Prokofiev's 7th Symphony

Prokofiev's 7th Symphony in C# minor is quite possibly my favorite Symphony by him. It may a have a lot to do with the fact that I got to know the piece in an apartment with several classical music savvy friends of mine in college that are very dear to me. It's a shame that it's not performed more often!

I'm not going to give this piece as much of a comb-through as I did the Brahms (mostly because that took quite a long time and a lot of brain cells, and I'm lazy), but this is a piece that is very close to my heart, so I wanted to write at least something about it.

When listening to it you'll most likely notice immediately that it's not nearly as complex as most of his works. Prokofiev always said he was going to write a piece for children (interestingly enough, he was not referring to Peter and the Wolf) but, as far as anyone could tell, this is the piece that comes closest. It's the last piece he completed before he died. When asked, his wife said that, as far as she knew, the 7th wasn't FOR children, it was ABOUT children. Specifically, the children of Russia under Stalin's rule. Rough, to be sure. Accordingly, the melodies are simple and childlike yet there is a DEFINITE foreboding undertone. (Fun fact: Prokofiev always had a special hatred for Stalin—understandably. Ironically, the two enemies died the same day!)

The Gergiev with the London Symphony recording is my favorite because the luxurious passages are all a bit slower and more Russian than most out there—and Gergiev certainly pulls it off!

I love his use of piano in this piece. So creepy! The first movement begins with an already foreboding, almost disturbing theme that is eventually overtaken by a glorious, glorious, sweeping second theme. Hands down, favorite motive of the piece. Let yourself go as you listen to this theme... so beautiful, sostenuto and Russian! The whole movement is a beauty, but in the end, the darkness prevails... for the time being... The second movement is quite fun but it reminds me of a kind of fucked-up merry-go-round. The farther along it gets, the more intense and out of control it gets. (Prokofiev is SO good at that.) Love love love. The third movement is a precious little movement full (mostly) of simple melodies and counterpoint. The flute/bassoon duet is especially heart-warming.

The last movement is such a rush!! Always pushing along. Like a dance. It pushes and pushes. So much fun! You can't quite help but move along with it! One of my favorite parts of this movement is towards the end where, several different times, Prokofiev does a few "wind-up" bars of the same figure in a row (like ya do). Each time, he does more repetitions and utilizes more of a ritard until everything is built up so much that it all explodes into the GLORIOUS Coda! I will do you the service of not giving away what happens in the coda... But, I must request that you not listen to this piece until you have time to listen to the whole thing—it's essential for this coda to be significant. It's really the most perfect coda one could ask for. I DIED laughing the first time I heard it. Prokofiev is so ridiculous. The piece finally ends with a soft but happyish ending. There is an optional ending that he wrote which ends the piece with loud pizzazz but Prokofiev favored the original ending, as does Gergiev.

Just a side addition, MY interpretation of the role of the piano vs. the harp in this piece is that, unless they're playing together, the piano tends to be the creepy, uneasy dark Stalin feeling and the harp tends to be the brightness of a truly happy, naïve child.

Here is a link to buying the recording I mentioned on iTunes. Unfortunately, it's a compilation album, so it's rather expensive, but you get the complete set of Prokofiev's Symphonies.