A study in contrasts, the career of Sergey Prokofiev spanned the globe, leaving him witness to the most significant political and historical events of the first half of the twentieth century. In 1918, after completing a program of studies at the St. Petersburg conservatory, Prokofiev escaped Russia for the United States and later France where, like most émigré artists of the time, he made Paris his home.

During these hectic years, he composed three ballets and three operas, fulfilled recordi...