BaL 21.04.12 - Prokofiev's Symphony no. 5

[rubbernecker]

As to Kletzki, worth the £7.99 to download?

Possibly not... But definitely worth picking up the CFP vinyl reissue for 50p in a car boot sale!

[jayne lee wilson]

Soileduk - not to open a can of worms but the quality of the disc itself can be a factor in SQ; years ago Stereophile did a magisterial analysis of digital sound (try their archive - "CD - Jitter, errors and magic") - and found CDs to apparently be the source of worryingly varying levels of jitter, even for the same issues.. (re)mastering is not the only factor...

Hi Jayne,
Oooh that is a can of worms, but yes CD quality as an item is variable. I'd just checked to see if there had been a re-mastering but as there hasn't I'd concluded a case of cloth ear for the second review.
The Kitajenko set has been deleted so if any of you want a set be quick. The river people did have some a little while ago.[/QUOTE]

I bet that would classic cycle?[/QUOTE]

Meant to second this when you mentioned it earlier - the gorgeously-presented Kitajenko probably is all-round the best-played and recorded cycle, with due deference to the Rozhdestvensky as a historical choice, still with good, recently-remastered sound (and with a characterfulness second to none!)

[prokkyshosty]

Is the Rozhdestvensky being discussed here the live Proms performance from 1971 with the Leningrad Philharmonic? I have eight Prokky 5 recordings and that is by far my favorite. A sizzling performance, a receptive audience, and my favorite part: what sounds like Rozhdestvensky stamping his feet on the podium in order to whip his forces into a frenzy for the energetic coda of the scherzo (second) movement. Or so it sounds to me anyway!

As for a Fifth that has gotten away, I remember hearing on the radio in Boston, probably around 1996, a performance by the Pittsburgh Symphony under Maazel at Tanglewood that was so slowed down, so drawn out and dramatic, it lasted well over 50 minutes. At first I thought, 'what in the world is he doing??' but by the end of it, I felt like I was listening to an undiscovered Mahler symphony. I've always hoped someone was out there secretly recording it. I would love to hear it again.

[Charles_Smith]

[QUOTE=Eine Alpensinfonie;150275]9.30 Building a Library: Geoffrey Norris with a personal recommendation from recordings of Prokofiev's Symphony no. 5.

Available versions:

Why no Temirkanov St Petersburg?

Charles

[verismissimo]

#39 verismissimo, according to Lebrecht in 'Maestros, Masterpieces and Madness', Legge resigned in June 1963. He flew to Berlin hoping Karajan would give him a job, but he didnt.

Um, the P 1964 mark only indicates when it was first issued. It was most probably recorded in 1963. Kletzki was one of Legge's main conductors (after Karajan and Klemperer).

[Roehre]

There was such a tie-up in the 1960s. Many CBS recordings were available on Philips at that time

Philips issued CBS recordings pressed in the UK with the idiosyncratic UK record numbers as well as pressed on the continent with the Dutch-German numbers. E.g. Robert Craft's 4LP "complete" Webern set is on my shelves as an American CBS (awful pressing) and as a Dutch Philips (excellent pressing, still in use) and I have had the British edition in my hands (but did not buy that one, as the contents were identical and the pressing of lesser quality than the Dutch one).

[Gordon]

1964 Philharmonia in top form, LMP! Wonder if it was recorded before or after the departure of Walter Legge and UDI?

It was recorded at Abbey Road 10-12th June 1963 so was before the Legge official abandonment of the orchestra which was on 10th March 1964 when he issued a press statement to that effect. This from the Stephen Pettitt history and discography of the Philharmonia. EMI bought Legge's stake in the orchestra and so got all the pre-1964 royalties!! The last sessions of the old Philharmonia were in November 1964, Mahler's Lied von der Erde with Klemperer who stood by the orchestra.

Legge resigned from EMI as a producer in 1963 and it was that that led him to go off to Berlin.

