Sergei Prokofiev was easily one the most influential composers of the 20th century. His compositions have been played in the United States more than the works of any other composer from the past one hundred years, save Richard Strauss. However, his works were often constrained by external political circumstances. While before and after WWII, Prokofiev found his output restricted by the Zhdanov doctrine, the years of 1939 through 1945 allowed him to compose uninhibited by the aesthetic doctrines of the Soviet government. His experiments with formalism and atonality during these years would prove influential on subsequent generations of composers, both Russian and American. Interested in learning more about how Russian and American music during WWII influenced the world?