# Prokofiev symphonies



## violadamore2

I urge you to order ASAP the Prokofiev symphonies recorded by Walter Weller with the London Philharmonic, complete on Brilliant Classics. I got my copy from Arkivemusic.com.

I have several versions with other major orchestras and conductors but this set takes the cake.


Originally made on Decca in the 1970's I think the recordings are terrific and do not show any technological age at all. The sound is bright, detailed, and with plenty of bass and impact.

The orchestra sounds flawless to my ears, that of a semi-professional viola player who would do almost anything to play these works.

#1 is taken at a sensible speed but not dull and it seems as if this allows the fragmentary counterpoint to be understood and make contact with the ears.

#2 is I think the weakest of SP's 7 works. Maybe I need to try harder.

#3 is my ever lovin' favorite. With themes taken from from his opera about religious depravity, The Fiery Angel, if depecits for me the epitome of evil in sound.

#4 is also from a theater work, the ballet, The Prodigal Son. There are two versions, short and long. Weller does the long version, but I like both.

#5 What can I say? One of the great compositions of the 20th century.

#6 Again my favorite with #3. Melancholy and gritty reality in sound.

#7 Full of his quirky charm and harmony but without the drama of the earlier works.


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## Air

The Weller set is fantastic, one of the best available for the Symphonies, and probably my personal favorite (I'm keener on the lesser known symphonies than #1 and #5, which are played to death. I do like them all though). I guess I'll post some thoughts as well.

#1: Weller chooses fast tempos here for all but the _Larghetto_ and this works very well for Prokofiev's youthful _jeu d'esprit_. Overall a very good interpretation, but it may not have the same sort of crispness that some other recordings have.

#2: For me, this is Prokofiev's greatest symphony but also his most misunderstood. The counterpoint in the first movement is handled well, with skill and with excitement. The cosmic _Theme and Variations_ is absolutely mesmerizing. The only conductor that may have equalled Weller here is Kuchar.

#3: Another great symphony. One cannot help but remember the music's connection to Prokofiev's _Fiery Angel_, especially when hearing Weller, who's passionate reading pulls off very well.

#4: Again, this is a brilliant reading of a perhaps less fiery work with some surprisingly beautiful moments in it. Weller pulls these off with a very fitting air of mystique.

#5: I can't say I favor this reading very much, especially with classic renditions by Rozhdestvensky (or modern ones, like Temirkanov) in my reach.

#6: Weller's magistral rendition of the 6th symphony makes this set worth buying in and of itself. Notice the almost "distilled" nature of the melodic lines in the first movement. A symphony with such complex motions require's a fine conductor to pull it off, and Weller does a fantastic job. He dismisses the notion that this symphony must be played in a "Shostakovichian" style, which means the menacing qualities of the work are more vivid than ever, like phantoms in the aftermath of a war. And all of this is played with force and power, almost inevitability - the rhythm (played with an utmost weight) pulsing forward like a clock.

#7: Many find Weller's interpretation here disappointing, but for me, this is another great recording, though perhaps not as great as some of the others. If the 6th symphony is full of ambiguity, the 7th is even more unstable in emotions - highly ironic and even bitter. Here we are in Prokofiev's "fantasy land", the biting "Prokofievian" harmonies and melodies only acting as a mockery to the reverie. Weller realizes this well, giving this piece the incredible bittersweet beauty that it warrants.


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## bumtz

How does this set compare to Jaarvi and Gergiev ones? Thanks.


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## haydnfan

Weller is not one of my favorite sets, but I do like it better than Jarvi. I like Gergiev better than both Jarvi and Weller. My favorites by symphony are:

1, 5: Levine
2, 3, 4, 7: Ozawa
6: Kuchar

My favorite box set is Ozawa (not usually my favorite conductor though) because he is more sensitive to both the momentum and structure, while Weller, Gergiev and Jarvi over-romanticize these works. Another favorite is Kuchar who is more rough-hewn and not as polished as Ozawa but like Ozawa does them justice as modern works.

