Why was Sergey Prokofiev censured by the Soviet Communist Party in 1948?

In 1948, Sergey Prokofiev was censured by the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party for "formalism".1

This censure occurred during a period when Soviet authorities were seeking to impose stricter ideological control over the arts, demanding that composers adopt a more accessible musical language. The term "formalism" was used by the state to criticize music that was perceived as overly complex, avant-garde, or detached from the tastes and understanding of the general public, rather than serving the state's preference for direct, popular, and "optimistic" styles. Prokofiev was targeted alongside other leading Soviet composers, such as Dmitri Shostakovich, during a conference presided over by the Soviet theoretician Andrey Zhdanov. The stress caused by this official condemnation significantly impacted Prokofiev's health during his final years.21