PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 2
WEBERN Symphony
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
This pairing of Prokofiev symphonies includes two examples of differing character: his intense Second Symphony, “a piece of iron and steel” as he described it, and his most popular symphony, the more uplifting, irrepressible Fifth. When the Fifth was premiered in the US, Prokofiev’s picture graced the cover of Time magazine, and the magazine’s lengthy profile of him quoted Koussevitzky’s assessment: “[The Fifth Symphony is] the greatest musical event in many, many years. The greatest since Brahms and Tchaikovsky! It is magnificent! It is yesterday, it is today, it is tomorrow.”
This program’s Concert Preview lectures will be presented by Eric Charnofsky, Senior Instructor, Department of Music, Case Western Reserve University