Prokofiev symphonies

[jayne lee wilson]

I would just add - the dynamics are staggering in the grander pieces - set volumes cautiously at first...!

The set is also one the most beautifully presented you'll ever see, with individual but related designs on each case and disc - a joy to look at and have around. It would be a shame to lose that if it were repackaged as a budget box.

jayne

You've persuaded me; off to find the best price (it ain't cheap). I very much enjoyed Kitaienko's Manfred and will be interested to explore the rest of his ongoing Tchaikovsky cycle.

[Dave2002]

The live broadcast of Jurowski's performance of No. 6 with the LPO tonight will be worth hearing and recording off R3 if possible

Missed it! Was it good? I might try iPlayer - should still be there.

[Ferretfancy]

Jurowski and the LPO gave another splendid performance at the RFH last night, this time the highlight was an hour long suite from Cinderella, preceded by the great Leon Fleisher in the 4th Piano Concerto. and the ballet Chout ( the Buffoon ) The concerto does rather outstay its welcome as a work for the left hand only, but Fleisher was excellent, and the orchestra is on top form throught the evening.
This series is really unmissable, but sadly only one concert with Symphony No. 6 has been broadcast, there have been no microphones in evidence for the rest.

On Saturday they are due to give the world premiere of the Oratorio Ivan the Terrible, not in the version by Stasevich which has been performed and recorded before, but an earlier setting by Atovmyan made not long after the Eisenstein film appeared. This version has remained unplayed, not because of Soviet disapproval, but because Atovyam had a serious illness, and the premiere was abandoned.
This promises to be a fascinating experience.
There were quite a few empty seats last night, so if anybody is tempted to attend it should not be too difficult, the last concert on February 1st includes the beautiful Violin Concerto No.2, with Janine Jansen as soloist, followed by the 5th Symphony.

[Barbirollians]

Revisiting this thread I have enjoyed the MRSO/Rozhdestvensky set recommended by Jayne and Bryn a great deal .

Although there are other individual performances I treasure like Malko's vintage Philharmonia 1 & 7 ( the big tune in the first movement of the Seventh has surely never been so gorgeous) and Kletzki's 5 . I think this now edges Jarvi out as a set - though of course there is no original version of No 4

[Barbirollians]

Is there anybody there ????

[Dave2002]

Is there anybody there ????

No, nobody!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Is there anybody there ????

I share your enthusiasm for Malko (and would add Karajan and Mravinsky for their Fifths) and have always preferred Rozhdestvensky to Jarvi as a conductor, so this has gone on my "list"

Sadly, the list has reached about page 73 already! (Wasn't it Marvell who wrote a poem "To His Coy Bank Manager"?)

[BBMmk2]

Has Barshai recorded it?

[Stanfordian]

I have been delighted with the set of the Prokofiev Symphonies No's 1-7/Lieutenant Kijé conducted by Seiji Ozawa with the Berliner Philharmoniker on DG.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I have been delighted with the set of the Prokofiev Symphonies No's 1-7/Lieutenant Kijé conducted by Seiji Ozawa with the Berliner Philharmoniker on DG.

That set has a lot going for it. It's one of several on my shelves awaiting a proper re-evaluation when the listening room is sorted.

[Barbirollians]

I see that after his excellent Proms performance this year - Sakaro Oramo has recorded the Prokofiev 5 & 6 with his Finnish orchestra . The performances have received rather faint praise in IRR ( albeit not from one of my favourite reviewers) anyone heard them ?

[HighlandDougie]

I downloaded them in the summer from Qobuz and made some comments in the New Releases thread at that time (msg 256). I haven't read IRR but I wasn't terribly impressed. 5th better recorded than the 6th - and a more convincing performance than the 6th, which I found disappointing and less convincing than his Proms performance. I've been greatly enjoying the Melodiya re-mastered Rozhdestvensky cycle, although the 5th is better served in the BBC Legends disc of the live performance from the Proms.

[Barbirollians]

I downloaded them in the summer from Qobuz and made some comments in the New Releases thread at that time (msg 256). I haven't read IRR but I wasn't terribly impressed. 5th better recorded than the 6th - and a more convincing performance than the 6th, which I found disappointing and less convincing than his Proms performance. I've been greatly enjoying the Melodiya re-mastered Rozhdestvensky cycle, although the 5th is better served in the BBC Legends disc of the live performance from the Proms.

Thanks HD - yes that BBC Legends performance is pretty stunning .

[HighlandDougie]

In my ongoing search for the perfect version of Prokofiev's 6th Symphony (OK, I know that there's no such thing as 'perfection' in the context of musical performance but equivalent to a BaL recommendation, say), I was seduced by e-classical.com's weekly e-mail and downloaded in its FLAC 24/96 incarnation this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dclassical&field-keywords=prokofiev+symphony+6+litton

BIS recording at its very best and I find the performance to be rather more engaging than that of Oramo. Good orchestral playing, too - and very good couplings. I'll be very interested to hear the views of others in due course.

[LaurieWatt]

Has Barshai recorded it?

noone has responded to your query, brassbandmaestro! Rudolf Barshai recorded the 5th Symphony (coupled with 1st) for Collins Classics with the Philharmonia in September 1989 at the Henry Wood Hall. It is one of my favourite recordings - for him the heart of the work is the 3rd, Adagio, movement where at the climax he requires the use of two tamtams - remember I used to correspond here as the gongman! He conducted it at the Proms the following year with the BBC Phil which I attended. I have no idea if the recording is still commercially available as a CD but it is available as a download: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...+prokofiev+5th