[Dave2002]

I'll take your word for it re. the Rattle. Just ordered a used 'good condition' copy of the 1993 issue from the amazon.co.uk marketplace. I note that the sole customer review for one of the reissue versions relegates the recording to the 1 star zone, "Those with hearing disability would accept this EMI recording".

You can sample it here on Spotify - http://open.spotify.com/album/1xv1TQltHUaKPPbFZeaS5W
I don't think it's the worst recording I've heard by a long way, even if I might not give it 5 stars. 4 stars maybe. Indeed some of the Scythian Suite could be considered very good indeed. There's a lot of detail, though maybe not much ambience, aand the dynamics seem compressed - though it's very likely that Spotify has something to do with that, the CD might be better. It could be due to the hall, and takes a few minutes to get used to. Rattle seems restrained at the end of the Symphony, but I'd have to listen right through to check. Indeed I think Rattle is slow in places where others push on, so probably wouldn't be my first choice.

[Don Petter]

My shelves yield one recording which I don't think has been mentioned, PO/ Kletzki on CfP 200 from 1964 [along with LSO/ Previn and BSO/ Koussevitzky on LP, plus CDs by RSNO/ N Jarvi and BBCPO/ Noseda (BBC MM)].

A quick look at my bookshelves fails to reveal any review for that Kletzki, in Penguins, EMG or any other LP guide. Would have thought it should be decent, and the Gramophone (JNM) liked the reissue. Must give it another spin!

There was a pretty good review of the Kletzki by Jeremy Noble in the March 1964 Gramophone.

I have the BSO/Koussevitsky on CD (Dutton CDBP 9706 c/w Prokofiev playing piano in the 3rd Concerto, with Coppola), and unless I've missed it in the verbiage, no-one has mentioned Dorati with the Minneapolis on Mercury 432 753-2?

(These, with the Noseda, are my three on CD.)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

[QUOTE=Charles_Smith;152953]

9.30 Building a Library: Geoffrey Norris with a personal recommendation from recordings of Prokofiev's Symphony no. 5.

Available versions:

Why no Temirkanov St Petersburg?

Charles

Thank's for the info re the omission - duly added to the list.

[Dave2002]

As to Kletzki, worth the £7.99 to download?

Also can be tested at Spotify - http://open.spotify.com/track/2GcL8wg9JRpdsI0bAmMnwF Is the CD still coupled with Silvestri Love of 3 Oranges? Maybe NLA it seems. The CD seems to sell for high prices 2nd hand - almost $50. Someone paid £30 not too long ago for an LP copy - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASD-578-PR...2#ht_500wt_922 Try listening on Spotify - it's cheaper. Quality seems good enough, at least for getting an idea of what it all sounds like - which is at the very least good.

Incidentally - this seems to be a very good performance.

[Dave2002]

Sampling/testing with Spotify

It's pretty easy to use Spotify to listen to many of the recordings for BAL. For example, if you want to try Karajan's version of (say) Prokofiev Symphony 5, just type in "Spotify Prokofiev 5 Karajan" to Google. You'll probably get straight there, and if you have a Spotify account you can be listening within seconds.

So you can try any of the conductors of Your choice before the program.

[Dave2002]

Szell also has a version with the Cleveland Orchestra. Perhaps NLA as a CD here, though downloads are available. It's coupled with Bartok Concerto for Orchestra on a CD from US Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Symphony-Bartók-Concerto-Orchestra/dp/B00000JHIO

Are we going to have to change this to CD and Download Review?

[rauschwerk]

I'll be very surprised if LSO/Gergiev doesn't get an honourable mention.

In Interpretations on Record around 1970 (ie before Karajan's recording) Ormandy (then unavailable) came out top and I bought the LP as soon as it was reissued. I now have the Karajan CD and Gergiev (whose No.6 was a BaL recommendation not long ago). I have listened only to the first movement from Gergiev but I very much like the way he keeps it on the move compared with HvK. I'm not a fan of the Barbican acoustic as recorded but it's in the same league as the sound that Karajan gets.

[Alison]

Rattle for me.