And Levine... is perfection: passionate, yet not indulgant, dynamic, expressive... too bad he didn't do more.


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## Ukko

War has Aftermath. My vision of the aftermath is smoking ground, ravens in the air, and somehow the visible auras of damaged souls. We are all free to 'interpret' the music we hear, and that is what I eventually arrive at in Prokofiev's 6th.

_Air_ has described the essence of the 7th, in a post above. If it was interpreted that way in the USSR, I wonder how Prokofiev survived it.


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## bumtz

Any comments on the recently released Rozhdestvensky set on Melodya: http://melody.su/work/catalog/classic/1347 ?


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## Ukko

My only penetration of the catalog listing is wonder at the "CCCP" up there.

Rozhdestvensky made some excellent recordings; how is the sound in this set? Perhaps more important, how Politically Correct are the interpretations?


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## TxllxT

No 6 with Charles Dutoit has an exceptionally good recording, the interpretation is better than Mravinsky's










No 5 with Mariss Jansons, again one of the best orchestra recordings ever made and the interpretation... WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW










The rest of the symphonies: Valery Gergiev.

I've got No 5 too with Ashkenazy & RCO, No 1 and 7 with Previn & LSO. High quality, but once you allow Dutoit, Jansons & Gergiev to get into your ears...
(((Walter Weller I heard: dull - unrussian)))


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## scarbo

I have the Järvi set on LPs - I found his readings exciting at the time. There was not a great deal of focus on Prokofiev's orchestral works at the time and Järvi sort of started the wave of interest that has lasted ever since. Highlights of his series are, in my opinion ##1, 5 and 6. Järvi also recorded Prokofiev's ballets and other orchestral music, much of which is quite successful. I did find the splitting of Romeo of Juliet onto several LPs/CDs annoying.

Most likely, modern recordings are 'better' (whatever that means) but there is a sense of pioneering about Järvi's work that makes them worthwhile contributions.


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## Mark60

For #5 Jansons is great but don't forget Karajan/BPO/DG !


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## Moscow-Mahler

Have anyone heard Klaus Tennstedt's Prokofiev? I have not, but I'm curious...


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## samurai

I have the box set of Rostropovich conducting all 7 Prokofiev Symphonies. I think he does a very good job. Anyone else familiar with these readings? If so, any opinions on this set?


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## bumtz

samurai said:


> I have the box set of Rostropovich conducting all 7 Prokofiev Symphonies. I think he does a very good job. Anyone else familiar with these readings? If so, any opinions on this set?


 I have this set as a part of the mammoth Prokofiev 50th Anniversary box on Warner. I thought the performances were very weak - sluggish, too sweet and rhythmically incoherent. Here is a Naxos issue of ##1 and 5 by a provincial orchestra - and it is way better: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000146F


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## Delicious Manager

samurai said:


> I have the box set of Rostropovich conducting all 7 Prokofiev Symphonies. I think he does a very good job. Anyone else familiar with these readings? If so, any opinions on this set?


Having owned Rozhdestvensky's set of Prokofiev symphonies on an old set of HMV/Melodiya LPs from the 1970s, I was eagerly awaiting this re-issue. Having bought the set of Rozdestvensky conducting the ballets a couple of years ago, I had been impressed at how well the old recordings had cleaned up (especially the stereo _Cinderella_ and (sadly) mono _Romeo and Juliet_). Rozhedestvensky's had always been a phenomenal set, closely rivalled by Weller and Järvi (both with superior sound), so I was keen to see how they sounded in their new CD format. I have no idea what Hilltroll means by 'Politically Correct'!

The re-masterings, like those for the ballets, have been done very well and the recordings sound much clearer and fresher (but lacking that nasty digital 'glassiness' that some poor re-masterings can have).

No 1. This was always one of the finest performances of this work in my book and it's great to have this virtuosic, witty and graceful version back in the CD catalogue.

