Symphony No. 6 (Prokofiev)

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Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor (Op. 111) in 1947.

Contents

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[edit] Background

The symphony, written as an elegy of the tragedies of World War II, has often been regarded as the darker twin to the victorious Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major.

The symphony was condemned by the Stalinist regime in 1948 for not conforming to party lines, but it was favourably received among critics.

[edit] Movements

The symphony is in 3 movements (rather than the conventional 4), and lasts 40-45 minutes:

  1. Allegro moderato
  2. Largo
  3. Vivace

[edit] Instrumentation

The work scores for the following:

Woodwinds

Brass

Percussion

Keyboard

Strings

[edit] Premiere

[edit] Recordings

The first recording was made by Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra on the CBS label in January 1950.

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 1985 CD
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Zdenek Kosler Supraphon CD
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine Theodore Kuchar Naxos 1994 CD
National Orchestra of the O.R.T.F. Jean Martinon Vox CD
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra Evgeny Mravinsky Russian Disc 1959 CD
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Seiji Ozawa Deutsche Grammophon 1991 CD
Orchestre National de France Mstislav Rostropovich Erato 1988 CD
USSR Ministry of Culture State Symphony Orchestra Gennadi Rozhdestvensky CD/LP
National Symphony Orchestra Leonard Slatkin BMG 1996 CD
London Philharmonic Orchestra Walter Weller Decca 1975 CD/LP