Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante in e minor, Op. 125 (Han-na Chang)

This work, also known as the Symphony-Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, is a reworking of Prokofiev’s Cello Concerto in e minor, Op. 58 (1933 - 1938). The story behind Prokofiev’s decision to recast the piece is fairly well known: in 1947, he heard the young cello virtuoso Mstislav Rostropovich play the e minor concerto, a work the composer and the general public was dissatisfied with, and he told Rostropovich that he would revise it for him. The first movement, marked Andante, opens with a rhythmic motif over which the cello introduces the lyrical, dark main theme. Despite the lack of a conventional buildup or climax, further attractive thematic material develops in the same subdued and melancholy vein. The second movement, marked Allegro giusto, is the one of the longest movements Prokofiev ever wrote, lasting around 18 minutes in most performances. It has three themes, the first (10:34) driving and busy, the second (11:43) sarcastic and lively, and the last (12:59) a soaring Romantic