No 2. This is the weakest recording in the series. It is also the earliest (1962, I think) and, although the sound isn't bad, the performance is a little ragged in places in a way that is uncharacteristic of this set.

No 3. A magnificent reading of a remarkable work that deserves to be heard much more often. One of the highlights of the set.

No 4. Another slightly-less-than-perfect performance, but one which fully catches this balletic ancestry of this symphony. This is the Op 112 revised version of 1947 (sadly, Rozhdestvensky hasn't recorded the leaner, tauter (and, therefore, more satisfying) original version (Op 47, 1929) and it meanders a little (Prokofiev's fault, not Rozhdestvensky's).

No 5. Again, one of the best versions of this work ever to have been recorded (Rozhdestvensky's live recording with the Leningrad Philharmonic at the 1971 Proms is perhaps even better!).

No 6. One of the greatest symphonies of the 20th century and certainly one of the most underrated and overlooked. Rozhdestvensky is peerless here.

No 7. Some people decry this piece for its apparent regression into simplicity, but Prokofiev intended it as a 'symphony for the youth' and it receives one of its best performances on CD here. Thankfully, Rozhdestvensky sticks to the original downbeat ending rather than the falsely cheerful one Prokofiev was urged to add subsequent to its first performances.

Highly recommended!


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## myaskovsky2002

samurai said:


> I have the box set of Rostropovich conducting all 7 Prokofiev Symphonies. I think he does a very good job. Anyone else familiar with these readings? If so, any opinions on this set?


Rostro? Good with his cello...as a conductor he's not my favourite,

Martin


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## myaskovsky2002

I have the Seiji Ozawa version, I'm not satisfied.

Martin


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## Delicious Manager

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Rostro? Good with his cello...as a conductor he's not my favourite,
> 
> Martin


Rostropovich was an appalling conductor!


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## myaskovsky2002

Good news for me. I was trying to get the Rozhdestvensky's version on Amazon.com...It was unavailable...But I got it on ebay, quite expensive though. But for me Rozhdestvensy is one of the the best for Prokofiev and good enough for Shostakovich. Mravinsky I think is the very best for Shostakovich, I have the Kirill Kondrashin version for the 15 symphonies, quite good. I think I'm missing some room here...my wife is going to kill me...LOL. Those who have seen my collection will understand.

Martin


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## myaskovsky2002

Delicious Manager said:


> Rostropovich was an appalling conductor!


A question of taste, I would say...I saw his Lady Macbeth..and it is not my cup of tea. This is an opera I really love, moreover Katerina Izmailova. I have the unbeatable Provatorov version on LP that I transferred to CD.










You would probably agree on the fact that he's not as reknown as Mravinsky, Provatorov, Kondrashin, Svetlanov or Rozhdestvensky...They are/were just great conductors. Rostrovich was a cellist who started no so long ago conducting...(less expertise?).

BTW...Do you like Placido Domingo conducting? As a cellist, Rostropovich was by far one of the best! As a conductor, I'm not so sure.

Martin, not sure


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## samurai

@ Martin, As regards Rostropovich and his conducting ability--or lack thereof--what exactly is it about his style that you don't like? Does this dislike only apply to his Prokofiev readings, or to his efforts with other composers as well?


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## hoodjem

violadamore2 said:


> I urge you to order ASAP the Prokofiev symphonies recorded by Walter Weller with the London Philharmonic, complete on Brilliant Classics. I got my copy from Arkivemusic.com.
> I have several versions with other major orchestras and conductors but this set takes the cake.
> Originally made on Decca in the 1970's I think the recordings are terrific and do not show any technological age at all. The sound is bright, detailed, and with plenty of bass and impact.


This set was orginally recorded for Decca.
On symphonies nos. 3,4,5, and 6 the recording engineer was the legendary Kenneth Wilkinson, one of the finest engineers of all time.


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