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Vasily Petrenko Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 27 Vasily Petrenko Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Både Prokofjev og Mjaskovskij, som var nære venner, fikk Both Prokofiev and Myaskovsky, close friends, suffered under 1947), men ble offentlig fordømt året etter og utelatt fra re- condemned the following year and was omitted from the lide under det undertrykkende sovjetregimet og måtte opp the repressive Soviet regime, obliged to pursue their respec- pertoaret til sovjetiske orkestre i årevis. repertoire of Soviet orchestras for many years. gjennom karrieren komponere med trusler om kunstnerisk tive composing careers with the threat of artistic censorship sensur hengende over seg. I sitt beryktede dekret fra 1948 hanging over them. In his notorious decree of 1948 Andrey Prokofjevs egne kommentarer om verket var karakteristisk Prokofiev’s own comments on the work were typically (and un- kritiserte sentralkomiteens sekretær Andrej Zjdanov framstå- Zhdanov, secretary of the Central Committee, criticised prom- konsise (og til tilsvarende liten nytte): «Den første satsen er helpfully) terse: “The first movement is agitated, at times lyri- ende komponister som Sjostakovitsj, Prokofjev, Mjaskovskij og inent composers including Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Myas- opprørt, til tider lyrisk, til tider alvorlig; den andre satsen, cal, at times austere; the second movement, Largo, is brighter Khatsjaturjan. De ble anklaget for «formalistiske forvrengnin- kovsky and Khachaturian. They were accused of “formalistic Largo, er lysere og mer melodiøs; den raske finalen i en dur- and more tuneful; the finale, rapid and in a major key, is close ger og antidemokratiske tendenser som er fremmede for det distortions and anti-democratic tendencies which are alien to toneart ligger nær min femte symfoni i karakter, bortsett fra in character to that of my Fifth Symphony, save for reminis- sovjetiske folk og dets kunstneriske smak». I boka On Russian the Soviet people and its artistic taste.” Richard Taruskin (On reminisenser av de alvorlige passasjene i første sats.» Han cences of the austere passages in the first movement.” He also Music skisserer Richard Taruskin den typiske karrieren til en Russian Music) sketches the typical career of a Soviet com- medga også at symfonien delvis var inspirert av krigsårene. acknowledged that the symphony was partly inspired by the sovjetisk komponist: «… den frydefulle modernistiske kreativi- poser: “... joyous modernist creativity in the 1920’s disastrously «Nå jubler vi over den store seieren, men vi har alle sår som war years. “Now we are rejoicing in our great victory, but each teten på 1920-tallet forfalt katastrofalt til disiplinerte sosialist- degraded in the 1930’s to regimented Socialist Realist clichés, ikke kan leges.» of us has wounds which cannot be healed”. realistiske klisjeer på 1930-tallet, fulgt av 1940-tallets krigspa- followed in the 1940’s by wartime patriotism giving way at the triotisme som til slutt måtte vike for likegyldige post-Zjdanovske last to mindless post-Zhdanov anodynes.” (This rather harsh Fem av Prokofjevs symfonier har en tradisjonell struktur med Five of his symphonies are structured in the traditional plattheter.» (Den relativt nådeløse karakteristikken av den siste description of the final phase is by no means appropriate to fire satser, mens den andre symfonien bare har to og nummer four movements, whereas the Second Symphony has only fasen er langt fra treffende for all musikk fra denne perio- all the music of that period.) The career-path which Taruskin seks har tre. Den sjette symfonien begynner med en emosjo- two and No 6 has three. The Sixth Symphony begins with den.) Karriereveien Taruskin beskriver, er mer dekkende for sketches applies more closely and continuously to Myaskovsky nelt vidtfavnende Allegro moderato. Et skarpt, synkende tema an emotionally wide-ranging Allegro moderato. An acer- Mjaskovskij enn for Prokofjev, som forlot Russland og dro til than to Prokofiev. Prokofiev left Russia for the USA in 1918, med uvanlig orkestrering for messingblåsere (en blanding av bic descending idea unusually scored for brass (a blend of USA i 1918, flyttet til Paris på 1920-tallet og – uforklarlig nok moved to Paris in the 1920’s, then returned to Russia – in- sordinerte og usordinerte instrumenter) i stakkato-fjerdedeler muted and unmuted) in staccato quavers soon gives way to – vendte tilbake til Russland på 1930-tallet, sammenfallende i explicably – in the 1930’s, coinciding with Stalin’s policy of viker snart for et lyrisk tema som først introduseres av fioliner a lyrical theme introduced by muted first violins and violas. tid med Stalins undertrykkende politikk og gjennomgripende repression and the imminent measures of artistic censorship. og bratsjer. Selv om melodien høres uskyldig ut, får den en Although innocent-sounding, this melody assumes a more tiltak for kunstnerisk sensur. hardere karakter senere i satsen. Det noe nostalgiske andre steely character later in the movement. The