Sergei Prokofiev - Op.40 Symphony No.2 in D minor (1924) (Score, Analysis)

Вторая симфония/Second Symphony
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Сергей Сергеевич Прокофьев/Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev) (1891-1953) was a Russian/Soviet composer, pianist, and conductor. His works range from piano sonatas to operas, and he is regarded as one of the most important composers of the 20th century.
The composer called the nine months of the time spent for the composition as “frenzied labor”, and called the symphony forged from “iron and steel”. The premiere was on 6 June 1925 conducted by Serge Koussetivsky (also the work’s dedicatee). It was received harshly, and Prokofiev later said that this symphony made him doubt his abilities as a composer for the first time in his life. In the last years of his life, Prokofiev tried to reconstruct the work in three movements (Op.136), but this never materialized.
For me, it doesn’t sound very offensive, but there are some textures that I did not like. For example, I think the ending of the first movement and the beginning of the second movement don’t line up very smoothly. And I think the fourth variation is unnecessarily too long.
My personal ranking of Prokofiev’s symphonies is 6-1-3-5-2-4-4 (revised)-7. So, the second is not my favorite. If Prokofiev got the chance to fully revise it…perhaps it could have been a tight fourth after the 3rd symphony…
(0:00) Mov.1 Allegro ben articolato - The macrostructure is quite reminiscent of Beethoven’s 32nd sonata. But obviously, the texture is not similar. The first movement is a sonata-allegro.
(0:10) T1
(0:24) In terms of texture, this symphony is very dense and dissonant.
(1:36) Transition
(1:54) Transition, with irony
(2:40) T2, lyrical??
(3:01) Canonic texture (transition)
(3:18) T2, but with T1 rhythm
(3:46) Climax
(4:16) Transition
(4:46) Development
(5:51) Episode 2
(6:33) Climax - The development consists of melodic fragments that alternates between different instruments.
(7:02) Episode 3 (T2)
(7:32) Recapitulation
(8:11) Transition
(9:06) Transition
(9:55) T2
(10:36) T1
(11:18) Climax
(11:37) Coda
(12:04) Mov.2 Andante - The second movement is a set of variations, over a diatonic theme on the oboe.
(14:16) Var.1 - Even from the first variation, the tonality is very vague. The lower voices state the theme, under vague arpeggios
(16:42) Var.2 - The second variation is playful
(17:26) Central part of this variation, which is rather chaotic
(17:57) Climax
(18:19) Outer part
(19:15) Middle part return; climax
(19:43) Var.3 - The third variation is even more optimistic and playful.
(21:53) Var.4 - The fourth variation is a lengthy meditation.
(27:27) Var.5 - The fifth is again, playful.
(28:04) But like all other variations, the violence of the first movement is still there.
(30:26) Var.6 - The final variation starts with low voices. However, instruments are added toward
(33:00) a climax (I think the orchestra is playing this passage too quietly in this recording)
(33:42) Climax (there are certain similarities to first movement themes in the brass)
(35:14) Chaos.
(36:34) Tema - The ending is the restatement of the theme, eventually dispelled by an eerie chord on the strings. In my opinion, this symphony should have ended before this (but this is a personal opinion and others probably won’t agree with me on this)
Source: English/Russian Wikipedia, original research
Recording by Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Ivashkin
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[@pierreboland8910]

Very complete and interesting analysis of a complex work. Thanks a lot.

[@ZewenShifu]

based