Quintet in G Minor, Op 39 - Sergei Prokofiev HD

Sarah Minneman - oboe Sérgio Coelho - clarinet Mann-Wen Lo - violin Ben Chilton - viola Ryan Baird - double bass Tema con variazioni Andante energico Allegro sostenuto, ma con brio Adagio pesante Allegro precipitato, ma non troppo presto Andantino While living in Paris in 1924, Prokofiev (age 33) was championed by Serge Koussevitsky (renowned bassist, composer, and conductor of the Boston Symphony). Around the time of Koussevitsky’s commission of Prokofiev’s Second Symphony, Prokofiev began writing music for a ballet, titled Trapeze, about circus life. Monetary restrictions and the desire to take this ballet on tour resulted in the need for economical orchestration; luckily, Prokofiev had been interested in creating a unique chamber ensemble after hearing Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat (septet for violin, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, cornet, trombone, and percussion). After premiering the ballet, Prokofiev published the instrumental version as Quintet, op. 39 in 1927. The instrumentation of this piece is oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, and double bass. This scoring allows for many unique timbral combinations. Prokofiev makes full use of various string effects (ponticello, glissandi, muting, natural and artificial harmonics) to further diversify the types of sounds this ensemble creates. Of the many reasons I love this piece, perhaps greatest is the relative equality of parts; the double bass is as important as the other instruments, and shares responsibility for thematic elements. The piece consists of six movements. Writer and musician Jessie Rothwell succinctly explains: The first movement opens with an oboe solo filled with “wrong” notes. The music stops suddenly in the middle of the movement, changing character for two lively variations before returning to the original oboe theme. In the second movement the double bass provides a low rhythmic figure on which the rest of the movement is loosely based. In the third movement, marked Allegro sostenuto, ma con brio, it is easy to imagine acrobats leaping and rolling through the “impractical rhythms” (patterns of 3+4+3 in a 5/4 measure), which so confounded the ballet troupe. In the fourth movement, an Adagio, the instrumentation really shows off its singular colors; sonorities shift and build throughout the movement. The fifth movement, another Allegro, is more lighthearted, like a quick march that seems to dissolve into running at moments. After a short pause, a clarinet run ends the movement. The final Andantino, like the first movement, is longer and slightly more lyrical. After a dirge-like minuet, a 6/8 trio follows, more playful and lilting. Then the minuet returns, more impassioned, and the Quintet ends with a raucous passage marked tumultuoso e precipitato. Sources available upon request. Thanks to Adam Borecki for the recording