- Symphony No. 1 (Prokofiev)
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Sergei Prokofiev began work on his Symphony No. 1 in D major (Op. 25) in 1916, but wrote most of it in 1917, finishing work on September 10.[1] It is written in loose imitation of the style of Haydn (and to a lesser extent, Mozart), and is widely known as the Classical Symphony, a name given to it by the composer. It premiered on April 21, 1918 in Petrograd, conducted by Prokofiev himself,[1] and has become one of his most popular and beloved works.
Contents
Background
The symphony can be considered to be one of the first neoclassical compositions. However, although it was composed in an attempt to emulate the style of Joseph Haydn, it does not do so strictly, and strongly reflects modern compositional practices and Prokofiev's own voice. The work was partly inspired by his conducting studies at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, where the instructor, Nikolai Tcherepnin, taught his students about conducting Haydn, among other composers.
Prokofiev wrote the symphony on holiday in the country, using it as an exercise in composing away from the piano. No actual quotations of Haydn are found in the work.[2]
Movements
The symphony is in four movements, and lasts only about ten to fifteen minutes:
- Allegro
- Larghetto
- Gavotta: Non troppo allegro
- Finale: Molto vivace
Instrumentation
It is scored for a classical period orchestra consisting of 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings.[1]
Recordings
Recordings of this symphony include:
Orchestra Conductor Record Company Year of Recording Format Boston Symphony Orchestra Serge Koussevitzky RCA Victor 1929 CD New York Philharmonic Leonard Bernstein Sony 1968[3] CD London Symphony Orchestra Walter Weller Decca 1974 CD London Symphony Orchestra Vladimir Ashkenazy Decca 1974 CD London Symphony Orchestra André Previn EMI Classics 1978 CD Berliner Philharmoniker Herbert von Karajan Deutsche Grammophon 1981 CD Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sir Georg Solti Decca 1982 CD Scottish National Orchestra Neeme Järvi Chandos 1985 CD Orchestre National de France Lorin Maazel CBS Masterworks 1985 CD Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (none) Deutsche Grammophon 1987 CD Orchestre National de France Mstislav Rostropovich Erato 1988 CD Berliner Philharmoniker Seiji Ozawa Deutsche Grammophon 1989 CD Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra Stephen Gunzenhauser Naxos 1989 CD Soviet State Orchestra Nikolay Tiomkin Discover The Classics 1990 CD Philadelphia Orchestra Riccardo Muti Philips Classics Records 1990 CD Chicago Symphony Orchestra James Levine Deutsche Grammophon 1994 CD St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra Ravil Martynov Sony 1994 CD London Symphony Orchestra Valery Gergiev Philips 2004 CD National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine Theodore Kuchar Naxos CD National Orchestra of the O.R.T.F. Jean Martinon Vox CD Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Zdeněk Košler Supraphon CD USSR Ministry of Culture State Symphony Orchestra Gennadi Rozhdestvensky CD/LP Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra Gennadi Rozhdestvensky LP Notes
- ^ a b c Steinberg, Michael. "The Symphony: a listeners guide". p. 429-433. Oxford University Press, 1995.
- ^ Listen to Discovering Music from 1:00 to 3:40
- ^ Album notes for Prokofiev - Classical Symphony - Bernstein by New York Philharmonic [back cover].
External links
- Symphony No.1 'Classical', Op.25: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
Symphonies by Sergei Prokofiev No. 1 in D major (Classical) · No. 2 in D minor · No. 3 in C minor · No. 4 in C major · No. 5 in B flat major · No. 6 in E flat minor · No. 7 in C sharp minor
Categories:- Neoclassicism (music)
- Symphonies by Sergei Prokofiev
- 1917 compositions
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