Classical Symphony

Serge Prokofiev (1891-1953) was a highly-indi vi dualistic composer, and a man of undeniable gifts. By the time he entered the St. Petersburg conservatory (at the age of 13!) he had already written four operas, a symphony, and two piano sonatas. He had a lifelong habit of saying whatever he thought, and regularly alienated those around him. Once he met an admirer who gushed "What an infinite pleasure to meet you!" His dry reply was "On my part there is no pleasure."

Prokofiev finished his Classical Symphony in 1917, and conducted the symphony's premiere performance on April 21, 1918. It was the last of his compositions to be presented in Russia before the communist takeover. He fled to the United States, lived in Paris for a time, and later returned to the Soviet Union, where he eventually suffered under official repression along with Shostakovitch and many other Russian composers. His death, by a remarkable coincidence, was on the very day that Stalin died!

Describing the Classical Symphony in his autobiography, he wrote: "It seemed to me that if Haydn had lived in this century, he would have retained his own style of writing while absorbing certain things from newer music. I wanted to write the kind of symphony that would have such a style." The title, he said. was chosen "first, because it was the simplest thing to call it; second, out of bravado, to stir up a hornets' nest,

and, finally, in the hope that should the symphony prove itself in time to be a true 'classic,'it would benefit me considerably."

The symphony lives up to the comparison with Haydn with its witty, playful character, lively rhythms and crisp articulations. It's also refreshingly short - a concise little gem -especially compared to the massive Post-Romantic symphonies of Mahler and Bruckner which had been written a few years earlier.

As Prokofiev hinted, it also has many unmistakable hallmarks of the twentieth century. There are biting dissonances, angular melodies full of large leaps, and unique orchestra] colors, but they are all done with grace and wit, and with a distinctly Russian and individualistic style that all fans of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf will recognize.
Program Notes - March 18, 2000 By Composer In Residence Bruce Brown