Sergei Prokofiev, the composer, excelled in many genres, including piano pieces, symphonies, ballets, concertos, chamber music, film scores, and operas.
Critical Reception
The New York Times once called Prokofiev 'a psychologist of the uglier emotions: hatred, contempt, rage,' preferring Rachmaninoff's Romanticism to Prokofiev's angular compositions.
Composer Biography
Prokofiev left Russia after the 1917 Revolution, stating there was 'no need for music there now,' and maintained an apolitical stance throughout his life, even in the Soviet era.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Prokofiev believed his music had five typical characteristics: classicism, modernism, 'toccata-style' (machine-like rhythms), melodious expressiveness, and a penchant for caricature.
Performer Biography
Mariss Jansons, the chief conductor on this album, was appointed the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra's sixth chief conductor in September 2004, having frequently appeared as a guest conductor since 1988.
Composition History
Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 was composed in the critical war year of 1944 and premiered in Moscow on January 13, 1945, conducted by the composer himself.
Notable Performances
At the premiere of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5, artillery salvos thundered outside, and the composer waited for them to stop before beginning, which pianist Sviatoslav Richter found symbolic.
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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
