# SS 09.04.16 - Prokofiev #7



## realdealblues

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening! 
_*
*_For your listening pleasure this weekend:*

Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953)*

Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131 

1. Moderato
2. Allegretto
3. Andante espressivo
4. Vivace

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Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


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## realdealblues

Another Saturday Symphony is upon us. It took me a while to get into Prokofiev but I enjoy him quite a bit now. I haven't heard this one in a while so I'm looking forward to re-hearing it. I'll be listening too:

View attachment 83371


Neeme Jarvi/Scottish National Orchestra


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## Cosmos

Not my favorite Prokofiev, but still good stuff.

My usual would be Ozawa and the Berlin Philharmonic, but I also have this symphony off the Naxos collection, so I'll wipe away the digital dust. Kuchar and the National Orchestra of Ukraine


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## Pugg

​
*Prokofiev*:Symphony No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 131

The Cleveland Orchestra

*Vladimir Ashkenazy* on DECCA


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## Mahlerian

I'll be listening to this new recording with Gergiev and the Mariinsky orchestra. I don't care much for Gergiev's politics or his conducting on many works, especially Mahler, but I guess I'll see how it is.


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## techniquest

I'm really busy this weekend, so I'm listening to Prokofiev's 7th now (hope this is okay).
I'm listening to the Kitajenko recording from the complete symphonies set on Phoenix Edition (see pic). It's so well recorded and brings out the best in this rather mysterious and often overlooked symphony. Of course it doesn't have the power and solidity of the 5th and 6th, but Prokofiev was in a really difficult place when he wrote this, and so much of this symphony sounds like it ought to be ballet music; but just listen to the haunted first couple of bars before he hides under tuneful melancholy and dances.


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## techniquest

By the way, there's a fascinating examination of Prokofiev's 7th here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02lqc88


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## D Smith

Ozawa/Berlin here.


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## starthrower

Other than his Classical Symphony, I'm not familiar with the symphonic Prokofiev. I'm going to try Jarvi on YouTube.


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## KenOC

I've only listened to the 7th Symphony a couple of times because it didn't seem very interesting. A good opportunity to try again! I'll be listening to the performance by Rozhdestvensky with the Moscow RSO, my favorite complete set.


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## Mika

Will listen Gergiev & LSO


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## TxllxT

My first experience with both Prokofiev and Andre Previn. I still like it better than Gergiev, which is a letdown...


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## Triplets

I had the Rostroporich cycle but sold it off because I didn't find any of the works except 1&5 to have any interest. I burned them to a hard drive however so I will dig out that drive


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## Strange Magic

Previn/LA Philharmonic.


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## Strange Magic

Triplets said:


> I had the Rostroporich cycle but sold it off because I didn't find any of the works except 1&5 to have any interest. I burned them to a hard drive however so I will dig out that drive


Try the Third again; Prokofiev's best IMO. I have the Rostropovich.


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## chesapeake bay

Previn and the LSO as pictured above a few posts.


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## Haydn man

Mika said:


> Will listen Gergiev & LSO
> 
> View attachment 83381


Make that my choice also


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## elgar's ghost

It's a symphony of conflicting emotions for me; it's always at the back of my mind that Prokofiev was pretty much a man whose spirit and health had been broken by then - a million miles away from the razor-sharp urbanity of his work from the late 1910s through to the early 1940s - yet here he is writing what could be termed a requiem for the self, despite his instinct for not drawing too much obvious attention to his own situation . However, it's an unexpected not to say welcome suggestion so I'll go with Ashkenazy/Cleveland.


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## KenOC

Just listened to the symphony. He wrote it just after his Symphony-Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, and it seems to me that the two works have something in common.* The music is of the highest quality, but doesn't have the razor-sharp focus (as mentioned in elgars ghosts's post just prior) of earlier works, through the 6th Symphony.

Hardly surprising. Aside from failing health and general misery, Prokofiev was living in poverty as a result of his failure to apologize for his compositional "failings." He even changed the ending of the 7th Symphony in an effort to win a 1st-class Stalin Prize, which came with 100,000 rubles that would have put plenty of food on his table. He didn't win the prize, but the symphony did win the very desirable Lenin Prize -- four years after he died.

My Rozhdestvensky performance uses the original ending, which Prokofiev is said to have preferred. It's a slow and reflective fade-out to the vivace last movement.

*Added: Of the two works, I like the Symphony-Concerto better.


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## tdc

starthrower said:


> Other than his Classical Symphony, I'm not familiar with the symphonic Prokofiev. I'm going to try Jarvi on YouTube.


Hopefully the work won't cause you to shy away from listening to the other Symphonies, it is an ok work, but underwhelming in comparison with the rest of the cycle.


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## Jeff W

Mahlerian said:


> I'll be listening to this new recording with Gergiev and the Mariinsky orchestra. I don't care much for Gergiev's politics or his conducting on many works, especially Mahler, but I guess I'll see how it is.


I'm not really too big a fan of Prokofiev's Symphonies, but I will try this one out as it is available to stream on Apple Music. Pickings are slim when it comes to Prokofiev on Apple...


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## jim prideaux

Mika said:


> Will listen Gergiev & LSO
> 
> View attachment 83381


unlike a lot of others I have really enjoyed this particular symphony for years having first come across it on a cassette and performed by Previn and the LSO-today will be the perfect opportunity to return to it with this Gergiev performance....


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## Guest

View attachment 83395


Trying Kirill Karabits with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on Spotify. I enjoyed his Prokofiev 5th at the Proms last year.

(The opening reminds me of Craig Armstrong's work with Madonna on Ray of [email protected] it now I'm listening to Madonna instead!)


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## Balthazar

Gergiev and London here as well.


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## chesapeake bay

I wasn't really thrilled with Previn and the LSO so I switched to this performance which is very good.


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## phlrdfd

Ormandy may have been as good in Prokofiev as in the music of any other composer, with the possible exception of Sibelius. I'll go with his from this set:


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## AClockworkOrange

Walter Weller & the London Symphony Orchestra for me in this week's Saturday or in my case a Sunday Symphony.


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## Enthusiast

For 7 I prefer the Malko recording that was a Classics for Pleasure disc when I was a child. I like Rozhdestvensky's set of Prokofiev symphonies but find his much praised 7 to be a little too lush.


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