Boosey & Hawkes

New Prokofieff Association and Three Oranges journal

(February 2001)

A new Serge Prokofieff Association has been founded in London, centred at the composer’s archive housed at Goldsmith’s College, part of London University. A major initiative of the Association is the publication of a new journal, aptly entitled Three Oranges, devoted to the composer and his music, the first issue of which has recently been released.

As well as containing feature articles and reviews, the journal includes messages of welcome from Sviatoslav Prokofieff, Valery Gergiev and Sir Edward Downes, explaining the aims and plans for both Association and Journal.

Sviatoslav Prokofieff writes:

"I am most happy to welcome in this inaugural issue of the Journal Three Oranges all lovers of Serge Prokofieff’s music. My mother’s dream has finally become reality: after the Serge Prokofieff Foundation and Archive, the Serge Prokofieff Association has been born and is taking first steps into the world. Given the passion, the energy and devotion of its founders, I am certain that the Association will soon be known throughout the world, attracting the attention and love of those who want to know Serge Prokofieff’s life and work better and also those who are concerned with the past, present and future of classical music."

Valery Gergiev writes:

"It is a great honour and challenge for me to be the Patron of the Serge Prokofieff Association. I fully support the aims of this Association, which are to promote and increase public awareness of the life and work of Serge Prokofieff, one of the most original voices of the first half of the twentieth century.

"Much work is needed in order to do justice to Prokofieff’s creativity; new research, new publications and, of course, new performances must be planned. The Kirov Company and Orchestra have invested more time and work in his music than anyone else in the world, and we are fully committed to making his entire output known to a broad international audience. We are envisaging new choreography for his magnificent ballets, and I am personally planning to conduct series of the symphonies and ballet scores."

Sir Edward Downes writes:

"As President of the Serge Prokofieff Association it give me great pleasure to welcome you in this inaugural edition of our journal – Three Oranges. For many years, while conducting Prokofieff’s music in countries all over the world, I have been made increasingly aware of the eagerness of music lovers to learn more about this great composer whose achievements have enriched the lives of so many of us.

"It is the wish to satisfy this desire and the hope of extending the love and understanding of Prokofieff’s music to an ever wider circle of music lovers that has prompted us to inaugurate this Association. In setting up the Prokofieff Association we shall also be honouring the memory of his wife Lina who, after her husband’s death in 1953, spent the rest of her life fighting for the propagation and protection of his music. All lovers of Prokofieff’s music owe her an enormous debt."

Boosey & Hawkes will be working closely with the Prokofieff Archive and Association in the build up towards the 50^th anniversary of the composer’s death in 2003.

For more details, to join the Prokofieff Association and receive copies of the journal Three Oranges, please click here.

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