Symphony No. 1 (Popov)
Encyclopedia
Symphony No. 1 by Soviet-Russian composer Gavriil Nikolayevich Popov is a composition that was banned from performance in the U.S.S.R. until recently. Popov had completed a sketch of the first movement by August 1929 and was preparing its last (third) movement by February 1930. The work, still in draft form, won a prize sponsored by the Bolshoi Theatre
and the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda
in September 1932. It received its premiere by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Fritz Stiedry
on March 22, 1935.
One day after its premiere, Popov's symphony was banned by the Leningrad censorship board for reflecting 'the ideology of classes hostile to us.' Soviet authorities lifted the ban until Popov was denounced as a 'formalist' composer through his association with Dmitri Shostakovich
in 1936. Popov's symphony was denied further performance in the U.S.S.R. and, consequently, worldwide until after his death in 1972.
Popov's Symphony No. 1 is in three movements and roughly 50 minutes long, utilizing a large symphonic orchestra. The movements are:
While obscure, Popov's Symphony No. 1 holds a unique place in Soviet musical history and influenced composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich
and Alfred Schnittke
. The symphony was written during a period of greater Soviet artistic freedom, inspired by avant-gardists such as Igor Stravinsky
, Paul Hindemith
, Bela Bartok
, and composers from the Second Viennese School
. Also of influence were the late-romantic symphonies of Gustav Mahler
.
Popov's symphony is a highly dynamic work that uses expressionism
and freeform styles of composition that were popular in Europe at the time. The symphony is known as a major inspiration for Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4
, a similarly themed work in three movements. Ironically, Shostakovich withdrew his symphony from its Leningrad premiere during this stretch of artistic repression and, like Popov's, was not heard in the concert hall until decades later.
After the 1936 debacle, Popov's composition style changed, fearing later condemnation by the Soviet government. While suffering from emotional conflicts and worsening alcoholism, he wrote five other symphonies that are widely viewed as conformist and devoid of his earlier originality. Symphony No. 1 has experienced a modest revival by orchestras and recording labels such as Telarc, but remains more of a curiosity than a normal part of the repertoire.
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
and the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda
Komsomolskaya Pravda
Komsomolskaya Pravda is a daily Russian tabloid newspaper, founded on March 13th, 1925. It is published by "Izdatelsky Dom Komsomolskaya Pravda" .- History :...
in September 1932. It received its premiere by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Fritz Stiedry
Fritz Stiedry
Fritz Stiedry was an Austrian conductor and composer.-Biography:While studying law at the University of Vienna, Stiedry's musical abilities were noticed by Gustav Mahler who appointed him his assistant at the Vienna Court Opera in 1907...
on March 22, 1935.
One day after its premiere, Popov's symphony was banned by the Leningrad censorship board for reflecting 'the ideology of classes hostile to us.' Soviet authorities lifted the ban until Popov was denounced as a 'formalist' composer through his association with Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
in 1936. Popov's symphony was denied further performance in the U.S.S.R. and, consequently, worldwide until after his death in 1972.
Popov's Symphony No. 1 is in three movements and roughly 50 minutes long, utilizing a large symphonic orchestra. The movements are:
- Allegro energico (about 23 minutes)
- Largo con moto e molto cantabile (about 16 minutes)
- Finale: Scherzo e Coda. Prestissimo (about 9 minutes)
While obscure, Popov's Symphony No. 1 holds a unique place in Soviet musical history and influenced composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
and Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke ; November 24, 1934 – August 3, 1998) was a Russian and Soviet composer. Schnittke's early music shows the strong influence of Dmitri Shostakovich. He developed a polystylistic technique in works such as the epic First Symphony and First Concerto Grosso...
. The symphony was written during a period of greater Soviet artistic freedom, inspired by avant-gardists such as Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, Bela Bartok
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
, and composers from the Second Viennese School
Second Viennese School
The Second Viennese School is the group of composers that comprised Arnold Schoenberg and his pupils and close associates in early 20th century Vienna, where he lived and taught, sporadically, between 1903 and 1925...
. Also of influence were the late-romantic symphonies of Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
.
Popov's symphony is a highly dynamic work that uses expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
and freeform styles of composition that were popular in Europe at the time. The symphony is known as a major inspiration for Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4
Symphony No. 4 (Shostakovich)
Dmitri Shostakovich composed his Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Opus 43, between September 1935 and May 1936, after abandoning some preliminary sketch material...
, a similarly themed work in three movements. Ironically, Shostakovich withdrew his symphony from its Leningrad premiere during this stretch of artistic repression and, like Popov's, was not heard in the concert hall until decades later.
After the 1936 debacle, Popov's composition style changed, fearing later condemnation by the Soviet government. While suffering from emotional conflicts and worsening alcoholism, he wrote five other symphonies that are widely viewed as conformist and devoid of his earlier originality. Symphony No. 1 has experienced a modest revival by orchestras and recording labels such as Telarc, but remains more of a curiosity than a normal part of the repertoire.