Prokofiev composed this four-movement orchestral work using material from his unrealized circus ballet, Trapeze (1924), which was scored for quintet. (Much of that score was adapted in the composer's Quintet for winds and strings, Op. 39.) The second and fourth movements of the Divertissement incorporate themes not rooted in that ballet.

The first movement, Moderato—molto ritmato, is a fairly literal adaptation of the music that opens Trapeze. It is light and rhythmic, featuring an attractive wistful theme in the middle section. A lovely "Larghetto" follows, presenting a theme that augurs the more introspective lyrical music in Romeo and Juliet (1935 - 1936). The third movement, Allegro energico, begins with a rhythmic idea in the lowest registers of the strings and gathers considerable momentum before slowing to give way to a somewhat Stravinskian middle episode. The finale, Allegro non troppo e pesante, is fashioned largely from music originally intended for Prokofiev's ballet The Prodigal Son (1928). It opens with a theme that is both vibrant and noble, seeming to yearn for more glorious outpourings. The wistful alternate melody from the first movement reappears, and then this tart, somewhat Neo-Classical work ends after the main material is reprised.

© All Music Guide