Symphony-Concerto (Prokofiev)

Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony-Concerto in E minor, Op. 125 (sometimes referred to as Sinfonia Concertante) is a large-scale work for cello and orchestra. Prokofiev dedicated it to Mstislav Rostropovich, who premiered it on February 18, 1952 with Sviatoslav Richter conducting (the only instance of Richter conducting). After this first performance (under the title 'Cello Concerto No. 2'), it was revised and given its current title. It is itself a revised version of his earlier Cello Concerto, Op. 58, written in 1933–8.

The work was written and revised mostly in 1950 and 1951, a period when Prokofiev was in declining health and official disfavor for formalism. One of his final completed works, it is about 40 minutes long in three movements:

1. Andante (11 minutes)
2. Allegro (18 minutes)
3. Andante con moto - Allegretto - Allegro marcato (11 minutes)

This work inspired Dmitri Shostakovich to write his Cello Concerto No. 1, also dedicated to Rostropovich.

History

The premiere of Prokofiev's Cello Concerto (Op. 58) was generally thought to have been very poorly interpreted by the cellist, though the blame fell on Prokofiev for writing a "soul-less" concerto. The concerto was seldom played afterwards, until Prokofiev heard Rostropovich play it at a 1947 concert at the Moscow Conservatory. The performance reawakened Prokofiev's interest in the cello, and he rewrote his concerto (with advice from Rostropovich) to create the Symphony-Concerto (Op. 125). Also dating from this period are his cello sonata of 1949, and an unfinished concertino for cello and orchestra, later completed by Kabalevsky.

See also

• Grammy Awards of 1993, re. a prize-winning performance of this work by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Yo-Yo Ma, Cellist; Lorin Maazel, Conductor.

Recordings

Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op.58

Note that cellist/composer/conductor Roger Albin (1920-2001) was the first to record the complete, uncut original score.

Sinfonia Concertante, Op.125

v t e Sergei Prokofiev Operas The Giant Maddalena The Gambler The Love for Three Oranges The Fiery Angel Semyon Kotko Betrothal in a Monastery War and Peace The Story of a Real Man Ballets Ala i Lolli Chout Trapeze Le pas d'acier The Prodigal Son On the Dnieper Romeo and Juliet Cinderella The Tale of the Stone Flower Symphonies Symphony No. 1 in D major ("Classical") Symphony No. 2 in D minor (orig & rev) Symphony No. 3 in C minor Symphony No. 4 in C major (orig & rev) Symphony No. 5 in B♭ major Symphony No. 6 in E♭ minor Symphony No. 7 in C♯ minor Concertos Piano Piano Concerto No. 1 in D♭ major Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major Piano Concerto No. 4 in B♭ major Piano Concerto No. 5 in G major Piano Concerto No. 6 (unfinished) Other Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor Cello Concerto in E minor Symphony-Concerto for Cello in E minor Cello Concertino in G minor (unfinished) Orchestra works Suites (3) from Romeo and Juliet Suites (3) from Cinderella Suites (4) from The Tale of the Stone Flower Scythian Suite from Ala i Loll Suite from Chout Suite from The Love for Three Oranges Suite from The Fiery Angel Suite from Le pas d'acier Suite from The Prodigal Son Suite from The Gambler Suite from On the Dnieper Suite from Lieutenant Kijé Suite from Semyon Kotko Sinfonietta in A major (orig & rev) Summer Night Symphonic Song The Year 1941 Pushkin Waltzes Waltz Suite Film music Alexander Nevsky Ivan the Terrible Lieutenant Kijé Vocal music Peter and the Wolf Alexander Nevsky Cantata for 20th Anniv of October Revolution Flourish, Mighty Land Seven, They Are Seven Songs of Our Days Zdravitsa Chamber music Overture on Hebrew Themes Quintet in G minor String Quartet No. 1 String Quartet No. 2 Violin Sonata No. 1 Violin Sonata No. 2 Flute Sonata in D major Cello Sonata in C major Piano music Sonatas Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor Piano Sonata No. 2 in D minor Piano Sonata No. 3 in A minor Piano Sonata No. 4 in C minor Piano Sonata No. 5 in C major (orig & rev) Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major Piano Sonata No. 7 in B♭ major ("Stalingrad") Piano Sonata No. 8 in B♭ major Piano Sonata No. 9 in C major Piano Sonata No. 10 (unfinished) Piano Sonata No. 11 (unrealized) Other Toccata in D minor Visions fugitives March and Scherzo from The Love for Three Oranges Three Pieces from War and Peace Ten Pieces from Romeo and Juliet Three Pieces & Six Pieces & Ten Pieces from Cinderella Related articles List of compositions by Sergei Prokofiev Ballets Russes Sergei Diaghilev George Balanchine Sviatoslav Richter Mstislav Rostropovich Nikolai Myaskovsky Neoclassicism Portal:Classical music