“Gabriel Prokofiev is pondering …an unexpected development in his career as composer,” writes Jessica Duchen in Wednesday’s (6/24) Independent (London). “The BBC has just picked a movement from his Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra for its new Ten Pieces list for schoolchildren aged 11 to 14. This concerto’s mingling of classical format and very contemporary idiom—the scratching and sampling of a DJ on turntables—should be an ideal way in to the sometimes mysterious spheres of contemporary classical music. The initiative is the second stage in the BBC’s nationwide project to help schools introduce pupils to classical music, launched last year for younger children. ‘I’m thrilled to be included,’ Prokofiev says. ‘I’m a big fan of the Ten Pieces idea. … Hopefully it’s a chance to encourage young people at the age when they’re developing their tastes.’ ” Prokofiev, age 40, is the grandson of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953). “A decade ago he started a record label and performance series called Nonclassical, whose pioneering classical club nights have since evolved into a veritable movement in its own right. ‘I felt strongly that my classical stuff would appeal to my peer group … thinking you’ve got to present classical music like other music.’ ” Read Gabriel Prokofiev’s first-person essay for Symphony magazine here.
Posted June 25, 2015
