SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor, Opus 111

I. Allegro moderato
II. Largo
III. Vivace

“Prokofiev composed his Sixth Symphony soon after the triumph of his Fifth. But while he called the Fifth ‘a symphony of the greatness of the human spirit, a song of praise of free and happy mankind,’ its successor somberly reflects on ‘the wounds that cannot be healed’ as World War II came to a devastating close. The first movement has been described as a melancholy landscape, in which a funeral march, a furious expression of angst or outrage, moments of happiness, and other scenes progress. Framed by painful dissonance at its beginning and end, the middle movement is truly the soul of the Sixth Symphony, filled with ardor, solace, and conflicted rage. The third-movement finale, in contrast, is positive and upbeat. But before the symphony can close, there comes a long descent on the bassoon, which ushers in a return of a melancholy theme from the first movement. A swift and noisy coda brings about an enigmatic ending.

The Sixth Symphony was a success at its premiere, but shortly thereafter Prokofiev was among the composers denounced by the Soviet government for ‘formalist and antipopular tendencies.’ As a result, the Sixth never achieved the same popularity as its predecessor, though it is often considered the most profound of Prokofiev’s seven symphonies.” —Hugh Macdonald