classical symphony

Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, “Classical”: Musical Time Travel

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If Haydn had traveled 100 years into the future, what kind of music might he have written? The 25-year-old Sergei Prokofiev provided a compelling answer with his Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25, widely known as the “Classical” Symphony. Filled with grace, elegance, exuberance, and humor, it is compact music, scored for the pared-down classical orchestra. Bold 20th century harmony meets traditional sonata form. In his autobiography, Prokofiev wrote, “It …

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Marie Antoinette’s Favorite Symphony

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It began with a stunningly lucrative commission. In 1785, Franz Joseph Haydn, who had spent 25 years employed by the court of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy in an isolated backwater of the Austrian Empire, was asked to write six symphonies for the orchestra of Le Concert de la Loge Olympique in Paris. The patron was the Olympic Lodge, one of the wealthiest Masonic lodges in Paris. Haydn was promised an orchestra of 67 musicians (three times the …

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