Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor (Op. 111) in 1947.
Contents |
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.
Movements
The symphony is in 3 movements (rather than the conventional 4), and lasts 40-45 minutes:
Instrumentation
The work scores for the following: Woodwinds
- Piccolo
- 2 Flutes
- 2 Oboes
- 2 Cor Anglais
- 2 Clarinets
- E-flat Clarinet
- Bass Clarinet
- 2 Bassoons
- Contrabassoon
Brass
- 4 French Horns
- 3 Trumpets
- 3 Trombones
- Tuba
Percussion
Keyboard
Strings
- Violins (1st and 2nd)
- Violas
- Cellos
- Double Basses
Premiere
Recordings
The first recording was made by Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra on the CBS label in January 1950.
| 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 | 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 | Vox | 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 | 1988 | CD |
| USSR Ministry of Culture State Symphony Orchestra | Gennadi Rozhdestvensky | CD/LP | ||
| National Symphony Orchestra | Leonard Slatkin | BMG | 1996 | CD |
| London Philharmonic Orchestra | Walter Weller | Decca | 1975 | CD/LP |
