UO Symphony Orchestra Prokofiev Symphony No. 5

As the tides of World War II shifted in favor toward the Allied Powers, Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony was described by the Russian composer as “a hymn to free and happy man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit.” And while it certainly contains references of war and Soviet tyranny, the lyricism and satire are more hopeful than despairing. The music, with its grace, whimsy, turbulence, and even humor, is ultimately an optimistic affirmation of life, establishing it as a great masterpiece. More reflective of the First World War than the Second, Le Tombeau de Couperin is a light-hearted remembrance of Ravel’s friends who fell in combat.