21st Symphony (Myaskovsky)

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21st symphony
subtitle in one sentence
key F sharp minor
opus 51
Set name
  • Andante sostenuto
Total duration approx. 18 minutes
Composed 1940
occupation Symphony orchestra ( 3333/4331 / Pk / Str )
premiere On November 16, 1940 by the
State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR
under the direction of Alexander Gauk

The Symphony in F sharp minor op. 51 is the 21st symphony by the composer Nikolai Jakowlewitsch Mjaskowski .

History of origin

Myaskovsky planned to write a symphony for the 4th Days of Soviet Music in the fall of 1940 . He interrupted work on this 20th symphony after the sketch, however, in order to devote himself to a new work, the 21st symphony, which was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra . In May 1940, after only five days, the drafts for this symphony were already completed. The 21st symphony was the last work to be written before the German troops marched into Russia .

analysis

The symphony has only one movement and is accordingly one of Mjaskowski's shortest symphonies with a performance time of only approx. 18 minutes. Nevertheless, it follows a complex structure in which the individual topics are artfully interwoven. The symphony has a three-part frame (roughly ABA ), with the middle section having an independent sonata form . In the slow introduction, a lyrical theme is first presented by a solo clarinet . The resulting calm and peaceful mood is interrupted by the use of the second, more dynamic theme of the high strings. The basses take up the first theme again, and the contrapuntal merging of these themes and a third theme in the high strings and woodwinds make the orchestral sound ever fuller. After the fanfare-like interjections from the brass section, the music subsides again and almost completely comes to a standstill. This is followed by the Allegro in sonata form with two opposing themes. The first fast theme is initially presented by the strings, but the increase in tempo is immediately reversed with the second theme. The transition to implementation is based on the topics in the introduction. The extensive development begins with a short trumpet solo. The recapitulation is followed by the coda, which again uses the themes of the introduction. Strings and a trumpet (played with a mute ) end the piece in pianissimo .

Reception and criticism

The premiere of the 21st Symphony at the Days of Soviet Music was a great success. The 20th symphony, which was premiered later, received less attention in comparison. Myaskovsky received the Stalin Prize, First Class, for the 21st symphony on March 15, 1941 , and the work also earned him a lot of recognition and several awards. Many listeners associated Russian images of nature and rural idylls with the sound of the work. The music researcher Igor Fjodorowitsch Belsa said of the symphony: "[A] symphony of its kind could only be created by a composer living in the Soviet era." Symphony on the composer's works, which are available in several recordings, including the complete recording by Yevgeny Fyodorowitsch Svetlanov .

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