Autumn

If Dreams op.6 represents the young Prokofieff’s tribute to Scriabin, Autumn, its companion piece from the same year, is closer in spirit to Rachmaninoff, especially in the melancholy and winding stream of melody with which this piece begins and ends. But Prokofieff, who was still a student at this time, is also drawn to more advanced and abrasive harmonies than Rachmaninoff would have chosen. The result is a surprisingly delicate and even disturbing orchestral miniature, in a three-part arch-structure with more than a hint of wild winds whistling through the branches in the central section.

Note by Gerard McBurney