The three so-called War Sonatas Nos. 6–8 were composed in the years 1939–1944, while Prokofiev was evacuated from Moscow to Kazakhstan and the Caucasus. The reference to the siege of Leningrad was a prerequisite for the success of the compositions, which continue the tradition of Beethoven rather than conforming to the stylistic maxims of ’socialist realism’ in force at the time.

Sonata No. 7, best-known as ‘Stalingrad’, is the best known and most ornate of the three sonatas. Prokofiev recei...