Symphony No. 6 (Prokofiev)
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Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor (Op. 111) in 1947.
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[edit] Background
The symphony, written as an elegy of the tragedies of World War II, has often been regarded as the darker twin to the victorious Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major.
The symphony was condemned by the Stalinist regime in 1948 for not conforming to party lines, but it was favourably received among critics.
[edit] Movements
The symphony is in 3 movements (rather than the conventional 4), and lasts 40-45 minutes:
[edit] Instrumentation
Piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (wood blocks, tambourine, triangle, snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam), harp, piano, celesta, and strings.
[edit] Premiere
[edit] Recordings
| Orchestra | Conductor | Record Company | Year of Recording | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cleveland Orchestra | Vladimir Ashkenazy | Decca | 1995 | CD |
| London Symphony Orchestra | Valery Gergiev | Philips | 2004 | CD |
| Scottish National Orchestra | Neeme Järvi | Chandos Records | 1985 | CD |
| Czech Philharmonic Orchestra | Zdenek Kosler | Supraphon | CD | |
| National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine | Theodore Kuchar | Naxos | 1994 | CD |
| National Orchestra of the O.R.T.F. | Jean Martinon | VoxBox | CD | |
| Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra | Evgeny Mravinsky | Russian Disc | 1959 | CD |
| Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | Seiji Ozawa | Deutsche Grammophon | 1991 | CD |
| Orchestre National de France | Mstislav Rostropovich | Erato | ? | CD |
| USSR Ministry of Culture State Symphony Orchestra | Gennadi Rozhdestvensky | ? | CD/LP | |
| National Symphony Orchestra | Leonard Slatkin | BMG Classics | 1996 | CD |
| London Philharmonic Orchestra | Walter Weller | Decca | 1975 | CD |
