In August, two months after the German invasion of Russia, Prokofiev and other Soviet artists were sent to Nalchik, in the Northern Caucasus, to keep the away from the coming attack upon Moscow. The composer took with him the score of The Year 1941, begun a month earlier; it was completed in Nalchik in the fall. This three-movement orchestral work depicts the invasion of the U.S.S.R. and foretells peace and the brotherhood of man. Curiously, this colorful piece has not always found critical favor, despite its strong thematic and rhythmic appeal and its brilliant scoring. Shostakovich suggested that Prokofiev had not developed his material sufficiently, and while there may be truth to the observation, it fails to take into account that this is music intended primarily to bolster courage and arouse the patriotic spirit.

The first movement, entitled "In the Struggle," begins with furious martial music. The main theme, a typical Prokofiev concoction, bounces and scampers about, half-playful, half-warlike. The music's energy seems unbounded in its martial drive, only yielding in the latter half to a march-like theme of simple scoring. The second movement, "In the Night," features a lovely descending theme on flute and a serene, nocturnal atmosphere, interrupted by tense, swirling strings in the alternate material. The finale, titled "For the Brotherhood of Man," is grandiose and features a closing theme of great beauty and euphoric triumph. This work lasts about 15 minutes and while its music is not profound, it is attractive and has moments that rise to truly inspired levels. One might view it as a testing of the waters for Prokofiev as he developed a wartime idiom—but that idiom found favor neither with musical cognoscenti nor with the Soviet government.

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