.
Very interesing for me, as I am piano teacher in Poland 🎉❤
Presumably it was Dance of the Knights?
I was a musician, I like chess, I like Prokofiev. Thanks
I’m new to chess but enjoying these games and the history 👍
I guess anybody is a great player, so far as somebody sponsors a lecture for them 🙂
Another banger of a lecture
Someone please sponsor a lecture on the games of Humphrey Bogart!
So cool for my worlds to collide like this as a music grad student and chess fan!
Didn't expect this video
my parents have an oldschool chess clock like this, it is awesome :)
After Rf5+, black's position ( •_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ Unravels (⌐■_■) YEEEAAAHHHH🎸🎶
@alexanderkidd7351
3 ай бұрын
I can imagine Bolero playing in the background as Ravel realizes that his king is out of squares and he’s getting mated. It’s almost like he forgot that development is just as important in chess as it is in music 🔥
I‘m a musicians who loves chess. Thanks
Love chess, love music, didn't know the two combined so well.
My brother’s friend is his grand nephew. He is a musician, and a chess player
Prokofiev won a piano competition playing his own first piano concerto even after he was told not to play it beforehand.
Prokofiev was a 2400 player and a super GM in music.
Well, his most famous piece is "The dance of the knights" from Romeo and Juliet (I warmly recommend the recording with the director Georg Solti)
Needed some Peter and the Wolf playing lightly in the background!
"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams" Man there's a Gene Wilder quote for everything. I really like the way Lasker just pushed him down in that game, reminds me of some of Carlsen's nicer games. Also Gukesh had some wins like that in the candidates, makes me think he could become one of the best ever.
@RoxxorzYourBoxxorz
3 ай бұрын
the great Wilder is quoting this one guy O'Shaughnessy
The game against Ravel is a ton of fun.
BTW, the violinist whom Prokofiev is playing against in the photograph in the intro is more than just "a famous violinist" -- he is David Oistrakh, who was of the same stature as a violinist as Prokofiev was as a composer. I think it's fair to say that, if you declared Oistrakh the greatest violinist of the 20th century, just as if you declared Prokofiev the greatest composer, many (perhaps even most) people would disagree with you, but nobody would call you crazy.
I had no idea my brother in music, Prokofiev was a chess player!
Anand and Smyslov only? I can't believe you have never played Kramnik. Online blitz maybe? Any opponent could be Kramnik using false account.
Wow I love Prokofiev but I had no idea that he was strong at chess!
Ben got so exited that he played good against world champions... Then I got exited Oistrakh was a chess player
At 8:00 Ben said that the only world champions he played were Smyslov and Anand but didn't he play Magnus also in the Pro-chess league?
Prokofiev died a few hours after Stalin. Shostakovich said Prokofiev was so happy when he heard the news he had a heart attack on the spot and died. His apartment was on red square and they couldnt get his body out because of all the people lining up to view Stalins body.
It goes even further. Prokofiev played a match with David Oistrach - and Oistrach won. It is very unfortunate that these games have no survived.
It's like he beat up Capablanca even worse than he did Alekhine. That's crazy.
The amount of people that believe Prokofiev did CHESS composition is too damn high!
"It is a crime" against chess to play the open Sicilian, white exchanges the central pawn for the opponent's c-pawn, Larsen said it and G.M Finegold also quoted it. I would add, it is also a crime against chess that this channel has so few subscribers: for the content, it deserves at least 10 times as many...
@16:20 Start from here
Proper Chess player
wait what? I had no idea!
39:00
Very nice video, Morricone played chess too but certainly not at this level
Menachem Begin also played chess. How good was he?
Always comment. Rawr!
Hey, i know his music
Prokofiev had a pretty good alibi for Stalin's death
Didn't you play Magnus in the pro league. And Didn't he play a very suspicious move to beat you???
Pictures at an exhibition
Taimanov (concert pianist) and Smyslov (opera singer) are my top picks for music people who can play chess. Sting, on the other hand, is a terrible chess player.
He was indeed a great composer, but now he is a great decomposer.
Ravel
@juhonieminen4219
3 ай бұрын
Ennio Morricone
Maurice Ravel was not a "10"
PROKOFIEV??
So Prokofiev was not only a more profficient musician than Ravel, but also a better chess player. Was he better at everything? The truth hurts.
Prokofiev is generally not considered to be among the top figures in Twentieth Century music, e.g., Schoenberg, Stravinsky (the Rite of Spring), and Bartok.