Symphony No. 2 (Prokofiev)

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Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 2 in D minor (Op. 40) in 1924-5.

Contents 1 Background 2 Movements 3 Instrumentation 4 Premiere 5 Recordings 6 External links

[edit] Background

This overall structure of a quick, minor-key first movement followed by a set of variations which begins more calmly, was fashioned after Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 32, his last. In other respects, however, the piece is decidedly twentieth century. The first movement in particular is rhythmically unrelenting, and the harmonies are extremely dissonant. The symphony has been nicknamed Iron and Steel.

After the premiere, Prokofiev commented that neither the audience nor himself understood the piece. Prokofiev planned to reconstruct the piece into three movements late in his life, going so far as to assign the project the opus number 136, but this plan never came to fruition. The symphony has ever since remained a somewhat obscure work, possibly the least-played of Prokofiev's seven symphonies.

[edit] Movements

The symphony is in 2 movements, lasting 35-40 minutes:

• Allegro ben articolato (12 minutes)
• Theme and Variations (25 minutes)
  • Theme: Andante
  • Variation 1: L'istesso tempo
  • Variation 2: Allegro non troppo
  • Variation 3: Allegro
  • Variation 4: Larghetto
  • Variation 5: Allegro con brio
  • Variation 6: Allegro moderato
  • Theme

[edit] Instrumentation

Piccolo

2 Flutes

2 Oboes

Cor Anglais

2 Clarinets

Bass Clarinet

2 Bassoons

Contrabassoon

3 Trumpets

4 French Horns

3 Trombones

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion (Cymbals, Triangle, Castanets, Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Tambourine)

Piano

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

[edit] Premiere

The piece was premiered in Paris on June 6, 1925, conducted by Serge Koussevitzky, and was not well received.

[edit] Recordings

Orchestra	Conductor	Record Company	Year of Recording	Format
Scottish National Orchestra	Neeme Järvi	Chandos Records	1986	CD
London Symphony Orchestra	Valery Gergiev	Philips	2004	CD
London Symphony Orchestra	Walter Weller	Decca	?	CD
Orchestre National de France	Mstislav Rostropovich	Erato	?	CD
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine	Theodore Kuchar	Naxos		CD
National Orchestra of the O.R.T.F.	Jean Martinon	VoxBox		CD
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra	Zdenek Kosler	Supraphon		CD
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra	Seiji Ozawa	Deutsche Grammophon	1990	CD
USSR Ministry of Culture State Symphony Orchestra	Gennadi Rozhdestvensky			CD/LP

[edit] External links

v • d • e Symphonies by Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 1 in D major Classical Symphony No. 2 in D minor Iron and Steel Symphony No. 3 in C minor Symphony No. 4 in C major Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor