Prokofiev, Sergey Sergeyevich

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Russian composer. His music includes operas such as The Love for Three Oranges (after Carlo Gozzi, 1921); ballets for Sergei Diaghilev, including Romeo and Juliet (1935); seven symphonies including the Classical Symphony (1916–17); music for film, including Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky (1938); piano and violin concertos; songs and cantatas (for example, that composed for the 30th anniversary of the October Revolution); and Peter and the Wolf (1936) for children, to his own libretto after a Russian folk tale.

Prokofiev was essentially a classicist in his use of form, but his large and varied output shows great lyricism, humour, and skill. His music in his earlier years has a hard brilliance, but his later works show a mellowing and maturity of style. Born near Ekaterinoslav (now Dnipropetrovs'k), he studied at St Petersburg under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and achieved fame as a pianist. He left Russia in 1918 and lived for some time in the USA and in Paris, but returned in 1927 and again in 1935.

The star represents Islam and expresses peace, harmony, hope, and socialism. The tricolour is reminiscent of the flag of France, the former colonial power. The pan-African colours express unity with other African nations. Effective date: 25 August 1960. >>