Symphony No. 3 (Prokofiev)

Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 3 in C minor (Op. 44) in 1928.

Background

The music derives from Prokofiev's opera The Fiery Angel. This opera had been accepted for performance in the 1927-28 season at the Berlin State Opera by Bruno Walter, but this production never materialised; in fact, the opera was never staged in Prokofiev's lifetime. Prokofiev, who had been working on the opera for years, was reluctant to let the music languish unperformed, and after hearing a concert performance of its second act given by Serge Koussevitzky in June 1928, he adapted parts of the opera to make his third symphony (shortly afterwards, he drew on his ballet The Prodigal Son for his Symphony No. 4 in similar fashion).

The symphony occupies a middle ground among Prokofiev's seven symphonies in terms of popularity, not as well known as the Symphony No. 1 (Classical), but not so neglected as the Symphony No. 2 or the first version of the Symphony No. 4. Champions of the symphony include Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Riccardo Chailly, and Michael Tilson Thomas, who substantially raised the symphony's popularity in the recent decade.

Prokofiev dedicated the symphony to Nikolai Myaskovsky.

Movements

The symphony is in four movements, lasting around 30–35 minutes.

  1. Moderato
  2. Andante
  3. Allegro agitato — Allegretto
  4. Andante mosso — Allegro moderato

Though the music of the symphony is based on that of the opera, the material is developed symphonically; the symphony is therefore absolute rather than programmatic.

The first movement, in traditional sonata form, opens with clashing chords played by the whole orchestra, along with tolling bells, setting a mood of threat and unrest. An impassioned first theme enters on strings, while a melancholy second theme on bassoons and lower strings provides contrast. The climactic development section follows, finding space for a third theme, which eventually combines with the first two themes. After a grave climax with gigantic orchestral chords and a last "struggle" in marching rhythms, the ethereal recapitulation ensues, in which the first and second themes are integrated, although much reduced and played softer, as if only the shadow of what was before remains.

The second movement, a meditative andante with a tripartite structure, displays Prokofiev's talent in creating fragile, gossamer textures. The central section is more brooding in nature, with the theme consisting of semitones.

The third movement serves as a scherzo and trio. The scherzo is best remembered for its hysterical, spine-chilling string textures (the strings are divided into 13 parts), while the trio offers a calmer repose from the preceding nervousness. The return of the scherzo is now complemented by threatening thuds from the bass drum and brass.

The grim finale starts off slowly, only to gradually pick up pace. A central calmer section recalls material from the first and third movements, but the initial grimness resumes, eventually rounding up this supernatural-themed symphony with heavy blows from the brass.

Instrumentation

The work is scored for the followings:

Woodwind

Brass

Percussion

Strings

Premiere

Paris, 17 May 1929, Orchestre Symphonique de Paris, conducted by Pierre Monteux.

Recordings

Orchestra Conductor Record Company Year of Recording Format
Utah Symphony Orchestra Maurice Abravanel Vanguard 1964 LP/CD
Boston Symphony Orchestra Erich Leinsdorf RCA, Testament 1966 LP/CD
London Symphony Orchestra Claudio Abbado Decca 1969 LP/CD
National Orchestra of the O.R.T.F. Jean Martinon Vox Records 1974 LP/CD
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Kirill Kondrashin Philips 1975 (live recording) CD
London Philharmonic Orchestra Walter Weller Decca 1977 LP/CD
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Zdeněk Košler Supraphon 1982 LP/CD
Junge Deutsche Philharmonie Riccardo Chailly Deutsche Grammophon 1984 LP
Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra Dmitri Kitaenko Melodiya 1985 LP/CD
Scottish National Orchestra Neeme Järvi Chandos 1985 LP/CD
Orchestre National de France Mstislav Rostropovich Erato 1986 LP/CD
Berlin Philharmonic Seiji Ozawa Deutsche Grammophon 1990 CD
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Riccardo Chailly Decca 1991 CD
Philadelphia Orchestra Riccardo Muti Philips 1991 CD
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine Theodore Kuchar Naxos 1994 CD
London Symphony Orchestra Valery Gergiev Philips 2004 (live recording) CD
USSR Ministry of Culture State Symphony Orchestra Gennadi Rozhdestvensky LP/CD