Sergei Prokofiev, Op. 94/94a – Flute/Violin Sonata in D

International Music Company:  The International Music Company’s editions of both sonatas are very popular and are used by many performers.  Their edition of the flute sonata is edited by Jean-Pierre Rampal while the violin sonata is edited by David Oistrakh.  Both contain minor errors.  In measure 67 of movement three, the last eighth note in the right hand should be a G-flat, as opposed to the E-flat printed.  In measure 52 of movement four, the bass clef should remain a treble clef until the change in the following measure.

Schirmer:  G. Schirmer has an edition of this Prokofiev sonata from 2002.  You might be tempted to by it because both flute and violin parts are present in the score.  You can see what the edition looks like here.  DO NOT buy this.  The score is not accurate and many notes/figurations do not even appear in it.  For example, the sextuplet figure in the right hand of measure thirty-two of the first movement is not present in this edition!  The Piano Handyman is not currently aware of any research that justifies these omissions.

This particular sonata is difficult, but the Piano Handyman offers the following suggestions:

Movement I – Moderato

• Measure 27: The E-natural in the last sixteenth-note of the measure should be taken with the right hand.  This allows the voice leading to the F in the next measure to be controlled by the same hand and allows time for a more comfortable placement of the left hand for the B-flat bass of measure 28.
• Measure 34: The A-sharp in the last sixteenth-note of this measure (bass clef) can be taken by the right hand for reasons identical to those mentioned in the above suggestion.
• Final Measure: The F-sharp in the second eight-note of beat two can be taken with the left hand.  This allows the performer to hold the half-note D on the downbeat for the proper length.  It also avoids unecessary motion in the right-hand

Movement II – Allegretto Scherzando (Presto in Op. 94a)

• Measure 1: The B-natural on the downbeat can be played with the right hand.  This ensures maximum accuracy and minimum hand motion.
• Measure 24/245: If the leap suggested by the grace note causes any tension or chance of error, take the F in this measure with the left hand.
• Measure 55/276: The comments in the above suggestion apply to the F-sharp in this measure.
• Measure 75/296: If the F at the top of the left hand chord is taken with the right hand, execution becomes much more comfortable.
• Measure 87/107/308/328: To avoid clashes between the two hands, beats two and three can be taken with the right hand.
• Measure 148: Take the F-sharp on the third beat in the left hand to assist in consistency in executing the downbeat of the next measure.
• Measure 344:  If the rolled chord feels stressful, take the top F of this chord with the right hand.

Movement III – Andante

• Measure 37/41/55: Beat two can be taken with the left hand to allow maximum time for the right hand’s entrance.
• Measure 91: To assist in allowing beat two of this measure to be melodic (and not simply have the notes blur together as a harmony) both notes of the downbeat can be taken with the right hand.

Movement IV – Allegro con brio

• Measure 20:  To start these jumps comfortably and accurately, the top D of the downbeat can be taken in the left hand giving the right hand more time to locate the following notes.
• Measure 51: Taking the bottom two E’s on beat three in the left hand reduces the distance of the following right hand jump.
• Final Five Measures: Although they would never admit it, many collaborative pianists do not play this as written.  To ensure accuracy in a live performance, various reductions can be made that are imperceptible to a majority of the audience.  For example, in measure 170, only the upper two notes in the right hand of the sixth eighth note need to be played.  When the G Major harmony begins to be sustained in the final three measures, the left hand can eliminate its upper note in addition to the previous suggestion.  (This is not to say you shouldn’t be practicing this as written, but when the goal is the best possible performance in a particular moment, one should sometimes err on the side of caution….like this).

Oistrakh’s request for a transcription of Prokofiev’s Flute Sonata for the violin came while the composer was located in the city of Perm near the Ural mountains.  War broke out while Prokofiev was working on his ballet Cinderella and he, along with a whole troupe of artists from the Kirov Theater, relocated to this city.  He stayed in a hotel named Semietazhka (Seven Stories) and the only piano was an old upright in a conductor’s room. (The hotel is now renamed and can be seen in the fourth picture labeled “Знаменитая семиэтажка” here)  The conductor later wrote how he was delighted to be the first to hear not only portions of Cinderella but also some of Prokofiev’s Flute Sonata when the composer would stop by in the afternoon to check what he had written in the morning. [1. Page 263 in this informative book]