Symphony No.2 in C minor - Tikhon Khrennikov

State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the USSR conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov. I - Allegro con fuoco: 0:00 II - Adagio: 10:10 III - Allegro molto: 20:01 IV - Finale. Allegro marciale: 25:25 Khrennikov’s Symphony No.2 was begun in 1940, the first movement being performed and successfully broadcasted on August 21 of 1940, in a performance of the All Union Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nikolai Golovanov. Khrennikov resumed work on the piece in 1942, after the German invasion, with the second and third movements being finished in April and the whole piece being completed by the end of the year. The full work was premiered in Moscow on January 10 of 1943, conducted again by Golovanov. It was a huge success, being broadcasted and performed many times. However, Khrennikov was not satisfied with the final movement, being too bombastic. He drastically rewrote it, only the main theme remaining from the original version. This new version was premiered on June 9, 1944. It is a symphony that can be taken as an example of Soviet realism. In which the music should give the people their patriotic values. Despite this, it has an excellent orchestration and musical values ​​that can be seen in its first two movements. The drama expressed in the first movements gives way to a culmination in a heroic way, something that the Soviet leaders liked. The first movement is structured in sonata form. It opens with a wilful and decided main theme, full of a military tone. In contrast, the second theme is deeply lyrical, presented by the oboe and then taken by the strings. The music reaches a powerful climax. The development is turbulent and expressive, combining both themes with great dramatic tension. The main theme triumphally rises on the brasses in a great climax. A dark series of chords suddenly obscure the music. A melancholic transition of the bassoons begin a varied and nostalgic recapitulation of the themes. Then the main theme reappears in all its force, leading us to a bellicose coda. The second movement is structured in ternary form. It opens with an elegiac main theme, expressively exposed by the clarinet, later in dialogue with the basses. The strings take the theme and develop it, growing into a dissonant and painful climax. The middle section culminates in an extensive climax of tragic tone, with fanfares of the trumpets. The main theme is then recapitulated in a dialogue between violin and bassoon. A saddened coda ends the movement. The third movement, instead of being a ternary scherzo, it is structured in sonata form. It begins with a rhythmic and tense main theme, soon turning into a decided march. It is contrasted by a solemn and broad second theme, victorious in its expression. Follows a development that employs a colourful orchestration, as well as combining the materials. The main theme is then fully recapitulated, but not the second, instead leading us directly to a war-like and imposing coda. The fourth movement is structured in an expanded sonata form. It opens with a heroic main theme in form of a march. It is contrasted by a playful second theme presented by the woods, very similar to the main theme of the first movement of Khrennikov’s first symphony. It soon becomes agitated and full of a sense of urgency. Follows a mysterious third theme presented in an eerie passage, which leads us to a dramatic development, in which brasses are very present. A lyrical section offers some melodic contrast. The main theme reappears on the bassoon, then passed to the rest of the wood and then the entire orchestra. A triumphal climax in form of a march leads us to a brilliant coda. Picture: “Defeat of the Fascist Troops“ (1966) by the Ukrainian painter Fedor Ivanovich Deryazhnyi. Musical analysis written by myself. Unfortunately, the sources I used as basis are no longer available. The score is not available as well.