Most of the symphony is emotionally restrained, nostalgic and melancholy in mood, including the ending of the Vivace final movement.
However, Prokofiev was later convinced to add an energetic and optimistic coda, so as to win the Stalin Prize of 100,000 rubles.
[1] The premiere was well-received, and in 1957, four years after Prokofiev's death, the symphony was awarded the Lenin Prize.
After a brief development section, the recapitulation of the two themes follows, and the movement ends in a reflective mood with the clock-ticking sounds on glockenspiel and xylophone.
The first recording with the new assertive ending was by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, from sessions on 26 April 1953.