Why did Prokofiev return to the USSR? Russian Piano Masterpieces: Prokofiev #GreshamLecture The young Prokofiev’s grating dissonances and pounding rhythms won him the reputation of an enfant terrible. The critics said his piano writing required “fingers of steel”, and soon other composers were following suit. Only a handful of perceptive critics noticed the vulnerable lyricism and the profundity beneath the hard surface. But this trendsetter remained true to the style he had created for himself,