The Tale of the Stone Flower (Prokofiev) The Tale of the Stone Flower (Prokofiev) The Tale of the Stone Flower, Op. 118 (), is Sergei Prokofiev's eighth and last ballet, written between 1948 and 1953. It is based on the Russian Ural folk tale "The Stone Flower" by Pavel Bazhov and is also the last of the trilogy of ballets Prokofiev wrote in the Russian ballet tradition. It was premiered posthumously in 1954, conducted by Yuri Fayer. The work is scored for an orchestra consisting of 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doubling cor anglais), 2 clarinets (1st doubling E-flat clarinet, 2nd doubling bass clarinet),
String Quartet No. 2 (Prokofiev) string quartets. Prokofiev utilized Kabardino-Balkar folk themes in his string quartet, while at the same retaining his unique style of harmonization. The folk music character is made evident by the string quartet's imitation of oriental plucked and percussion instruments, combined with resourceful use of sonic effects. The background accompaniment in the second movement attempts to imitate the playing of a Caucasian stringed instrument, the kjamantchi. Nikolai Myaskovsky, Prokofiev's close friend, wrote two works on Kabardino-Balkar themes, his 23rd symphony and 7th string quartet. The symphony shares a theme with the finale of Prokofiev's quartet. String Quartet No. 2 (Prokofiev) Sergei