Today marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of Russian-Soviet composer Sergei Prokofiev. To celebrate, we came up with ten slightly unusual ways in which his music has been used that we hope will put a smile on your face. But if you want to hear his pieces performed the traditional way, head to our top ten playlist to find some fabulous music.
1 Troy Roberts Quartet: Piano Concerto no. 2
Grammy-nominated Australian saxophonist and composer Troy Roberts and his namesake quartet took on this classic piano concerto and turned it into a smooth ride into jazz territory.
2 Isao Tomita: Symphony no. 5, Allegro Marcato
Japanese composer Isao Tomita, considered one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, wrote an entire album – The Bermuda Triangle – combining different sections of Prokofiev orchestral works with electronic effects. Our pick is a piece called The Children Playing in Agharta, the Deep Underground Kingdom, which not only features the Allegro Marcato from Symphony no. 5, but also includes a small section of Close Encounters of the Third Kind by John Williams – all contributing to the otherworldly feel of the piece.
3 Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Scythian Suite, Second Movement
English progressive rock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer decided to incorporate the second movement of the Scythian Suite in their piece The Enemy God Dances With the Black Spirits.
4 Sesame Street: Peter and the Wolf
There have been countless versions and interpretations of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, but we picked only two. The first one sees the cast of beloved American children show Sesame Street adapt the piece with the help of the Boston Pops Orchestra.
5 Weird Al Yankovich: Peter and the Wolf