rather nostal- Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) composed his Symphony No 6 temaet, merket Moderato – dolce e sognando (søtt og drøm- gic second subject, marked Moderato – dolce e sognando Sergej Prokofjev (1891–1953) komponerte sin Symfoni nr. 6 i in E flat minor, Opus 111 between 1945 and February 1947, mende) og spilt av oboene i oktaver, innleder en rolig sek- (sweetly and dreamily) and played by the oboes in octaves, ess-moll, opus 111, mellom 1945 og februar 1947, men skissene though his sketches date from 1944 - before his completion of sjon, men denne komplekse satsen – dyptpløyende og utfor- begins a peaceful section, but this complex movement skriver seg fra 1944 – før han ble ferdig med den femte sym- the Fifth Symphony. The scoring is for large orchestra includ- drende, men ofte emosjonelt ambivalent – er en sekvens av – profound and challenging but often emotionally ambi- fonien. Verket er skrevet for stort orkester med pikkolofløyte, ing piccolo, cor anglais, E flat clarinet, contrabassoon, harp, hvileløst vekslende stemninger og tempi. Mest bemerkelses- valent - is a sequence of restlessly changing moods and tem- engelsk horn, Ess-klarinett, kontrafagott, harpe, piano, celesta piano, celesta and an array of percussion. Although the key verdig er en dyster marsj med stakkato-akkompagnement for pos. Most remarkable is a grim march accompanied by stac- og et stort oppbud av slagverksinstrumenter. Selv om tone- of E flat minor is extremely rare in the symphonic literature, fagotter og klaver. Den sentrale delen er robust og bygger seg cato bassoons and piano. The central part is robust, building arten ess-moll er ekstremt uvanlig i symfonisk litteratur, skrev Myaskovsky also wrote a sixth symphony in that key. opp til en lang fortissimopassasje. Et solohorn tar opp igjen to a sustained fortissimo passage. A solo horn recalls the også Mjaskovskij en sjette symfoni i denne tonearten. oboenes tema, den dystre marsjen kommer tilbake, og slutten oboes’ theme, the grim march returns, and the movement’s Disappointed with the reception of his music in the West, på satsen er rolig og hemmelighetsfull. Etter alle konfliktene ending is quiet and shadowy. After all the preceding conflict, Prokofjev var skuffet over hvordan musikken hans ble mottatt Prokofiev hoped for a great welcome on his return to Rus- gir sluttakkorden et glimt av hovedtonearten – Ess-dur. the final chord allows a glimpse of the tonic major key - E i Vesten, og håpet på en storslått velkomst da han vendte til- sia. As Francis Maes has written in A History of Russian flat major. bake til Russland. Som Francis Maes har skrevet i A History of Music, “While Serge Prokofiev’s talent is beyond question, Den sentrale largoen er like omfattende som åpningssatsen Russian Music: «Mens det ikke er tvil om Sergej Prokofjevs mu- his career as a composer was a succession of misjudge- og begynner med en sterkt dissonerende frase på fem takter. As extended as the opening movement, the central Largo be- sikalske talent, var hans karriere som komponist en lang rekke ments …. All his actions from 1918 to 1932 can be seen as Selv om den påfølgende passasjen – som er like rikt orkes- gins with a very dissonant 5-bar phrase. Though the following feilvurderinger […] Alle hans handlinger fra 1918 til 1932 kan a step-by-step return, first to Western Europe, and then to trert – er mindre streng, er den like intens, men etter hvert passage – just as fully scored - is less severe, there is no ses som en trinnvis retur, først til Vest-Europa, så til Moskva.» Moscow …” By the latter part of the thirties many lead- dukker det fram en langt mykere passasje (celloer og fagot- drop in intensity, but a much more tender passage (cellos and Mot slutten av trettitallet befant mange ledende komponister ing composers were in America, while Prokofiev was locked ter, molto espressivo). Den lyriske karakteren opprettholdes bassoons, molto espressivo) eventually emerges. This lyricism seg i USA, mens Prokofjev satt innestengt i Russland. Da han away in Russia. By the time of his Sixth Symphony he had fram til den blir avbrutt av en brutal episode med iørefallende is sustained until disturbed by a brutal episode with promi- skrev den sjette symfonien, hadde han stort sett tilpasset seg generally adapted to the state’s demand for upbeat, op- slagverk, som følges av en mer ettertenksom passasje for de nent percussion, which gives way to a reflective passage for til statens krav om optimistisk og glad musikk, men den sjette timistic music, yet this is a deep and personal work with fire hornene. Prokofjev rekapitulerer de to lyriske temaene i the four horns. Prokofiev recapitulates the two lyrical themes symfonien er et dypt og personlig verk med et umiskjennelig an unmistakeably tragic element. Biographer Israel Nestyev motsatt rekkefølge før den aggressive åpningen vender til- in reverse order, before the aggressive opening returns. The tragisk element. Biografen Israel Nestjev skrev: «Det er som wrote: “It seems as though the two Prokofievs, the old [of- bake.
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