Symphony No. 1 (Prokofiev)

Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century.-Biography:...

 began work on Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op 25 in 1916, but wrote most of it in 1917, completing the piece on September 10 1917. It is also widely known as the Classical Symphony. The symphony was premiered on April 21 1918 in Petrograd, conducted by the composer.

The symphony can be considered one of the first neo-classical

Neoclassicism (music)

Neoclassicism in music was a 20th century development, particularly popular in the period between the two World Wars, in which composers drew inspiration from music of the 18th century, though some of the inspiring canon was drawn as much from the Baroque period as the Classical period – for this...

 compositions. Prokofiev composed the symphony in an attempt to emulate Joseph Haydn's

Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer. He was one of the most important, prolific and prominent composers of the classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these genres...

 composing style; however, he still changed some of the structure of the symphony to reflect changing practices in composition.

Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century.-Biography:...

 began work on Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op 25 in 1916, but wrote most of it in 1917, completing the piece on September 10 1917. It is also widely known as the Classical Symphony. The symphony was premiered on April 21 1918 in Petrograd, conducted by the composer.

Background

The symphony can be considered one of the first neo-classical

Neoclassicism (music)

Neoclassicism in music was a 20th century development, particularly popular in the period between the two World Wars, in which composers drew inspiration from music of the 18th century, though some of the inspiring canon was drawn as much from the Baroque period as the Classical period – for this...

 compositions. Prokofiev composed the symphony in an attempt to emulate Joseph Haydn's

Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer. He was one of the most important, prolific and prominent composers of the classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these genres...

 composing style; however, he still changed some of the structure of the symphony to reflect changing practices in composition. The idea was partly inspired by Prokofiev's conducting studies at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory‎, in which the instructor, Nikolai Tcherepnin

Nikolai Tcherepnin

Nikolai Nikolayevich Tcherepnin was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He was born in Saint Petersburg and studied under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory...

, prepared his students to conduct Haydn. No actual quotations of Haydn are found in the work.

Prokofiev wrote the symphony on holiday in the country, and he used this piece as an exercise in composing away from the piano. (As an accomplished pianist, it was understandable that he had developed a habit of composing at the keyboard.)

Prokofiev gave the symphony the title Classical because of its neoclassical character, after Haydn. The symphony has become one of Prokofiev's most popular and accessible works, and several themes have been used as television

Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...

 background music.

Movements

The symphony is in 4 movements, lasting approximately ten to fifteen minutes:

1. Allegro
   Allegro
   Allegro may mean:* The musical tempo meaning quick, lively or, literally, "cheerful" * Allegro library, a computer game programming library* Allegro , a typeface designed in 1936...
   
   
2. Larghetto
3. Gavotta
   Gavotte
   The gavotte originated as a French folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné, where the dance originated. It is notated in 4/4 or 2/2 time and is of moderate tempo...
   
   : Non troppo allegro
4. Finale: Molto vivace

Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for a classical period orchestra consisting of 2 flute

Flute

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...

s, 2 oboe

Oboe

The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois", "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...

s, 2 clarinet

Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet...

s, 2 bassoon

Bassoon

The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 1800s, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band, and chamber music literature...

s, 2 horn

Horn (instrument)

The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....

s, 2 trumpet

Trumpet

The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC...

s, timpani

Timpani

Timpani are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper, and more recently, constructed of more lightweight fiberglass. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick...

 and strings

String section

The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...

.

Recordings

Recordings of this symphony include:

