Symphony No. 7 (Prokofiev)

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Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Op.131, in 1952, the year before his death.

1 Background
2 Movements
3 Instrumentation
4 Premiere
5 Recordings
- 5.1 Notes
6 External links

[edit] Background

The symphony, containing expressive themes and fresh harmonies, was targeted at a younger audience.

The ending of the Vivace originally ends in a thoughtful mood, but later Prokofiev was prompted by other composers to add a triumphant coda as to end the symphony more vividly and conventionally. It is said that Prokofiev had wished this coda to be suppressed, so that the symphony ends as quietly as it had begun.

The premiere was well-received (Shostakovich had expressed much admiration for the work), and in 1957, four years after Prokofiev's death, the symphony was awarded the Lenin Prize.

[edit] Movements

The symphony is in four movements, lasting 30-35 minutes:

[edit] Instrumentation

Piccolo

2 Flutes

2 Oboes

Percussion (Bass Drum, Triangle, Tambourine, Cymbals, Snare Drum, Wood blocks, Glockenspiel, Xylophone)

Harp

Piano

Strings (1st and 2nd Violins, Violas, Cellos and Double Basses)

[edit] Premiere

[edit] Recordings

Orchestra	Conductor	Record Company	Year of Recording	Format
The Cleveland Orchestra	Vladimir Ashkenazy	Decca	1995	CD
London Symphony Orchestra	Valery Gergiev	Philips	2004	CD
Scottish National Orchestra	Neeme Järvi	Chandos Records	1986	CD
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra	Zdenek Kosler	Supraphon		CD
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine	Theodore Kuchar	Naxos		CD
Philharmonia Orchestra^[1]	Nikolai Malko	EMI	1955	CD
National Orchestra of the O.R.T.F.	Jean Martinon	VoxBox		CD
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra	Seiji Ozawa	Deutsche Grammophon	1989	CD
Orchestre National de France	Mstislav Rostropovich	Erato	?	CD
USSR Ministry of Culture State Symphony Orchestra	Gennadi Rozhdestvensky			CD/LP
London Symphony Orchestra	Walter Weller	Decca	?	CD