Sarcasms, Op. 17 [Alf:36-M280891]

This suite of five miniature piano pieces expresses the composer's hard, brittle, percussive sound and his lyricism and beauty. Demonstrating Prokofiev's harmonic experimentation, they make extensive use of polytonality. The pieces are: Tempestuoso, Allegro rubato, Allegro precipitato, Smanioso, and Precipitissimo. The suite was premiered by the composer in Petrograd in December 1916.