Orchestra	Conductor	Record Company	Year of Recording	Format
Boston Symphony Orchestra Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays the majority of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the...	Serge Koussevitzky Serge Koussevitzky Sergei Aleksandrovich Koussevitzky , was a Russian-born Jewish conductor, composer and double-bassist, known for his long tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949...	RCA Victor	1929	CD
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic , is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. In 2006, a group of ten European media outlets voted the Berlin Philharmonic number three on a list of "top ten European Orchestras", after the Vienna Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra...	Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor and one of the most renowned conductors in music history. His obituary in The New York Times described him as "probably the world's best-known conductor and one of the most powerful figures in classical music." Karajan conducted...	Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label, now part of the Universal Music Group. It is also UMG's oldest active label.-History:...	1965	CD
London Philharmonic Orchestra London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...	Walter Weller Walter Weller Walter Weller is an Austrian conductor and violinist.-Biography:Weller was born in Vienna, Austria where he first gained renown as a prodigy on the violin. His father was a violinist in the Vienna Philharmonic, and at the age of 17, the young Weller became a member, and by the unusually early...	Decca Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades...	1974	CD
London Symphony Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...	Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian conductor and virtuoso pianist. He has been a citizen of Iceland, the home of his wife Þórunn, since 1972 and currently lives with his family in Switzerland.- Early life :...	Decca Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades...	1974	CD
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...	Sir Georg Solti	Decca Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades...	1982	CD
Scottish National Orchestra	Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi is an Estonian-born American conductor.Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad with Evgeny Mravinsky, among others. Early in his career, he held posts with the Estonian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the Opera...	Chandos Chandos Records Chandos Records is an independent classical music label based in the United Kingdom, founded by Brian Couzens. Their catalog contains a range of classical music - for example, much orchestral, choral and chamber music by such relatively lesser-known British composers as Herbert Howells, Gerald...	1985	CD
Orchestre National de France Orchestre National de France The Orchestre National de France is a symphony orchestra run by Radio France. It has also been known as the Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française and Orchestre National de l'Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française .Since 1944, the orchestra has been based in the Théâtre...	Lorin Maazel Lorin Maazel Lorin Varencove Maazel is a conductor, violinist and composer.- Early life :Maazel was born to Jewish-American parents in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France and brought up in the United States...	CBS Masterworks	1985	CD
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Orpheus Chamber Orchestra The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a Grammy Award-winning classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. It is well known for its collaborative leadership style, in which the musicians, not a conductor, interpret the score....	(none)	Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label, now part of the Universal Music Group. It is also UMG's oldest active label.-History:...	1987	CD
Orchestre National de France Orchestre National de France The Orchestre National de France is a symphony orchestra run by Radio France. It has also been known as the Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française and Orchestre National de l'Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française .Since 1944, the orchestra has been based in the Théâtre...	Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich KBE , known to close friends as “Slava,” was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya...	Erato Erato Records Erato Records is a record label founded in 1953 to promote French classical music. In 1992 it became part of Warner Bros. Records. In 1999 Erato launched a subsidiary Detour Records....	1988	CD
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic , is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. In 2006, a group of ten European media outlets voted the Berlin Philharmonic number three on a list of "top ten European Orchestras", after the Vienna Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra...	Seiji Ozawa Seiji Ozawa is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera.-Biography:...	Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label, now part of the Universal Music Group. It is also UMG's oldest active label.-History:...	1989	CD
Soviet State Orchestra	Nikolay Tiomkin	Discover The Classics	1990	CD
Philadelphia Orchestra Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...	Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor. In May 2008 he was appointed the 10th music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, effective with the 2010-11 season.-Biography:...	Philips Classics Records Philips Classics Records Philips Classics Records was started in the eighties as the new classics record label for Philips Records. It was successful with artists like Andrea Bocelli, Alfred Brendel, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St...	1990	CD
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...	James Levine James Levine James Lawrence Levine is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and of the Boston Symphony Orchestra...	Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label, now part of the Universal Music Group. It is also UMG's oldest active label.-History:...	1994	CD
St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra	Ravil Martynov	Sony Sony is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or $78.88 billion U.S. . Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game...	1994	CD
London Symphony Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...	Valery Gergiev Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and principal guest conductor of the Metropolitan Opera. Valery Gergiev is the artistic...	Philips Philips Classics Records Philips Classics Records was started in the eighties as the new classics record label for Philips Records. It was successful with artists like Andrea Bocelli, Alfred Brendel, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St...	2004	CD
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine	Theodore Kuchar	Naxos		CD
National Orchestra of the O.R.T.F. Orchestre National de France The Orchestre National de France is a symphony orchestra run by Radio France. It has also been known as the Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française and Orchestre National de l'Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française .Since 1944, the orchestra has been based in the Théâtre...	Jean Martinon Jean Martinon Jean Martinon was a French conductor and composer.-Biography:Martinon was born in Lyon, where he began his education, going on to the Conservatoire de Paris to study under Albert Roussel for composition, under Charles Munch and Roger Désormière for conducting, under Vincent d'Indy for harmony, and...	Vox Vox Records VOX Records is a budget classical record label. The name is Latin for "voice."-History:The company began with 78-rpm discs and continued into the LP era in the 1950s, specializing in imported classical recordings. It was one of the last major recording companies to adopt stereo recording, about...		CD
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Czech Philharmonic Orchestra The Česká filharmonie is a symphony orchestra based in Prague and is the best-known and most respected orchestra in the Czech Republic.- History :...	Zdenek Kosler Zdenek Košler Zdeněk Košler was a Czech conductor, who played an important role in Czech musical life of the second half of 20th century, notably during the sixties and the eighties. He was particularly well-known as an opera conductor....	Supraphon Supraphon Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly on publishing classical music.- History :The Supraphon name, , was first registered as a trademark in 1932...		CD
New York Philharmonic New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...	Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...	Sony Sony is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or $78.88 billion U.S. . Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game...		CD
USSR Ministry of Culture State Symphony Orchestra	Gennadi Rozhdestvensky			CD/LP
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra	Gennadi Rozhdestvensky			LP