Sergei Prokofiev was born on April 27, 1891 in Sontsovska, Russian Empire, and died on March 5, 1953 in Moscow.

In 1946, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union established the Zhdanov Doctrine, which would become a strict policy of Joseph Stalin’s regime. Under the resolutions of the doctrine, artists and writers in the Soviet Union had to conform to the party line, and failure to comply would risk persecution by the government. In 1948, a further decree on music was issued, which stunted the artistic growth of many Soviet composers such as Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Khachaturian (all of whom were listed by name in the decree). Under this resolution, new works would have to be heard by the Soviet Committee of Artistic Affairs for approval, but many of these pieces were banned for public performance. The policies outlined in the Zhdanov Doctrine remained in effect until the death of Joseph Stalin — which, in an unfortunate coincidence, happened to be the same day as Prokofiev’s passing.

Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata in C Major, composed in 1949, was luckily granted a public premiere by the Artistic Affairs Committee in 1950, where it was performed by cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and pianist Sviatoslav Richter. The first movement originally bore the quote, “Mankind—that has a proud sound.” Prokofiev and Rostropovich had a fruitful working relationship, resulting in other works such as the Sinfonia Concertante, op. 125 and the Concertino, op. 132, the latter of which was left unfinished at the composer’s death and completed by Rostropovich.