Prokofiev’s 5th and 6th Symphonies

Prokofiev’s piano (and sweater) in his apartment in Moscow.

I was planning to post Prokofiev’s 5th Symphony — and it so happens that the Mariinsky just posted a wonderful new concert of both the 5th and 6th. Personally, the 5th is my favorite overall symphony of his, and the second movement of the 6th is likely my favorite single movement (if you’d like to skip to it, follow this link and give it a listen).

I always alert students that Petersburg’s famous Mariinsky Theater now has THREE wonderful venues… the original Mariinsky , the “new” Mariinsky (with a much larger stage), and the Concert Hall (Концертный зал), which is the venue for this performance. They frequently do “концертные исполнения” (concert performances) of operas or single acts of operas here, and those are some of the most incredible concerts I’ve ever attended; I usually rush to buy tickets in the front row (not that expensive!), and be incredibly close to all the performers — who often include some major stars of opera, especially during the summer, when the Mariinsky stages its “White Nights” festival. One such concert — the first act of Wagner’s “Siegfried,” which closes out with the sword-forging scene — was perhaps the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever heard, and it could NEVER sound as good in an actual opera, when the singers are running around (or, for Siegfried, swinging a hammer), and exhausted. Otherwise, the deepest impression I’ve probably had from a concert was hearing Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony at the Petersburg Philharmonic; I often tell students that Shostakovich really must be experienced live. But, I’ve been to so many great performances in Petersburg that it’s almost silly to rank them.

It gives some idea of the embarrassment of cultural riches on offer in Petersburg to note that, with its three venues, the Mariinsky alone has at least three performances on any given night. One of them is usually conducted by the tireless Gergiev, who is conducting here.