Dmitri Shostakovich, a fellow Soviet composer, dedicated his Eighth Symphony to Yevgeny Mravinsky, the conductor of this album, in 1943.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Prokofiev declared his Symphony No. 5 was conceived as a work to "exalt the greatness of humankind."
Composition History
Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 was composed in 1944, a time of hope, just after the first major victories of the Red Army over the Germans.
Recording & Production
The recording of Symphony No. 6 was made live in Prague, Dvořák Hall, on May 25, 1967, and was previously available on PRAGA PR 250 079.
Performer Biography
Yevgeny Mravinsky, the conductor on this album, won the All-Union Conductors' Competition in Moscow in 1938 and became permanent conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic.
Critical Reception
Prokofiev's Symphony No. 6, first performed successfully in Leningrad, was later condemned in Moscow by Soviet authorities as reflecting a "pathological pessimism."
Recording & Production
The recording of Symphony No. 5 was made live in Leningrad/St. Petersburg in the Large Hall of the Philharmonic Orchestra on June 29, 1973.
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Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4
Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 "Classical" & 5
Taneyev: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4
Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 7 "Leningrad" & 8
Alfano: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2
Shapero: Symphony for Classical Orchestra; Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
