Gavriil Popov composed his Symphony No. 3 for string orchestra, subtitled Heroic Symphony but also known as the Spanish, between 1939 and 1946. At ca. 55 minutes it is Popov's second longest

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

. It consists of five

movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...

, four highly dynamic movements drawing on Spanish dances framing a twenty-minute-long memorial on the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. * 1. ''Intrada. Andante maestoso e molto espressivo'' * 2. ''Allegro con fuoco, quasi presto'' * 3. ''Prestissimo'' * 4. ''Largo espressivo, molto cantabile e sempre con moto'' * 5. ''Presto impetuoso'' Following the ban of his Symphony No. 1 and the subsequent official condemnation of him being a formalist composer Popov focused on composing film music. In 1939 he arranged a suite from his soundtrack for

Esfir Shub Esfir Ilyinichna Shub (Russian: Эсфи́рь Ильи́нична Шуб; 16 March 1894, Surazh, Russian Empire – 21 September 1959, Moscow, Soviet Union), also referred to as Esther Il'inichna Shub, was a pioneering Soviet filmmaker and edit ...

's documentary on the Spanish Civil War ''Spain'' and conceived in parallel ''a

Concerto grosso The concerto grosso (; Italian for ''big concert(o)'', plural ''concerti grossi'' ) is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (the '' concertino'') and full orchestra (the '' ripieno'', '' ...

for string orchestra (on the basis of the string episodes from Spain)'', as it can be read in the composer's diary on September 17. Work in the project was halted soon after completing the first movement, but Popov resumed it five years later, changing the work's title from "Concerto Grosso" to his third symphony. After two years of work, it was finished in September 1946. The premiere took place in Moscow on January 31, 1947. Popov's Symphony No. 2, which had earned the composer a Stalin Prize the previous year, marked his provisional rehabilitation, and the third symphony met a favorable reception. In his diary Popov notes his former teacher

Vladimir Shcherbachov Vladimir Vladimirovich Shcherbachov (Shcherbachyov, Shcherbachev) (; 25 January 1889, in Warsaw – 5 March 1952, in Leningrad) was a Soviet composer. He studied with Maximilian Steinberg, Anatoly Lyadov, and Jāzeps Vītols (Joseph Wihtol) at t ...

"believes Symphony No. 3 is my best achievement". A meeting to discuss its nomination for the Stalin Prizes was arranged, but it was subsequently cancelled and the next year Popov was instead blacklisted in the resolution of the infamous First Congress of the

Union of Soviet Composers The Union of Russian Composers (formerly the Union of Soviet Composers, Order of Lenin Union of Composers of USSR () (1932– ), and Union of Soviet Composers of the USSR) is a state-created organization for musicians and musicologists created in 1 ...

. While most of Popov's symphonies were recorded between 1962 and 1989 Symphony No. 3 remained one of two unpublished symphonies before it was recorded in December 2008 by the Saint Petersburg Symphony Orchestra.Classique-info Disque
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References

{{Authority control 1946 compositions

Popov Popov (; masculine), or Popova (; feminine), is a common Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian surname. Derived from a Slavonic word ''pop'' (, "priest"). The fourth most common Russian surname, it may refer to: * Alek Popov (born 1966) ...

Symphonies by Gavriil Popov