Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7

Listen on Presto Music. Free thirty day trial. Find out more.

[this] has many fine qualities even if the poised, somewhat cautious music-making eschews Soviet-era rawness…Gaffigan prefers soft-focus glowering, emphasising instead the music’s contemplative,... — Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2016 More…

Release Date: 8th Apr 2016
Catalogue No: CC72714
Label: Challenge Classics
Length: 72 minutes

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor, Op. 111

Work length40:45

Album only

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
James Gaffigan

I. Allegro moderato

Track length15:04

Album only

II. Largo

Track length14:02

$2.00

$2.80

III. Vivace

Track length11:39

$2.00

$2.80

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 138

Work length32:05

$5.50

$7.70

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
James Gaffigan

I. Moderato

Track length9:40

$1.50

$2.10

II. Allegretto

Track length8:04

$1.50

$2.10

III. Andante espressivo

Track length5:36

$1.00

$1.40

IV. Vivace

Track length8:45

$1.50

$2.10

About
Reviews
Explore

About

The second volume in the ongoing series devoted to Prokofiev's symphonic output from American conductor James Gaffigan and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, pairs the final two symphonies, the Sixth and Seventh.

Following the cycle’s powerful start with Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 (CC72584), once again these are two works separated by just few years in composition: 1945 and 1952. The harmony in Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 6 is fundamentally tonal, replete with omens and dissonances that sometimes resolve but sometimes testify to his predilection for abrupt shifts of mood, derived from film music, or for unpredictable gear changes from lyrical to more restless melodies.

The Seventh symphony is one of the last works completed by Prokofiev before his death. The composer was seriously ill in his final years and continued to compose only with the greatest difficulty. It is difficult to imagine this background when listening to the piece, which the composer himself regarded as a ‘children’s symphony’. Written for children it may have been, but it contains absolutely nothing childish or childlike.

Reviews

Awards Issue 2016

[this] has many fine qualities even if the poised, somewhat cautious music-making eschews Soviet-era rawness…Gaffigan prefers soft-focus glowering, emphasising instead the music’s contemplative, philosophical aspect

Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7

Downloads

Contents

Download queue