At the same time as Stalin’s purges intensified, a homesick Sergei Prokofiev returned completely to the USSR in 1936. In 1918, he fled Russia, residing in the USA after which in Paris. He was lured again with guarantees of inventive freedom and the flexibility to journey overseas, each of which in the end had been restricted by Soviet authorities.
Composed in 1936, and premiered the identical 12 months by conductor Eugen Szenkar and the Moscow State Philharmonic, Russian Overture, Op. 72 is the music of joyous homecoming. Prokofiev’s biographer, Simon Morrison, writes that the Overture “contains motives derived from Russian people dance, salon tune and liturgical chant.”
It’s larger-than-life music, brimming with exuberant exercise and shimmering orchestral colours. Within the remaining moments, the Overture’s themes come collectively in an impressive chorale, concluding with the final word musical fireworks.
Recordings
- Prokofiev: Russian Overture, Op. 72, Neeme Järvi, Philharmonia Orchestra Amazon
Featured Picture: “A Quiet Monastery” (1890), Isaac Levitan
