Southland Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Program Notes 

The Spectacular SSO Season Finale!

The MUSIC!

Cello Concerto in E minor

Aram Ilyich Khachaturian 

Born: 6 June [O.S. 24 May] 1903. Tiflis or Kojori, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire

Died: 1 May 1978 (aged 74). Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Here is some wonderful info provided by Ruslan Biryukov (copied from the Asbarez newsletter):

“Crafted in 1946, just a year following the conclusion of World War II, Aram Khachaturian’s ‘Cello Concerto in E-minor’ endured a tumultuous fate, shrouded in the political turmoil of its time. Alongside luminaries like Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Kabalevsky, Khachaturian faced accusations of “formalistic tendencies,” a nebulous charge often wielded by those wielding power over the Soviet cultural sphere.  This period of persecution threatened the livelihoods of these esteemed composers, illustrating the capricious nature of state propaganda.

“Despite its artistic merits, Khachaturian’s concerto languished in neglect, its performances sporadic and its reception muted both in the USSR and the West. Remarkably, the piece has never graced Californian stages, nor does any record indicate its premiere in the United States.

“What irked Soviet authorities about the concerto?  For one, its expansive length, spanning over 30 minutes, challenged conventional expectations.  Its fusion of jazz harmonies with folk-inspired melodies, reminiscent of Armenian ashughs, clashed with the sensibilities of Moscow’s political elite, despite Stalin’s own ties to Tiflis, Khachaturian’s birthplace. During Stalin’s reign, jazz and Western music faced stringent bans, viewed as breeding grounds for individualism and dissent.

“However, the concerto’s intricate harmonies masterfully weave jazz influences into its fabric, while its melodies resonate with the rich hues of Armenian tradition and folk rhythms. The second movement, steeped in lyrical poignancy, echoes the haunting memories of World War II, painting a panoramic canvas of epic proportions. The third movement, with its spirited “Sabre Dance” rhythms, sparkles with virtuosity and verve, a testament to Khachaturian’s mastery of composition.”

Prokofiev – Symphony No 1 in D Major, Op. 25 – “Classical”

Sergei Prokofiev

Born: 27 April [O.S. 15 April] 1891. Sontsovka, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, Russian Empire 

(now Sontsivka, Ukraine)

Died: 5 March 1953 (aged 61). Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Twentieth- century composer Sergei Prokofiev claimed that his “Classical” Symphony is what Haydn might have written had he lived another 100 years.

Sergei Prokofiev spent his formative years as a young student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. This was a time of considerable political turmoil in Russia. At the tender age of 17, he played his first compositions in public, and his music was perceived as avant-garde and difficult to understand, an opinion that suited the proud Prokofiev just fine. He was more than willing to trade on the image of himself as something of a musical renegade. The premieres of his First and Second piano concertos also caused a scandal in his homeland because of the bold, virtuosic writing, and dissonances some critics deemed disturbing. His reputation as a progressive composer was sealed.

It is interesting, then, that one of his most famous works is a piece that looks back to the older style of Haydn, known by the nickname “Classical.” Prokofiev wrote the Symphony No. 1 in D major in 1917, the year of the Russian Revolution. The composer toured quite extensively during that year, in part to escape the turmoil and tumult in Russia. It was also a creatively productive period for him, as he composed and premiered many works on his tour.

In the time between Prokofiev’s graduation from the Conservatory and the premiere of the “Classical” Symphony, the composer had traveled to London and met many of the musical figures that were shaping modern music in Europe. The idea of using 20th-century harmonies and resources in the service of a classical form, like the symphony, was one that many composers would explore in the early part of the 20th century and beyond. Although we would call this “Neo-classicism,” Prokofiev did not see the “Classical” Symphony as part of a neo-classical trend in his style. For him, it was an isolated experiment, and he disliked fellow Russian Igor Stravinsky’s preoccupation with neo-classicism, famously calling it, “Bach on the wrong notes.”

The “Classical” Symphony is an extremely interesting work that meshes the tradition of clarity and formality with the renegade spirit of Prokofiev’s early works. Classicism was attractive to the unsentimental Prokofiev because it eschewed the overwrought emotionality of Romanticism. There are Haydn-esque qualities in the “Classical” Symphony, like the sudden changes in volume we experience in works like “The Surprise” and “The Clock” symphonies. There is also reference to the classical practice of alternating opposites: loud and soft, high and low, light and dark, gravity and levity. Furthermore, there is a 20th-century sensibility in Prokofiev’s harmonic and rhythmic inventiveness. This experiment, juxtaposing 20th-century style with the traditional four-movement formality of the classical symphony, allows for moments of parody and humor.

A note regarding the Zhdavnov decree, and its effect on Prokofiev. He, along with many prominent composers, such as Shostakovich and Khachaturian, was sanctioned and his works were banned. (Read more about this in the notes about the Khachiturian.)

Prokofiev’s life took a bad turn. On February 10, 1948 he was accused, along with Dmitri Shostokovich and others, of “formalism,” which the pianist and Prokofiev scholar Boris Berman describes as “a political libel in the guise of an aesthetic term.” Formalist art was viewed as being elitist and “undemocratic” for its preoccupation with form over content. As a result, Prokofiev and the others were unable to perform or broadcast their work. And just ten days after his denunciation, Prokofiev’s wife Lina was arrested and charged with “espionage” for trying to send money to her mother in Spain. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Stress from the crises caused Prokofiev’s health to deteriorate further, and on March 5, 1953 he died from a cerebral hemorrhage. Joseph Stalin died the same day.

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