"A serene, meditative tone is indeed the signature mark of the Ninth. This is expressed strongest of all at the end of the work, when the opening theme of the first movement reappears. The texture of this ending, its spirit, and even its key cannot fail to bring to mind the conclusion of Beethoven’s last piano sonata (op. 111). Givi Ordzhonikidze observed another trait of the Ninth Sonata: the important role played by the imagery of childhood. Throughout his life, Prokofiev turned to childhood-inspired, or childhood-related, themes: from the set of piano pieces Music for Children,op. 65; to the symphonic fairy tale Peter and the Wolf,op. 67; to the suite for speakers, boys’ choir, and orchestra, Winter Bonfire,op. 122; to the oratorio On Guard for Peace,op. 124. In these works he highlights the emotional qualities associated with child hood—innocent simplicity, naïveté, pure lyricism, and carefree playfulness. These characteristics also figure prominently in later works that are not explicitly related to childhood by a program or a title, such as the Seventh Symphony or many pages in Cinderella. In the Ninth Sonata, these images are particularly prominent in the fourth movement."
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Boris Berman, Prokofiev’s Piano Sonatas : a guide for the listener and the performer (2008), "Sonata No. 9 in C Major, op. 103"
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No._9_(Prokofiev)
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Piano Sonata No. 9 (Prokofiev)
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