In early 1948, Prokofiev, along with Shostakovich and others, was condemned by the Communist Party for 'Formalist perversions' and 'a cult of atonality, dissonance and disharmony', which overshadowed his Sixth Symphony.
Compositional Technique
Prokofiev's earlier symphonies were diverse; his First Symphony (1917) was a conscious pastiche of Haydn, and his Second Symphony (1925) emulated Beethoven's last Piano Sonata's two-movement structure.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Prokofiev conceived his Fifth Symphony as 'a symphony portraying the greatness of the human spirit'.
Composition History
Prokofiev wrote his Fifth Symphony in a month during summer 1944 at a Soviet composers' rest home in Ivanovo, a quiet countryside manor, away from wartime Moscow.
Composer Biography
Sergei Prokofiev, the composer, returned to his native Soviet Union in 1936 after living abroad for a long time, mainly in France.
Notable Performances
Prokofiev himself conducted the premiere of his Fifth Symphony in Moscow in January 1945, which was a huge success.
Composer Biography
After conducting the Fifth Symphony's premiere, Prokofiev had a dizzy spell, fell, and injured his head, never conducting an orchestra again.
You might also enjoy...
Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4 (2Nd Version, 1947)
Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 4
Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1-3
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6
Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 6
Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6
Prokofiev: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131
